TOPS Educational Holiday Gift Idea

Being a child in a family full of education professionals means that your stocking is sure to be filled with an educational toy or two.  Our daughter-in-law comes from a family of teachers as well, so when Christmas rolls around, she's always looking for fun and educational gifts for our grandkids.  One of her picks for this year is the game, Apples to Apples.  Every once in a while, they love to sit around the table after dinner with the kids for Family Game Night.  Along with the parents, the family is comprised of a 12 year old girl and a 17 year old boy, so finding something that everyone can enjoy becomes quite a challenge!

This game is perfect for homeschool parents who want to sneak a few extra learning moments into the day.  It is a fantastic group activity of word association and matching that also builds vocabulary and parts of speech knowledge.  It also comes in Junior and Family versions.

Do you have some fun educational games on your Christmas List this year?  Feel free to share so we can pass it along so our grandchildren can continue to be secretly educated through fun family time!

TOPS Basic Table Manners for the Holidays

During the holidays, you want your youngsters to be extra polite and well-mannered.  TOPS thought it might be helpful to provide a list of basic table manners to remind your students about before the guests arrive.

Whether in a restaurant or in a home, here are some basic table manners to teach kids:

1. Eat with a fork unless the food is meant to be eaten with fingers. Only babies eat with fingers.

2. Sit up and do not hunch over your plate; wrists or forearms can rest on the table, or hands on lap. You don't want to look like a Neanderthal.

3. Don't stuff your mouth full of food, it looks gross, and you could choke.

4. Chew with your mouth closed. No one wants to be grossed out seeing food being chewed up or hearing it being chomped on. This includes no talking with your mouth full.

5. Don't make any rude comments about any food being served. It will hurt someone's feelings.

6. Always say thank you when served something. Shows appreciation.

7. If the meal is not buffet style, then wait until everyone is served before eating. It shows consideration.

8. Eat slowly and don't gobble up the food. Someone took a long time to prepare the food, enjoy it slowly. Slowly means to wait about 5 seconds after swallowing before getting another forkful.

9. When eating rolls, tear off a piece of bread before buttering. Eating a whole piece of bread looks tacky.

10. Don't reach over someone's plate for something. Politely ask that the item to be passed to you. Shows consideration.

11. Do not pick anything out of your teeth, it's gross. If it bothers you that bad, excuse yourself and go to the restroom to pick.

12. Always use a napkin to dab your mouth, which should be on your lap when not in use. Remember, dab your mouth only. Do not wipe your face or blow your nose with a napkin, both are gross. Excuse yourself from the table and go the restroom to do those things.

13. When eating at someone's home or a guest of someone at a restaurant, always thank the host and tell them how much you enjoyed it. At least say that you liked the dinner or mention a specific item that was particularly tasty, i.e. the dessert was great. Again, someone took time, energy, and expense to prepare the food, so show your appreciation.

SOURCE: www.teacherplanet.com

October: A Month of Change

I’ve always thought of October as a transitional month.  It’s not a “new beginning” month, not an “ending of anything” month, but a changing month.  The weather changes from stifling hot, to somewhat cooler days and the colors of nature change from green to the red, yellow, brown and gold of fall.

I remember teaching a 2nd grade science class in Florida many years ago.  The subject was seasons and weather.  I asked the class in a sing-song voice, “And what colors do the leaves and grass change to in the fall?”  They stared at me with a questioning look and then one little boy raised his hand, answering, “Green?”  I suddenly realized I was using an old lesson plan prepared while living in North Carolina.  Teaching Florida seasons and weather with NC lesson plans would not work and I had to “tap dance” quickly to get the class back on track!

You will, most likely, never run into this kind of situation.  You have the great advantage of teaching in the moment to your individual child, even if you have two or three students at home.  You may use lesson plans to help you move comfortably towards the mastery of concepts, but on a daily basis you are free to adjust your plans to what is happening in your child’s life, your home, and your community.  Whether the circumstances are good or bad, happy or sad, you are in control of your time, your daily plans, and your adjustments to schooling.  Happy Homeschooling!

More TOPS Reasons To Homeschool

Why would anyone take on the responsibility of homeschooling their children?  After all, there is a public school system outside your front door, just down the street, where you can send your children for several hours a day … and you can have some time to yourself while they are gone!  Are you crazy?!  Not hardly … you are a great parent!  And … you have an ever-increasing home education movement backing your decision.  Here are a few of the reasons our parents have expressed:

• We are concerned about the quality of education being offered.  We believe we can do a better job.

It has been estimated that only 2 - 3 hours out of each school day is actually spent learning. Of course there are exceptions, but add hours of homework into that mix, as well as getting to and from school, and it's easy to see why many parents have decided it is simply not in their child's best interests to be sent away to school. 

• We choose to teach at home to supervise and develop socialization.

Home educated children have a rich and varied social life.  They have opportunities for midweek sleepovers, camping trips, and movie nights. Younger kids usually meet weekly in a park or playground with support groups, and share play dates during the week.

• We don’t want our children to have to go through metal detectors or endure searches by security guards before they can begin their learning day.

Because school violence has increased at an alarming rate to include school shootings and violent physical attacks, the number of families choosing to educate at home has increased dramatically.  Parents and kids who no longer feel safe in school often decide to bring learning into their homes.


Almost every week I hear from families whose kids who simply dislike school. They hate being there, are often bullied or frightened, can no longer bear the peer pressure and meaningless busywork, or are "bored out of their minds.”

So, whether this is your first homeschool adventure or you’re a pro at educating at home, remember to make it all the more enjoyable by being flexible with time, keeping your “school” simple, spending the required amount of time for your child…but not being bound to a rigid timetable.  If you spend enough time with your kids and employ good home education principles, learning will be fun.

The History of Labor Day

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Special thanks to the United States Department of Labor for providing this information on their website!

TOPS Reasons To Homeschool

• You are able to focus on your children 100% - which can result quicker learning and faster advancement.  

• You can be your child’s biggest influence, not peers or teachers that may have different values than your family.

• Students taught at home achieve 30% higher on achievement tests than pupils taught in a standard class of 25 students. 

•  Every child is unique and learns in different ways and you can customize the curriculum to each child's individual learning style. 

• Family relationships are built and strengthened and you are able to be a part of their life all day. 

• Educating your child at home gives you an opportunity not only to verbally teach them your family's morals, values, and manners but also to show them by your example.

Back to Homeschool!

Welcome to the start of a new school year!  We are excited to have each and every family who has decided to enroll with TOPS and we look forward to sharing the journey of homeschooling with our Facebook and Twitter followers. 

As you start each day, remember these words of wisdom inspired by the very simple paperclip: “May you be made of perfect metal, shaped for the purpose, attached to your commitment, and flexible for the task.”

You have shown much courage and wisdom in taking your child’s education into your own hands.  Although homeschooling is growing rapidly throughout the United States and internationally, you are still among the unique few who have claimed both their privilege and rights to direct their children’s education according to their own beliefs. 

You have chosen to give your children the benefit of your belief system, and your convictions, as well as your education.  You have taken the rearing of your children in all areas of their life into your own hands… and you are to be commended for that commitment!