Kathleen Desmarais

I am in the process of evaluating the marketability of e-books and if Pandia Press publications should be offered as e-books through electronic downloads. These would be offered along side print copies with customers having a choice–hard copy or e-book. Electronic downloads offer several advantages for customers and for publishers.

For customers:

1. No waiting. Instantly receive your book and use it right away.
2. E-books are interactive with live links, bookmarks, and text anchors.
3. Worksheets and maps can be easily printed from your desktop. If your child makes a mistake, no problem just print another one.
4. E-books are generally less expensive and come with no shipping costs.

For publishers:

1. E-books are easily edited. Error corrections don’t have to wait for the next print run.
2. Paper and money saved with less printing (hey, that’s one for the environment too).
3. Higher profit margins due to less cost of production.
4. Affiliate programs.
5. No trips to the post office (always a good thing).
6. No “lost” packages.

There are a few disadvantages:

1. No hard copy to hold and pages to flip through (unless you print it).
2. Customer will have to print worksheets and maps.
3. Reading off a computer screen can be tiresome.
4. E-books are easily pirated and shared illegally with others.

I am also considering offering a seperate Homeschool Tracker file along with each e-book. Homeschool Tracker is popular homeschool scheduling software.

Let your opinion be heard! Please help me with this decision. Do you want to see e-books of History Odyssey and R.E.A.L. Science? Please participate in the poll found in the sidebar.

Every day I receive emails from customers wondering when the next R.E.A.L. Science book is going to be released. (Actually if I had a dollar for each time I hear this question, I could retire now. O.K., maybe not a dollar, but five would probably do it, I would like to retire well.) The truth is that I don’t have an answer to that question right now. Nobody wishes for another book more than me. But I have not been able to lower my standards or risk my company just to get another book out there. I have spoken to literally hundreds of writers in the last 3 years. I have come close, awfully close, to publishing another book. But something always seems to happen to the writer–serious illness, time conflicts, lack of family support, financial situations, contract disputes, substandard material, etc. You see, it turns out that writers have lives too. Who knew? I have had writers just seem to drop off the face of the earth. (Secretly I think the project drove them insane, but I don’t have the insurance to cover their mental health.) I have had writers who would be great for the program but were unwilling to sign a contract (which is suicide for a publisher). Writing a R.E.A.L. Science book is a REAL commitment. Bad pun, but seriously, it is an enormous undertaking. And I am VERY PICKY. I am not willing to settle for mediocre or biased writing. Home schoolers have enough obstacles to overcome, they need really good curriculum written by a writer that understands and has enough wit to keep their children interested. Don’t you think?

So why am I telling you this? Well, maybe so you will stop asking! Just kidding. I want you to know that I understand–I want it too and I will continue to search high and low for the perfect people and I will not stop until I have found those people even if it is the last thing I do as a publisher. This is my burden and a torch I gladly carry (okay, enough Chariots of Fire). We (the homeschooling community) need good, unbiased, no agenda, REAL science more than any other program. It is the thing we are most lacking. And I know why–GOOD WRITERS ARE HARD TO COME BY. But they are out there–hey, maybe it’s you! Call me!

The good news is that I have had recent contact with a few writers who look very, very promising. I am confident that there will be another book soon. Which one and when? Well, I need to keep some secrets! Stay tuned!

Last week my family took a much needed day off and went to Epcot in Orlando for “Homeschool Days.” On this day every year Disney offers a reduced rate to home schoolers and provides a short educational program (meeting employees of Epcot from different countries). We arrived too late for the educational part, but we had a great (and educational) time anyway. The park is a lot less crowded this time of the year so there were little lines (thank goodness because it was COLD). I love Epoct! It is my favorite of all the Disney parks. There are no great roller coasters. (Except the evil ride called Mission Space on which people have died and I will not let me kids go on no matter how hard they beg, and beg they did.) The rides are all pretty lame, but Grace (1) could ride on just about every one of them, I love the country exhibits, the great food, the beautiful gardens, and the fireworks are fabulous. My favorite part was seeing the new exhibit at the China pavillion. They had artifacts from the Qin Dynasty and small scale replicas of the Terracotta warriors. Shi Huangdi, the great Qin Dynasty ruler, was buried with 8000 life-size terracotta warriors. Each warrior had a weapon and all their faces and facial expressions were different! I can’t even image how they managed to do this. There must have been people who worked on these most of their lives, waiting for the emperor to die (he ruled for 20 years). Chris is studying ancient China in Ancients (level two), so I guess this would be a field trip for him.

Charlie (7) really enjoyed the Norway exhibit and the Viking ride. This was my favorite ride when I was a kid, so it was quite nostalgic that he enjoyed it as well. It is still the same–your boat feeling like it’s really going over the falls, trolls, Vikings, offshore oil drilling, and all–I just love it!

Why don’t we take more time for days like this?

Fifty Years of Math 1957 - 2007

1. Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok. )

6. Teaching Math In 2007

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho

Happy 2008! Now is a great time to try some changes to your daily routine in order that you can have more time for your home business, home school, and family. I’ll admit that I am not the most organized person in the world. But having juggled home school with home business for several years now, I have developed a few tricks to help things run more smoothly. The most important lesson I have learned is to let the little things go. I am reminded of the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff. Just the title itself holds a lot of wisdom for me. Many of the “techniques” I use to help save time and organize have to do with letting go of some housework and grooming and many are controversial, I realize. But I believe we do so many things on autopilot, doing them just because our mother did them, and her mothers before her. At some point, a long time ago, someone said “this is how we should do it” and people have been doing it that way ever since and hardly questioning why or if it is necessary. So read the following tips with an open mind and try a few out. If you do, you may find yourself with a lot of extra hours each day that can be devoted to your children or your business.

• Have a theme for each day of the week. For example- Monday laundry day, Tuesday errand day, Wednesday cleaning day, etc. Having a focus for each day forces you to plan and helps to streamline your week.
• Start online banking. In 2007, this was the single best time saver I adopted. Bill paying use to take me half a day every week and a whole day at the beginning of every month. Now I literally complete paying bills in minutes, usual about 15. That’s 4 hours saved each week!
• Skip pajamas. Put your kids to bed in the clothes they will wear in the morning. If they just took a bath and put on clean comfortable clothes, what is wrong with this? I don’t buy PJs. I think the money is better spent on other pieces of clothing. I usually send my kids to bed in at least the shirt and underclothes for the next day (pants can be slipped on in the AM). When my kids wake-up, they are dressed for the day!
• Don’t fold laundry. Let’s face it, folding the clothes is what takes the longest. Cutting out folding will save you untold hours each week. This was a big time saver ah-ha idea after the birth of our 4th baby and the laundry mountain was up to my chin. This is what I do–each member of the family has his/her own small laundry basket. After washing and drying the clothes, I sort the clean clothes into these baskets. (I just place them in there, no folding.) Then each person takes the basket into his/her room. The kids can either pull clean clothes out of their baskets each day or fold their clothes and put them away themselves. Personally, I like my clothes folded so I fold mine and the baby’s. But it doesn’t matter to me if the rest decide not to fold (I am not embarrassed by wrinkled clothes.) (Disclaimer–this is actually not my original idea. I heard about it or read it somewhere a long time ago. I can’t remember where but I will give credit to the source if I discover it.)
• Teach your older children to do their own laundry.When my kids reach 13, I no longer wash or dry their clothes (or fold, see above). Each 13+ child is given a dirty clothes hamper and a lesson in how to wash clothes. They must wait until they have a full load before running the washing machine (or ask to share a load with me). I recommend that they do laundry once a week, but it is up to them. And yes, there have been times when they have had nothing to wear, but that is part of learning responsibility.
• Don’t insist on baths every night. Now I know some extended family members that would faint at this suggestion. I even know people who will wake their kid up (like after a long drive home) and make him take a bath. All I have to say is–why? Don’t get me wrong, hygiene is very important to me, and I don’t like my kids to stink. But if they have not been sweating or playing in the dirt, then they are probably not dirty enough to warrant an all over scrub with soap. I do make them wash their feet, face, hands, and teeth before bed every night. Cutting out the whole bath time routine every single night saves us loads of time (and makes for a much less stressful evening). During the winter months, I make them bathe about three time a week. They bathe more in the summer. (Now, if I could only figure out how to stop my 14 y.o. daughter from taking 2 showers a day!)
• Eat breakfast for dinner. Breakfast is generally quicker to fix and can be a time saver on nights when you can use an extra hour and too. (And the kids think it’s great fun to eat pancakes for dinner.)
• Stop eating fast food. Wait a minute, fast food is suppose to be, well…fast. Doesn’t that save time? I don’t think so and here’s why– fast food can give you that icky, food comma feeling. I don’t know about you, but when I feel bad I am not very productive. Also fast food (and all eating out) is EXPENSIVE. If you eat out enough, you will have to work harder or longer to make extra money for all of the “fast” food you are eating, and that is not saving time. Every once in a long while we will eat fast food. In a pinch, it’s okay. But by limiting it to only a few times a year, my kids think it is a special treat.
• Kid-clean your house. IOW, let your kids clean the house. You will have to let go of high expectations, but this does save time and teaches responsibility. I have my kids do all parts of house cleaning depending on their ages including vacuuming, dusting, mopping, sweeping, yard work, and bathrooms. And my three oldest kids clean the kitchen (all of it) every night after dinner.
• Don’t make your kids do all the practice exercises. One of the great things about home schooling is that you can eliminate busy work. If your child gets the concept, move on!
• Try block scheduling with home school. See my post about block scheduling–it is a great time saver.
• Allow only one extra activity per child. You can spend your whole day toting kids from one activity to another. My kids are allowed only one outside activity each year, and whenever possible I combine activities. For example, both of my boys are taking the same karate class this year.
• Teach your kids how to fix meals. Generally, I only “cook” dinner. My kids (5 and over) know how to fix a bowl of cereal and a sandwich (and clean up too).
• Stop shopping! Shopping drains your time and finances. Plan to shop only once a week. Make a list and stick to it. If at all possible, don’t bring your kids or only bring one. Shopping will go much quicker and you will buy much less.
• Turn off the TV! The biggest time waster.
• Have two “quick cleans” everyday. Set the timer for 5 mins. or play a song. During this time have your kids run around and pick up everything in sight. My kids actually think this is a game.
• Grow your hair long so you can put it up in the morning. I love short hair, but it really shows bed head in the morning. Longer hair looks presentable with a quick pony tail or bun.
• Shave your legs only 1x a week (or not at all if you can stand it) during the winter. Really, under your pants, who’s going to know?
• Shower with your baby. My husband showers with our baby (13 months) in the evenings saving me time every night. Both of them need bathing everyday (for different reasons). So it made sense to combine their bathing time. My husband starts his shower alone and then knocks when he is ready for the baby. I undress her and hand her over along with a squirt of soap. He bathes her and lets her play for a while with a few toys on the shower floor. He knocks when he is finished and I come with a towel. Done.
• Cook once, serve twice. For example, cook twice the needed spaghetti sauce for pizza the next day.
• Pull out the crockpot in the morning. A huge time saver for the evenings.
• Let your kids work out their own disagreements. A good idea on so many levels. I intervene only if things get violent.
• Limit your email time and web surfing to 15 minutes a day each. Really, set a timer if you need to. The computer is a time sucker and not all emails have to be answered immediately.

This time of the year, when I pay our property taxes, I always have to fight the urge to scream! This year my husband and I are paying over $2100 in the form of property taxes directly to the public school systems in two different counties. And that’s just the property taxes. In Florida, school systems also get a share of sales tax, impact fees when building a new house, and of course the lottery. (By contrast, we are only paying $11 for parks and less than $500 for emergency services.) I really resent paying all this money to the school system. All I can think about is what I could do with that $2100 for my own kids this year. People who do not have school-age kids, or those who pay for private school might get equally aggravated. I do not buy the argument that public education is everyone’s burden! I believe that if you brought a child into this world, then you are responsible for that child’s education, not everyone else who dares to own property. And why is it the property owners who bare this burden? Is there a punishment for owning property–You must then make sure everyone gets an education, even if it is a bad one?

There is so much waste in school systems. IMO schools get way more money than they need. The system in Florida is so top heavy and full of bureaucracy and waste. For example, I operate an umbrella school in Florida in which a few homeschooling families are enrolled. We do not have a school building; each family teaches their own children, in their homes. But in our state, umbrella schools are considered private schools just like a traditional brick and mortar school. So I get all of the mail that any school in FL receives. About 10 times a year I receive a huge box that has been overnighted to me, like it is some big emergency, that is full of about 50 full color, very expensive posters that I am suppose to hang up on the walls of my “school” and several hundred color brochures to pass out to my “students.” I can’t even image what the cost of these packages must be. I have called, emailed, and written the school system begging them to stop sending me these boxes, but to no avail.

I don’t think it would be too difficult to determine which property owners have kids in the public school system. These are the families who should be paying this tax. At the very, very least, I should be able to deduct from my taxes the cost of materials I buy educating my own children. It only seems fair, since I am paying for my neighbors’ children’s education. I think that those who pay for private education for their children should also be able to write off tuition costs.

Oops! I think my Libertarianism is showing!

Yesterday I posted an entry advocating block scheduling for homeschool. While I still believe it to be a good option for homeschool, I am aware that block scheduling has its opponents. Block scheduling has been tried in public schools with varying degrees of success. It has become popular in public schools in Canada and the United States (especially in Virgina, North Carolina, and Colorado). Testing of public school children has indicated mixed results with regards to the success of block scheduling. But as with most things, comparing the home school environment to the public school environment is synonymous with apples to oranges. I hesitate to take any reviews of public school block scheduling to heart, whether positive or negative. The environments and circumstances are just too different. Take, for example, some of the reasons public schools try block scheduling–less time in the hallways means less opportunity for kids to get in trouble, less papers for teachers to grade, and fewer behavior problems means fewer detentions. While this is great for public schools, it hardly correlates to the home environment. Listen to this criticism of block scheduling in public schools:

My experience is that when motivated students are hungry for knowledge and are being fed by a motivated teacher, a class could continue for hours and still be effective. But the realities of public education make this an unrealistic scenario. Typical students already have difficulty maintaining interest over a 50-minute class. — Jeff Lindsay

So, in other words, public school students have already lost a love of learning so why would they want their classes to be longer? Get in and get out is much more appealing! In my experience home schooled students like to learn and the opportunity to spend all day delving into a subject without interruption can be very rewarding and effective. While I have not engaged in standardized testing studies of the effectiveness of block scheduling (don’t get me started on my opinion of testing); I know my kids still remember a great deal of information from subjects we blocked over a year ago.

Also the type of block scheduling used in public schools is quite different than the schedule I proposed for homeschooling. The type of block scheduling used in public schools is generally called “accelerated scheduling” or “4×4 blocking.” With this schedule students study 4 blocks at a time with four 90 min. classes each day. Then there is the “alternative block schedule” or “A/B blocking” in which students study six to eight blocks at a time, alternating days with three to four blocks studied on one day and the others studied the next day, alternating each day. Personally, I think this is still too many subjects and contradicts the benefits of block scheduling. And a 90 min. period is not long enough to get fully immersed in a subject and participate in major projects. I suggest only one or two blocks be studied at a time. Also in public school blocking, no subject is exempt from blocking. Math, foreign language, and even music are blocked. The president of Saxon math had this to say about blocking:

The concept of “block scheduling” or “flex scheduling” has recently come into vogue and is being implemented in [public] schools throughout the country. Many Saxon users now face the challenge of implementing the Saxon program within a block schedule… Saxon Publishers does not advocate the use of block scheduling. If you are considering whether to implement block scheduling, we suggest you do not. We believe that children learn most effectively when they are exposed to concepts in small, easily understandable pieces called increments and when new concepts and skills are reviewed continuously. Dr. Frank Y. H. Wang, President of Saxon Publishers

In my proposal I suggest that there are courses, such as math , foreign language, and music, that are not conducive to block scheduling. These subjects require consistant drilling for better retention. Retention of other subjects, however, is improved when students take a real interest. Block scheduling allows the time for students to develop that interest.

While I have not always used a strict block schedule with my kids, I usually use some form of it every year. And for those times when our family life is busier than normal, we use block scheduling with surprising success.

Block scheduling is something I have turned to many times throughout the last several years of homeschooling my children. I find it has been a huge time saver during those times when I have had confusing or complicated circumstances going on in my family–like the birth of a new baby, moving, or starting a new business. And I have been pleasantly surprised to find that there are other advantages to block scheduling than just ease of scheduling and saving time. I find that my children really enjoy blocks and experience better retention of material and more enthusiasm for learning.

Block scheduling is far from a typical school schedule, in fact it is quite contrary to what most of us experienced in our school settings when we were young. Typical school schedules involve students studying several subjects in a day and in a week. A student may study math, English, history, science, foreign language, and several other subjects all in one day or at least by the end of the week. With block scheduling students focus on one main subject for several weeks, or even months, until the course is complete. Then they move onto the next block subject. For example, a student may begin her school year with a language arts block in which she will spend 6 weeks completing a writing course. Then she might begin a science block where she will spend 12 weeks completing a biology course. The block subject is the main subject and it is studied everyday of “school” for several hours. Sometimes a student may be studying two block subjects at one time. For example, a writing course and driver’s ed. The rest of the time each day is spent studying the subject or subjects that are not blocked. (See the list below for subjects that should not be blocked.)

Instead of having to redirect focus every hour or so onto another subject, blocking allows a student to become immersed in a subject. It is a more natural method of learning and is similar to the way we participate in hobbies or seminars. Blocking creates a sense of freedom of learning. Students have less to worry about with only one or two subjects each day, instead of four or five. Because they spend several hours each day studying the block subject, they have time to really learn the subject manner, exploring all aspects and going off on tangents and completing major projects. There is no rush to quickly finish-up and put away the books to get on to the next subject. Blocking creates a much more relaxed learning atmosphere that most students (and parents) find a refreshing change from the normal school routine.

Last year with the birth my baby, Grace, I used block scheduling with my oldest two children. Below is a copy of the schedule they followed for the year. For each course that I planned to block, I figured out how many weeks the course would take if studied five days a week. (Courses intended to take a year can be completed much quicker when studied as a block.) I spent a couple of weeks (before the baby was born) planning for the school year. I wrote block schedules for each child and gathered materials for the entire year. Each day they also studied math (a subject we did not block). I can hardly express the relief that block scheduling brought all of us. I was able to care for my new baby, publish three new courses with Pandia Press, keep my speaking engagements, and the kids had a great school year.

Our block schedule:

12 weeks - Science Block - R.E.A.L. Science Earth and Space plus they made science lap books and trips to the planetarium and Kennedy Space Center

4 weeks - Literature and Poetry Block - they each read 3 books and several poems and completed book reports (at the end of this block Grace was born)

(Here we took over a month off to enjoy our new baby and celebrate the holidays.)

4 weeks - Grammar and Writing Block - Sarah completed an online writing course with Brave Writer and Chris completed a grammar course.

14 weeks - History and Geography Block - History Odyssey, Middle Ages (2) - combines history with geography, literature, and writing. Included a field trip to Medieval Times restaurant and our local medieval fair.

4 weeks - Art History/ Art Appreciation - We studied the impressionists using several texts and a few museum visits.

Subjects that are conducive to block scheduling:

• Science - biology, chemistry, earth science, astronomy, physics, ecology, marine biology, tide pools and water ways, etc.
• History - all time periods and also US history, state history, etc.
• Geography
• Bible study
• Art - ceramics, painting, art appreciation, art history, etc.
• Economics
• Logic
• Consumer math
• Life skills - cooking, sewing, carpentry, etc.
• Writing course
• Grammar course
• Literature and poetry
• Handwriting - printing, cursive, calligraphy
• Business and investing
• Test prep - SAT, ACT, etc
• Driver’s Ed
• Speech / Rhetoric
• Community service project
• Computer skills - Excel, Powerpoint, internet, web site development, HTML, etc.
• Making books
• First aid /CPR
• Times tables / skip counting
• Agriculture
• Car maintenance and repair
• Animal care - horses, chicken embrology, 4-H project

There are a few subjects that should generally not be blocked. These subjects require daily and consistent drill for success. Subjects that should not be blocked:

• Math (except the supplemental math courses listed above)
• Music lessons
• Foreign language
• Phonics (with younger children, older children could block remedial phonics)

The revised edition of Ancients, level 2 is almost ready! It will be going to the printer next week and is scheduled to be ready for purchase by the end of this month. It will be available from Classical Home Education and Rainbow Resources has expressed an interest. The changes to the updated version are:

• New custom maps and map work.
• Shortened lessons. The lessons are essentially the same as the original version, but some have been shorten and split into two lessons. Therefore the revised edition has a greater number of lessons.
• Appearance. A new colorful cover and changes in format to match the other History Odyssey courses.