Nursery University

Have you heard of this show? Nursery University is a documentary that follows several Manhattan families as they make their way through the pre-school acceptance process. The New York Times says (and who reads that paper anyway -but ...) "If you thrill to the sight of a preschool teacher bringing an investment banker to his knees, then "Nursery University" is for you."

Do people actually thrill to that site? Apparently the NYT thinks they do. Sorta sick and twisted in my book, but that's just me...

Now, I don't live in Manhattan, so all me crazy but I thought this stuff was an urban legend. You know, kinda like Sasquatch or going on a date and ending up packed in ice, one kidney short. But apparently I am sadly ill informed.

It's real.

The promo for the film states "Set in New York City, NURSERY UNIVERSITY is a feature documentary that reveals the oddly competitive, yet often humorous, world of nursery school admissions."

Hmmm...

I DO realize I'm biased due to the homeschool thing - but seriously, at what cost? The Price of Perfection seems to be the ability to shamelessly demand your child to perform on cue, to fork over thousands of dollars for a hand print painted in primary colors so as to make yourself appear willing to go above and beyond the tens of thousands of dollars required for tuition, and to feel dejected and small when your child doesn't get in.

I obviously, do not live in that world. I spend, Oh, about $1000 a year on homeschool, some years less, some years more, and I put in more quality time with my kid in one morning than the Manhattanites I am supposed to be jealous of, do in a month.

Yet, this "documentary" is clearly supposed to make me loathe them and envy them at the same time.

Uh, no.

I came away feeling sorry for them. Even the mom who packed her stuff up and left Manhattan for Boston and the one who said her son was fine in a co-op preschool...until he got into an exclusive one.

I guess I just don't get it. I don't understand anyone anymore who thinks that sending kids off to strangers (especially those "Young 3's") to be taught BASIC - I'm talkin' BASIC - stuff all the while taking out a fourth mortgage on their home to pay for it.

It is crazy.

But anyway - it did make me feel happy that I'm not part of their world and it did make me feel like a great mom, so I guess I did get something out of my afternoon spent watching investment bankers being brought to their knees by pre-school teachers.

Free Summer Fun Coloring Book!

Almost every mom, whether you homeschool or not, can relate to needing some down time during the summer and that is why I am giving you the gift of coloring!

Simply add one of those delicious new boxes of 64 crayons and hand over the coloring book. Presto - Happy kids coloring happy pictures.

What could be better?

How about a 99 Cent Simple Days Unit Study from Simple Schooling? I just added 8 new ones up at the site including:

• Christopher Columbus
• Copywork for Boys
• Copywork for Girls
• The Ugly Little Duck
• The Three Bears
• The House that Jack built
• Volcano!
• Earthquake!

And don't forget, we're still running our classroom contest! It ends June 15th so go enter your classroom for a chance to win FREE CURRICULUM!

Vocabulary Software is a Hit!

I just got the free demo for this vocabulary builder software and I'm impressed. It has a lot of great features. I was browsing for a new vocabulary program for my Little Moe and came across this site. At first I thought it was just for test prep, but after using it I think this will work for us as far as vocabulary goes next year.

I have used a lot of vocabulary curriculums, some better than others, and anything that gets the job done using the computer is always my first choice! Gotta keep those kiddos on the path to self directed learning, right! Anywho, you can go check it out and tell me what you think of this vocabulary software.

5 Easy Steps for FUN Summer Reading!

Want to cultivate the book lover in your child? Just follow these five easy steps and they'll be book worms in no time!

1. Let your child choose the book.
2. Download or rent the audiobook for the same title (IMPORTANT - DO NOT SKIP this step!)
3. Let them make themselves comfortable.
4. Start the audiobook and have them read along with their hard copy.
5. If the chosen book has a movie version too, rent that and have them watch it!

They'll never forget this summer reading program!

We've been doing this all year and I tell ya, it has completely changed my son's point of view on books. He's read classics and fluff with the exact same amount of excitement! Trust me - this WORKS! Last week I brought home the new Percy Jackson book and he told me he thinks he "is a book lover!"

Music to my ears....

Sometimes kids just need a little push to see that reading is fun so naturally if they can read-along and then watch a movie their interest increases. Of course, the book must be interesting to begin with. :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Now, I'm not trying to say that non-homeschool mothers love their kids any less - BUT let's face it; homeschool moms are amazing! We go so far beyond what most mothers do with our children because we choose to spend every single day with them. We take on the almost overwhelming responsibility of their complete education. We stay up late in the wee hours of the morning devising lesson plans and hunting down the perfect curriculum. We lovingly push and prod them in ways a "teacher by profession" could never imagine.

And - we do it all for free. Because we want to. Because we love them.

I've had quite a few, uh - let's say "defensive" - emails and comments over the years from non-homeschooling mothers who tell me that we homeschoolers try and make them feel inadequate. I want to laugh when I hear this - I really do, because seriously they have us all wrong if they think we spend our time devising ways to make them look bad - but I don't. I typically listen and say that they are missing the point.

But they aren't missing the point are they? They DO get it don't they? We ARE making a sacrifice that they won't or can't. Should we feel bad for that? Should they feel bad for that?

I always want to ask "them" why this topic hits a nerve so bad? Why do they care that in their minds we are a little self-righteous? Should we have to minimize our sacrifices so that "they" can feel good? Should we downplay our level of commitment to our children and pretend that we are all the same so we can all be "winners"?

I have to admit I do those things - I try to avoid the homeschool conversation with non-homeschoolers because the defenses go up almost immediately with the "Oh, I could NEVER homeschool my kids" comment. Perhaps they should mull over the words self-righteous a bit before uttering that phrase.

But at any rate - we homeschool mothers belong to a pretty cool club! It isn't exclusive or expensive to join and it isn't dependent on your heritage, nationality, skin color, culture, religion, music preference, or ability to draw.

You simple have to love them.

Happy Mother's Day Homeschool Moms! You really ARE the best of the best!

New Classroom Entries for our Creative Classroom Contest are now up!

You should really come check them out - we've already gotten some fabulous classroom examples that will inspire you - and if you upload your picture you're automatically entered in the contest to win free Simple Schooling Curriculum! What could be easier or more fun?

I love how Colton's Classroom is so bright and airy - what a great place to learn and Hulette's Homeschool is organized and easy to use! And remember - the more people who enter the more people who will win. We're gonna have one winner for every 25 entries - not many contests give you those kind of odds!

Creative Classrooms Contest at The Simple Homeschool

What does YOUR classroom look like? Are you and the little ones chillin' out on the beach or do you prefer a more traditional classroom setting? The Simple Homeschool wnats to know...not only that... we want to see pictures!

You can WIN FREE CURRICULUM just for entering your homeschool classroom space on our contest page. It doesn't get any easier than that! Simply upload your best picture, write a few sentences, and ta-da! You could win! In fact, there will be 1 winner for every 25 entries, not bad eh? I bet you've never seen those odds before in a contest!

So come on over and take a swipe at it - and while you're there why not take a look at Little Moe's classroom...it was a bit messy the day I took this becasue we still have the incubators going for hatching ducks and that takes up a bunch of table space, but at least the rabbits are now outside...Spring couldn't have come sooner in my opinion!