Rock(s) at my feet

Week 4: Research Papers and Essays

2012-02-16T13:28:00.001-08:00

Topic: Library Research; review Introductions and Conclusions

Materials needed: Power point presentation on library research, handouts on library research, sample search results for news, magazines, and books

As I limit the skills and grammar rules I teach in this class, I’m finding review takes less time yet seems to be more effective—the students are retaining more. Today I put this sentence up on the board:

Immediately the class recognized that we needed to do this:

Then I asked them, “Would you say, ‘There is two electric cells to charge the robot’?”

They altered the correction and rewrote it.

Finally, we worked on removing there are to make the sentence active. In its final version, we had Two electric cells will charge the robot.

For our next activity, I had run several searches on InfoTrac Junior Edition, one of the many Gale Group resources that we can access through Kent District Library. I had done a simple keyword search “robotics” limited only by articles available in full text. While I read over their paragraphs from last week, they worked in pairs or threesomes to decide which sources they would choose and why.

As I read over the assignments, I was pleased with the results I was seeing, but some people obviously had missed some things in class last week. About half the class had put their whole paper together with the introduction and conclusion, inserted the bibliography, and formatted their paper correctly.

Finishing my speed-editing, I asked the students for the three things every introduction must have.

Anonymously reading each introduction, I asked them to evaluate whether they matched the criteria. It was a great exercise. A couple students identified themselves as I read their papers, but most kept silent. While I had covered pretty thoroughly the No-I’m-going- to- tell- you rule, I had forgotten about the “Now you’ll read about” or referring to the audience rule. Several papers gave me a chance to suggest other ways to accomplishing the same thing.

We reviewed their choices for sources. Several groups had noticed similar topics among the articles and had chosen those. Others had looked for things that were current or relevant-robots and Justin Bieber, robots and apps, ipods and robots. When asked why they didn’t choose a source, the answer was sometimes that the magazine didn’t seem like a good one to cover robotics. Women’s Health came up several times for this. Another reason given was that it just didn’t seem interesting.

Next, we quickly went through the process of locating sources using the KDL databases. This was not even near enough time and I am working on a workshop at the library during class next week.

Finally, we discussed planning the next paper. They were supposed to come to class with their topics chosen, but only a few had done this. When I asked for an example, I got more than I asked for: she wants to do her paper on Theology. Whoa—big topic! We worked through some ideas, but I need to contact her and help her plan more carefully. They’ll be using these pages to plan their papers:

Middle school students will use this one to write 10-12 paragraphs.

High school students will use this one to write 12-15 paragraphs.

Assignment:

Complete the revisions from the first paper.
Choose your overall topic/question you plan to answer.
Plan your paragraph topics.
Choose 3-5 sources.

Week 3: Research Papers and Essays

2012-02-14T19:09:00.001-08:00

Topic: Revising, Introductions, and Conclusions; Review of bibliographies

Materials needed: a variety of non-fiction books and magazines, Student Resource Notebook (SRN)

Because I’ve seen the results, but often forget, I am trying to include more modeling and group practice in my classes, rather than just lecture. With this class, it is essential to give them hands-on experience and lots of review since we only have ten weeks. Times of review and practice also allow me time to read over their assignments at the beginning of class and then discuss what they wrote and any weak areas I found.

Review and practice: Bibliographic citation and format

In the first week, I introduced them to bibliographic citation and required them to include it on all their assignments. For this exercise, I brought issues of Cobblestone, Faces, Calliope, and Christian History. Along with the magazines, I chose six elementary level non-fiction books, primarily because they are lighter to carry! Each student had to choose two books and two articles, locate and note all bibliographic information, and list them in proper bibliographic format.I didn’t do enough modeling or instruction. Thankfully they had the pages from the SRN that covers bibliographies, so they were able to reference those. I overheard them correcting each other and helping locate information.

While they did this, I was reading paragraphs from the previous week and keeping an ear open for questions. Questions came:

What if there are multiple locations listed? (use the one closest geographically)
What location do I use for the magazines? (you don’t need one)
What about initials and middle names in authors?

I love when these exercises bring forth questions—it shows they are thinking about the task--even when these questions were answered in the introduction to the material. Sometimes they ask something that I’ve forgotten to cover.

As I read the paragraphs, I noted common weaknesses I was seeing. It doesn’t change from class to class. The errors I noticed were:

Incorrect use of commas with compound subjects or verbs vs. main clause/coordinating conjunction/main clause.
Apostrophe errors—it’s/its especially
Commas and periods vs. closing quotation marks
Misplaced modifiers

I returned their papers and then reviewed these errors using my own sentences (I really don’t do well composing on the fly) on the board.

Finally, we discussed introductions and conclusions. Their assignment for the week is to write an introduction and conclusion to the paragraphs they wrote last week. We used my favorite example of a hamburger with a top and bottom bun being the introduction and conclusion. Because some of them had a speech class last semester, they knew that an introduction had to grab the attention and the conclusion had to restate the themes. I did give my big rule of introductions: Don’t say, “In this paper, I’m going to tell you ----, ----, and ----.” I ran out of time to do some modeling, so we’ll probably revisit introductions and conclusions next week.

Homework: Write introduction and conclusion paragraphs for your report on how robots work.

Week 2: Research Papers and Essays

2012-02-02T12:27:00.001-08:00

Ever have one of those moments where you’ve carefully planned your lessons, created the materials, and then drawn a total blank when you get in front of the class? That happened today. I’m used to preparing my materials at the beginning of the semester and then reviewing them before class. It’s that review that didn’t happen this morning.

“Welcome…sit down…pull out your papers from last week.”

I love it when they’ve written something for homework—at least they can read that while I pull myself together.

It would have taken all hour to have each read their work, so I chose 4 students who had taken different articles home. Not only do the students get to hear others’ work, they also get to hear their own mistakes, proving my point that you really should read your paper out loud before you turn it in. I didn’t do any editing during this time—I want to keep it as nonthreatening as possible.

My brain finally kicked in and once the papers were collected, I began to talk about what I had planned—planning a paper, plagiarism, bibliographies, and citing sources.

First we discussed the structure of a research report and the first rule of planning:

The students did a great job participating in the discussion on how to apply this rule and plan a paper when the assignment is given in number of words or number of pages.

Next we talked about the three types of information that will show up in their papers as a result of their research:

We reviewed what each of these meant, then read over a sample paragraph that had all three types of information. As I read, the students identified which of the above was being used in the paper. It was a great discussion. All the direct quotes were cited using MLA parenthetic citation, so I was able to briefly introduce that as well.

For right now, I’m expecting most of the students will paraphrase the facts they pull from the articles. For the full paper, they’ll be required to include at least one direct quote.

Finally, I distributed “How Robots Work” and assigned homework:

1.Read the article.

2. Choose three topics.

3. Make a key word outline on three topics and write three paragraphs.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/robot.htm

Week 1: Research Papers and Essays

2012-02-02T12:26:00.001-08:00

After meeting (or becoming reaquainted with) my twelve students, I moved on to the class overview. About half the class is new to IEW writing methods, and one of them struggles with dyslexia, so I’ll have to watch my pace carefully. Since I’ve covered the class overview already, I won’t bore you with the details again.

Because most students struggle with extracting information from a source, my first priority is always teaching the key word outline (KWO). I put our standard KWO on the board (chalkboard by the way—have I mentioned how much I prefer whiteboards?!). For those who have not taken my classes, I explained the rules for key word outlines—3 words or less; numbers, symbols, and abbreviations don’t count, and first line is the topic.

For this first exercise, I used an article about the da Vinci surgical robot from Popular Mechanics. After reading through the article, I briefly touched on limiting notes. All students struggle with knowing what to take away and what to leave behind. I can see it in their faces, the realization, the freedom that it’s ok not to take away everything. I always start these exercises with a paragraph, making sure they take fewer notes than the number of sentences in the article. In this case we had 10 sentences in the article and I only asked them for 5-7 facts. Once they understood they didn’t have to rewrite everything, we were ready to take notes.

Sentence by sentence we reread the article and the students gave me key words. We decided which sentences to skip altogether. Not only did we practice taking key words and limiting notes, we discussed vocabulary—I love when students ask me what words mean—like mainstay and trailblazer.

Once our key words were down on the board, we went back and verbally put the key words into sentences. When someone gave me a sentence that sounded a bit awkward or didn’t quite capture the meaning, other students graciously jumped in and helped with their suggestions. Some students remember additional information from the article and included that with their notes, something I see happening all the time.

Finally, we spent about 10 minutes talking about bibliographies. From the first class, I require my students to include a bibliography with every assignment. For a single paragraph assignment, they include it at the bottom of their outlines.

I think it is going to be a great semester! Stay tuned for some examples when they turn in their papers next week.

Sources:

Research Papers and Essays: An Overview

2012-02-02T12:24:00.001-08:00

When my co-op leaders approached me last semester about teaching a writing class, I happily said yes. I enjoyed a semester of just being helper in the nursery and my daughter’s speech class, but I was ready to roll again. When they asked what level, I requested the upper grades (in our co-op that is grades 7-12). I love being able to really talk and get into topics with that age. I was given my choice of topics to teach, so I chose to do a research reports class, since I’ll only have ten weeks. If we have time, we’ll spend a week or two on essays toward the end.

While most classes begin with essays because they don’t require research, I prefer to begin with research reports. This lets me provide lots of writing instruction while never bumping up against “I couldn’t think of anything to write.” Additionally, I’ve spoken with too many college professors who are frustrated by the lack of research skills in their students. One of our friends teaches nutrition at Cornerstone University—he’s given up on assigning papers because the students don’t research; they use Wikipedia. (Don’t get me going now).

Once the class schedule was posted, I knew I would have to make it interesting for boys, as the only other class offered during that hour was going to be interior design. Sure enough, the boys outnumber the girls 3 to 1. To paraphrase Captain Aubrey, I’m the lesser of two evils.

So, this class is going to look something like this:

Week 1: overview, KWO on robotics in medicine

Week 2: planning a paper, bibliographies, taking notes from multiple sources, how robots work

Week 3: introductions, conclusions, transitions

Week 4: Putting it all together; library workshop

Week 5: planning your paper, gathering sources, working in quotations

Weeks 6-8: Note-taking and writing; revising

Week 9 : Introductions and Conclusions (review); Essays

Week 10: Essays

The first 4 weeks will be a “canned” research report, using sources that I’ve gathered about robotics. The last 4 weeks will be a bit longer research paper, and the students will choose their topics.

The lesson sequence and process are not my own. I’ve learned all this from Andrew Pudewa and the other instructors with the Institute for Excellence in Writing. These materials specifically are taken from Unit 6 of Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. Andrew recently hosted a webinar on Unit 6 and you can listen and learn for free here.

So what does it look like, this abiding?

2011-10-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

Abiding—it’s popping up everywhere I turn. Our adult Sunday School class. Our pastor’s sermons. The book I’m reading. Has this ever happened to you? God seems to be trying to teach me something, and all of a sudden, I see/hear it everywhere.

But I’m beginning to wonder about God as a teacher. I think he must be of the unit study camp, rather than the textbook method. He doesn’t just assign me some passages and then give me one test, hoping I’ve crammed enough to pass. No, he integrates it across my life. In all my relationships. Husband. Children. Daughter. Friend.

As we heard yesterday in Sunday School, it all begins with a relationship with Him. So it makes sense that He would assign me practice in all my relationships.

It all started last Friday morning. After dropping the older three off, I returned home looking forward to a couple of hours with just Benjy. Judy would nap the whole time and Ben and I would have some quality and quantity time reading the library books about gold that he asked me for. When I checked the answering machine, I saw six messages. I had only been gone 2 hours. Good grief.

Two were from my husband. Two were from students. And two were from my dad. The messages weren’t clear, but I did catch Greenville Hospital, broken arm, call me. All of a sudden, my plans shifted.

After two days of running to ERs, I convinced him to stay with us. Thankfully, when it came up the second time, he agreed.

So how do I abide in all this? Abide seems to imply rest. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t do rest well. My naps are typically 8-10 minute power naps. When I sit down to watch a movie with Ray, I always have something to do, or at least used to, until he said how much he’d like to just watch a movie with me for once. For me to rest seems to imply laziness. And yet, God promises us rest. And commands us to abide.

Rest? Abide? With 5 kids, I hardly rest during a normal week. Now, with another “kid” who also has a problem with rest and margin, I’m resting even less. Today I spent most of the afternoon and evening running to the doctor, to his house, to retrieve his van from where he left it for his ambulance ride. Tomorrow will be more of the same. So as I drove, I meditated on how to rest and abide in the midst of these circumstances. (not in order of importance).

1. Don’t overdo. Realize that these next few weeks won’t be normal. Don’t try to make them so.

2. Don’t try to impress people with how you are juggling everything. Because you will drop some plates.

3. Accept help, even from those who seem to need rest as much as you.

4. Love.

5. Realize that some meals may come through the drive-thru.

6. Be thankful. For little things. For major things. In all things.

7. Pray without ceasing.

8. Don’t complain about the person going 35 in a 55 on a road where you can’t pass. Slow down and abide for a while.

9. In school, focus on the essentials. Lighten their load and yours. Keep moving ahead even if the steps are smaller than you want.

10. Communicate. With God. “Help” With my husband. With my kids. With dad. Because relationships die without it.

What grace feels like

2011-09-23T19:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I did something that permanently takes me out of the running for Mommy of the Year, and probably Wife of the Year too. Backing down the driveway, I drove over my (just turned) seven year old’s bike. Then, without thinking, I drove back over it, as I didn’t know what I had hit and it must have made sense to just start over. As I did, the (brand new) tire ran over the bolt on her back wheel. The sound of air escaping a brand new tire. I wanted to burst into tears. My father-in-law was standing there, a distressed look on his face, so I couldn’t cry.

Then grace started.

1. He gave me the keys to his car so I could still take the girls to ballet. Me. The one who just wrecked a bike and a tire. Now that took some courage and faith.

2. He smiled and said, “At least it was just a bike.” Just a bike. Like it was a pop can or stick. It wasn’t a life or a limb. I needed that reminder.

3. When I got home, he greeted me with “Good news, the new tire won’t cost you anything to replace, thanks to the warranty.” He had removed the flat, put on the temporary “donut”, and inflated it already, along with calling the tire store and ordering the replacement.

4. Today, before he left, he pulled me aside and said, “I looked over the bike and it is wrecked. I’d like to replace it.” What grace. Someone took one of my mistakes and is bearing the consequences. Hmmm, sound familiar?

All my life I’ve felt responsible to fix everyone’s mistakes and make it all better. In the process, I’ve attempted to live as safe as possible so I wouldn’t have any messes to pick up. I’ve attempted to control my children and my world as minutely as possible to keep me looking good. And yet, I fail. All.the.time. And so I’m left with a running defense in my head of why supper isn’t ready on time, again. Why the ironing didn’t get done. Who didn’t do this therefore I couldn’t possible do that.

But I don’t need excuses. No defenses. Grace. God’s strength and gift of righteousness in Christ. If I simply rest in this, I will stop pursuing others’ approval, stop worrying about what my public persona is, and be free to simply love. It isn’t about me, it is Christ.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.

Judy's First Piano Lesson

2011-08-16T09:34:00.001-07:00

Judy and Daddy at the Piano

2011-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Judy discovers the baby books

2011-08-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Obedience and Love

2011-07-19T02:50:00.001-07:00

If our Lord insisted on our obedience, He would simply become a taskmaster and cease to have any real authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. Then He is easily Lord of our life, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The level of my growth in grace is revealed by the way I look at obedience. We should have a much higher view of the word obedience, rescuing it from the mire of the world. Obedience is only possible between people who are equals in their relationship to each other; like the relationship between father and son, not that between master and servant. Jesus showed this relationship by saying, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). “. . . though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The Son was obedient as our Redeemer, because He was the Son, not in order to become God’s Son.

My Utmost for His Highest, July 19.

As I read this, I see areas where I have yet to submit. I don’t truly see Christ, thus I don’t easily or instantly obey Him. This free, easy, and equal relationship is available to me, but I pursue paltry substitutes.

My struggle with obedience is reflected in the conflicted training my kids receive in this area. I’m not consistent in supplying instruction and training or consequences when they fail. This post by Ann Voskamp on parenting touches on this connection between obedience and relationships. My own childhood was not always one of obeying out of relationship but out of fear.

Slowly His grace is drawing me closer to His side, to obeying in response to His love, not fear. As that happens, I see minute changes in my ~~parenting~~ mothering. Nurture, love, train…that is my calling.

Am I an atheist?

2011-06-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

From One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp:

Without trust in the good news of Jesus, without trust in the good news of God’s saving work even in this moment, without an active, moment-by-moment trust in the good news of an all-sovereign , all-good God, how can we claim to fully believe? This is the trust I lack: to that if disaster strikes, he carries me even there. Trust in the wholeness of the gospel—including this moment, good news too—and be saved. Choose stress, worry, anxiety, reject what God has given now, which is good news too—refuse to trust—and be condemned. [Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16]

I’ve just begun to feel around the edges of it, here in crumbling economics, the fretfulness of parenting, the dizziness of the twenty-first century spin. Just begun to realize it, and it catches in the throat: if authentic, saving belief is the act of trusting, then to choose stress is an act of disbelief…atheism.

Anything less than gratitude and trust is practical atheism.

This isn’t easy for me think about, but I think she is onto something. I hate to think that I agree in my head that God is, but then live with stress as if He isn’t. I’ve struggled with this—making sure what I do now will make sure the future is good rather than trusting in God’s goodness in the present as well as the future. But during my mom’s 18 month battle with cancer I learned that God is here with me in the midst of all this. He gave me the grace to deal with mom’s cancer and death, with the terrible and sudden loss of Judy, with my dad’s insistent bad financial decisions that I’ve had to bear with since I was young, with the crashed car in my driveway. As I told the kids this week as they were all struggling with one thing or another—if God loved us enough to take care of our sins, will he not continue to carry us, no matter what happens in this broken, sin-filled, inconvenient, uncertain life we live? We can go ahead with decisions (new cars, new jobs) knowing that he loves us, no matter what, so long as our decision is made in faith and obedience to what he has told us in the Bible.

One Thousand Gifts pt. 1

2011-04-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

My first 1000 gifts list

Difficult conversations completed
Italian food
Friends with many children who add mine to the mix
A sleeping baby--all night!
Forgiveness when I don't feel like forgiving
Grace to let go, grace to hang on, grace to know which should be
My knight--who will battle for me
Tubs and tubs of clothes to sort
Snow in April?! fitting on the week when we celebrate the sacrifice that cleanses our sins and makes us whiter than snow
BBC miniseries
A new meatloaf recipe
Easter garden with my 1st grade Sunday School class
Libraries!

The joy of emptiness

2011-04-09T04:27:00.001-07:00

How Emptiness Sings

To empty myself of anger, of loss, of disappointment—with myself and others

To be filled with joy, with purpose, with an excitement for today

To lose the grasping, halting, stopping, starting

To return to the joy

the joy

Of creating something to the glory of God

To remember that the little-people-training each day is creating, forming

God has given me this task as He creates and forms in me

None of them will reach the best seller list, they aren’t books

And yet they will be read

I pray those who read them won’t judge them by their covers

By the ripped jeans, sticking-up hair, and the words that come before the thoughts have been formed and edited

But see the interests that range from programming to Star Wars to building

By the hair that doesn’t stay in pigtails all day, the skirts that are long and graceful and not hip

But see the joy in making for others, the love for the littler ones, the peace that passes understanding in the Father’s care

I swing from the urge

subconscious -- always there

to impress others--strangers I’ve never met--

to please God with my children

to pleasing Him with my life

to remembering that He is pleased when I rest in Him.

Empty of self, filled with Him.

Early morning discoveries

2011-04-09T04:04:00.001-07:00

Early morning reading at A Holy Experience rather than cleaning the schoolroom...and I discover a treasure in a fellow home school mom and creative-type. I listen once, twice, and allow it to loop again and again--How Emptiness Sings--

My applet

2011-03-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is an applet that I created for a contest. It is supposed to help explain the concept of volume.

Sorry, the GeoGebra Applet could not be started. Please make sure that Java 1.4.2 (or later) is installed and active in your browser (Click here to install Java now)

Favorite Preschool Curricula

2011-03-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

A friend on FB recently asked what we’ve used for Preschool and Kindergarten. Here are my top picks:

1. Rod and Staff Preschool coloring books --a total of 9 now between the original ABC set and the new G-H-I books. We start these at age 4 and are done with them by the time we start first grade. Each book has a different focus but constantly reviews the previous materials. The numbers book is one of my kids’ favorites—they love the rhymes that help you learn how to form the numbers. The set also includes a Bible story book that correlates to one of the coloring books.

2. For a gentle introduction to other studies, we use Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row. We read a classic picture book each day for a week and do an activity in the subject areas based on the book. Homeschool Share, that includes lapbooks for many of the books for free.

For other books, I used the book lists from Sonlight from their preschool and K curriculum. I didn't use their teacher plans.

For phonics/learning to read, I used Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, but I'm switching this year to Institute for Excellence in Writing's new Primary Arts of Language. This is the company I exhibit at conventions, so I'm biased, but I really like the look and layout of this. I've only seen some samples of the new items, but I'll have the whole thing in my hands in May, I hope.

The best advice I have is to enjoy these years, they pass by far too quickly! Enjoy lots of cuddling and reading, even if it takes you an hour to read a book because the baby is interrupting!

Been a while...

2010-10-21T12:46:00.001-07:00

It's been far too long since I've been on here. It's all Microsoft's fault! No, seriously...the last time I tried to write a post in Live Writer, I was informed that I needed an update. So I tried. Not only did the update fail, but Live Writer totally disappeared from my computer. Poof, gone! It may not be the best excuse, but there it is. (Of course, there is also the nursing a 4 month old, homeschooling 4, and tutoring 5 hours a week or so.)

But...today an email arrived in my in-box from The Old Schoolhouse. It contained my article that I wrote last year about writing, and it directed you, my reader, to my blog. In hopes of building a bit of following, I must be consistent with posting here!

I promise a post in the near future...but the four month old just woke up and is hungry. Talk with you later!

Teaching my kids to read

2010-08-18T12:29:00.001-07:00

A friend or two have asked me for advice on teaching their children to read. I feel singularly unqualified to answer these requests, because, although my two oldest do read voraciously, I can’t really remember what I did with them. I did go through most of The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise, along with various sets of phonetic readers and magnetic letter boards. I also downloaded all the sight word charts from www.janbrett.com and played word bingo and any other little game I could think of to help them learn these high-frequency words. But the one thing that helped more than anything is motivation. We provided that through three ways:

1. Provide lots of high interest books that make them want to read, especially non-fiction. These are the books that answer “how or why” and shows them that books aren’t just for stories but can answer their questions. Obviously most of these we read aloud at first. Some favorites in this category are/were:

any of the Usborne beginners series (subject specific volumes on Vikings, Romans, Ballet, Frogs, etc.)
Usborne Puzzle Planet/world series
DK Eyewitness books
Word books (Richard Scarry, Usborne 1001 Words)

2. Read aloud, all the time, story after story. Our favorites:

20th Century Children’s Book Treasury (great for trips when you don’t want to bring a lot of books along)
The Big Green Pocketbook
any by Robert McCloskey
many by Patricia Polacco
any by Jan Brett (Hedgie is one of our favorites)
Mr. Putter and Tabby series
Phoebe Dunn’s Little Animal series
Angus books by Marjorie Flack
Shirley Hughes Alfie books
Mike Mulligan and others by Virginia Lee Burton
any by Eric Carle

3. Listen to audio books when you can’t be reading to them. This teaches them the sounds of our language, especially big cool words! Use the ones that have the page turning signals for helping them learn that the whole story doesn’t happen on page one. The library has many, many audio books, and lots of e-audio books now. Favorites:

The Winnie the Pooh stories read by Peter Dennis. Hands down the absolute best reading of these stories. Worth buying if you can! This is perfect for long road trips or just a run to Meijer because the stories are short and self-contained in each chapter. No one else captures Piglet’s personality like this reader.
Hank the Cowdog stories (if you have boys—girls not so much)
Story-telling CDs by Jim Weiss
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, told by Geoffrey Palmer

Art Camp 2010

2010-08-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

We just said goodbye and I miss her already! My Aunt Joyce (my mom’s sister) just returned to Boston after spending a week with us.

On Monday and Tuesday, she planned and executed a wonderful two-day art camp for my children and their friends.

They created two murals in the style of Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). It was a simple project, but even the older students (11-14 year olds) enjoyed painting and creating sea creatures and space aliens.

First they painted the backgrounds using a mixture of tempera paints.

We had the ocean group on our 3-season porch and the space group on a tarp in the backyard.

Next, they painted whole pieces of drawing paper various colors, texturing the paint with plastic forks, sponges, onion bags, and anything else that added interest.

On the second day they took the painted paper, which we had cut into quarters and sorted by colors, and created sea creatures and plants, divers, planets, stars, and space ships. The results were amazing.

Finally, we took the murals to Bible study on Wednesday night to show all the families what the kids had done.

I’m thankful for my aunt working with 13 kids from ages 3-14, something that is out of her typical experience. She did an amazing job keeping all the kids occupied and working together.

Eat, Pray, Love

2010-08-14T04:05:00.001-07:00

Until last night, the most recent movie I had seen in a theater was the “new” Star Trek movie, released last spring. Not a favorite. Last night my aunt and I decided to see Eat, Pray, Love. The first time I’ve ever seen a movie on opening night. She was worried that there might be line. I wasn’t. This is Lowell after all. We joined perhaps twenty others. The rest of town was at the fair, learning Line Dancing by Lia.

When I suggested seeing the movie (yes, it was my idea), I had several motivations. I wanted to spend some time with my aunt, doing something she would enjoy. She had, after all, taken a week of her life to spend time with us, and in particular, my children. Although she goes back to teaching in less than two weeks, she is spending the week here, teaching art and loving my kids. I was also curious about this movie, the first I’ve seen to generate merchandising that doesn’t come in a happy meal. What is the attraction to this, that you would want to “live the Eat, Pray, Love life” as an article in the Press put it last week. Finally, I hoped it would give us something to talk about on a spiritual level. I knew enough about the movie to know that I wouldn’t agree with much of it.

The book protrays a woman in search of meaning, leaving her husband and job to spend a year in Italy, India, and Bali. First of all, who wouldn’t want to shuck responsibility and spend a year gadding about these exotic locations? Unfortunately, Liz doesn’t seem that much more comfortable in her skin at the end of movie than she was at the beginning. Since it is memoir, and she’s still alive, I suppose that is natural. I mean, none of us will have closure until we die. But I fail to see a true change in the character, despite what she tells her Balinese medicine man at the end.

Interesting to me are some of the conclusions she tries to reach. Like in the Augustorium (sp) in Rome, where she contemplates the place of brokenness before transformation. As Christians we must die before we live. And in India, she struggles with emptying her mind, while Christ calls us to bring every thought to captivity, to obedience to Him. He tells us to fill our minds with Him, not empty it in order to let the universe in. Finally, in Bali, she tries to love again, but is held back by a fear that she will lose the peace she has found, the balance. Her medicine man tells her that she sometimes has to lose balance in order to love. Christ calls us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. Anytime we love, we open ourselves up to all kinds of things that we should fear—death, loss, hurt, and our own selfishness. But the difference is—I am relentless pursued by God who has conquered death, who has experienced loss, and who has been hurt by those He loves. And so I can rest in His grace, convinced that He will carry me through the times those I love don’t show it, through the times I grieve the loss of those I love, and through the times when I fail to love as I should offering forgiveness and his power to do better.

I do eat, enjoying the flavors of life that God has lavishly given me. And I pray, not as continually as I should, but more and more. And I love—imperfectly on my own, but desiring every day to be the vessel that overflows with Christ’s unconditional, unending love for others.

Putting into words…

2010-08-14T03:12:00.001-07:00

So if writing, as Anne Lamott says in Bird by Bird, is putting into words what is going on, what should I be writing about?

Right now it’s 5:58 am. Judith just finished eating and will hopefully sleep for a couple of hours. I should be back in bed, also sleeping, but my driven nature and the cat are keeping me up. As I put Judith back to bed, I noticed the cat looking a little weird on the porch, like maybe one of her night visitors was out there. I came back out to the dining room and looked through the slider. No, it wasn’t one of the marauding Toms. It was a fresh kill—but not a bird this time. It looked larger, and furry rather than feathered. With revulsion I realized it was one of the little wild cottontail rabbits that we sometimes see in our yard. And it wasn’t an adult. What to do?

“Ray…Ray…” He’s sleeping in the recliner, trying to get some relief from allergies which seem to plague him most in our room. “I need you to take care of something on the porch. If the children wake up before us, they’ll see this and…” He pulls himself together and disposes of the evidence, grumbling when he can’t find the paper towels.

The cat continues to prowl the porch, looking for the body that left the scent which is driving her crazy. She rolls on the Eric Carle-style mural that the kids have been working on all week . I’m glad Ray got the bunny out of there before she added its body fluids to the sea scape.

As usual, when this happens, he proclaims, “She has to go.” Will this drive him over the edge? I hope not. I just bought two bags of cat food. And I wonder. Am I sheltering the children too much? Am I that worried about this scarring them, or do I just not want to deal with the inevitable drama should they have found it first?

Little Blessings

2010-07-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

We had many stops to make yesterday. Some were fun-like turning in the summer reading club forms at Barnes and Noble and walking out with three free books. Some were in between-like dropping off the boxes of books at Baker Book House for the church library--a hot job but no more boxes of books on the porch! Some were not so fun (at least for the kids)-dragging through Joann Crafts while I tried to match sales items, coupons, and my list of supplies for next year. It was worth it though--an $80 receipt reduced to $56 and some change, along with a new picture for my empty kitchen wall (reg. $29, on damaged shelf but perfectly fine for $3.99).

However God gave us good gifts along the way--samples at Sam's Club to help stave off the hungry horrors, free pretzels at Auntie Anne's for yet another list of books read and the most fun of all--a free ice cream cone in exchange for hula hooping in the mall! Maggie's comment at the end of the day--"We had a funny lunch-funny that makes me laugh and funny strange--pretzels, ice cream and samples at Sam's Club."

Oh and even more savings I found...Christopher and Banks entire store was 40% off and I still had money on my Christmas gift card from dad. Result: very cute skirt and crocheted top (nursing friendly for church) for only $8.00 cash! Katie, Maggie, and Ben all needed haircuts but I only had one coupon. Then we stopped at home to put away the cold items and checked the mail. Not just one, but two Great Clips coupons sitting in the mailbox for us. Hooray-one trip and three haircuts, for less than $25.00!

God is good. And I am laughing at myself for having so much fun writing this post. But I have to look for the good in the little things. Then the big things in life that are so hard (like child training right now) won't get me down.

Crew Review: Classical Legacy

2010-05-24T03:59:00.001-07:00

We received The Great Latin Adventure level 1 to review for the crew. Because we were in the middle of another Latin curriculum, I was hesitant to switch to this with my kids. I didn’t want to confuse them with a different format and information. So this review is based solely on my own browsing of the material.

Overall I’m impressed with the quality of the lessons. The author, Katherine Birkett has done an excellent job in the teacher’s materials, giving background information, teaching hints, and explanations. She created this curriculum after finding something lacking in the other Latin curriculum she was using.

Latin Adventures level I can be used by students from 4th through 7th grade, making it a great choice for families with multiple ages. Some advanced 3rd graders could also probably handle a slower pace through the materials. Designed to be used 3 days a week, the teaching plan would not require a large spot in your schedule.

Each lesson begins with a grammar component, giving Latin forms and vocabulary as well. Each lesson also contains a section on Latin-English derivatives (words in English we get from Latin). This section is immensely practical for vocabulary and word root studies. Quizzes begin appearing in the lessons once students have covered enough material to make quizzes practical. Translation exercises with creative, interesting sentences are also included. All the lessons follow the same format, and the teacher preparation is minimal. In fact, anyone can begin to teach this without any background in Latin.

The teacher’s manual includes answers for all the student worksheets and they are exact replicas of the student pages, not just lists of numbered answers. I found this extremely helpful. I like being able to see the question/problem as well as the answer.

Both the student and instructor pages come three-hole punched, ready to be inserted in your binders—make them at least 1.5 inches.

Although we loosely follow a classical model of education, we sometimes struggle with the intense focus on classical mythology and false gods. This material contains few references, making it a great fit for families who wish to learn Latin while not requiring them to learn about false religions as well. There is a place for mythology in any course of study, but it is nice that she has chosen to leave it out of this, allowing me to decide when and how to expose my children to it.

The student book is $15.00 loose or $22.00 in a binder. The teacher’s book is $30.00 ($40 in a binder) and includes a CD with pronunciation helps.

FAQs

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Latin Adventures I for the purpose of review. These are my opinions only and I have not received any other compensation.

Crew Review: Lobster Network

2010-05-24T03:37:00.001-07:00

What is Lobster Network? A free, creative site set up by a homeschool family, looking to establish communities where people can share their resources with others. The name is actually an acronym:

You can use Lobster Network to simply create an inventory of media, books, and other resources, like an online database, or you can use it to let others know what you have and what is available to lend, trade, or sell.

It is a fascinating idea. Our co-op recently took apart its extremely small lending library because most people didn’t use it. The resources were either old, falling apart, or not applicable to many of us. With Lobster Network, we can create a private community just for our co-op and allow members to list the items we are willing to share with fellow co-op members. How often have I heard someone say, “Oh, I use ----Math and I’m not going to be using level 3 next year. You can borrow it.”

For those who can’t or don’t wish to loan out their curricula, they can list what they have so that others can learn who uses what and then ask for opinions.

The inventory/data entry forms are easy to use. I’m going to set my son on the task as soon as school is done for the year. It will be a good summer project for him. And I will have a list of everything bookish that we own.

Take a minute to browse the site, watch the demo video below and see what Lobster Network has to offer.

Disclaimer: While Lobster Network is free to anyone, this is a review product through the Old Schoolhouse Crew. I did not receive any compensation for this review, and the opinions expressed are mine alone.

Crew Review: Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure

2010-05-19T10:43:00.001-07:00

How can treasure cause trouble? Andrea (aka Andi) and her friends are about to find out in this latest installmentof the Circle C Adventures, Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure. As our church librarian, I was familiar with the first few books in this series and was happy to see that Susan Marlow was continuing to find new trouble for Andi!

Set in the western Sierra Nevada during the 1880s, The Trouble with Treasure brought back many happy memories for me. During my middle and high school years, my family lived in San Diego but spent many happy weekends on the eastern side of the Sierras, outside Bishop, CA, at Cardinal Village Resort. Although the eastern and western sides of the Sierras are very different in terms of terrain and vegetation, Mrs. Marlow’s descriptions still captured the essence that I remember—majestic heights, rocky faces, and pine-scented unending wilderness that could only come from the Creator’s hands. Even their encounter with a mountain lion brought back memories—of the time we were walking our cat and a mountain lion was 50 feet away…but that’s a story for another time.

Andi, her older brother, and two friends are enjoying a trip away from Fresno’s summer heat, into the mountains to visit a logging camp her family owns. After several misadventures, they find themselves at the mercy of “good” old fashioned outlaws and eventually have to deal with one of their group getting wounded. While Andi learns some valuable lessons through the trials, these aren’t pounded into the reader’s head. Mrs. Marlow does an excellent job not spending too much time in Andi’s head, but showing her change of heart and attitude through Andi’s actions.

Andi’s adventures even captured my husband’s interest and I found him reading through the book one evening after the children had gone to bed. I zipped through it in an evening also, but it took my two bookworms a little longer. Even my son, who was skeptical about a book with a girl on the cover, truly enjoyed it disliking the villian in this story. My daughter is already looking for books 1-4 at the church library and can’t wait to read more. Although she is only 7 going on 8, she enjoyed the book and I enjoyed giving her something that had a slightly older heroine who wasn’t obsessed with boys or dealing with boys obsessed with her. I found this book very refreshing and enjoyable. Highly recommended!

Each book in the series is available from www.kregel.com for $7.99. A free enrichment guide is available here.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are my own and I received no other compensation.

Crew Review: Ideal Curriculum

2010-05-19T10:17:00.001-07:00

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard that we would be reviewing preschool curriculum kits from Ideal Curriculum. Our homeschool philosophy doesn’t include a structured curriculum at the preschool level. Rather, we focus on reading a lot, playing and exploring our surroundings, and talking about everything we see. In fact, I only use the term preschool when I’m talking to those outside our immediate circles, because they seem to need a point of reference for the academic levels of all my children. In our house, school begins the day they are born, as we teach them the ways of God and the knowledge they need to glorify Him in the wonderful world that he created. I find it sad that just being a four year old isn’t enough. All that said, I still determined to be as open minded as possible, hoping that this might have something to offer to new homeschoolers.

Ideal Curriculum has put together research-based kits surrounding a theme that include math, literacy, and science activities/experiments gathered around a specific theme. The theme is emphasized through reading, worksheets, and songs on a CD or downloaded files. Each kit is designed to last a month, with subsequent months sent as you order them. Each kit is available via download or in print.

We received the Transportation theme to review. Because our 4 year old is obsessed with anything with wheels, I figured this might have something we could use. However, I was disappointed. As I looked through the activities, I realized that either my 4 year old already knew the information (his letter sounds, his name, the parts of a vehicle) or the information was not something I felt he needed formal instruction in. I found the songs included, while cute and catchy, were not pleasant to listen to over and over and are not the kind of music we choose to play in our house.

They did include possible read-aloud books on the theme, which I found helpful in trips to the library.

I’m afraid this is one of the more negative reviews I’ve written, but it just didn’t match with our style of learning. Finally, the cost seems high. For what this would cost for even 3 months (see below), I could buy many living books that would share a love of learning and knowledge with my little ones. Even for new homeschoolers who ask me about homeschooling in preschool, I would hesitate to recommend this. There are too many other worthwhile products available at a lower cost that will not promote the conveyer belt style education we homeschoolers are trying so desperately to get away from.

The kids cost $55/month for the print version or $30 for the downloadable files. Three months are available for 156.00 (print) or 85.50 (download). For 9 months (a full school year), the cost is 440.00 (print) or 240.00 (download).

Disclaimer: I received a copy of these materials for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed here are my own. I did not receive any further compensation.

Crew Review: Cerebellum/Standard Deviants

2010-05-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

As a writing teacher, I’m always on the lookout for supplements that will help my students prepare for college tests and college level writing. When Light Speed Advanced Placement DVDs showed up in my mailbox, I was pleased to have yet another resource to offer to my students.

As most of my writing classes have been middle school and early high school, I’ve not focused that much on AP classes and tests. I researched the topic a little and learned that you can take the tests without taking an AP class. Preparation through books, intense study, and videos like this one will prepare most motivated students for this test. You can read other information about experiences with the AP test from other crew members here. From Light Speed’s website,

The AP* English Language & Composition is one of the most popular AP* exams, with over 335,000 students taking the test in 2009. Students will become equipped with the foundations of rhetorical knowledge and will develop the tools for critical thinking, writing, and analysis. Over 15 pages of study material is added, which makes this AP* prep resource the best yet. Light Speed Advanced Placement videos review the 30 most tested topics, provides tips and strategies on passing the test, and gives insightful advance on writing the short-response answers.

They suggest that you can watch this after taking an AP class to provide review just before the test. For me, this would be a good final review after using any test preparation materials. I did find, however, that the fast pace made it difficult to track at times. It is definitely not a stand alone product. They throw terms and suggestions out so fast that someone who is not familiar with the sections of the test and the concepts covered on it will find it overwhelming. You can view a sample video below.

Since this covers the English Composition test, it primary looks at the three types of essays that students complete during this AP test.

The DVDs are available for $11.24 plus shipping during the spring sales event. With the price of college growing exponentially, any class that you can avoid taking, especially at a lower level will make your cost that much less. Even at the regular price of $14.98, this is an excellent resource that will pay off in the long run. Additional titles in Government, History and Chemistry round out their AP offerings.

Crew Review: Beeyoutiful

2010-04-29T12:25:00.001-07:00

I’ve been looking forward to reviewing a product from Beeyoutiful all year. Beeyoutiful is a family company which emphasizes the use of natural products for good health. They have found these products to be helpful for their families and have found a way to safely produce and then distribute these products. Their catalog, available by request, contains all their products, helpful articles, and many testimonials.

We received a bottle of Berry Well right as Michigan spring cold season was starting. What perfect timing. Then my doctor told me to avoid any additional sugars as I was on the border of having gestational diabetes. With honey as one of the main ingredients, I’ve had to wait on using this. However, I’m keeping our bottle of Berry Well to use as soon as I deliver. Unless of course, it’s all gone...My husband has been using this off and on, and it’s been working!

We both began to experience cold symptoms during Spring Break. He hoped to get a lot done around the house and didn’t need a cold to slow him down. He began taking a single serving of Berry Well each day. While I curled up on the couch, enjoying a typical cold and cloudy Michigan spring break and nursing a cold, he rewired my laundry room, installed a door, along with taking a lot of trips to Home Depot and Ace Hardware! It stopped his cold in its tracks.

This ingredients list is taken from the product information page on Beeyoutiful’s website. Berry Well contains:

Luscious, organic purple elderberries (first used long ago by Native Americans) that provide anthocyanins. The anti-viral powers of these immune system enhancers attack many strains of influenza A and B—without the side effects or complications of a flu shot.
Raw honey sweetens the mixture with more than just good taste. It delivers a rich supply of live enzymes required to help body systems fight colds and respiratory infections of all kinds.
Bee propolis and Organic Echinacea root extract—both considered powerful, natural antibiotics.
Raw apple cider vinegar, a folk remedy celebrated for its use against a long list of ailments, increases your body’s alkalinity. (Although today’s diets tend to make us more acidic, an alkaline body is safer from cancer and other diseases.) And the potassium in raw vinegar helps cells fight bacteria and viruses.

Cost: $18.00 for 16 servings

Disclaimer: We received a single bottle of Berry Well for the purpose of using it on a trial basis. The opinions expressed here are my own. I received no other compensation. Any health information is based on our own experiences and are not intended to be used as medical advice.

Crew Review: Sue Gregg Cookbooks

2010-04-29T11:48:00.001-07:00

Last fall, all of us on the Crew were given the opportunity to try a couple of Sue Gregg’s Whole Foods recipes from her website. We enjoyed a meal of baked parmesan chicken and tried the whole grain blender batter waffles. We enjoyed both of these and asked for a chance to review one of Sue Gregg’s cookbooks.

We received Introducing Whole Foods Cooking for Health and Hospitality. It “dispels the myth that healthy whole foods must necessarily be appetite appeal-less. Model recipes start you on a culinary adventure that breaks the barriers to success without resorting to white flour, white sugar, or hydrogenated shortening.” You can view a sample here.

Sue Gregg’s concepts and the 2 Stage Process is explained. She also includes a Bible study, called the “Serving and Connecting segment, that shows you how to make Jesus a welcome guest at your table. An included PowerPoint Demo CD includes group teaching materials and a high school level semester course for Menu Planning and Meal Preparation.”

My husband and I spent time reading the cookbook thoroughly. Sue Gregg gives a detailed explanation of her 2 stage process that allows you to prepare whole grains without a grain mill. She also gives suggested substitutions to make your cooking whole foods easy.

Unfortunately, we received the cookbook just about the time my pregnancy began. I’ve struggled with cooking throughout this pregnancy, so changing our nutritional habits have been difficult. We found the book full of good ideas, but not enough actual charts for equivalencies and other practical ideas for easily changing our diet overall. Changing your way of life is hard work. We are hoping that once we get through this pregnancy, we will try some more of her ideas.

I appreciated her emphasis on changing your diet for the purpose of health, but not making it such an issue that it takes over your entire life or breaks your budget. She encourages you to keep food in its proper place, for nutrition and sustenance.

Cost: $23.00 including the CD.

Her website contains many helpful articles and sample recipes for you to try and see if this way of cooking is for you.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this cookbook for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed here are my own. I received no other compensation.

Crew Review: Lesson Planet

2010-04-28T13:12:00.001-07:00

Lesson Planet is a membership-based website providing access to thousands of lesson plans written by teachers across the globe. These lessons are searchable by topic, grade level, state standards, or all of the above. The website also features worksheets and activities for myriad topics.

We on the Crew were given a 3 month subscription to the site in order to review what is available. We are currently studying the Middle East, so I spent some time looking at what was available for the Middle East for grades 3-5. Most of the lesson plans that popped up were applicable to groups of students. Some I could tweak to make work with one child, but most of them would work best in a classroom setting. I also searched for some worksheets on mean, median, and mode, as my son was having a hard time wrapping his brain around those concepts. I did find some that related to sports, and that did help him understand the purpose behind learning this. However, I found similar activities for free just by Googling the topics with sports.

As a new classroom teacher, this website would have been invaluable to me. Now, I just don’t find it is worth the money when I’ve become comfortable searching for items I need using for free using Google or the online resources from our local library system.

You can preview the site for 10 days at no cost. A yearly subscription costs $39.95 View this video for more information about this site.

Disclaimer: I received a three-month subscription to this website for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed here are my own. I received no other compensation.

Crew Review: Super Star Speech

2010-04-24T15:06:00.001-07:00

I’ve always been fascinated by the science and practice of speech therapy. It is something I considered back in the day that I actually thought I might go on for my master’s degree. Well, nearly five children later, I’m no closer to my degree, but I’m still interested in speech and reading instruction. Although none of my children have had speech difficulties, I have a close friend whose daughter struggles with speech issues at times.

With all this in the back of my mind, I was excited to receive e-book downloads for Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple, Super Star Speech: S, Z, Sh, and Super Star Speech: R and L. Written by Debbie Lott, M. Ed. and a homeschool mom, these books truly do simplify what often seems overwhelming—trying to correct a speech difficulty.

I’ve spent hours reading through her books, finding them full of easy explanations, hints for the parent who doesn’t know what she is doing (yet!), and a myriad of activities to reinforce the correct pronunciation of sounds. She includes blank lesson planning forms so you can tailor each lesson to your child’s needs, rather than progressing at a set pace. This removes pressure from the parent and the child to perform and allows them to move forward as skills are mastered.

In Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple, Debbie gives a detailed look at speech therapy and how to work with your child (including lessons and evaluations), then provides ideas, word lists, and activities for many of the common errors in sound pronunciations. In each of the e-books aimed at specific sounds, Debbie repeats much of the instruction and teaching hints and then supplies games, practice sentences, word lists, and evaluation sheets for the specific sounds.

It will require significant time and attention to your child to make this (or probably any) speech therapy program work. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who has a child struggling, even slightly, with speech issues.

Details: All of these books are available as e-books from CurrClick.

Speech Made Simple $12.95
Specific sounds e-books range in price from $5.00 (single-sound samplers) to $12.95 for the related sounds books.

Disclaimer: I received copies of these products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are my own. I received no other compensation.

Crew Review: Time4Learning

2010-04-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

Time4Learning is an online, interactive learning site for students in grades PreK through eighth grade. It includes:

Online curriculum for grades Pre-K through 8th
More than 1,000 interactive animated lessons
Self paced lessons that kids will enjoy working on
Math & algebra tutorials & printable worksheets
Language arts, phonics & grammar lessons
Interactive, project-based reading activities
Science (grades 1st - 6th) & social studies (grades 2nd - 7th)
Detailed reporting for easy record keeping
Extensive lesson plans & teaching tools for parents

View their FAQ here.

We received a 30 day subscription for our family to try Preschool (PreK) Level one and Level two. With two little ones at that age, we’ve had fun trying it out over the past several weeks.

Each level contains topics such as pets, school supplies, the zoo, food, people, and seasons. Within each topic area, my children completed activities such as paint, matching, memory games, and storytime.

For my 5 year old, the preK level 1 was far too easy, but she had fun doing the activities. The PreK level 2 was a bit harder, but she still sailed through all the activities. This was a game time for her, even when she was working in the subject areas. When I asked her what her favorite part was, she said she liked the Paint, Matching, and Movies. The screens below show some of the topic areas and activities in level 2. Similar topics and activities are available in level 1.

For my 3 year old, the PreK Level 1 was perfect. He could understand the questions and concepts. Because this is his first experience with the computer, he was also learning how to manipulate the mouse and what it means to “click” or “drag.” My oldest had fun sitting with him and helping him with the activities.

Along with the subject areas, children have the option of playing on the “playground” with educational and fun software and websites. My children had fun doing the Clifford website from PBSkids but without the ads.

Because we don’t do a lot with computers in our homeschool, at least at the early ages, we won’t be signing up for a membership here. This would be beneficial for large families who need to keep little ones occupied while doing subjects with the older ones.

Cost: 19.95 per month for the first child and 14.95 per month for each child after that.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary 30 day subscription for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed her are my own. I received no other compensation.

Crew Review: What Am I?

2010-04-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

Marie Rippel from All About Spelling has done it again-- A gorgeous, hardbound reader with high interest stories and wonderful illustrations. My daughters both love these. My fluent reader enjoys the stories, even though she is far beyond them in her reading level. The pre-reader/emerging reader loves to sit and look at the pictures. The book feels like a “real book” to her, not as much like a reader that she already uses in her reading instruction. Like the previous reader we reviewed, this one is motivating her to keep up on her reading practice so she can read it by herself some day.

We aren’t actually using this right now for reading instruction as it falls between the two of them. Hopefully I’ll be able to find it when it is time to use it…but most likely it will be under someone’s pillow for bedtime reading. The stories are that good!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review and the opinions expressed here are my own. I did not receive any additional compensation.

Crew Review: Terrestria Chronicles

2010-04-09T17:47:00.001-07:00

Ed Dunlop, author of over 20 books, has written an allegorical series called “The Terrestria Chronicles.” With seven books in the series, it covers the Christian story through the end of time.

For the purpose of this review, I received books six and seven in the series. It is hard to understand the entire plot of the series without reading the first five books, but we did our best! For the second time this year, I enlisted my husband’s help with this review. I do not enjoy fantasy literature, and he does, so I asked him to read these. My ten year old son also read them and gave his input on this review. I skimmed over them to get a feel for the story and for the author’s style.

Although this series is fantasy, it contains no wizardry, magic, or other common elements of fantasy literature.

The series begins at the adoption (salvation) of a slave named Josiah, by King Emmanuel, and it ends with The Great War, as the followers of the king are taken to the Golden City. In The Golden Lamps, the king’s followers are distracted from their tasks for the king by temptations strategically placed by the enemy, Argamor. The Great War brings the reader to the end of time on Terrestria, as Argamor and King Emmanuel battle for the Castle of Faith. As my son read the last two books, he was excited to find passages from Revelation that he had just covered last year in his Sunday School class. He enjoyed the references to castles, knights, and, of course, the battles.

My husband also enjoyed the books, saying he would have enjoyed these as a child/young adult. He did comment on how many of the portions seemed lifted straight out of Scripture, as opposed to paraphrasing them or rewording them to fit the situation in the books.

As a literature and writing teacher, I know that allegories are one of the hardest genres to write in and do in such a way that captivates readers. I admire Mr. Dunlop’s efforts in bringing the truth of Scripture to young people in a way that will, hopefully, make them want to read more of the original source.

As mentioned above, Mr. Dunlop has written many more books, including a companion series called The Terrestria Tales. Some of the Crew received these for review. He has also written a series about a boy out west; these books that are available as free downloads from his website. He has also written a guide to the Chronicles that would allow you to make these into a Bible study, bringing out the Biblical themes more directly.

We will be watching for the first 5 books in this series at our home school convention this year. Each costs $7.99 and are also available from the author’s website: www.talesofcastles.com.

Disclaimer: We received complimentary copies of these books for the purpose of reviewing them. We received no other compensation. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Crew Review: Critical Thinking Co.

2010-04-02T04:26:00.001-07:00

The Critical Thinking Company is familiar to many homeschoolers. I’d heard of them and received their catalog, but we had not used any of their materials. I was curious, as the catalog is colorful and tempting, especially for my son who loves logic and mathematics puzzles. As part of the Crew, we received Language Smarts level C (2nd grade) for this review.

The book covers a range of language arts concepts and skills, from phonics to the writing process. Grammar, punctuation, and mechanics are also included. Each concept is taught or reviewed by a variety of activities including word scrambles, fill in the blanks, logic puzzles, and comprehension exercises. The first section contains simple logic puzzles applied to language arts, with a note at the bottom of each page referring you to other products by Critical Thinking that contain the same type of problems and puzzles.

My daughter (7yo/2nd grade) used this book for daily work for the past 6 weeks. She was excited to have a review item all to herself and jumped in enthusiastically. This enthusiasm continued as long as she could find pages with something she already knew how to do. As she’s moved through the book, she’s had a harder time working completely independently, so we’ve worked together on it, primarily finding pages that reinforce the concepts we’ve been learning in First Language Lessons.

The pages are colorful, printed on high gloss paper. My daughter had to use pen as pencil did not work well on the thick paper. A black and white version is also available. The quantity of exercises on each page are not overwhelming, and we usually complete two or three pages each day. The book has 314 pages. Samples of this book are available here.

What we thought: For someone who loves workbooks, my daughter found most of the exercises easy and fun. She was frustrated by the lack of instructions and examples on some pages. Because this is a workbook, they have to provide a range of activities for the second grade level, for example: identifying short and long vowels, something that my daughter had down at least a year ago. She was bored by those pages (about 10 in the early sections of the book).

I did not like the lack of explanation, as she often would read the instructions and apply the example incorrectly. There wasn’t enough instruction in the principles/concept behind the exercise. We don’t use a lot of workbooks except for math. She did really well with the vowel/diphthong/digraphs pages, but I think that is as much to do with the Latin studies she’s been doing with Daddy as the instruction in the book. Her favorite part was the rhymes and riddles section.

A downloadable answer key for the book is available on the website.

We won’t be using this much anymore, now that the review period is done. I prefer to keep our language studies as linked to our other studies and in real-life situations as possible, using dictation, copywork, and narration rather than workbooks. They just don’t “work” for us.

Cost: $39.99

Disclaimer: We received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed are mine, based on our family’s experience with the product.

Crew Review: Family Mint

2010-03-31T22:45:00.001-07:00

Family Mint is a web-based money management program designed to help children learn about handling their money well. It is easily adaptable to most money management theories, such as Dave Ramsey or Crown Financial Ministries. We tend to follow those put forth by Crown, since we had read several of Larry Burkett’s books in early years of our marriage. Anyone can access the website for free as they are still in the beta test mode. The graphics are fun, and it is easy to set up and use.

Because we’ve had a lot of computer/wireless problems in the past month, I’ve not used this site as much as I would like to. I've only set this up for my 10 year old so far. His goal is camp this summer. We had budgeted it, but he is now "earning" what we are paying toward it. He's also saved up from Christmas money, so he has quite a bit already. He's earning money through additional chores-shoveling the driveway, vacuuming the basement stairs (my pregnant belly is making this difficult), and a host of other jobs. I'm working on a list that will have amounts listed for each one. I'd like him to become more independent with looking for ways to help around the house. He tends toward wanting to read rather than work (hmm...wonder where he gets that!)

We really prefer to work on paper with this, so he gets the ideas behind money management and practices math at the same time. while this product would be great for those who do their banking online, it just isn’t a good fit for us right now.

Crew Review: Math Galaxy

2010-03-29T04:02:00.001-07:00

Galaxy of Education has produced Math Galaxy-a family of twelve different computer-based math products that have provided excellent and motivating practice in the basics. Although we received all twelve to review, my children primarily used Whole Numbers Fun, while I used the Math Riddler Worksheet generator for additional practice away from the computer.

Each program contains multiple topics, as you can see from the example below.

Each program contains games as well as practice problems, but you must complete the practice problems before having enough robots to play the games. I found many of the game instructions to be confusing, but my children seemed to figure them out right away! As you can see from the above illustration, the graphics are simple and uncluttered but also a bit dated. My kids didn’t seem to mind since they don’t play computer games anyway, but they might not appeal to more graphic-savvy kids.

My son (10yo) has used the advanced options in the Whole Numbers Fun program to practice fractions, decimals, division, and multiplication. While he may think it is simply fun, he is improving in his time and accuracy—I can see it in his regular math work. He is also improving in his ability to solve multi-step problems.

My daughter (7yo) appreciates the lack of timed exercises, allowing her to work through the steps without the clock ticking away. She has focused on the time, money, and basic operations while using the computer program. She has also really enjoyed the Math Riddler worksheets, which give her a small number of problems to solve based on the parameters I enter. I can select number of digits as well as level of difficulty, allowing her to practice her basic math facts and operations. Once she has solved all the problems, she uses the answers to crack a code and answer a riddle. This has been a life-saver since we finished our basic math curriculum and needed something else to maintain her math skills. It also helps to have something to print out, since all of us share one computer. (The graphic below is from an advanced series, but the idea remains the same.)

Negatives? Other than unclear game instructions for the adults (kids are fine with them), I had a hard time discerning sometimes what level I should direct my children. In the word problems fun program, I clicked on beginner level and received a word problem in multiplication. A chart or other information listing grade level/abilities would be helpful for this program. All the others list approximate grade levels for each.

Each program costs $29.95 and is available as a CD (with free shipping) from their website. You can also purchase ebooks of the Math Riddlers, giving you a sample of the program for $14.95.

When you go to the website, click on Guided Tour to view samples from all the programs and browse which ones will fit your needs. You can view or use portions of all of them. From whole numbers to algebra, this galaxy has something for all levels. We’ll be using these for years to come.

Disclaimer: I received these products for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed here are mine only. I received no other compensation.

The Schoolhouse Expo

2010-03-26T13:46:00.001-07:00

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Crew Review: Children’s Bible Hour

2010-03-25T04:13:00.001-07:00

CBH Ministries, home of Children’s Bible Hour, Keys for Kids, and other faith-forming publications, has impacted my life since I was a young child. My parents were not believers until I was six, and I can remember Saturday mornings spent, not around the TV with cartoons, but on their bed, listening to Children’s Bible Hour and other radio shows that helped grow our family’s faith. When I moved to Grand Rapids as a college student, I was thrilled to actually be living in the same town as this wonderful ministry. Now my own children use Keys for Kids, listen to their radio shows, and even enjoy hearing Uncle Charlie speak occasionally at our church.

They’ve expanded their publications to the Seasons of Faith series, four books each containing an radio script updated and adapted for story form. Each book also contains a CD with Uncle Charlie reading the story.

The four titles take four different children through a different “season of faith”—from conversion and salvation to hard times and trusting God’s goodness. The story lines are predictable and clear, allowing children to learn that diligently following God, while not always easy, will produce fruit in their lives and the lives of others. While the older, cynical side of me says that the story lines are not completely realistic, they give a standard, an example to reach toward.

The books are a typical picture book size and length, with full color illustrations covering each page. The illustrations depict the action in each story well, although they are not quite the quality I’ve seen in other children’s books. The characters are from varied ethnic backgrounds, including Hispanic and African-American.

Like most everything else that CBH has produced, there is nothing questionable in these books. And my children love them! We do a lot with audio books in our home, and I’m pleased to add these to our collection.

Each of the book & CD sets costs$10. Today, March 25th, you can purchase the entire set for $20.00. After today, you can receive free shipping on your order (through April 15) by using the code: FREESHIPAPR15.

Disclaimer: We received complimentary copies of these books for the purpose of reviewing them. I did not receive any additional compensation. The opinions expressed here only mine, based on our experiences with the product.

Crew Review: REAL Science Odyssey-Chemistry

2010-03-22T18:24:00.001-07:00

Upon learning that I was to receive the REAL Science Odyssey-Chemistry, I was curious. What would an elementary level (grades 2-5) chemistry look like? When I opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued.

First for the physical side of things: The book isn’t bound, but comes three-hole punched with a heavy cardstock color cover. I like being able to put it in a binder and easily remove sheets for copying. It is 432 pages long, with 7 units that each have up to 5 activities.

The first thing I noticed as I began to read through the materials is the comprehensive lesson chart with supplies and schedules all together—I don’t have to create a schedule!

Each lesson is short-1-2 pages of reading, written to the child. The labs require supervision, but are easy enough for this science-challenged mom to complete! I especially like the lab sheets, which are designed to guide the student through the process, with fill in the blanks, charts, and partial hypothesis-great for my younger ones who can’t write a lot and my boys who don’t like to write period. Each lesson also includes fun poems and crossword puzzles for reinforcement

You can view samples of the table of contents as well as lesson pages here.

While most of our science has been using the Apologia series, which is Charlotte Mason-inspired, the Pandia Books are easily adapted to CM methods. I have my children narrate back after reading the lesson and after completing the lab.

My only concern is this statement from their website:

Are your courses written from a Christian viewpoint, or are they secular? or, Is evolution or biblical creation discussed in your courses?

“Our courses are secular, they are not written from any particular religious point of view. We hope that customers of all faiths will be comfortable using our materials. History Odyssey courses begin at 6000 B.C., therefore evolution is not applicable. A scientist whose only agenda is to teach science writes each R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey book. Therefore, R.E.A.L Science is not from a creationist’s viewpoint. There will be mention of evolution in level two and three courses (when available) as it pertains to science. There is no mention of evolution in the level one books.”

First, if the courses are secular, they are written from a particular religious point of view—it is just one without a god. Also, it bothers me that they consider Creationism an agenda other than science, while evolution is considered teaching science. I do appreciate that the chemistry book we received does not contain any evolution. We will probably not order any of their biology/levels 2-4 books due to this perspective, but we are enjoying the chemistry book.

Each book costs $48.00 for a print edition, or $38.99 for an e-book version. This seems very costly to me for an ebook, as I would also have the cost of printing 432 pages.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of these materials for the purpose of review; I received no other compensation. The opinions expressed here are my own, based on our family’s experience using the product.

Crew Review: Olde World Style Map Sets from Homeschool in the Woods

2010-03-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

We love maps in our house. My mom instilled a love of navigating in me as we travelled all over the county. I still prefer a paper map to our GPS, although it is growing on me! As we watched the Winter Olympics, our globe was ever present, as we searched for countries that were competing against us.

With this love of maps comes a focus on maps and geography in our homeschool. Until now, I hadn’t found any general sets of maps that I really liked. I’ve tried various maps online, but really wanted something that I could print when I needed it. Enter Amy Pak. If you aren’t familiar with Homeschool in the Woods and Amy Pak’s timeline figures, it is worth a long browse on her website. We already own her Time Traveler Unit Studies and her Timeline Figures CDs. When she announced last year that the maps from her timeline notebook would be available on CD or as a download, I was ready to purchase them right away, but I had already spent my budget. Then I heard we would be receiving something from her to review for the Crew. A child on Christmas morning could not have been more excited than I was when I received the email with links to BOTH the World Map set and the United States Map set.

What they contain…these sets have so much, I don’t know that I have room for everything. I’ll try to list as much as I can. Nearly all of the maps come both labeled and unlabeled. Each map is drawn with physical features, including waves along the shores. They have a classic appearance, and I’ve noticed that my kids are coloring them more carefully than some of the other, plainer maps that we’ve tried.

World Maps:

Over 130 maps
Historical maps from Ancient history to the present, including maps that trace Old and New Testament events and places (12 Tribes of Israel, Paul’s Missionary Journeys, and many more)
Political and physical maps of continents, countries, and regions.
Over 40 notebooking pages for country studies including brochures, facts about…, “My Intinerary for visiting ____,” religious history of…, daily life, blank report forms in various styles, missionaries to _____, and others.
Many of the notebooking pages contain both ruled lines and dashed lines (like handwriting paper) allowing older and younger kids to use them
Graphics to include on notebooking pages: flags and outlines of the country

United States Maps:

Over 180 maps
Historical maps from the Explorers to the Present, with separate maps for each of the expansions that you could layer using transparencies (these are the same ones that are included in the Time Traveler US History Unit Studies
Physical and political maps for every state
Specific notebooking pages for each state, including a space for drawing or pasting a picture of symbols
Various other notebooking pages.

I am thrilled with these and would happily have paid $19.95 for each set had I not been waiting for the crew. They have simplified our history and geography studies for the year, just when I needed something to make our lives easier. We have been spending the year in the Eastern Hemisphere, using Sonlight’s Core 5. With these maps, I’ve printed out the country we are studying right now, along with various notebooking pages. My oldest is using more of the notebooking pages to replace (for a couple months) the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer pages. My 7 year old is having fun coloring the maps and filling in her notebooking pages too. Even the little ones beg for maps to color.

All the maps are in black and white, which I love since we use a laser printer. The flag and map graphics for the notebooking pages are in color, but I can live with that. Most of the time my kids try to draw the flags anyway.

Bottom line: This is going on my list of must-haves! It far outshines any map set I’ve looked at for value, aesthetic beauty, and usability.

Cost: $18.95 per set download or $19.95 per set on CD-ROM. Combine both sets and save. Download is $28.95 and combination CD is $29.95. Samples of both sets are available on the website.

Crew Review: Artistic Pursuits

2010-03-16T06:08:00.001-07:00

ARTistic Pursuits, authored by Brenda Ellis, is “a comprehensive art program, designed to involve the student in the creative process while developing observational skills.” (front cover). I had the opportunity to review the book The Elements of Art and Composition, book one in the series for grades 4-6. The book teaches the student directly, with general instructions for the parent included at the beginning and an evaluation guide at the end.

Book one focuses on various aspects of drawing using primarily pencils or ink in single colors. Over 16 units the book covers elements such as: space, line, balance, depth, contrast, and others. Each unit contains 4 lessons.

The first lesson introduces the element of art or composition and has a short and simple drawing task to complete.
The second lesson focuses on art appreciation using master works from American history. These works are printed in full color in each lesson, allowing the student to practice observation skills, while looking for examples of the unit topic in the painting. Again, a simple drawing activity is included to practice what they’ve learned.
The third lesson provides instruction in the techniques—the materials and tools of drawing – applying that knowledge to another project.
The fourth and final lesson incorporates new techniques and practices already taught techniques in a final project using a variety of objects.

My 5th grade son enjoyed using this book to develop his drawing skills. He’s always enjoyed drawing, but is often frustrated by what he thinks is lack of talent. For his perfectionist nature, having to draw from his object of choice, rather than copying something in the book, freed him to just draw in his own style and develop his creative skills. Art, like writing and music, does not come naturally as some may think. Students need help developing their creative abilities and ARTistic Pursuits does just that in a step-by-step, non-threatening manner. The independent nature of this book allows me to turn him loose with the art supplies and work on the projects with guidance when he asks. We will continue to use the materials to provide a foundation in art for all our children.

Cost: $42.95 plus art supplies.We had most of the supplies already, so I don’t have a figure on that. ARTistic Pursuits sells sets of art supplies for those who are unable to locate them in a local art supply store. My aunt is an artist and often gives our children art supplies for Christmas and birthday gifts. The supplies are easy to obtain from a store such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels. The book is completely non-consumable, allowing me to reuse it with all five of my children.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation. The opinions expressed are mine and my family’s.

Crew Review: Great Software Tools/Graphics Toolbox

2010-03-07T18:22:00.001-08:00

Do you enjoy playing with colors? How about editing photos? Creating amazing posters for school projects? Graphics Toolbox, from Great Software Tools, may be just for you. This incredibly powerful program lets you create just about anything you want, from single images for computer game sprites (my son’s favorite application) to scrapbook pages using pictures on your computer.

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that she had chosen her bridesmaids’ dresses. When asked what color, she commented with a series of three digit numbers separated by hyphens. Another friend then requested color names, since we aren’t all graphic designers with color chips on the brain. Since using Graphics Toolbox, I was actually able to understand what that meant! I think the color capabilities of this program are my favorite part. Once you bring a picture into the drawing space, you can extract colors from the picture itself and use that color in your project. Below is an 8x8 scrapbook page I created using pictures of my niece born just a month ago. The background color and the lettering color is taken from the pink stripe in her blanket. I was able to add “soft sweater” texture to the background. The color of the border around her picture is taken from the turquoise stripe in her blanket.

Each picture was either cropped or resized to fit the page, all within the program.

I love to scrapbook, but I have resisted the digital scrapbooking trend since I love to work with the paper and photos. My friends tell me it is less expensive and sooo easy. I must admit, I loved being able to create my own color, rather than searching through my stacks of paper, trying to find the right match. I could see this being less expensive if I did all this on my computer and only printed the sheets. We’ll see.

Graphics Toolbox isn’t intuitive like many photo editing programs. It uses vectors, actually filling in the pixels, rather than layering like many other programs. This takes getting used to, but the creators provide many excellent tutorials, available on the website, to walk you through the basic operations and many projects, from posters and thank you notes to blog headers and scrapbook pages.

A thirty-day free trial is available on the website, with the full version available for $150.00.

Crew Review: Homeschool Library Builder

2010-03-07T18:21:00.001-08:00

Homeschool Library Builder is an online bookstore designed especially for homeschool families. I spent some time browsing their website recently. I especially appreciate the ability to search by curricula, whether it be Five in a Row, Sonlight, Ambleside, Tapestry of Grace, and others. When I clicked on Sonlight, I chose from a list of Cores, and was immediately taken to the first of several pages offering many, if not all, of the books from Core 6.

I also have a list of books that we are interested in adding to our home library. Most of these are additional volumes in series that our children have enjoyed. One in particular, the Highland Years by Melissa Wiley, have become hard to find in the unabridged version. I did search for these and was unable to find any. They will do a book search for you, however, if you have a list of titles you desire.

As a member of Homeschool Library Builder, you earn points toward free books with each purchase. For most of us book addicts, this could be very helpful! They also participate in a number of service and charitable opportunities, including donating funds toward help for Haiti after the recent earthquake.

Make some hot chocolate, find some shortbread or scones, and take a moment to browse the site and see what you find. We are all gearing up for another school year. For those of us who love books, any new bookstore, even online, is inviting.

Crew Review: Beehive Reader

2010-02-21T19:11:00.001-08:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then perhaps I should just include this image and not write any more! The new Beehive Readers from All About Learning, publishers of All About Spelling, are visually appealing while providing phonetically based practice in reading with high interest stories.

This is just one page out of 160, with ten different stories. Each story has a limited amount of text on each page and is illustrated with sometimes comical illustrations.

How we used this: Right now, we aren’t. My fluent reader is beyond this and my 5 year old isn’t quite here yet. I will be using this with her as we begin All About Spelling level 1 next year. They have created this with 100% correlation to level 1, providing instructions in the spelling program as to when the child should be reading the stories. She is trying to sound out the words in the early stories, so she is motivated to practice her reading.

Many of the readers I have are inexpensive paperbacks. This hardbound book has been published on quality paper with exquisite illustrations. While it may be a little on the expensive side for some budgets at $19.95, it is 160 pages long with 10 short stories. I will be investing in more of these as they are published. Book 2 is due out later this spring.

Click here for a peek inside the reader.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Beehive Reader 1 in order to review it. The opinion contained in this review is my own. I did not receive any other compensation.

To see what other crew members had to say, go here.

Crew Review: Math Mammoth

2010-02-21T18:56:00.001-08:00

Math Mammoth is the creation of Maria Miller, who desires to create affordable math materials that can be self-teaching, so that students and parents alike can use them easily. She’s created a series that covers individual topics, a series that covers all the topics by grade level, a series that is only practice without instruction by topic, and a series that is practice without instruction by grade. For more details, view the charts here. Free samples are available at the website by visiting each individual page or signing up for her newsletter, which will give you 280 sheets in one download.

Ease of use: While we aren’t a big workbook family, sometimes that is the only method that works for math. For the purpose of this review, we were sent Make it Real Learning, Arithmetic I, Place Value 1 and 2, and Clock. For each of the workbooks, I simply printed out the pages and gave them to my children. They were able to follow along with the instruction and complete the activities. Other than a couple activities that required gathering supplies for her (beans or other counting objects for place value), I didn’t have to do anything for Maggie. With the Make it Real book, Nathanael was able to work through it without any input from me.

Make it Real Learning, Arithmetic I attempts to answer the question When am I ever going to use this? “From figuring out how to determine the difference between the populations of two countries to analyzing the number of visitors to a website, learners get to use basic math skills in meaningful ways. Each activity integrates real world information, companies, and issues (e.g. Webkinz, Australia, South Africa, sharing snacks, borrowing money), not just "realistic" data.” It is intended for students in grades 3-6. Nathanael, in grade 5, found most of the activities too easy.

Maggie chose Clock and Place Value for her topics. We received both Place Value 1 and 2, allowing me to look at two grade levels. She has enjoyed working through them as a review of concepts we had already covered.

The pages for each were laid out simply with not a lot of distracting images. Each worktext includes the answers, allowing the parent to easily evaluate student progress.

Cost: Most of her individual e-book workbooks cost between $3.00 and $7.00. Once you’ve downloaded the e-book, you are granted permission to print copies for as many children as will use it. It is a workbook that is non-consumable except for the cost of printing each sheet

Bottom Line: I’m excited to keep this product line in mind as we continue our schooling. The programs are flexible, affordable, and usable with multiple students.

Disclaimer: I was provided copies of these materials for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed are mine and my children’s. We received no other compensation.

Fit Mommy-to-be week 5

2010-02-20T08:19:00.001-08:00

I’ve totally fallen off the wagon for this, but please, don’t watch as I try to get back on. Remember, I am 23 weeks pregnant!

During two of the past three weeks I’ve been able to stick to my goals and stay on track with exercise. I’ve either walked 1 mile or done about 20 minutes of Pilates on four out of seven days. The other weekday is housecleaning, and this pregnant mama can’t do both. I tried—the chores don’t get done because I’m all wore out! During one week we had 3 days at a hotel with a pool, and I loved having my workout in water!

Now for the true confessions…I’ve done nothing this week. There, it’s out. Reason—we’ve been staying up too late watching the Olympics and I can’t get up early enough to exercise and begin school. I think most of our favorite events are done now, so hopefully this week will go better than this.

At my monthly prenatal visit this week, my weight was about the same as last month, which shows me that the regular exercise was helping me control the weight. I haven’t really been “eating for two” this time. I don’t have time to stop and eat! Keeping fruit around and drinking lots of water has replaced some of the bad eating I’ve done in previous pregnancies.

Baby bump picture coming soon…

Crew Review: Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling

2010-02-13T11:29:00.001-08:00

If you hang around home schoolers for very long, you will often hear Apologia mentioned often. As one of the original publishers of science textbooks for home schoolers, they have a history of providing top-quality materials that fill a definite need. As their mission states: “Since 1996, Apologia Educational Ministries has supported homeschooling families by publishing excellent, easy-to-use creation-based science curriculum. In recent history, we have expanded our efforts to include new books and curriculum through Apologia Press, online courses through Apologia Academy, networking and encouragement through Apologia World, and ministering to moms at Apologia Live conferences.”

One of these new books is The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell. As the TOS Crew discussed this book, I realized that this may be a new book to Apologia, but it isn’t a new one to homeschoolers, having been a “first pick” for many of my experience crew mates. Mrs. Bell has updated and revised this edition that Apologia is publishing, so if you’ve read an older version, it might be a good idea to check this one out too!

I first received this when I was in between books, so I had a chance to pour over it, and pour over it I did. My copy has been written in, highlighted, and sticky-noted. Even though we’ve been homeschooling for 7 years and 3 kids now, and I was homeschooled, I’ve found this to be a wonderful source of advice and encouragement. I wish someone had shown me this when I first began.

What I like:

She does not sugarcoat the amount of work on the mom’s part—even going so far as saying that if you don’t have time to read and learn, you don’t have time to homeschool. Self-education is essential for all homeschool parents. (As I type this, my husband is at the other end of the table, working on his Latin pronunciations that he is going to teach the children later!).
She presents the various philosophies of homeschooling (Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, Classical, traditional textbook) and gives her personal preferences, but she doesn’t spend the entire book promoting one particular style
She encourages parents to train independent learners. As a mother of 4, soon to be 5, children, I must spend the majority of my time with the ones who don’t know how to read or learn, while finding ways to direct the ones who do without neglecting them. As some of my recent posts have noted, this is a timely topic for me!
She gives lists of favorite resources in all subject areas, making it a quick reference if you are stuck for a book on American history or physical science.

Were there things I disagreed with? Yes, but that’s ok. I can still glean much from her years of wisdom and experience. For those who are curious, I didn’t agree with her perspectives on using inventive spelling and on not teaching structure in writing until later. Also, her children were obviously more on the gifted end of educational abilities and were able to take advantage of overseas programs that may not be possible for all families. You just have to remind yourself of the goals you have for your family (something she encourages you to compose) and not compare her results to yours.

In recent months, I’ve had the blessing to share our homeschooling experience with three young moms who are either homeschooling now or are considering it for the future. Each time I’ve sent them home with some of my favorite books or a list of them if I don’t have a copy to lend. I’m going to add this to my list…my copy isn’t leaving the house unless they beg! :)

Crew Review: Zeezok Publishing

2010-02-13T10:59:00.001-08:00

As a frequent exhibitor at Michigan conventions, I’ve learned to stay away from Zeezok Publishing/Book Peddler’s booth unless I have a specific item in mind. I could easily blow my home school budget there! My husband gets a little nervous whenever we are placed near them…I’m very distracted! Not only do they carry wonderful products, but their business is truly a family business, right down to the little one I caught napping in a tote under the table at the end of a long weekend!

The TOS Crew received a selection of products from Zeezok, from Presidential Penmanship to Composer Studies. You can read all the reviews here. I received a copy of Presidential Penmanship in AB Style, Complete Program. Available in individual grades in an e-book format, the complete program for grades 1-high school is available on CD-ROM.

How we used it: Each grade is available as a separate .pdf file. Because Maggie has been writing in cursive since first grade (her choice) I had to print the third grade sheets which is the first level available in cursive. Nathanael used the grade 5 sheets. The third grade sheets contained quotes by the founding fathers-we’ve had Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson so far. Maggie likes these because they have the grey traceable words before the blank lines for copying. Nathanael’s fifth grade sheets had two for each week—one with a Rule for Civility by Washington and another with an appropriate Bible verse.

My only concern with this particular set is that AB style refers to A Beka. Families who are used to using their handwriting style will be familiar with their cursive program beginning at kindergarten. The pages available with this set begin with manuscript. I would have appreciated first and second grade level quotes in cursive as well as manuscript. Maggie is a good reader, so it hasn’t been a big problem. I’ve had to explain most of the quotes, which has provided a learning experience for her.

We love copywork for handwriting practice, and usually I tie it in with current studies or Bible memorization tasks. This would be ideal for families studying American history. I like being able to print the individual sheets I will need each week or skipping one that doesn’t fit with what we are doing. It is also a non-consumable product, in that you can print sheets for each of your children as they reach that level.

Cost: $39.99 for all levels on CD-ROM or e-book, 9.99 for individual levels in an e-book.

My favorite Bible curriculum has a new site!

2010-02-13T10:35:00.001-08:00

Our favorite Bible curriculum has a new website, and a sale to go along with it!

We’ve used some of these at home and I’ve even adapted some of the ideas for my Sunday School classes at church. My kids continue to use stick figures in their Bible studies, even when we aren’t doing a Grapevine Study.

Crew Review: Eclectic Education Series

2010-02-13T09:29:00.001-08:00

Ok, I admit it, I’m a Little House on the Prairie junkie. We have all nine seasons of the show on DVD, my girls have their own collections of the books because I didn’t want to share mine from childhood, and we have most of the “My First Little House” series because I couldn’t wait to introduce them to my girls. So what does this confession have to do with Dollar Homeschool and Eclectic Education Series? Well, many of the books included in the series are the same books Laura and Mary would have used in their schooldays.

Dollar Homeschool has collected over 50 books that were used in schools from approximately 1865-1915. These include all the McGuffy readers, Ray’s Arithmetic, Thalheimer’s histories, Pinneo’s Grammar, courses in nature studies, the constitution, book-keeping, courtesy and manners, and many more. A complete list of books along with a short summary of each is available on their website. While many of these books are available for free online, Dollar Homeschool has created CD-ROMs with each book as a pdf file, bookmarked and searchable for ease in finding information.

In addition to all the textbooks, the teacher in me was fascinated by the manuals of methods and other discussions of teaching in rural, one-room schoolhouses. While times have changed, and teaching practices along with them, most of these procedures used back in the day are easily transferrable to today’s home school. Many of these schools operated on a limited budget and most of the students either shared books and materials or made do with limited amounts of paper, as opposed to the way my children go through paper today!

So, how have we used these? To be honest, I’m still wrapping my brain around if or how I will use these. Although I love the concept of the one-room schoolhouse and many of the methods they employed, much of the content is dated. When reading over some of the math exercises, most of them use agricultural examples and units of measure. No matter how much I find the idea of farming appealing, I really don’t need to know how much seed yields how many acres. As Ray so wisely pointed out as I was talking to him about it: so it’s the methods you like, not so much the content. Yes! Someone needs to write this for a modern era, with contemporary examples.

I am planning to use some of the materials in Ray’s Arithmetic with Maggie as she has finally finished the math we started at the beginning of first grade (she’s almost done with second). It emphasizes concrete and mental exercises before ever putting pen to paper. I’m going to employ our whiteboards as slates and have her do math “like Laura” in hopes that it will produce fewer groans. I might even let her wear her bonnet.

Nathanael has asked for some advanced math books to keep up with a couple of his friends. I’m going to have him work through some of these over the summer and see where it takes him. I’m also going to be reading through the nature studies and manners book to see how I can incorporate more of that into our days.

A few concerns: The illustrations in many of the books, so classic and well drawn in the print editions, come through blurry and smeared. This is not only an aesthetic problem, but many of the exercises refer you to a picture that is impossible to interpret. happening. In addition, all have been scanned in black and white, and many of the primary materials refer to shapes by their colors. My preschoolers couldn’t use these pages. Finally, my usual complaint about e-books—I’m already attached to my computer too many hours a day. In order to use this well, I’d be printing a lot. I did resize some of the documents to print two pages on a single sheet, but it would still use up a lot of paper and ink.

The bottom line: The set of CDs costs $159. If someone had offered this to me during my early days of homeschooling, I probably would have jumped on it, as I would have had the time to really figure out how to make it work. You could use this for math, reading, composition, and spelling from preschool right through 12th grade. Obviously the history and science materials are lacking updated knowledge, but really, does history change? Or is new information added. Some of the grammar rules are also outdated, but keeping a current grammar handbook would help you find which ones to teach.

A little break is a big blessing…

2010-02-13T08:59:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Ray came home with the news that he had to go to Detroit for 3 days for training. Since it is 2.5 hours away, the company would pay for a rental car and a hotel room. One of the three approved hotels offered suites with enough beds for all of us, along with a complimentary breakfast and an indoor pool. That sounded like a cheap get-away with the kids to me, so after teaching on Monday afternoon, I surprised the kids and drove over to Detroit.

We arrived a little after 7:30 and swam before bed. On Tuesday morning we had breakfast together and Ray left for his class. The kids and I restored order to the hotel room and had a couple hours of school. A picture is worth a thousand words, but the camera batteries died just as I tried to take a picture of Benjy stretched out on the bed “reading” a book. Nathanael loved having the hotel room desk for his studies, and Maggie and Katie each pulled up a little table to the couch for their work. It was perfect!

I promised a morning and an afternoon swim time as long as attitudes were good. And they were, so down to the pool for an hour or so before lunch. Nathanael practiced his new knowledge of whale antics, thanks to Apologia’s Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day, by breaching and lobtailing, much to his sisters’ distress. The splashes were not appreciated. The little ones rode on my back and practiced kicking and scooping water. They were great about staying on the steps when I wasn’t holding them.

Lunch wasn’t anything special—pb & j and apples. Not the kids favorite, but they ate it. We checked out the “market” at the hotel, but I refused to pay $2 for a single serve cup of mac ‘n cheese! After the lunch the little ones crashed, and I played games with the older two. Once the little ones woke up we did a couple crafts and worked on a puzzle or two. They had slept so long that we really didn’t have time for an afternoon swim. The children chose to wait for Daddy. While we waited, we took a tour of the hotel, walking up the four flights of stairs to the top floor and then walking back down, floor by floor. The girls had fun making the connection between room number and floor (221 is on the second floor, 321 is on the third, etc.). That was my exercise for the day!

After supper the rest of the family prepared for a swim but I begged out of it and rested while watching a couple episodes of the Duggars. We don’t have cable so I rarely get to see those. What a testimony they have! After the swim everyone went right to sleep. For a hotel situated right next to Detroit Metro Airport, it was very quiet. I credited it to good soundproofing, but Ray also told me that a lot of flights were cancelled due to the blizzard on the east coast. The hotel was full of stranded passengers and the skies were empty! Breakfast was a little busier that next morning.

On Wednesday morning, Ray returned for his last day of training, and we packed up to head back to Lowell. Michigan also had a small snowstorm on Tuesday and the news advised caution in driving. Just the excuse I needed to take the kids swimming one more time! I figured that would give the plows a little more time to get the roads cleared. It worked. The kids were much more cheerful about leaving with one more chance to swim, and the roads were ready for us. We left around 11:00 and were home by 2:00, including a stop for lunch in Lansing.

Sometimes we just need a little break—not seeing all the tasks staring me in the face at home, the kids only having a little schoolwork, not being overwhelmed with toys and games to play. God provides for our needs and then overflows our cups with just a little more to show his love and goodness. I never thought I would say this, but three days in Detroit were a blessing.

Crew Review: Math Tutor

2010-02-06T10:14:00.001-08:00

Members of the Crew received two DVDs from Math Tutor DVD to review. Have I mentioned before how many math products we’ve received this year? Here are two more that received mixed reviews in our house.

The first, Young Minds Numbers and Counting, has been a perfect school time video for my younger children. It has, however, proved to be a distraction even for my older ones, as the pictures are gorgeous and the music enticing. As classical music lovers, my husband and I appreciate the use of beautiful, calming music, rather than upbeat contemporary music, in the background. I have several friends with multiple ages, including younger children, and I’m recommending this to them for those times when the little ones need something to do. It costs $19.99 plus shipping.

The second video, The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor, has not been as well received in this house. It is a little beyond my ten year old, who tried watching it with me but soon lost interest. He told me that it would have been good for him as he was learning those operations, but now that he knows them, he doesn’t see the need for it. As I typed that I realized that he sounds a bit arrogant. Math has always come easy for him, so it doesn’t surprise me that he felt this way. While he didn’t find the instructor very engaging, he’s asked me to purchase the Algebra DVDs so he can “get ahead” on his math. Hmmm…summer school anyone?

I appreciate the step-by-step approach to solving word problems and will be using this, whether she likes it or not, with my more math-challenged seven year old. Each lesson is short enough that I’m hopeful she won’t think it too much torture! The DVD contains :

Total DVD Run Time: 8 Hours

Disc 1
Section 1: Adding Whole Numbers
Section 2: Subtracting Whole Numbers
Section 3: Multiplying Whole Numbers
Section 4: Dividing Whole Numbers
Section 5: Adding Decimals
Section 6: Subtracting Decimals
Section 7: Multiplying Decimals
Section 8: Dividing Decimals
Disc 2
Section 9: Adding Fractions
Section 10: Subtracting Fractions
Section 11: Multiplying Fractions
Section 12: Dividing Fractions
Section 13: Percents, Part 1
Section 14: Percents, Part 2
Section 15: Ratio and Proportion

My concerns: Although he states at the beginning that the children should know their basic math facts, he encouraged the children to count on their fingers. I allow my five year old to do that as she is still in the concrete stage of learning math. I do, however, also encourage her to begin to picture the number of objects in her head and we use actual objects as much as possible. I can even understand it in the basic addition section. When he used his fingers to subtract in the long division section, I rebelled a bit. If my kids don’t know their subtraction facts by the time they are doing long division, we need to take some time off the math curriculum and get those facts down.

Additionally, while I don’t think teachers should resort to entertaining the children to provide instruction, I did find his presentation style lackluster. At the risk of offending my math-teacher friends, math isn’t always the most exciting subject to learn. Standing in front of a white board, using only a black marker, the instructor, while knowledgeable, does not captivate the students like other online or video instructors I’ve watched.

The DVD does not require any teacher preparation and does not come with any worksheets. The students could copy the problems from the DVD if you wished a paper trail. Worksheets on CD-ROM are available for other DVDs they have produced.

Each DVD from MathTutor DVD costs $26.99 and with each purchase you receive 60 minutes of live online tutoring from the instructor. You are charged shipping for the first DVD and every other DVD you order is included in that amount.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary copies of these two DVDs for review purposes. The opinions stated here are based on only our experience with the product.

To see what other TOS Crew Members had to say about these products, click here.

Crew Review: Kinderbach Piano Instruction

2010-02-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Kinderbach provides online instruction, through videos and activity books, in basic music theory, rhythm, and music notation, for ages 3-7. The videos are a mixture of live action with an engaging instructor and animated characters.

My children enjoyed watching the videos. When we first received the subscription, we had not purchased our piano, so the children simply viewed the videos and completed some of the activity pages. Once we bought our piano, they all clamored to watch Kinderbach and apply it right away on the piano. We weren’t able to view all the courses, but what they did watch they enjoyed, learned, and mastered. Even the 3 year old can find “Dodi’s house” (D) on the piano. Even my 10 year old was disappointed when our review period ended, although he often expressed annoyance with the “childish” (his word) songs. He’s just being 10!

In order to use the program, you need a piano, or even an inexpensive keyboard. You also need to have the computer, with internet available, next to the instrument, as the instructor often asks the children to do something on the piano/keyboard as she goes through the lesson. I like that—it is immediate reinforcement. Because these are video files, a reliable high speed internet connection is necessary. We sometimes had to restart a lesson when our wireless dropped in the middle.

It requires very little direct mom involvement, although I found myself watching with the kids just to see how she was teaching it. Before they watched each lesson I had to make sure I had printed off any of the activity pages, as the printer is in a different room from the piano. The activity sheets are often used in the middle of the lesson, so this is a good tip to remember. Each lesson ranges from 5 to 10 minutes, so you can often complete several lessons in one sitting, depending on your child’s attention span.

I must admit I was skeptical when I first heard about this product. I wondered how a video course could teach piano skills. These videos provide basic instruction in skills, but obviously a live teacher would need to provide instruction in technique and polish. My husband excelled in piano through college, and he will probably provide most of our instruction, at least at first.

At 19.95 per month for an unlimited number of students, unlimited number of lessons per month, this is reasonable for a large family who wants to introduce music into their curriculum. You can also pay for an entire year for $95.88, bringing the cost per month down to less than $9.00.

We received a 3 month subscription to Kinderbach online for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed in this review are mine only.

Read what other TOS Crew members had to say here

Crew Review: Facts First

2010-02-02T17:59:00.001-08:00

FactsFirst is Saxon’s answer to the growing trend of online subscription sites for educational games. You don’t have to use Saxon’s math curriculum, however, to use this website. The site is interactive, intuitive for most children, and flexible. Of all the math subscription sites we’ve reviewed this year (this is the third), we like this one the best. Why?

1. The lessons: each time the student logs in, they are taken to a screen with choices for which math fact they want to practice. However, before going into the fact sheet, the student receives a short lesson on the specific facts they will be working on. My children like this refresher before being tested.

The lessons are real-world scenarios. Today my daughter told me that she “went bowling, shopping, and camping” while on FactsFirst.

Once they move through the lesson (it doesn’t allow you to skip to the test), they take the timed test and receive their results.

2. The matrix: This feedback tool for parents gives me an immediate picture of which facts my children have mastered and which ones still need work. It is easy to read and understand.

3. Limited games. Each lesson ends with a period of arcade style games reviewing the facts from the lesson but in a way that is even more fun than the lessons/tests themselves. On some of the other sites, my children would spend more time in the games than in the fact practice. This site will not allow you to go to games until you have completed a lesson. The child earns game time with each completed lesson.

What else do I like?

1. Flexibility with timing. My 7 year old freezes up every time she sees or senses time ticking away. In this program, I can lengthen her response time so that she can answer the facts without the pressure of time. As she becomes more familiar I will shorted her time and have her go back through the lessons with that new time limit. You can even set it to “untimed” which I’ve used with my kindergarten daughter who is just learning her math facts. I don’t see any need to time her, but she wants to do this like her older siblings.

2. The price and ease of access: Most of the websites have discounts for multiple children, but with this one, I can pay one license fee and receive four student accounts. We log-in once and then choose which child. My children don’t have to remember passwords. For $49.95 you receive a year’s access for up to four children. This is the first website I’ve been tempted to add to my homeschool shopping list for next school year.

Disclaimer: FactsFirst/Saxon provided us with a trial subscription for the purpose of reviewing the site. The opinions expressed here are my own, based on our family’s experience in using the site. I received no other compensation.

Click here to see what other crew members thought of this product.

Where, When, How, How Often, To What Extent…?

2010-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Oh wait, those are the questions for adverbs…but they apply to how to know what to teach to your kids.

In the years before we began to home school, I talked with parents who had high school students in my writing classes, specifically those parents whose students impressed me with their skills, knowledge, and attitude toward God, others, and academics. Overwhelmingly, most of those parents had used either Sonlight or Tapestry of Grace for their primary curriculum. Based on their recommendations, we chose Sonlight for history and literature. The other subjects--math, science, and language arts--I chose based on recommendations from The Well Trained Mind and my personal experience with Saxon and Apologia. I allowed, to some extent, the curricula to determine what I would teach and when. I’ve also tried to take into consideration each child’s personality, interests, and capabilities when directing their studies.

My son adores battles, war, weaponry, and all the bloody aspects of history. We’ve made it a priority, in addition to our regular chronological history studies, to provide him with resources that provide a Biblical view of history, including a providential view of wars and battles from Vision Forum. He knows more about these various battles than I do after completing a history minor in college. My daughter, however, would be perfectly happy not to study history at all, unless I could teach world history from an American Girls' perspective. Because we desire her to see God’s hand in history, we study history, but I look for materials that focus as much on the everyday lives of people rather than the big events. I choose to study history chronologically because that allows me to point to cause and effect, or God’s hand and people’s responses. I feel that also makes history as concrete as possible for my young ones.

Our Biblical studies have focused primarily on Scripture memorization and catechism instruction, since our church does an excellent job teaching the stories of the Bible. Our favorite resources have included all the books by Susan Hunt, The Big Picture Story Bible, and the CDs from Sing the Word. We’ve also used Grapevine Bible studies when we need a break from catechism. Another aspect of this is building into our children a daily habit of Bible reading and prayer. We have begun to require that those who can read, do their Bible reading before picking up another book. Finally, my oldest uses the children’s Bible study books from Kay Arthur to learn inductive Bible study methods. Sometimes the questions challenge even me! For most of these, we move through these at the pace suggested. Bible is a year round subject for us, so I’m never pressured to finish something by the end of our school year.

For math, we continue to use Saxon and follow their scope and sequence, simply because their teaching method fits my personality. But we have yet to finish a level in one year. As my son moves on in math, we will probably consider one of the programs that provides more instruction via video or software, freeing me up to teach the little ones and continuing to build time management and responsibility in him. My daughters don’t take to math as quickly, so we are taking more time and using a variety of resources to reinforce concepts that they struggle with.

For language arts, one they have learned to read, I teach two years of introductory grammar in 1st and 2nd grade in addition to slowly introducing composition through IEW’s Teaching Writing with Structure and Style. By third grade we take a year off formal grammar instruction and focus on really strengthening their composition skills. We pick up grammar again in 4th grade and will continue that through middle school. Spelling has been a variety of programs as I see areas that need work. So far both of my students have been good spellers, so I haven’t spent a lot of time on this.

For science, we are using Apologia’s Young Explorer series, which gives us a deep immersion into zoology, botany, and astronomy, all with a strong focus on God’s creative hand. Our goals for science are that they will see God’s fingerprints all over creation and see that Christians can study science. It is my desire to lay a foundation that science is interesting and fun so that they will cheerfully complete whatever science requirements we may have in our state at a high school level.

In recent years we’ve begun to work as much on skills as academics, preparing my children to be life-long learners, with the skills of reading, computation, research, writing, and speaking, applied in all subject areas. The greatest gift I was given was listening to Andrew Pudewa’s “What are we really doing here?” When I follow these ideas, I free myself up from finishing a text book, cramming more chapters of history or science than my kids can handle, or forcing them to read a novel just because it is on the schedule.

I’m sorry for such a long post, but for me, homeschooling doesn’t boil down easily to a scope and sequence. I hope some of this is an encouragement to others.

Our home school goals

2010-01-31T14:32:00.001-08:00

In thinking through the previous posts on what to teach when and questioning where we will be going next year, I began to formulate this list of goals. Originally it started out just for my son, but I realized that we want these things for all our children. After typing these out, Ray read through them and placed his principal’s seal of approval on them, although he wondered why I was spending a Sunday afternoon doing such deep thinking! Now that I’ve got these down, I’m going to work on applying them to specific objectives for each child for the rest of this year so we can begin to accomplish these. I’ll post those when I get them done.

What are our goals for our children?

1. to develop the habit of daily Bible reading and prayer along with Bible study skills and apply them in order to “rightly divide the word of truth”

2. to memorize Scripture, poetry, vocabulary, historical events & dates, catechism, and geographical locations

3. to progress through a chronological study of history and see God’s providential hand in all

4. to recognize the diversity of land areas and people groups and understand the differences among them, also seeing their need for God’s grace to save them from judgment

5. to observe nature, both first hand and through the eyes of scientists, and see God’s design

6. to understand scientific and mathematical concepts in order to acknowledge God’s design in the laws of nature

7. to read quality works of literature, experiencing other events and places, beginning to look for the techniques and style that contribute to a great work of literature

8. to develop strong grammar skills and a rich vocabulary and apply them to written and spoken communication

9. to study the fine arts (music, art, and drama) and distinguish works of beauty

10. to learn an instrument and the basic skills of drawing and/or painting in order to express the God’s gift of creativity and be a blessing to others

11. to begin to apply a Biblical worldview to all subjects

a. science: Creation/Evolution

b. history: God’s providence vs. man’s sovereignty

c. literature: reflecting humanity’s need for redemption and God’s order

12. to become familiar with computer hardware and software in order to accomplish educational objectives, explore future careers, and create programs and media for personal and others’ enjoyment and edification

13. to use research skills to further delve into topics of interest in the above areas

14. to express understanding of the above items through

a. grammatically correct writing assignments containing accurate spelling, well-constructed, varied sentences, and clear organization within a variety of models: book critiques or story summaries, reports (1-3 ¶), essays, articles for Bible Study Times/ Herald/Weekly

b. short, clear presentations using a poster, handout, or power point presentation (given to family or friends)

c. art projects

Fit Mommy To Be, week 3

2010-01-30T13:07:00.001-08:00

This week was a good week all around. I walked a mile three days this week and did Pilates one day. I tried reading the Pilates book I checked out of the library, but found it very hard to get into the positions while reading a book. And, given pregnancy brain, I can’t remember worth beans what I saw on the page. But…after reading through the book in an upright position, I discovered that many of typical Pilates moves are fine for pregnancy, with some modifications. Those modifications looked very familiar, so I pulled out my (bought at Goodwill for 2.99) Mari Windsor Pilates DVD and realized that I could follow the modified exercises on that and accomplish much of what was in the book. Hooray! I felt great after doing those stretches and I think I was able to hold this baby bump a little higher up and closer in.

Speaking of baby…this one loves to exercise when I’m not. I’m feeling movement on a regular basis now and I love it. Hubby is a little jealous because that wonderful maternal fat layer is getting in the way of feeling his latest offspring.

How did I do on eating? Well, better, but not good. This was a lean week for the grocery budget, so we ate out of the pantry and freezer a lot. The worst was probably the night I made a casserole with scalloped potatoes and brats, covered with melted cheddar(2%) cheese. Oh, so good!

Snacking went better, perhaps because I’ve been so busy that I don’t feel hungry. I’ve been keeping fruit in the house and that has helped a bunch. I’ve also tried to do some clutter control when the snacking urge hits, and that is also helping me curb those cravings. And I feel better after some quick pick-up times.

Speaking of snacks, check out this post on the absolute best chocolate chip cookie recipe that my friend devised. She substituted low fat yogurt for 1/2 the butter and they are yummy. Ummm, I made 5 dozen on Tuesday night and they were gone by Thursday. Before you jump to conclusions, let me just say that I have 4 kids…times 2 cookies a day…times 3 days…plus a husband who believes cc cookies should be a breakfast food…I wasn’t the only one eating them!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2010-01-30T13:05:00.001-08:00

Well, maybe not healthy, but certainly healthier…I’d post a picture, but they are all gone! These come out soft, chewy, and not nearly as greasy as the recipe I had been using. You could add nuts if you wanted.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 t vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl
Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Add yogurt
Gradually beat in flour mixture
Stir in chocolate
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown
Cool (these are best the next day, but the gooey, right-out-of-the-oven ones aren’t so bad either!)

Makes 5-6 dozen depending on how rounded your tablespoons are!

Crew Review: Math Score

2010-01-30T12:47:00.001-08:00

From the website: “MathScore.com provides online math practice and assessment for students between 1st grade and Algebra I. What makes our service special is our ability to randomly generate math problems that automatically adapt difficulty based on performance, which enables every student to learn at their ideal pace.
The intent of MathScore is to supplement a child's education by making the math practice portion very efficient. The automatic grading should save every homeschooling parent tons of time compared to using paper-based worksheets. The only paper used should be for scratch paper. MathScore was not originally intended to replace instruction, so it is still expected that a homeschooling parent teaches lessons. That being said, however, every math topic comes with a mini lesson, and it is not unusual for a homeschooling parent to use MathScore as a complete curriculum.”

In the past several months, the Crew has been inundated with math products, primarily websites that provide practice through online games. As I’ve said before, math is not my strongest teaching area, so I’ve been thankful for these additional resources.

MathScore.com is not flashy and colorful like Mathletics or even the Quarter Mile Math software we reviewed early in the year. The screens are primarily black and white and no music or motivating (or distracting) graphics. Students are able to choose which exercise they start with, although the website recommends beginning with the CopyCat preparation exercises which allows the child to become familiar with the numeric keypad and increase the speed the answers are entered. As they complete levels, the website gives them the option to continue on with problems of increasing difficulty. Each exercise also has the option to print out the worksheets first, review a mini lesson on the topic and practice entering the numbers without actually being timed or scored.

Positives:

MathScore costs less than Mathletics… Additionally, it’s all online, not requiring me to load and run something else on the laptop.

The screens are very clear and focused on math, not on spacemen, princesses, or talking animals encouraging you along the way. For some this is a negative. For me, it’s a good thing.

Each day my child works on MathScore, I receive an email detailing their activities and what has improved or needs improvement.

Negatives:

Once the students have completed a level in the topic area, they are not able to go back and redo that level. This frustrated my daughter when her younger siblings would get in the way, hit a wrong answer, or distract her. She knew the answers, but the distractions or the time ticking away often caused her to freeze up.

The parent is not able to go in and adjust the amount of time for each exercise. I would have appreciated an option to increase the time allowed and then decrease it as they gained confidence and familiarity with the site.

Pricing (taken from an email response from the company):

The basic pricing is like this:
First child: $14.95/month
Second child: $5/month
Each addition: $3.95/month

That is what you see when you visit the Home Version signup page. For the first two months, however, the first child only costs $9.95/month.

When you start your free trial, regardless of the number of student
accounts you create, you get a half-month free trial. Generally,
parents know within the first few days of use whether they want to
purchase MathScore, so the trial period is sufficient.

Once you log in, you can also pay for a 9-month subscription that
reduces the price for the first child to $9.95/month. Once the
purchase is made, the new pricing is locked in permanently, so after the 9 months, you can still pay the new rate on a monthly basis without prepaying for 9 more months.

Another price option is a lump sum payment. If you prepay $50, you can get $60 account credit (20% bonus credit). If you prepay $100, you get $140 account credit (40% bonus credit). The lump sum payment option is most favorable for parents who have already locked in the lowest rate.

Finally, it is also noteworthy that you are allowed to freeze your
account when you go on vacation, then reactivate with no penalty. When you freeze, it refunds account credit on a prorated basis so that when you reactivate, you haven't wasted any credit.

Bottom Line: We will continue to use this as both my kids need to increase their computation speeds. I don’t have a good feel for any improvement in their skills yet. I will be posting more at a later date if I see results.

Disclaimer: MathScore.com provided me with a free trial period to review this subscription based website with my children. The views expressed here are based on our experience only. I received no other compensation.

View TOS Crew members’ opinions here.

What makes the difference?

2010-01-29T12:14:00.001-08:00

Today a friend from church came over to talk about homeschooling. She’s not convinced that it is the way to go, but I think she is close. In the course of our conversation, I used an example of a seminar I helped organize that had a mixture of homeschool and Christian school high school students. During the seminar the homeschooled kids interacted better with each other and the speaker, followed the instructions better, and paid closer attention than the traditionally schooled students. She was surprised at this and said she would expect the opposite, because the traditionally schooled kids should know how to behave in a group like that. She asked me for my honest, candid opinion—why this difference? Why does homeschool work?

I’ve never been asked this specific question before, so I had to think about it. We both had some insights as we talked more, but I’d be curious to hear others’ opinions on it…

Baby Bump!

2010-01-28T16:15:00.001-08:00

I’ve never done the baby bump pictures except right toward the end, but since this is most likely my last, I’ve decided to take some. Nathanael rolls his eyes each time I ask him to take the picture, but it’s fun!

Taken January 15th, 2010 (at 18 weeks)

Taken January 28, 2010 (20 weeks)

Don’t worry, after 4 c-sections, there won’t be any bare baby bump pics!

Crew Review: Christian Keyboarding

2010-01-27T15:13:00.001-08:00

Keyboarding for the Christian School by Leanne Beitel is an e-book text containing 32 lessons for students in grades K-5. It covers the basic skills of touch typing, bringing back memories of the summer before 7th grade when my mom sat me down at our electric typewriter and started me through a touch typing book. As a former secretary and book-keeper, she knew the importance of fast, accurate typing. I don’t think she had any idea how important touch typing would become as computers took over. Along with the lessons, it also contains tests for determining speed and accuracy. Each lesson is headed by a Bible verse, and the timing tests are primarily Bible passages. The layout on each page is simple and uncluttered, perfect for early typists.

My 10 year old son has enjoyed working through the early lessons, and we will continue to schedule one each day until he begins to get frustrated. My 7 year old daughter did several lessons, but her eye/hand coordination is still developing, and she struggled with keeping her place on the page and keeping her eyes on the screen. Both of them liked the length of the lessons. It never took them more than ten minutes, and they both asked if they could do more each day.

Keyboarding for the Christian Schools, designed for grade 6 and up, is also available on the website. This book contains all the basic information as the elementary version along with creating tables and formatting a research paper. She also posts freebie lessons, along with ideas from other teachers, parents and students for projects to complete.

The touch typing e-book for elementary students is available for $12.95. Through February 28th, you can use the code NewYear5 in the discount box and receive $5.00 off your purchase of $12.95 or more. The older student e-book is $15.95. Purchase both for $22.00. Other combination packages are available for the older book including lesson plans and supplemental activities and lessons.

I’m thankful for a simple program that will teach my kids this essential skill without using a game, although that is in the budget for next year also.

Disclaimer: Christian Keyboarding/Leanne Beitel provided me with a copy of these materials for review purposes. The opinions expressed are based on my own or my family’s experience. I did not receive any other compensation.

Questioning…

2010-01-22T10:54:00.001-08:00

What is it about the grey days of January that makes me begin to question everything I’m doing in our home school? Perhaps it’s the grumpy attitudes from my kids each morning when I call them for school. Perhaps it’s my own weariness as I look at what I haven’t accomplished yet this year. Perhaps it’s the articles I’ve been reading about Freedomship Education and Classical methods, from this month’s issue of The Old Schoolhouse. Or maybe it was the entry from Howard Phillip’s blog that my husband read to me last night.

Once I began using Sonlight, I planned to use it right through the end of my kids’ schooling. I love the resources they use, and I don’t have as much planning to do. However, I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll be able to continue with all the kids. And, although I love all the resources, sometimes I feel like I have too many to juggle. A reader, a read-aloud, a history spine, a book of poetry, a book about unreached peoples…whew…

At what point do I let Nathanael go on his own so I have more time to work with the little ones? And how much do I let go and still have a relationship with him, as this is one of the reasons we homeschool? His read-alouds are really too old for the little ones, but I don’t have time to fit in more read alouds. The little ones need story time with mom as much as he does. Hmmm…

Fit Mommy to Be Week 2

2010-01-22T06:01:00.001-08:00

I often find the second week of any new habit to be hard. This second week has been that way for me. I walked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Our co-op began its winter semester on Thursday and celebrated with sledding in the afternoon. Although I didn’t dare swoop down the icy hill with the rest of the moms, I think I got my exercise in by stomping my feet repeated to keep the blood moving! We also had to hike in a bit as the usual parking areas at the park are closed for the winter.

I haven’t done Pilates like I’d hoped. I have a new book from the library and will be reading over that this week. The walking DVD is so much easier to do!

My doctor’s appointment this week shows that I’ve gained about 10 pounds for this pregnancy so far—19 weeks yesterday. I’m happy with that. If this is anything like my others though, I won’t be able to maintain that. Already I’m having days where I can’t seem to get enough to eat. Keeping healthy snacks around is essential right now! Several people have commented this week that I’ve “popped out” and I keep wondering if I’m farther along than the dr. thinks. We’ll find out soon enough. They’ve set my c-section surgery to June 11th. This makes me nervous, since it’s only 6 days before my due date, and Benjy was 12 days early.

Ok, all this sounds really good. The truth? If I must...

Friday was my dad's birthday, Saturday was Ray's. My father-in-law joined us for the weekend. I always feel like I should cook up a storm when he comes, since I know that he lives on canned soup and TV dinners at home. Saturday night was the worst--we went to Mynt Fusion and then home for a cake from Arnies, with ice cream. Mynt Fusion is the answer to my husband's prayers for a Chinese/Oriental restaurant that knows how to make a curry with some flavor. Did I overeat? Well, let's just say that I didn't bring home one of those little white boxes with the metal handle. Sunday we had pizza, and yes, I had too many pieces. However, I paid for it later with my first real bout of pregnancy heartburn and some really bizarre dreams that all involved fire. Lesson learned.

So this next week--no birthdays, better eating...I hope.

Crew Review: Bertie’s War

2010-01-20T11:15:00.001-08:00

As a young girl growing up during the Cold War, Bertie is surrounded by fearful situations—Communist spies, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and nuclear war. While anyone would feel a natural apprehension about these events, Bertie’s fear borders on paranoia. After a fire nearly consumes her playhouse and her town is disabled by a hurricane, she retreats to a world of imaginary situations where she controls her destiny.

Thus Barbara Tifft Blakey introduces us to Bertie, a sixth grader who feels like her world has fallen to pieces. Well-known in the homeschool market as the author of the Total Language Plus book guides and a popular speaker, Blakey is turning her hand to fiction in Bertie’s War, published by Kregel Publications. One of the best ways to learn how to write is to study other writers. Her experience certainly shows in this, her debut novel which covers a time not often represented in historical fiction. She does it in such a way to place the reader right in the midst of the tension as it would have been felt by a young girl who understands just enough to be fearful of everything. She also writes without including unnecessary violence, language, or inappropriate situations.

Without Christ, life is a fearful thing. Bertie’s parents have not communicated the love of God which casts out fear. Bertie fears her father, who only appears as a typical husband and father attempting to support and protect his family from the chaos surrounding them. In the end, Bertie learns of the liberation that comes from resting in the love and security of Christ.

This book is intended for young adult readers, and I attempted to put myself in that age range as I read the book. At times Bertie is a frustrating character, with her insistence on being of just about everything. The bulk of the novel concerns Bertie’s fears and responses to difficult situations, with only a short portion at the end showing us the resolution. Her complete turn-around, in only a chapter, seemed a bit too fast, too far for me to believe. Most of us take much longer to overcome habitual sins such as Bertie’s all consuming fear. Christ can, and will, bring change, but it often involves many “two steps forward, one step back.” A longer portion dedicated to this process would help make the book more believable and helpful for young people hoping to overcome their own fears.

As an aspiring writer, I understand that the process of getting a story out of your head and onto paper is daunting , even fearful. Using that story to communicate the gospel in a realistic and authentic way is even harder. Barbara Tifft Blakey has courageously attempted both in Bertie’s War. I hope she continues to do so.

*Kregel Publications supplied me with a complimentary copy for review purposes and I have received no other compensation. The views expressed are only mine.

Crew Review: Tektoma

2010-01-15T18:00:00.001-08:00

Of all the reviews I’ve done, this is the only one that I have procrastinated to the point of having to request an extension from the powers that be. Mercifully, they allowed me a few more weeks, just enough to let my husband sit and work with my son while we were home over Christmas. I’m still writing the review, and I’ve sat with them while they worked. Most of this review, however, is based on my husband's experience, not mine.

Tektoma Tutorials are designed to teach children to make their own computer games using a free version of Gamemaker. The founders of the company also offer live camps in his area in computer programming.

This product has been a hit in our home! Nathanael has created an arcade-style game he’s titled Dragon Death. My husband was very impressed with the tutorials. “They were easy to use, to pause and do the work and then restart. They were also formatted well.” He found them clear and precise. In the past he’s worked informally with database programming. He feels the commands used in these programs are good preparation for Nathanael. He’ll have some familiarity with programming terms which will only help him in the future. He’s already helped his younger sister create a simple game with a hummingbird “capturing” flowers before a bee can get them.

Although I may try to fight it, Nathanael is in love with computers. Knowing how they work and how to program them will only prepare him for whatever God may have for him. He and a friend are already scheming how to save up enough money to buy a year’s subscription and work on games together.

At Tektoma’s site you can sign up for a 14 day free trial and view the range of tutorials available. A month’s subscription is $14.95 and a year is $140.

Fit Mommy to Be…week 1

2010-01-15T10:10:00.001-08:00

Well, for my first week, I think I’m doing ok…

On Monday, Tuesday and Friday, I walked along with my Walk the Walk DVD, 1 mile workout. I may try to get up to the 2 mile, but I only had time this week for the 1 mile. Leslie Sansone’s constant chatter has begun to annoy me, and the steps are easy enough to follow without the audio, that I’ve started collecting some workshop CDs that I’ve wanted to listen to but hadn’t taken the time. Today I began the organization workshop by Jennifer Neff from Graceworks Planners. My kids enjoy walking with me, at least for part of the time. Today they asked me to put in Mathletics when I was done. They did some of that while I showered and got ready for the day.

I didn’t plan to do any exercise on Wednesday because Nate was participating in our local home school spelling bee, and we were hosting our weekly Bible study—30 people coming, three pots of soup to make along with cleaning house and beginning the process rearranging the kids’ rooms now that the bunk beds are up. My workout that day consisted of carrying lightweight items up and down the basement stairs. I feel great and even had someone tell me at the spelling bee that I didn’t even look pregnant. While I appreciate the compliment, I know that was spoken in love, but not entirely in truth! However, I can still see my hips and I don’t look too pregnant from behind, so I’m ok with that.

I’m not sure how I’m doing with the water. I need to use our hiking water bottle so I can track how much I’m drinking. If I’m not up to 8 glasses, I’m close. Snacks are harder, but I’m doing better. The easiest is still toast, but at least its whole wheat.

Because I’ve committed to completing my daily Bible reading and prayer before I workout, I’ve also been keeping up with that. Double benefit.

Workboxes, revised…

2010-01-15T04:59:00.001-08:00

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was revising our workboxes. While I love the concept, I had to simplify the process for us or I would be forever filling boxes.

Every Friday or Saturday afternoon (depending on our week), I spend time looking over our Sonlight plans and our Apologia science (Swimming Creatures) for the next week, gathering additional materials for the younger ones so they are on a similar track as Nathanael and sometimes Maggie. I also look over all the Crew review materials andor websites we have at the moment.
Any worksheets that need creating or printing for the next week get printed at that time. This usually includes copywork and handwriting sheets. On Monday they always work on their current memory verse. The rest of the week will be anything that ties into our current studies or a Crew item. Right now we are reviewing Presidential Penmanship from Zeezok, so that is handwriting for Tuesday-Friday. I also use a lot of lapbook mini-books from HomeSchool Share and ABC Teach for Maggie, Katie and Benjy.
Instead of a placing these items into each workbox, I’ve created 5 folders labeled Day 1-Day 4 and Extra Curricular. We usually do full school only 4 days a week, with an additional day for music, art, science experiments, and home ec. (a.k.a. house cleaning!)
In these daily folders I also place Maggie’s Saxon 2 pages, Nathanael’s spelling lists, and composition exercises.
I use sticky notes on Nathanael’s How to Study the Bible for Kids, Saxon 65 and R & S English 5 books, letting him know what to do each day of the week. I do the same for any readers that either Nathanael or Maggie will be completing.

I love using the folders because I can simply shift sheets from one to the next if we don’t finish them on that day. I also have everything I need in front of me and can distribute it as we get to that subject. This is working much better for us than the individual workboxes. Maggie and Nathanael still have their crate or file boxes.

I’ve also shifted the little ones’ preschool activities into a larger clear tote. With this method, I don’t have to resort the items into the workboxes each night, and they pick up quickly when they don’t have to sort too. I’ve started with a few items and will rotate as they get tired of these. What’s in the preschool box now:

Lacing cards from Lauri
Lauri preschool and primary activities tote
Wooden spelling cards (picture/word card with wooden letters to fit into the spaces) from Melissa and Doug (clearance item from TJ Maxx!)
Puzzles from the dollar store and Target’s dollar spot (these get rotated most often) Even the older ones will ask to do these while I’m reading aloud.
Mighty Mind and other pattern block activities
White boards
Alphabet tiles

A Dream Come True…

2010-01-14T10:44:00.001-08:00

Ray came home at lunch today so he could be here when the piano was delivered…now if he can just tear himself away long enough to go back to work.

Hearing him play brought tears to my eyes. Piano is such a part of him that he hasn’t been able to use since leaving home. I’m so thankful that God provided this for us.

When he started playing, Benjy asked, “Are you going to teach us today?” He’s planning to be a quick study. :) The kids are all begging to learn. I wonder how long that will last…

Doing Our Part

2010-01-09T07:57:00.001-08:00

In the past week we have stimulated the West Michigan economy in some significant (for us) ways. No LCD TVs or luxury cars, but some things we’ve needed/desired for a while. I’m so thankful to have a husband who isn’t impulsive in his buying but saves until we are able to pay cash for things we need. So, what’s been on the shopping list?

A New Mattress --After nearly 11 1/2 years of marriage and 4 1/2 pregnancies, our mattress was sagging badly. We tried to be diligent with flipping and rotating, but the troughs were evident. I haven’t been sleeping well for a while and Ray has had trouble with upper back/shoulder/neck pain. With the New Years mattress sales, we decided to brave the sales pitches and look for a new mattress. We’ve been happy with our mattress and so naively believed we could just walk into the store and say, we want one of these. Ha! Like everything else in the past 10 years, mattress technology has changed. They first asked us to undergo a sleep position/body type analysis. Talk about selling to men vs. women! When Ray was lying on the test mattress, the voice was telling him about all the scientific studies that had contributed to their findings and analysis. While I was lying there, the voice asked me if I remembered my favorite pair of shoes and reminded me that I spend more time in bed than in any other item I might purchase (obviously not aware that I am a mother of 4!). In the end, we discovered that I was a green and Ray was a blue (or was it the other way around?) They never told us exactly what that meant, except that I might prefer a softer mattress and Ray might prefer a more firm mattress. When I looked at the print out, green and blue were right next to each other on the spectrum and our individual lines were as close as they could be to one another without making us both teal (or would it be turquoise?!) Despite all that nonsense, we finally were assigned a sales man that explained how mattresses had changed, and then he took us to three that were actually in our budget range and as close to what we had before. The first guy had started us out on a $2500 mattress! Seriously…? It was delivered yesterday at 10:15. Unfortunately, my day’s schedule included taking down all the Christmas stuff and then babysitting for friends (with 7 kids), so I didn’t get to give it a trial run until almost midnight. Ahhhh, it was wonderful and worth enduring the sales pitch. And while we were looking for the mattress, we found…

Bunk Beds for the Kids—When we moved last year, we expected to set up the one set of bunk beds we had and then buy another one. Low ceilings and ceiling fans got in the way, and we’ve been looking ever since for something that will allow us to get Ben out of the crib and Katie out of the toddler bed, freeing up more room in their rooms. As I walked into the kids’ section at the furniture store, what greeted me but a special sale on a set of bunks that were just over 5 feet! Hooray!!! “I’ll take two please…” The boxes are sitting in the living room, just waiting to be assembled today.

And finally…Ray has wanted a piano since we were married. Space restrictions prevented us from getting one. We’ve kept one wall in the living room open in this new house as a visual reminder and to keep us saving. We went looking in June and were disappointed that we couldn’t quite afford one yet. I kept looking on Craigslist and found some possibilities. Then Thursday, in the midst of a lake effect snow storm, we visited a store that was advertising a piano liquidation. We saw some nice ones but they were still a bit out of our price range. When we got home (after some white-knuckle driving) I went on Craigslist and found one that we had noticed before Christmas. Since it was through a store near Ray’s work, he stopped by after work. To make a long story short—it will be delivered on Wednesday! It’s a 1993 Yamaha console in a dark cherry and has weighted keys and a practice mute pedal. I can’t wait to hear Ray play…

Pictures will come as soon as I have something to shoot.

Praising the Lord for his provision of good things!

Fit Mommy-to-be Goals for 2010

2010-01-09T05:44:00.001-08:00

A fellow TOS Reviewer just started a new blog meme: Fit Mommy and I’m in!

I’ve been planning to do something this year to help me ~~stay in~~ get in shape during this pregnancy. If I were to have any regret for this pregnancy, it would be that I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be with weight and fitness goals before the nausea hit in the first trimester. I had been running or walking everyday and loving it. Dr. has said no more running (like I want to with temps in the teens and snow-covered roads). Now that I’m 17 weeks and looking more like 27 weeks, I hope to do something everyday to at least strengthen what I have. Weight loss is not an option, but stronger muscles are.

So, my goals are:

1. Do something 6 days a week, whether it be a walking DVD or Pilates routine for pregnancy—it has to be short and sweet to fit in with everything else.

2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water.

3. Make my snacks healthier—right now my favorite is dried cranberries and almonds.

Since my weight will be going up, I’m going to report on consistency with these goals. My only measurable results will be how I feel…especially toward the end. After 4 c-sections, my abs are never going to be the same, but I’m determined to get them in as good condition as possible.

Crew Review: Worship Guitar

2010-01-06T13:32:00.001-08:00

Both my husband and I can play an instrument, piano and flute respectively. We place a high value on learning to play, but due to space and budget restrictions have not been able to carry through on this. Nathanael and Maggie have a strong desire to learn to play, primarily because they are the only older children ones in our Bible study group who don’t play. When we gather on Wednesday nights we have a cello, a harp, a violin, a flute (not me!), a piano, and sometimes a hammered dulcimer. Needless to say, the positive peer pressure is getting stronger each week!

After college I purchased a guitar with the intent of teaching myself to play. That didn’t last past my first week of teaching school, and the guitar has been sitting here ever since. Occasionally Nathanael gets it out and picks at it, trying to remember what others have showed him. He is highly motivated, and I was thrilled when the Crew was given the opportunity to review Jean Welles’ Worship Guitar DVD class.

We received volume one of the set designed for ages 10 to adult. The DVD contains seven introductory lessons on tuning the guitar, fingering chords, reading chord charts, and playing simple worship songs. By the second lesson, students are beginning to play simple songs with two chord changes. In addition, the DVD contains practice sessions for each lesson, with the tempo slowed down. Inside the DVD case is a small booklet with the songs and introductory information. The lesson book is full size and contains all the lessons, songs, and instructional material that she covers on the DVD.

I had been cautioned that without a live teacher, children would struggle with the fingering. My son is struggling a little, but Jean does a great job making sure the camera zooms in on her fingers, as well as providing tips on how to finger the strings, not just where to put your fingers. She provides encouragement and speaks at a level that my 10 year old can understand. Along with the instruction, she gently reminds viewers of the reason for playing: to glorify God.

Learning to play an instrument is an essential part of education, but not just for the accomplishment of playing. The process is also important. Academics have always come easy for my son. Learning an instrument isn’t easy, however and mistakes are hard to miss. My perfectionist son finds it frustrating, but he is motivated enough that he isn’t going to give up. (And we won’t let him!) While I hope to be able to give him a live teacher in the near future, Worship Guitar is providing a great start in his music education.

Back to School

2010-01-05T10:49:00.001-08:00

After an extended break, we are back to learning. Our two week Christmas break stretched into three because of a bad reaction to onions. Evidently this baby doesn’t like them…so mom was on the couch for two days. By the time I was ready to teach, we had a field trip to the Nutcracker and two Christmas programs, not to mention cookies to bake and presents to wrap!

The plan was to start school again yesterday (Monday), but I decided to take it slowly and let the kids get used to dad being back at work. Monday is also my day to teach, so I had to get myself back into that groove as well as homeschooling. As I scurried around locating materials and packing snacks for the afternoon, I quickly realized that even minimal school would not be happening. Although I canceled school for the day, they quickly showed me that we are raising children who are independent learners and who know how to occupy themselves constructively. Nathanael began to add additional components to the computer game he is creating using the Tektoma tutorials (more on that in a few days). Maggie and Katie decided to put on a puppet show. Maggie even wrote three plays and made a sock puppet without any help from me. I guess that took care of composition and art for the day!

Now today, Tuesday, I’m still working to get myself back into the swing of things. Before Christmas I began tweaking our workboxes. Although I love the idea of having different things every day, much of the children’s work does not change from day to day—they have math, language, spelling, handwriting, etc. everyday. It was getting very tedious to “reset” the workboxes every night when I could very easily write out their weekly schedule for those repetitive subjects. Also, we do so much of our memory, history, read aloud and science together that it isn’t practical to use individual workboxes. So, we’ve changed it up a bit. I’ll post the details tomorrow.

We haven’t completed as much as I would like today, but we did accomplish this much:

Nathanael worked on Worship Guitar (review item—post coming later)
Maggie worked on her attitude :) and cursive
All of the children began working on Math Score and Facts First, two new math websites we are reviewing for the Crew
Benjy and Katie had story and snuggle time on the couch with mom and then watched the Young Minds Numbers and Counting DVD from Math Tutor DVD (quickly becoming one of my top picks for preschool/K educational videos)
We read several chapters of Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, our current read aloud.

I’m hoping to use these long cold wintery days to get a jump ahead on our schedule. I’ll keep you posted on our progress…

Christmas Blessings

2010-01-05T10:15:00.001-08:00

A quick list of the joys of our Christmas this year…

The Grand Rapids Ballet School Performance of Act 2 in the Nutcracker—Maggie and Katie were riveted the entire time.
An early Christmas present from my dad—dinner out and a show: A Celtic Christmas with Cherish the Ladies and the Grand Rapids Symphony. It was amazing!
Two Christmas programs to help remind us of the reason for the season—our own children’s program at West Cannon Baptist and a traditional Christmas pageant with all ages at our friends’ church. It was fun to see so many of them performing together.
A warm home from which to enjoy the snow outside, even if it did rain for a while on Christmas day…it was still white outside!
An evening and all day spent with my dad, wrapping and then opening gifts. The kids almost lost their minds waiting for him to wake up though.
Lots of laid-back family time playing games, watching movies, and watching the kids play Playmobil for hours on end.
Ray was home for 10 days—I’m so thankful he has this time off every year. I go through withdrawal at the end after having so much time with my best friend!
Ray spent lots of time with the children, allowing me to organize, read, and even scrapbook. He took them sledding (ask him about the jump he shouldn’t have taken!) and to the Grand Rapids Public Museum for the DaVinci Machines exhibit.

God’s blessings to all during this new year!

Crew Review: Maestro Classics

2009-12-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

Maestro Classics classical CDs combine storytelling with symphony orchestra music. As a member of the Crew, I received a complimentary copy of The Tortoise and the Hare for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions expressed are our family’s only and I received no other compensation for this review.

The Tortoise and the Hare contains an expanded version of Aesop’s fable with an original music score playing in the background. The music is played by the London Symphony Orchestra, and the recording is exceptionally well done. The narrator, Yadu, employs a variety of voices for the animals in the story and held my children’s attention, even though they know the story by heart already. In addition to the story, the CD contains a short 2 minute track about the story and author, a replay of one of the songs, an “about the music” track in which the composer/conductor tells of how he chose the music for the story, and a repetition of the story that plays after the children have heard the background information.

My children really enjoy listening to books on CD during their afternoon quiet time and this has been added to the quiet time basket.

Along with The Tortoise and the Hare, Maestro Classics has produced:

Swan Lake
Peter and the Wolf
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Juanita the Spanish Lobster
Casey at the Bat

The CD sets cost $16.98 individually, but the website currently lists a special of 3 CDs for $45.00. If you are curious, the website has samples of all the tracks from each album. Just click on the album from the home page and then click on the music note next to the track listing.

Maestro Classics have produced high-quality, high-interest, and highly enjoyable story-telling and classical music CDs that will provide hours of listening and learning for the whole family.

Crew Review: Mathletics

2009-12-16T08:38:00.001-08:00

It seems that we on the Crew are being blessed with math curriculum and enrichment products this year! First we had Quarter Mile Math and now we are having fun with the Mathletics website. Watch for upcoming reviews of other math products.

Math is my weakest area for teaching. I’ve always enjoyed math, but I don’t feel that confident in teaching math. My firstborn has always been a “math brain” as he calls himself. With the exception of some tears over long division, he’s always “gotten” the lesson on the first time through. Now that Mags is in second grade, I’ve learned that she does not have a “math brain” and struggles with mastering many math concepts quickly. However, once she’s gets a concept, it’s in there for good. My youngest, Kate, is just getting to “pluses” as she says, and is very proud of her accomplishments.

Everyone on the Crew received complimentary 45 day subscription(s) for the purpose of reviewing the materials on the website. Our review period began at the beginning of November and my kids have had a lot of fun earning points and practicing their math.

Each of my children received an account with their own password, allowing me to customize the activities for each of them by their current grade levels. I can also print out individual worksheets for them along with reports of their progress. As they complete each problem set, typically 15 problems, they earn virtual points they can spend on their online character, adding clothes, accessories, backgrounds, etc.

For my kindergartener, the activities included counting, sorting, classifying, and simple addition and subtraction as well as sequencing activities. She worked through many of the activities but eventually ran into some concepts that we have not covered yet.

For the second grader, some of the activities are beyond what we have covered so far. However, it was great to have place value reinforced the day after we covered it in math class. For my non-math brain, Mathletics has been an enjoyable way to practice math.

For my math brain son, Mathletics has been a fun outlet for practicing his math, but I don’t know that it has improved his skills much.

All my children found it easy to use. The younger two appreciate the lack of time limits on each problem, while my oldest enjoyed the option of doing “live” competitions with other students around the world.

Now I come to the hard part. Although my kids enjoy Mathletics, I can’t justify the cost to continue the subscription. Each child costs $59 per year, although if you know the magic number, (9) it is only $49.95. That is almost what I spend on math for all three each year. Some groups have been able to negotiate discounts, but it doesn’t seem to be an easy thing. We also limit the amount of screen time, preferring group activities that we can do with actual, not virtual, rewards…such as baking cookies! While I appreciate that the computer is here to stay, I don’t have to encourage my children to use it.

If you want to give it a try, mark November 2010 on your planner. They website hosts the math challenge, a free month of competition and problems for students around the world.

Crew Review: All About Spelling

2009-12-04T10:42:00.001-08:00

I first heard about All About Spelling through a fellow IEW exhibitor. She was recommending it as a precursor to IEW’s Phonetic Zoo. With at least one of her children dealing with dyslexia, I figured she would know a good spelling program when she saw it. I considered purchasing it for this year, but decided to try a different program instead, since I could purchase one book and use it for all of my kids, all the way through. I was excited to give All About Spelling a try through the Crew and set aside Spelling Power.

I received both levels 1 and 2, but we have not progressed into Level 2 yet. I’ve been using level 1 with my five and seven year olds. According to their website, I could begin even my 10 year old in level 1 and quickly move through it, but he is spelling at a seventh grade level. He is participating in the home school spelling bee, so that is taking all his spelling time right now. I hope to use this program with him at a higher level once the spelling bee is over in January.

Level One begins with a review of all the phonograms, making an excellent transition from pure phonics to spelling. It is providing a much-needed review for my seven year old, who began reading fluently last year. I admit that I didn’t continue the phonics program with her once she began reading, because the lessons were frustrating both of us. I regretted that once she began spelling, because she didn’t know how to spell many words that she can read. All About Spelling is providing a great review of single sounds, blends, and patterns that will help her segment the words and know the letters that make up the words. I’ve also begun level one with my five year old, but she is still learning all the phonograms.

The book shown above is the teacher’s manual. All the lessons are scripted, with supplies needed noted at the top of each. Each lesson contains clear instructions, tips, and reminders. I have found the lesson very easy to follow. In level one, the first three lessons, called “steps,” are designed to be repeated until the student masters the concepts. Once those are mastered, you move through the additional 21 lessons at your child’s own pace. It may take a week to master some lessons. Because they don’t use grades in classifying their materials, students of all ages may use level one.

I love the activities that this program incorporates. So many spelling programs begin with writing the words, but this one begins with segmenting the words by their sounds, first using tokens to “pull down” on each sound and then using letter tiles. This allows her to picture the words and sounds in her head and speak them without the pressure of writing them out. The author, Marie Rippel, also suggests additional multi-sensory activities, including writing the letters in a bag of pudding and then eating it!

All the materials needed for these activities are including in the student packets and the starter kit. At the moment we are sharing a student packet between the girls, because the older one has mastered all the phonograms and the little one is still working on them. I will probably have to purchase an additional student packet as we move through the levels. With other programs, I was required to make these materials myself. I like having all the materials premade for me, including flashcards that are perforated and spelling tiles that come laminated, ready for me to cut out and apply the magnets, which are also supplied. The only thing I have to purchase is a magnet board that is large enough to hold all the tiles.

Each level includes a teacher’s manual and a student materials packet. Level One costs $29.95, with all subsequent levels costing $39.95. For the first year, you also need a starter kit, $31.95, which includes the phonogram tiles, a CD-ROM with the phonograms, and magnets for the tiles. Each additional student packet costs $14.95 per level. All of these materials are non-consumable, so you only need to purchase additional student packets if you have two students working at the same level.

I’ve passed my other spelling book on to my husband’s cousin who was curious about the program. I won’t be asking for it back. I’m looking forward to using All About Spelling with the rest of my children. They have published through level 5 and level 6, which is high school level is due out later this year.

Crew Review: GyMathtics

2009-11-21T02:40:00.001-08:00

An exercise DVD that also teaches math? I have to admit this product combines my least two favorite subjects from my school years—math and PE. However, in recent years, I’ve discovered that I actually enjoy exercise, and math isn’t that bad either. When I heard the Crew was going to review GyMathtics from Exploracise, I was curious to give it a try.

The package arrived in October, a month that almost set a record in Michigan for the amount of cloud cover, rain, and cold temperatures. This DVD has come in handy during those days when everyone was cooped up inside. The first day the kids tried it, my three year old asked me as I finished my exercise DVD if there is an exercise video for kids. Voila! I popped this in and they had fun.

The DVD begins with stretching exercises that reference lines, shapes, and their attributes (parallel, congruent, similar, etc.). Then the warm-up moves into skip counting with calisthenics—jumping jacks, punches, and jogging in place. The second section has the children doing various patterns of exercises, including crunches, lunges, and pushups. With this one, the mathematical information is about patterns—growing patterns, repeating patterns, and others. I’m not sure how much of this information my three and five year olds comprehend, but they can do most of the movements. My seven year old loves the counting section and the pattern section, although it moves very quickly for her, and she sometimes misses an exercise or two.

Like most exercise DVDs, this one has background music to keep you moving. It is strictly instrumental, with most of the tracks reminding me of Mission Impossible soundtracks—very upbeat. The final cool-down section has very airy sounding music, which helps bring the tension level in the room back down, as well as the kids’ heart rates.

Throughout most of the DVD, the leader limits her instructions to the math facts and exercise routines. She frequently inserts comments about exercise being fun, strengthening their bodies while strengthening their minds, etc. It becomes quite repetitive and I could tell my kids just tuned it out. In the final cool down, however, she becomes a little more specific in spreading her philosophy (more on their website here), with almost constant positive thinking comments sprinkled throughout the instructions to help others, eat well, sleep well, reach for your dreams, drink water, etc. While I don’t disagree with any of it, it seemed a little overdone for the target age range of 2nd-5th graders.

My ten year old, who is very active and enjoys math, did not enjoy this DVD at all. He found it interesting to watch, but said that it was too young for him.

We will definitely keep using this as we continue into the cold, cooped up months of Michigan winter. While my little ones may not completely understand all the math concepts, those ideas are getting into their heads and providing hooks for real understanding later. And they are having fun…with math and exercise. Who would have known?

Just the facts:

Length: 30 minutes

Intended age: all ages (for the exercises) 2nd-5th grades (for the math)

Cost: $24.99

Award Winning: Dr. Toy awards, Mom’s Best Awards, and more. See the website for more details.

Food Packing: A Lesson in Gratitude

2009-11-12T13:12:00.001-08:00

The beauty and abundance of a Michigan fall day surrounded us we drove down country roads, cornfields on either side, to find the community church where we were supposed to “pack food.” I had no idea what we’d be doing, only that our co-op was participating in a service project, and my kids were excited about serving.

When we arrived, the fellowship hall was prepared with two long rows of tables. Each row had a series of totes or buckets filled with various dried foodstuffs. At one end of the table stood funnels made out of wide PVC pipes with small plastic bags fitted over one end. At the other end, a taping machine to seal the bags stood ready. Young children were stationed on chairs, fully able to follow the instruction of “one scoop in each funnel".” Older children, teens, and adults lined up, grabbed a bagged funnel and began to file through the line.

Rice, barley, protein mix, dried seasonings, dehydrated veggies, bullion, garlic powder, tape, repeat. What a joy to see young children diligently scooping and pouring into each funnel. For many of the teens, it quickly became a competition. Some tried to double time it, with a funnel in each hand, until those in charge said that they can actually pack more if each person only does one. The sealed bags were packed into boxes of 60 packets, ready to be delivered to a local food pantry. With the demand on the food pantry, these will quickly disappear.

Each bag makes a vegetable barley soup. It is survival, or starvation, rations for a family. One of these each day provides the necessary nutrients to stay alive. My kids were appropriately awed by what they were doing. They asked lots of questions on the way home. It was a wonderful lesson, especially going into the holidays when we are overwhelmed with the abundance that God has given us.

Crew Review: AVKO Website Membership

2009-11-10T11:06:00.001-08:00

I first heard of AVKO and Don McCabe when my home school mentor, fellow nursery baby-rocker, and dear friend was struggling with teaching a dyslexic child. Later I spoke with another home schooling friend who was also researching dyslexia. They both spent much time in the AVKO booth at our state home school convention and came away convinced of the efficacy of their materials. Now, on assignment from the Crew, I have been given access to the members only section of the website, and I’ve been browsing to my heart’s content.

Many people may have heard of AVKO’s spelling program: Sequential Spelling. It is recommended by many in the home school arena. Because the spelling program we’ve been using is working, I haven’t switched over, but I’ve always kept it in the back of my mind if I should need a different way of teaching spelling. With 4 (+1) children, it’s bound to happen sometime! I didn’t realize all the other products that AVKO carries. So who are they? And what does membership give you?

AVKO is a non-profit, 501(C)3 membership organization that focuses on the development and production of materials and especially techniques to teach reading and spelling, handwriting (manuscript and cursive), and keyboarding. AVKO is dedicated to the teaching everyone how to read and spell, regardless of their mild to moderate learning disabilities, dyslexia, poverty, or opportunity.

A one year individual membership costs $25.00. This gives you access to the FREE downloads listed below. With these materials, and a lot of time, you could actually create your own spelling, handwriting, and keyboarding programs. The teacher in me would love to spend a lot of time with these materials, crafting worksheets and activities for my kids. I’ve saved most of them to my “someday/summer” file. God has not given us any dyslexics yet, but I know some of my extended family have struggled with this. As a mother, teacher, and tutor for home school families, I appreciate the time and effort Don McCabe and his foundation have put into these materials.

Benefits of AVKO Individual Membership

Discounts on AVKO printed materials
Hundreds of dollars worth of FREE e-books (PDF)
- The Patterns of English Spelling (All 10 Volumes) with Word Families in Sentence Context (normally $40 each)
- To Teach a Dyslexic
- Starting at Square One in book form ($59.95 value)
- The Teaching of Reading & Spelling: a Continuum from Kindergarten through College. (this one book will show you how to create your own spelling program $59.95 value)
- The Reading Teacher's List of Over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words 29.95

Access to the Member Only section
AVKO Newsletter with freebies, discounts, resources, and promotions
Access to Don McCabe's most popular workshop recordings in MP3 format. (normally $2.50 each—free to members)
Supplemental Curriculum Materials including word games, worksheets, activities, and more.
Access to Pretests and Placement Tests
Access to the Answer Keys for the Unscramblers and Family Reunion exercises of the Engaging Language Kits

For those who are using the program already, much of this information would be helpful. For those who are just beginning homeschooling, or haven’t even started yet, this resource would give you a lot to think about and read over before you jump in.

Disclaimer: AVKO provided me with access to the members only section of their website for the purpose of writing this review. I have received no other compensation. The opinions expressed in this review are mine only.

Crew Review: American Heritage

2009-11-10T09:40:00.001-08:00

The American Heritage Education Foundation has produced a simple to use, comprehensive set of information-packed lessons covering the heritage and values of our nation. With three levels to choose from (elementary, middle school, high school), this makes a perfect set of lessons for those with multiple ages.

The materials are available in three formats: free download from www.americanheritage.org, free CD-ROM with .pdf files, or in print form $19.95 each level. The download and the CD-ROM contain all three levels. They only ask that you respond with information on how you have used the materials.

Each level contains at least 15 lessons, each with a character quality or American value as well as an American history lesson. They include primary sources, essays from prominent newspapers and journals, as well as an activity to reinforce the material. Although the activities are designed for classrooms, they are easily adapted for homeschools. These lessons would also be great to use with multiple families or in a co-op.

Because we spent the last two years camped out in American history, I’ve not implemented any of the lessons yet with my children. However, in reviewing the materials, I came across an essay by Richard Maybury, aka “Uncle Eric.” He is one of our favorite authors when it comes to economics and government. I printed out his article about the real meaning behind the Statue of Liberty and used it with my high school writing class. They analyzed it according to all the criteria we have been using in writing polished essays. His essay received all high marks. So some of these materials may come in handy outside of history class.

In addition to the history lessons, each level contains a section on using these materials in a public school setting. These materials were originally created for the Houston Public Schools. Because they contain references to our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage, the authors have included a tremendous amount of research and legal information on why this is acceptable to use in the public schools. If you have friends who teach or who have children in the public schools, please pass this along to them.

Disclaimer: I received this material free of charge for the purpose of reviewing the content and spreading the word. These materials are available for free by request as a CD-ROM or download from the website.

After 9 weeks

2009-11-08T17:28:00.001-08:00

We’ve been at the books for 9 weeks now. I decided to look at what we’ve accomplished. With the surprise pregnancy (now you all know), I’ve had to set aside some of the extras and focus on the 3 Rs for several weeks. The addition of Crew review items, a week off for illness, and some other schedule grabbers made me wonder what we’ve actually done for the past 9 weeks.

Bible: We’ve completed our study of the Biblical Feasts and Holidays. This week we’ll review all 10 lessons and then next week move into a short study on thankfulness in the Bible. We are almost finished memorizing Psalm 91. Nate is working through How to Study the Bible for Kids by Kay Arthur and seems to be understanding it better than when we tried it a couple years ago.

SL Core 5: So far we have studied Oceania, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. I’ve found some interesting DVDs at the library to supplement our readings. The girls are completing mini books and other lapbook components as we move around the world. Nate is doing well with the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer research projects. We are taking this week to finish the section on Korea. I don’t feel like we spent enough time on it last week. Since we have friends who have adopted from Korea, we have a personal interest in learning a bit more about the culture. We’ll be reading Tales from a Korean Grandmother and maybe going out for some bulgogi (yum!).

Spelling: Nate and Maggie are progressing well through Spelling Power. We’ll be setting that aside for a while to try out All About Spelling.

Phonics: Katie and I have worked through the first 26 lessons of The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. We have begun the lessons which introduce short a words and spending lots of time with our phonics readers from Sonlight, Christian Liberty Press, the Bob books, and the McGuffy readers. In the past I’ve tried to move too quickly through the phonics lessons without reinforcing the words in actual books. This seems to be going well for Katie. Ben likes to sit in on this as well, so he knows most of the sounds and can even match sounds and letters.

Math: Katie is working through Christian Liberty Press’s Kindergarten math book and doing well. She’s adding and subtracting up to 3. Like most kids, she is struggling a little with the idea of subtraction, so we are spending lots of time with manipulatives to let her see subtraction. Both Nate and Maggie are moving through their Saxon math lessons at pace that seems to be working for them. I, of course, would love to see us move more quickly, but I am learning to hold my tongue and let real learning take place, not just a check mark on my planner page when a lesson is complete. Maggie has mastered carrying and is working to understand place value and fractions. Nate seems to be grasping some of the pre-pre-Algebra concepts that Saxon 65 introduces.

English/Language/Composition: Nate is working through the 5th grade book from Rod and Staff. Although he complains about the amount of writing and diagramming, I see it working. He also entered the HSLDA essay contest last month. Maggie and I are working through First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind (part 2) and doing writing one or two days a week with the Geography Based Writing Lesson from IEW. These use the Holling Clancy Holling books that are featured in Beautiful Feet’s Geography Through Literature lessons. We are both enjoying these times and she is thrilled to finally be doing the writing that I teach to everyone else!

Science: what I’ve let go so far…we haven’t done much,if any science thus far. I am hoping to get a handle on it this week and begin next week with Apologia’s Elementary Zoology (swimming creatures) book. We began the botany one last summer and I think I will leave that for next spring/summer.

Art/Music: We started off well with these subjects, but I need to be more deliberate in scheduling this into our week. The kids are taking art classes at our co-op, but I’d like to continue it at home also.

Overall: I enjoyed using workboxes for the first several weeks. I’m in the process of tweaking the system for Nate and Maggie to make it work better for us. I need to stay in the habit of using them for the little ones-they get more of my time and better use of it when I prepare the boxes each night.

Through LINK we’ve gone on two field trips—the Michigan Wildlife Center and the big trucks trip (a visit to Weller Truck Parts and Van Eerden Trucking). Along with a good reason to get out of the house, they were fun and educational.

Crew Review: ABC Teach

2009-11-02T18:13:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wished to create a handwriting page for your kids with their current AWANA verses? How about a word search for their science vocabulary? What if you could create a mini-book for your preschoolers in the shape of an apple? Or customize a math worksheet with problems they need to practice? All these tasks and many more are made simple at abcteach.com.

Anyone searching for printables will be familiar with the free section of this website. Over 5,000 worksheets are available free of charge. However, the TOS Crew was given a free month to play on the members only section of the website, giving me access to over 30,000 worksheets along with generators for word searches, crossword puzzles, handwriting pages, math fact sheets, and more. This site is amazing! I’ve only scratched the surface of the worksheets available in…

Geography-labeling the zones in a mountain; maps and flags for all the countries of the world; map skills sheets for the very young
Art & Music-music theory sheets for learning the staves; art appreciation biographies
Math-place value questions; sheets of story problems arranged by theme-anyone for cowboy math?
Preschool-mazes, dot to dots, coloring pages-lots for the workboxes

But my favorite section by far is the “create your own.” I’ve generated handwriting sheets for the 5yo with her new words that she is learning in phonics. My 7 and 10 yo are reviewing their memory verses from last year by copying them from a handwriting sheet I created. You can choose from all of the popular handwriting styles, from Zaner-Bloser to A Beka to Handwriting without Tears. We’ve made word searches for spelling words and cross word puzzles for history. I could easily create our preschool and kindergarten curriculum on this website.

So, with all this, what is the cost? A yearly membership is $40. I looked back and realized that I spent about $10.00 for each of the handwriting books I bought last year. So, for $40, I can create handwriting that matches what we are learning and so much more. It was an easy decision to pay for a year once my trial month expired. Also, if you receive notifications from the Home School Buyers Co-op, abcteach is often featured as one of their vendors, and the discount is significant.

Disclaimer: abcteach.com provided me with a free trial month to test their site. I receive no other compensation. The personal opinion cited in this review is based only on my experience in using this website.

Crew Review: Virginia Soaps and Scents

2009-10-30T06:13:00.001-07:00

Homemade laundry soap and a shampoo bar? The crew received a little bit of pampering in the midst of reviewing curricula. Virginia Soaps and Scents provided each of us with three sample sized soaps, a shampoo bar, and a homemade laundry soap mix.

I’ve tried all kinds of all-natural soaps, homemade soaps, and soaps scented with essential oils. We prefer the natural scents of lavender, rose, and sandlewood to many perfumes, so we enjoyed this review. The three soaps we received were : fresh orange, oatmeal milk and honey, and coconut lemongrass. We liked the scent of the soaps while washing and the lingering scent in the bathroom after they were used. Many of the “all-natural” soaps I’ve used have a glycerin base, which tends to have less lather than the bar soap you buy at the grocery store. These soaps have an olive oil base with coconut oil added, which provides a rich lather. At $4.50 per bar, these definitely fall under pampering in the budget, but they are worth it and also make wonderful gifts. Each one is hand cut and packaged, making each one unique. They offer gift baskets as well as homemade wooden soap dishes for holding their products. To see their full selection, including kids’ soaps, visit their website. They have some holiday soaps that look good enough to taste! While we enjoyed the soaps, the shampoo bar had me more intrigued…

Prior to receiving this product, I had never heard of shampoo bars. I’ll admit to being a little skeptical, but we gave it a try. My husband was the first to try it, and he liked it very much. We received the Ginger Lime, which had a fresh, clean scent that wasn’t overpowering. I used it several times, although I also still used my usual conditioner. With long, wavy hair that tends to become frizzled easily, I have yet to find a shampoo that leaves my hair manageable without using a conditioner as well. I decided to test it out on our two older children, both of whom have extremely thick hair that tends to hold onto the sweaty smell, even during the cooler months. We’ve tried many shampoos, but most tend to mask the smell, not really clean the hair and remove the smell. And their hair was usually sweaty smelling again by the next day. Not so with the shampoo bar. Each time they used it, their hair rinsed clean easily and remained smelling clean until their next shower, usually 2-3 days later. Each bar costs $5.50 or you can purchase 2 for $10.00. While the cost per shampoo is definitely more than the inexpensive shampoos I usually purchase, we’ve made room in the budget for this. Also, for those who travel, you can avoid the 3 oz liquid travel restrictions when you use a shampoo bar. It also doesn’t leak all over your luggage!

Finally, we tried the laundry soap kit. It contained a small baggie of soap shavings along with a washing soda/borax mixture. Following the included directions was quite easy, and within two hours, we had a gel-like laundry soap. We were actually involved in the process for two hours; it just takes two hours for the gel to fully set-up. Typically their kit makes 2 1/2 gallons. Our small sample made about a 1/2 gallon. I used it regularly for a week and noticed no difference in the appearance of our clothes from using a name-brand powdered laundry detergent. The cost per load appears to be the same or a little less than the normal brand I use. It is low-sudsing, so it is better for the septic system and our clothes. We miss that laundry detergent smell but may decide to give that up in favor of a more natural means of cleaning clothes. They also offer just the bar of laundry soap which you shave and then add your own borax and washing soda, available at most grocery stores.

Virginia Soaps and Scents is owned and operated, down to the smallest details, by a homeschool family. From the cutting and shaping of the soaps to the design and programming of their website, this is truly a family business that will be receiving more of our family’s business in the future.

Disclaimer: Virginia Soaps and Scents provided these products to us at no charge to use in order to write this review. I receive no other compensation, and my reviews are based on my opinion and the feedback I receive from my family.

Crew Review: Sue Patrick’s Workbox System

2009-10-25T12:50:00.001-07:00

I feel like I’ve been living under a rock! Until I began to participate on the Old Schoolhouse Crew, I was not aware of workboxes. The more time I spend on line, the more I learn how many people are using and loving workboxes. As I lurked on the Crew forum, I saw glimpses of the workbox life, so I was very anxious to get my hands on Sue Patrick’s book and begin trying out this system.

What are workboxes? From what I’ve read, the workbox system was first designed by teachers working with autistic children in school classrooms. At its most basic level, the system works by dividing the student’s school tasks into individual boxes which the student then complete, moving a number tag from the box to a grid as each task is completed. The boxes in Sue Patrick’s system are plastic shoeboxes, usually 8-12 per child, arranged on a wire shelf, like a shoe rack.

Sue Patrick’s Workbox System User Guide ebook takes the workbox system and explains how it can work in a home school environment. She spends several chapters explaining the concept of the workboxes, the physical system, and the day to day requirements to making it work. Click here for a short video showing the basics.

Not only does her book go into the workbox system, but she also spends several chapters discussing how to make home schooling the priority of your day, making learning activities more enjoyable, creating learning centers, and building review activities into your schedule to reinforce knowledge already studied.

So, what do I think? My first reaction is-- I love it. After homeschooling for six years, I needed the encouragement to make school enjoyable and more organized. I’m schooling three this year, with the three year old trying to get into as much school as he can. I needed a system that would help me keep the oldest working independently, while reminding me that I still need to spend time with him. I needed something that would help me incorporate the geography he is studying with the world cultures that the youngers are doing. I’ve found that the amount of complaining has dropped considerably since we’ve begun using workboxes. He respects the time I’ve spent preparing his work for the day/week and completes it. He can see what needs to be done, and he is much more diligent about getting it done with a good attitude. My daughter loves having things that she can do independently while I’m working with one of the other kids. Before workboxes, she struggled with staying occupied while I was busy.

While the system is working well for my kids, it is working even better for me. Because I was “forced” to try out this system, I’ve been forced to be more prepared. When I fill my daughter’s math workbox each night, I pull the manipulatives we need the next day, rather than waiting until math time to locate them. I appreciate the flexibility. I can rearrange the order depending on the other activities of the day. On Mondays, we are gone all afternoon, so I know that I have to get through math, spelling, and language with my older two. I put those first in the workboxes so they and I are sure to get to them. The independent work they bring with them. Finally, I’m creating more activities for my little ones, so that they are constructively occupied while I work with the older two.

I have to admit that I have tweaked her system a bit. We are not using the schedule strip as she does. We also don’t clock in and out each day. My 10 year old’s workbox is actually a portable file box, with numbers on each folder and a single grid at the front for him to place his numbers as he finishes each folder.

How are we making it work?

3 yo has 5 boxes with activity books from Target’s dollar spot, flashcards, Usborne look and find books, cut and paste activities. It is forcing me to prepare and do things with my littlest one. We both love it.
5 yo has 8 boxes, most of them I have to do with her. I’m working on more things she can do on her own
7 yo has 10 boxes. First 6 are on her own, last 4 are do with mom.
10 yo has a file box with 12 folders. I have no room for more boxes, and he is easily distracted and frustrated by getting up and down.

I’ll post more at a later time about our workboxes. This book has been very helpful in getting our school year off to a great start. This is the first year that we haven’t not been dealing with a move, a new baby, or a grief situation since we began homeschooling. It gave me encouragement and ideas for making school seem the priority it is in our home. You can purchase the book here for $19.95 printed and bound, or $19 for an ebook.

Disclaimer: Sue Patrick provided me with a free copy of this ebook to review and use in order to write this review. I received no other compensation, and my reviews are based on my opinion and the feedback I receive from my family.

Crew Review: Educaching

2009-10-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

What is “Educaching”? Think of it as geocaching, with a educational twist. You hide some kind of learning objective: a math sheet, clues to a history question, information for a science experiment. Then, using GPS technology, your students locate the item and complete the task.

Educaching is written by Jason Hubbard and published by SDG Creations. Writing for the GPS-novice, he gives a comprehensive introduction to GPS technology and how it can apply to the classroom. The rest of the text contains 20 lesson plans, from beginner to advanced, for grades 4-8. The lessons cover math, science, language arts, and social studies topics.

When the Homeschool Crew was first given the option to try this, I had a GPS device available to me. However, soon after I received the product, I was not able to obtain the device, so I’ve had to review these lessons without actually doing them. The lessons are written for classroom teachers, and most of the activities require groups of 3-4 students. For a homeschool situation, many of the lessons could be modified for family groups. Homeschoolers are often stereotyped as not knowing technology. This would be an excellent way to counter that argument and have fun with a lesson. One caveat: the preparation time for each lesson is anywhere from 30-45 minutes at least, in addition to approximately an hour to complete the hunt with your children.

I am going to suggest these lessons to our co-op, especially since many of the dads are hunters, so many would already have hand-held GPS devices. As a mom with primarily younger children, I won’t be able to use most of the lessons for another couple of years. My oldest would love these lessons, so hopefully we can get a group together soon.

For $32.00 (plus S & H) you receive the 116 page manual along with a CD with reproducible forms for each lesson. A learning set that includes a GPS unit is also available from SDG Creations.

Crew Review: Sarah’s Wish

2009-10-19T18:06:00.001-07:00

After being orphaned, twelve year old Sarah is bounced from family to family in a small Ohio town. She holds onto the promise she made to her mother to continue the work of the Underground Railroad, but is unsure whom to trust and how to keep that promise. Although she loved her parents, she realizes that she must find another family to care for her until she is old enough to care for herself. Her faith and the care of others carry her through dark times and trials. Without giving away the ending, I enjoyed reading how Sarah finds that she can trust her friends and her Lord with the wish and desires of her heart.

Sarah’s Wish was written by Jim Baumgardner, a Kansan who loves history--so much so that he writes historical fiction and volunteers as an interpretive guide at the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita, Kansas. He is also a grandfather, writing for his grandchildren, so he is careful about not including anything that would not be appropriate for children, even in the interest of “realism.”

Mr. Baumgardner has a knack for capturing dialects, although at times the cliches get in the way of understanding exactly what the characters mean. Each character’s personality comes through in the dialog, especially Granny, who guides and protects Sarah until she can find a new home.

With just 14 chapters in 124 pages, the book is the perfect length for a read aloud when studying the 1850s (pre-civil war) in America. Most average third-fourth grade readers will have no problem reading through this enjoyable story. Purchase of the book for $10.99 plus shipping includes a free audio book that can be downloaded and burned to a CD or transferred to media players.

Two new books are available in the series, Sarah’s Promise and Sarah’s Escape. Each of these books is longer than the first and promises to take readers along as Sarah continues her adventures.

Books are available for purchase at the Sarah Books site.

Crew Review: Guardian Angel Press

2009-10-10T08:12:00.001-07:00

This book attempts to convey basic facts about earthquakes, geology and seismography. The book is heavily illustrated, and packed with facts. However, I struggled with reading Earthquake due to the arrangement of text and graphics. The font sizes and styles were too mixed for me to understand the concepts being described. If the author is attempting to make you feel like you were in an earthquake, she succeeded, although I never attempted to read while I experienced the many earthquakes we had while living in San Diego. This book is 30 pages and is available as a .pdf for $5.00.

Andy and Spirit Go to the Fair is the story of a young man who uses a wheel chair but does not let that limit him. He competes at the fair in horseback riding. I appreciated the glimpse into a way of life that I have not experienced. It is one of three books about Andy and his horse Spirit. This ebook is 24 pages long and is available for $5.00 as a .pdf document.

This lighted hearted tale of two flamingos reminds me of the ugly duckling, except these two have a supportive community around them. The two young chicks wonder if they are supposed to be white and gray when all the others are bright pink. Upon learning that they will change colors as they grow, so long as they eat the right foods, they decide Maybe We Are Flamingos. I enjoyed their light-hearted reaction to the idea of “you are what you eat” as they began to draw themselves after eating broccoli, tacos, and pizza. This is a fun 30 pages to read, and I discovered a fellow Michigander at the same time. The illustrator of this ebook lives not far from me.

The Sum of Our Parts: No Bones About It is a rhyming book that begins at the toes and ends at the skull, giving the names of the major bones and groups of bones as it goes. The rhyme is well-structured; I didn’t struggle to read the text. A few of the illustrations would definitely “gross-out” my daughter, but my sons loved it. Along with the rhymes, each page contains a factoid about the body, skeletons, or bones. Each double page features two bones or groups, keeping the pages clean and focused on each area of the body. This 30 page ebook would be a great addition to any study of the skeletal system. $5.00 for .pdf file.

I’ve saved my favorite for last. While I struggled a little the first time I read this story, once I understood that Rainbow Sheep is completely fanciful, I enjoyed it immensely. The illustrations truly make this book. Kim Chatel is a textile artist and it shows in every picture. She even includes 4 pages of instructions on creating your own felted sheep. This is definitely a keeper. The .pdf version of this book is $5.00.

Overall I still don’t like ebooks. When I first viewed these ebooks in Adobe, I was frustrated that I could not see the pictures and the facing page of text at the same time. I played around and discovered that you can set the view for page display on “two up” which places the pages side by side. It was amazing how much better I felt about the books!

All of these books are also available as CDs and in print form from the Guardian Angel Publishing website. The cost ranges from 9.95-10.95 plus shipping and handling.

Disclaimer: Guardian Angel Publishing provided me with free copies of these five ebooks to review and use in order to write this review. I receive no other compensation, and my reviews are based on my opinion and the feedback I receive from my family.

Crew Review: Bible Charts and Maps

2009-10-10T07:37:00.001-07:00

I am a timeline junkie. As a student and teacher of history (along with the Bible and literature) who is also a very visual learner , I carefully collect any visual representation that aligns Biblical events, historical and cultural milestones, and literary periods. At first glance this colorful chart seemed to do all that and more. However, on closer examination, I was extremely disappointed by missing information and dismayed by the inaccurate and biased material presented on this chart.

According to the website for the “Amazing Bible Timeline,” you can view 6000 years of Biblical and World History together. In order to fit all 6000 years in a relatively small space, the timeline is more of a time-clock, with the events and people arranged in an arc. Most people that I showed this to found it confusing and hard to read.

The sources quoted include Bishop Usher, whose chronology is widely recognized in conservative circles, as well as quoted extensively by Young Earth Creationists, whom I wholeheartedly support. Unfortunately, most of the other sources are either obscure or inaccurate.

In reading the timeline, one will notice that the font style remains consistent from the beginning to approximately 1900. After this time the font and items included are obviously the work of another author who remains un-cited. This is the first objection I had.

My next tests was the treatment of non-Western cultures. This timeline contains little to no reference to anything outside of Western Europe and America. Nothing is mentioned of Africa or Asia, including missionary work in those areas, other than notes on the Egyptian dynasties. Once Egypt is conquered, Africa completely disappears from the timeline.

At this point, my husband became interested and began viewing it with me. As an ancient languages (Biblical Greek and Hebrew)major in college, he also took courses on the Ancient Near East. He has also continued his personal studies in historical and Biblical theology.

As we examined the sections on Europe further, we found a reference to a prophecy being fulfilled when Napoleon deposed the Pope (here called “the man of sin”) as supreme political and religious leader. This is the first I’ve heard of Napoleon doing anything positive as regards Christianity. Great detail is given to the kingdoms of the Germanic tribes and Anglo-Saxon England.

The sections covering the Middle East contain little to no references to early civilizations or archeaological discoveries that confirm the Biblical writings, such as Qumran, Elba tablets, and others.

In viewing the sections on America, we found multiple references to pre-Columbian encounters with Native Americans, including statements of early missionary activity among them by Hebrews. Finally as we began to see references to pre-Adamites and Moroni, we realized the reason for the heaviness that seemed to accompany each viewing of this timeline. After taking it to a respected Bible scholar and teacher in our church, we confirmed that many of the sources quoted are Mormon in background. For these reasons, along with others that I have not detailed here, after I complete this review, the chart will be destroyed.

Before I close, I must include this. Several years ago, I had a neighbor who became a very dear friend. She and her family are LDS. I miss her terribly. I pray for her often. We avoided the theological differences and focused instead on what we had in common—our families and the daily struggles of being young wives and mothers. God used her friendship to get me through a very difficult time.

Because the sources and the website itself are not explicit in their titles or citations as being LDS, I fear that non-LDS families and individuals will be deceived by this chart. Thanks to the research of a fellow Crew member, I found a second site for this timeline that admits to the LDS sources and background of the company. This is not linked or mentioned in the primary site. This strikes me as deceptive. Because it is produced in multiple colors on heavy varnished paper, the production quality and size (nearly 4 feet by 3 feet) of this product can be very impressive. Unfortunately, the inaccurate, biased, and deceptive nature of this product makes it not appropriate for our family.

Disclaimer: Bible Charts and Maps provided me with a free copy of this product to review and use in order to write this review. I receive no other compensation, and my reviews are based on my opinion and the feedback I receive from my family or others that I consult when necessary.

Crew Review: Nature’s Friend

2009-10-07T12:56:00.001-07:00

I always know when something interesting and worthwhile has entered the house. It disappears. The culprits vary, but I can usually track down the items in one of two places: the piles on my husband’s side of the bed, or the basket of reading material next to my son. With each of the two issues of Nature’s Friend that we received, I had to go searching in new places. My three year old loved looking at the beautiful illustrations, primarily photographs. My five year old tried out the search and find pictures. And even my seven year old, who isn’t into science, could be found reading the articles and retelling some of the information. This is definitely a hit around here.

As for me, once I finally got my hands on them…I was impressed by the amount of reader submissions they include, from captions on the back cover photo to drawings based on the instruction from a previous issue. With all the writing workshops I provide, I’m constantly asked for places that children can be published. I’ve added this to my list, because they always have at least one article written by a young person. However, these are tightly written, strong articles, not just a simple report about frogs or birds. They have high standards for submissions. This explains the overall effect of looking through this publication—impressed.

I’m impressed…

that each issue tends to cover a single topic, providing focus and less distraction
that each article contains something that points to God, whether it be the creature, or the science behind pigments—I don’t have to edit out the evolution each issue
that all the photographs are such high quality
that they also include experiments and activities to extend the learning
that the writing style is simple but not condescending. My husband and I enjoyed reading it, and the kids could easily understand it.
that I didn’t have to skim pages of ads to get to the articles

Their website contains three sample issues to view online here.

A yearly subscription costs $36 and includes 12 issues. Each issue is printed on heavy-feeling, high quality paper and contains approximately 25 pages. While that may seem slim, remember, there are no ads.

In addition, you can order an activity guide for each issue for an additional $2.00/issue. These contain crossword puzzles, comprehension questions, writing lessons and prompts, a photography lesson, and other activities that reinforce the topics.

My children have received a variety of magazine subscriptions through the years. This one is going on the list for this Christmas…we love it!

Disclaimer: Nature’s Friend provided me with a free copy of these two issues to review and use in order to write this review. I receive no other compensation, and my reviews are based on my opinion and the feedback I receive from my family.

Crew Review: College Prep Genius: Master the SAT

2009-10-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

With most of the high school students I know wrapped up in beginning their classes, I was unable to borrow any to help me review this course. Instead, I spent several hours viewing these DVDs and reading through the texts to get a feel for these materials.

According to the website, the 4 DVDs supposedly cover the same material that is covered in Mrs. Burk’s 10 hour class. Because the viewing times add up to less than 5 hours, she must be including time to work through the problems without the DVD running.

I expected to see Mrs. Burk when I inserted the DVD into my laptop. Instead, a Power Point slide presentation began, with her softly accented voice narrating the slides. For many of the slides, she was simply reading what was on the slides. Her voice is soft and easy to listen to, although also easy to fall asleep to. She varies the appearance of the slides in each DVD and section, so you do have variety. This is not something to sit and watch all at once however—you will fall asleep.The running times are as follows: Intro-35 minutes; Critical Reading-1:33; Math-2:15; Writing-1:15.

The workbook accompanies the DVD, containing practice problems for each section. The textbook contains the details for evaluating and analyzing the test overall and the sections individually. To get the most out of the class, the student should watch the DVD after reading the textbook.

This course focuses not on learning the content of the test, but on analyzing the patterns and questions, and answering them based on strategies she gives. She relies heavily on acronyms, with some sections having multiple acronyms. These acronyms are not intuitive or obvious. You must read through the text and watch the DVDs multiple times to understand them.

Many test prep courses cost into the hundreds and more. This is a reasonably priced alternative. Persuasively, she explains how spending 150 hours on SAT test prep will net you $500/hour for college should you earn a $75000 scholarship. While many high school students in traditional schools may have access to materials such as these through courses offered at their schools, this course would be extremely helpful to home school students who desire a college degree without the heavy debt that come with most diplomas. The cost is $79 for the workbook, textbook, and DVD set. You can order it from the store at College Prep Genius.

In my earlier review, I mentioned that the materials don’t contain any kind of getting started guide or time breakdown for the DVDs. This would be helpful, for both the parent and the student. It would make this much more user-friendly. However, this is still a helpful product, and I learned much that I will pass on to students and parents who ask me about SAT prep. Click on the image below to see what my crewmates think of this product.

Crew Review: Write with the Best v.1

2009-10-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

Write with the Best, vol.1 by Jill Dixon, claims to“effectively teaches descriptive writing through modeling techniques of great works of world literature” and does so without any extra fluff. The curriculum is not illustrated and is type-set very simply.

Write with the Best, vol. 1 contains 9 units. Each unit is designed to be completed over 10 days or two weeks, with 1-3 objectives for each day. This breaks down the writing task into small, manageable bites. The lesson topics are:

Writing a descriptive paragraph (object)
- Model: passage from Jules Verne
Writing a descriptive paragraph (place)
- Model: passage from Charles Dickens
Writing a descriptive paragraph (person)
- Model: Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe)
Writing a dialogue
- Model: Kenneth Grahame,The Wind in the Willows
Writing a short story
- Model: O. Henry
Writing a fable
- Model: Aesop
Writing a friendly letter
- Model: Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island
Writing poetry, rhyming verse
- Model: William Wordsworth
Writing poetry, a ballad
- Model: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I attempted to work through some of lesson one with our ten year old. However, I’m afraid we’ve spoiled him! Most, if not all, of our writing is done in the context of our other subjects. He’s learned to write by writing sentences, paragraphs, reports, and essays about our history, science, literature, and Bible topics. Sitting down and writing a descriptive paragraph just because was not a fun exercise for either of us. I will be keeping this on the shelf for now though, because we both could use some practice in writing descriptively.

Because I use fables in my own classes to teach creative story writing, I reviewed lesson 6 on my own. The first 3 days cover reading several fables, underlining in various colors the parts of speech in the included fables, and comparing the various fables read and their characteristics. By days 4-5, the student begins to craft his own fable, working on the characters, setting, and moral lesson. On days 6-7, the student works on the plot line of the fable and any dialogue to include. Finally on day 8, the student is told to write the fable, comparing it to an Aesop’s fable to see how it is similar. Days 9-10 cover proofreading and rewriting. Unfortunately, this process doesn’t address the hardest part of creative writing for the student—coming up with the plot. The author spends the least amount of time discussing this. In my classes, I allow the students to borrow the plot from the fable we just read, changing the characters and setting and adding more description and vivid words.

Pros:

Focus on use of specific words to convey an image or meaning
Use of checklists to ensure assignment is understood and expectations are met
Imitation of classic authors
Breaks down the tasks of writing into small steps—most of the lessons could be accomplished in less than a 1/2 hour a day.

Cons

The materials are labeled Grades 3-12. From my experience, I would target grades 5-8 with these materials. When I am teaching beginning writers, I try to use source texts and models that are at or below their reading and knowledge levels, so they aren’t struggling with understanding the text as well as working on the writing skill. These texts would be above the 3rd –5th grade students I am teaching this year.
Students and teacher materials are mixed, and with only two printings allowed, I have to take the paper copies to be printed, rather than just printing off what I need each week. If one of the benefits of an e-book is its convenience, this one isn’t very convenient.
They are working to correct this, but much of my printed copy had formatting problems, specifically in missing punctuation and extra spacing. These issues do not show up while viewing it on my laptop. hile I understand these issues, with a writing curriculum this should have been checked. It is akin to leaving out parts of a formula in math.
Several of the rules or guidelines on the proofreading checklist are imprecise, for example: “All important words (proper nouns) have capital letters.” What happens when student thinks a word is important, but it is not necessarily a proper noun? Also, “The same verb tense is used throughout the paper.” This is another of those grammar rules that is misunderstood. With some papers, you will be mixing verb tense, such as “Historians agree (present) that George Washington preferred (past) farming to leading the county.”
Parents without a background in English or literature may find themselves struggling with how to explain this to their students if the included instructions aren’t enough.

Will I use this again? Perhaps. The cons, while many, are less significant than the few pros. She has done an excellent job breaking down the steps of writing into manageable steps.

eBook ~~$19.95~~ On sale a limited time for $14.95 (25% off)

Pages Only - No Binder $22.45

3-Ring Binder $24.95

Fall Days

2009-10-02T11:27:00.001-07:00

A gloomy fall day is changed by the sun briefly breaking its silence. Trees glisten, sparkle, shine with the leftovers of last night’s rain. The wind gusts. The diamonds fall. The clouds roll on. The gloom returns.

Crew Review: Roots and Fruits

2009-09-29T18:27:00.001-07:00

Of all the subjects we’ve not been able to squeeze into our schedule, I feel the most guilty about neglecting vocabulary. Our kids read so much that their vocabularies are way beyond their ages, yet I still feel that I should be doing something to make sure they understand all those words they read and use. When given the choice of materials from Education Diagnostic Prescriptive Services, I jumped on Roots and Fruits: A Comprehensive Vocabulary Curriculum Covering Grades K through12. It is truly a curriculum (“a course of study”) covering over 673 roots and prefixes, with 1716 vocabulary words.

The teaching procedure is quite simple: introduce 1-2 roots per week, with the correlating vocabulary words. She suggests spending only 15 minutes each day. Our routine, as outlined in her instructions, has been:

Day 1: Introduce root 1 (7yo and 5 yo will only work on this one this week) and root 2 (10 yo will work on this one as well). Copy from poster onto index cards for games and practice. Look up words in the dictionary (with lots of help from mom for the younger two)
Days 2-3-4: Review words, make sentences, play one to two activities as time allows. She includes 14 different games, most of which use materials we have around the house-jello, Scrabble, scrap paper.
Day 5: make new sentences using all three words; play one of three games to reinforce knowledge.

EDUDPS prides itself on “fluff-less” materials and I would have to agree this is free of any fluff. The instructions to the parent are matter of fact and straightforward. The teaching process is easily understood. The roots and prefixes are arranged alphabetically, with words for younger students marked with an asterix. However, because it is rather spare, you will have to create the worksheets, posters with the roots and vocabulary words, and any of the fourteen games she lists for practicing the words.

The author, Jill J. Dixon, holds a Bachelor of Science in English Education (magna cum laude) and a Master’s Degree in Special Education (summa cum laude). Her teaching experience spans twenty-seven years and includes working with students from pre-school age to adults in public, private, and home school settings.

What I think...

Easy to work with “from the box” with a little preparation time (probably an hour a week at the most)
Will last me several years at the rate we are moving through it, but that’s ok, since they are all young
It covers vocabulary words that appear on the SAT
More teacher intensive than a workbook--Andrew Pudewa would say this is a good thing!
With the e-book, they restrict printing this to two times. The way things get spilled around here, I am guarding this copy very carefully.

Overall I am pleased with this and looked forward to using for the long haul. Even at the full price of the printed, bound copy, it is worth the $19.98 for a non-consumable vocabulary curriculum that can be done in 15 minutes a day.

Roots and Fruits is offered in three formats: e-book, pages only, or comb-binding. The downloads do not work on a Mac, so the pages only would be the option for those of you with Macs.Before you purchase an eBook please read Special notes for all eBook purchases.

eBook: ~~$14.98~~ On sale a limited time for $11.25 (25% off)
Pages Only - No Binding: $17.48
Comb-binding: $19.98

Crew Review: A Journey Through Learning

2009-09-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

During my first year teaching 3rd grade at a charter school, I discovered something about myself—I’m not cut out to teach elementary school. I love teaching high school and middle school classes at our co-op, but I struggled to teach the younger kids. Finally, after reading the Mitford books, I discovered that I am like Father Tim. I don’t know how to have fun.

When we began homeschooling, I leaned toward Classical education and others that are more literature based rather than activity based. I didn’t feel that unit studies fit my personality. I’ve been blessed with kids who love to read, so it hasn’t been hard to do most of our learning via reading and narration. Add to that the space issue, we just haven’t done that many fun projects for school. However, lapbooks seem doable to me, so I was happy to see five different lapbooks arrive in my inbox from A Journey Through Learning. A Journey Through Learning produces ready-made lapbooks on a plethora of topics—just print, complete the minibook, and assemble the finished product.

Due to several unexpected delays, we did not begin this project as soon as I wanted to, so I don’t have any completed pictures to post yet. While we received more than one lapbook, including one on deserts that we will probably create later this year, I decided to work through the Autumn unit study, hoping that my little ones could grasp these topics more easily than the ones on Amphibians or Reptiles. (Although, after K caught a bitty frog this afternoon and is hoping to keep it for a pet, perhaps one of those would have been fine after all!) We also love the season, so it has been fun (there’s that word again) to do these activities.

The topics include: Autumn Equinox, Migration, Autumn Holidays, Symbols of Autumn, and Autumn Foods, among others. I am not completing the projects in order, which is one of the benefits of a non-sequential study like this. You can customize the sequence.

Because we are trying out workboxes, I have included the minibook activities as daily independent work. I’ve tried to plan it so that the two older kids will be working on them at about the same time and so far it has worked out that way. These two tend to butt heads more often than work cooperatively, at least in most school activities. However, they seem to really enjoy working on these together. With the three and five year old, we’ve been reading other autumn story books and doing the minibooks together. They all seem to be having fun (that word yet again…perhaps I’m learning!) doing a subject that isn’t as intense as Eastern Hemisphere geography or the state of being verbs!

Although we are enjoying this lapbook, there are a couple drawbacks to these particular studies:

1. I am currently printing with a laser printer, and the colored pictures aren’t nearly as vibrant in black and white! I’d rather have blackline/outline drawings that my kids can color and decorate, rather than the fully illustrated and colored pictures on these. The unit studies we’ve done in the past are the Time Traveler CDs from Amy Pak, at Home School in the Woods. For the most part, those are black and white printer friendly. I also prefer her style of illustration to the clip art/cartoonish style that is predominates these.

2. The minibooks could be combined on the page to reduce the amount of paper used. Each minibook has its own page (or two for some multiple part books) and many of them have a lot of white space around them. Each page also has a mini map showing where the booklet should go, but they have included a full map of each folder at the front, so these additional maps could be removed to allow for doubling up on the patterns. I’m such a paper miser!

Most of the lapbooks are intended for grades 3-7, and at $13.00 per download, these are reasonable for an extra fun, yet academic, activity for that age.

Crew Review: Nutrition 101

2009-09-25T11:17:00.001-07:00

I wish I had about 6 more months before I had to write my review of this comprehensive product. We’ve just barely scratched the surface of all the information that is packed into Nutrition 101: Choose Life! This is definitely a long-term study that will could easily count toward anatomy, health, and nutrition, as well as some home economics.

Its 448 pages six units: 1) The Brain and Nervous System; 2) Digestion and Elimination; 3) Respiration and Olfactory; 4) Muscular and Skeletal Systems; 5) Cardiovascular and Immune Systems; and 6) Endocrine System and Emotions. Each unit is then divided into 4 chapters which are easily doable in a week. Each chapter ends activities, discussion questions, additional resources, and a recipe for a yummy dish that extends the learning from that chapter. The activities are designed for a variety of ages, so you can do the same science with all levels.

The authors are firm believers in natural foods, supplements, and whole-body health, including exercise. However, it is not so extreme that those who are not “health nuts” can’t use it. We’ve tended toward a more natural style of eating ever since my mother passed away from cancer four years ago. Biblically based and packed with hands-on activities, science and art projects and nearly 80 family-friendly recipes, this program teaches and reinforces the why’s of what we should eat, not just “because I said so.” I’ve learned much and I haven’t even read most of it.

Most of the activities reinforce life skills, such as planning a meal, shopping for ingredients, or creating charts for nutrition and exercise. These are not just true/false, fill in the blank questions. They will tie the recipes to the activities also, allowing you to accomplish both at once. Finally, they often refer back to other recipes or activities, reminding my kids how all this fits together. Some of the recipes include guacamole, spice cookies, lemon pickles (haven’t tried that one yet), and whole-wheat cinnamon rolls. Yummmmm.

In addition to the 6 units, a comprehensive appendix, nearly half the book, contains 31 sections covering topics from kitchen safety and selecting fresh produce to mold, cancer, and household toxins. I appreciate that these additional sections are separated from the actual text, allowing me to choose what I include in our studies. While the actual size of the book might be overwhelming at first, the wealth of information contained within is divided into small bites.

How we’ve used it:

1. I read over the chapter and create/locate notebooking pages or other independent activities. I also locate, from our home or public library, books on the topic that are appropriate for my younger readers.

2. My 10 year old reads the chapter for one of his workbox assignments.

3. My 7 year old reads the Usborne (or other) books on the part of the body that we are studying for her workbox assignment.

4. We do notebooking, craft, and other projects together. When we studied the brain we made brain hats that I found here. My 7 yo has not been that keen on studying parts of the body (it’s gross she says), but even she enjoys wearing her “thinking cap” now, as they call them.

We are spending about a week on each of the early chapters, but it may grow as we find things we want to explore further.

The book is available for $79.95 on a CD-ROM. I printed my entire copy out, back-to-back, and 3-hole punched it for a binder. Yes, it was a lot but it was something to do on the last trip we took to Wisconsin (got me all the way through Chicago!) It is also available in hardcover, full color printing, for $99.95.

Crew Review: Studypod

2009-09-24T18:17:00.001-07:00

It’s just a good thing I haven’t finished shopping for Christmas yet. Both of my older kids have added “Studypod” to their wish lists. M wants pink, N wants blue. I’m happy with my black one, if they would just stop stealing it! This product is definitely a hit around here! So what is a Studypod? Take a peek…

This handy dandy little box opens and supports itself on one leg, holding everything from my son’s (tall) Saxon Math and (hardbound) Rod and Staff Grammar to a single sheet of paper for typing. The two curved arms reach out and up, flexing to hold whatever size book or paper I’m reading. It rests on two plastic “shelves” that fold down as once I’ve open the pod. To keep it open, I just slide a locking pin across the “spine” of the pod. Along with all these benefits, a Velcro-attached pocket holds a few essentials, making sure my kids have no excuse for not finishing their assignments.

My son sometimes struggles with keeping his side of the school table from creeping into his sister’s area. I’ve found with this Studypod that it is easier for him to keep things neat and organized as he is copying his math or grammar exercises.

I’ve also used it while entering edits on proofreading projects. The task is completed more quickly with less eyestrain because I don’t have change my position every time I look from the screen to the paper. The Studypod sits at approximately the same angle as my computer screen.

When closed, it is 6.75 inches x 8.875 inches, about the size of a typical book. It fits nicely on my shelf and in my laptop bag, making it easily transportable. I’ve had book holders before but they were impossible to store, either always flopping open or getting caught on other items in my bag.

It is available in the colors above, as well as in beige and grey, for those who aren’t all that keen on hot pink or royal blue. For those colors, you order a Bookpod, created for the professionals who love the Studypod but not the bright colors.

These aren’t inexpensive, but I believe the investment will pay off in the end. Studypods and Bookpods are available for $19.95 each, but when you purchase two or more, the price is $16.95. In addition, they are giving Crew blog readers a $5.00 discount when you enter the code: TOSBLOG5 at checkout.

Product Overview: Master the SAT

2009-09-09T09:15:00.001-07:00

Some of you may be wondering why I am writing about an SAT prep class. “Surely she’s not that pushy. I mean really, Nathanael is only 10. He may be smart, but the SAT already?” Well, no, I’m not going to push him to take THE TEST until he’s closer to college. No, I’m reviewing this because a.) I’ve agreed to review what gets sent my way through the Homeschool Crew and b.) because in my spare time (ha!) I teach writing classes to high school students. And many of the parents I work with ask me to provide help in preparing for the SAT (or ACT if you live in the Midwest).

This first review is simply to get acquainted with the product. I’ve looked over it briefly. So far, my only concern is that there is no schedule for timing the lessons, so I don’t know how to plan the time I’ll be meeting with the students.

According to their website, College Prep Genius “gives the solution to finding scholarships and paying for college through an exclusive program designed to increase standardized test scores. With our help you can:

Go to college for FREE!
Raise your SAT score as much as 600 points!
Get accepted to the college of your choice!”

All of those sound really good to me, especially with four kids and a single income.

It’s been 20 years (ouch!) since I took both the SAT and ACT tests as a homeschooled student. I was an excellent student, and I loved “fill in the bubble” tests. I’m sure I did some kind of test prep with one of those books you can buy, but I don’t remember. I did well enough to get accepted into all my college choices, but didn’t get any scholarships. Since I don’t have any college bound students at the moment, I’m going to work with a few borrowed students and see how they do with the course.

According to the materials I’ve received, “Master the SAT Class” is a thorough investigation of the SAT and PSAT including an extensive review of all three test sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Below are a few of the important concepts that will be covered in this class, but students will learn so much more!

CRITICAL READING:

How to cut your Critical Reading time in half
The three main question types in all the passages
The most common mistake people make on the Dual Reading Passage
How not to be fooled by certain questions
How to eliminate wrong answer choices
Which words in the answer choice are paramount to circle
The four recurring tricks hidden in the answer choices
The vocabulary trick most people fall for
The secret to answering the Short Reading Passage
The place to look for the main idea in the Short Passage-it’s always the same
How to take advantage of the semi-colon or colon clues in the Sentence Completion section
How to answer the double blank questions quickly
When to ignore the first blank

MATH SECTION:

How to rarely use your calculator
How to answer the problems the short way
What to do with unknown variables
The hidden math pattern that screams “this is the answer”
How wrong answers point you to right answer
How to eliminate 2-3 answers right off the bat
Why the order of the answers is so important
Three easy geometry rhymes to help your remember formulas
The fastest way to answer a fraction question
How to dismantle a scary problem

WRITING SECTION:

How to write a great essay in 15 minutes
What are the essay judges looking for
The four C’s and four S’s of a great essay
Types of essay topics that might appear
The biggest key to an amazing essay
The timing mistake to avoid
How to make the best use of all the lines provided
Recurring patterns and mistakes on the Sentence Error section
The key to finding the Improving Sentence answer quickly
Answering Improving Paragraph questions in shorter time

After taking this class students will know what to expect on the SAT and PSAT. On test day there should be no surprises!

The creator of this course, Jean Burk, has been featured on news programs and articles nationwide. You can access some of her free articles here.

Check back later for a detailed review of this course…