Zeezok Publishing

Our six children are spread out over a sixteen year span , so we have rarely had two students in the same or nearly the same grade level. I guess our first two would be our closest, graduating only one year apart. Therefore, we usually have students in several different grades at the same time. I think the maximum number of different grades with which I was working at once was four, plus a pre-schooler and an infant. Still, four different sets of lesson plans in multiple subjects is a lot.of.prep.time! So, one of the ways we tried to simplify lessons a little bit was to have history together . We would chose a curriculum that could: Be implemented with a variety of ages Had multiple supplemental reading recommendations that could be used with the various grade levels Allowed for “together time” activities (i.e., recipes, projects, read-alouds, etc.) We try to accomplish our individual subjects that are grade-specific early in the morning, and then by 11:00 A.M. we are r

          “Fidget Spanners” are the tools or methods you use to maintain your children’s attention spans for slightly longer periods during portions of the day or subject matter in which you notice them getting rather... fidgety . You know the scenario: you have six pages of read-aloud material through which to get with all your students, but your youngest child is on the verge of a mini-meltdown because he needs to get up and release the “wiggles” in his extremities. What do you do? Well, you can plow through and keep reminding him, “Sit down, Ben. Benjamin, we’re almost done; you just need to sit still for a few more moments. Come on, Ben, have a seat. It’s just a little longer.” OR you can work with the wiggles….  Here are a few recommendations for dealing with fidgety kiddos :   Have a timed period of pretty intense physical exercise before reading or attempting a certain subject (i.e., running up and down the stairs seven times, seeing how many jumping jacks he can do

             My husband is a night owl —accomplishing some of his best work after 10:00 P.M. I am a morning dove (yes, I know that’s spelled incorrectly; work with me for the pun’s sake), getting up around 3:30 A.M. so I can have some alone time to get my best work done. Others would be like hummingbirds, who can work all day long. Okay, let’s get away from the bird similes and go to the point: u se your best time of day to accomplish your most important work ! Whether it’s creating lesson plans, grading, reading lesson instructions, having devotions, spending time with your spouse, working on scrapbooks, or whatever else is significant to you, use the best hour of your day to do that work . Determine what is most important to you or most necessary to you, and then accomplish that work when you are freshest and most alert. So, if it is within your power, use your best hour of the day to do your best work—in terms of productivity or in terms of quality of production.         

               Social media is a whole new world of marketing that Zeezok Publishing is still learning. We are so blessed that Beth Tanner has helped us navigate the deep waters of that world for the past few years. She actually has been working for Zeezok for ten years—including authoring the two Music Appreciation books we are now able to offer. We are   thankful for her expertise in writing curriculum, her love for music and home education, and her even greater love for her family and her Lord. God has been leading Beth and her husband, Tim, in a missions direction—specifically working on secular campuses to start Bible studies and encourage college-aged students. So, Beth has “retired” from her marketing efforts on Zeezok’s behalf; although we are planning to keep collaborating with her on book writing, as opportunities arise! (She may not know that, but we are 😉) Beth Tanner and her husband, Tim.                With Beth’s retirement comes Emmie Wilcox’s “hirement