Our Homeschool Reviews

Thrifty Thursday

2012-02-02T08:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Thrifty Thursday! Below are the deals for today. If you find something I've missed, please leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day
Rolf and the Viking's Bow
Unit Studies Galore

Freely Educate
Free Quilting Course

CurrClick Freebie
Superbowl Mini Helper

Art Projects for Kids
Valentine LOVE Card

Free Homeschool Lessons at Kahn Academy
Kahn Academy has over 2,000 educational videos on subject from math to history. ALL FREE! And if you use Singapore Math, you will be excited to learn that they are starting with Grade 3a, Unit 1 and will (eventually) do all of the lectures in the Singapore Math curriculum!! Just scroll down to "S".

My Memories Suite Deal
Use code STMMMS99585 to get $10 off the purchase of the software AND a $10 coupon for the My Memories Store (a $20 value)! Also get a FREE Digital Kit!!

FREE Sample Roundup
For anything I missed, you can get your FREE sample roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!

Mr. Chewy Review

2012-02-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

If you have read my blog for any amount of time you probably know that we have an adorable Miniature Schnauzer named Maisy. We got Maisy when she was only 8 weeks old and Funny Bunny was around a year and a half. Maisy is most definitely a member of the family and we try to take her wherever we go.

Look at that adorable face!!

We have always spoiled Maisy with fun toys and treats, and we buy those, along with her food, at a nearby pet store. Recently though, I was given the opportunity to shop online at Mr. Chewy. If you have never heard of Mr. Chewy, they deliver pet happiness by conveniently shipping 70+ brands of pet food and stuff (for free!) while ensuring at-risk animals' lives are improved across the planet.

What's even better is, that instead of having to drive to the store every couple of weeks, Mr.Chewy makes setting up a delivery schedule simple. You set the time frame and quantities. You can pause, cancel, or change any part of your schedule and there's no charge to set up your schedule and they never charge a membership fee.

Most customers receive their orders within 3-5 days of placing them and if you order $49 or more, you get free 1-2 day shipping.

We buy Eukanuba brand dog food and I was happy to see that they carried a large selection of it. I purchased two bags of food and a couple bags of treats. The price for the 20lb bag was about the same price of the smaller bag I normally buy locally, so it was a much better deal!

My package arrived by Fed-Ex exactly 24-hours from the time I placed my order. I was amazed at how quickly it got there.

Find Out More: You can find out more online at Mr. Chewy and on Facebook. They also have a great donation program! If you order from MrChewy.com using my code CTHE2475, you'll get 10% off your first order, plus they'll donate $10 to one of three amazing animal charities listed on their site! It's a win-win!

And I love their return policy: Mr. Chewy wants you to be delighted, enchanted, blown away, jubilant, thrilled, ecstatic, tickled pink, euphoric, overjoyed, pleasantly surprised, elated, flying high, excited, and definitely over the moon about your experience with us. Mr. Chewy's policy is simple. If you're not 100% totally, completely, and unconditionally satisfied for any reason whatsoever, return it! We'll happily accept packages within 365 days of the sale date and we'll give you a complete refund. Oh ya, we'll also pay for the return shipping. All we ask is that the product is not used or expired, is in the same condition you received it and is in the original box and/or packaging.

Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Spring Catalog

2012-02-01T02:00:00.008-05:00

New Spring Catalog Starts Today!!

http://www.mythirtyone.com/103425/

P90X Week 5

2012-01-31T10:10:00.001-05:00

Today is our 5th week {day 30} of P90X!! I seriously can't believe that we have made it this far! Below are some of my highlights.

* Total of 3lbs lost
* 1/2 inch to 2 inches lost from each area
* Can fit better in my clothes
* Feel better

Here's what I need to work on

* Eat more protein, less starchy carbs, and less fat

Overall I think we have done well. We have only missed a couple workouts, and for the most part our eating is good. We need to add more protein to our meals and reduce the fat intake a little. After looking at our meals, we adjusted three of our dinners this week.

Dinner 1: We added shrimp to our spaghetti for protein
Dinner 2: Pork chops and sweet potato instead of burgers
Dinner 3: Tofu stir fry instead of steak stir fry

Last week was a "recovery week" in our workouts. We focused on stretching, yoga, and core. I'm not sure how much we actually "recovered" because these workouts were just as hard. Working our core was especially hard...and between that and the yoga, I have bruised something in my middle back. At least it feels like a bruise, to the left of the middle part of my spine. Hoping it will fade over time.

This week we are back to lifting weights and cardio. Yesterday we completed a new workout which included...um... one-arm push ups...lol! Yeah, that didn't quite happen for me. ;) It was HARD and we are both back to being very sore...but it's a good sore.

I'll post another update in two weeks so I hope you will join me. If you are working on getting fit, I would love to hear about what you are doing.

Thrifty Thursday

2012-01-26T08:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Thrifty Thursday! Below are the deals for today. If you find something I've missed, please leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day
The American Boy's Book of Bugs, Butterflies, and Beetles
How to Study Nature in Elementary Schools
John James Audubon: The Bird Artist Audio

CurrClick Freebie
Olaf Tryggvason Biography Workbook (12 and up)

Art Projects for Kids
How to Draw a Rose

Hodgepodge
Chickadee: A Chalk Pastels Tutorial

TOS: Favorite Apps
Visit Homeschool Crew Blogs to find their favorite apps!

Joann's
Use code gpa28 to get free shipping on any purchase.

My Memories Suite Deal
Use code STMMMS99585 to get $10 off the purchase of the software AND a $10 coupon for the My Memories Store (a $20 value)! Also get a FREE Digital Kit!!

FREE Sample Roundup
For anything I missed, you can get your FREE sample roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!

101 Bible Adventures Book Review

2012-01-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

101 Bible Adventures offers kids a high-energy, adventure-filled approach to reading, interacting with, and learning life lessons from the Scriptures. It takes 101 favorite adventure-filled stories from the New Living Translation and puts them into one amazing book. Each Bible story has a brief overview so kids can get a bird's-eye view of the story, a key verse that sums up its meaning, and a Read and Learn application section that challenges kids to make their faith active. 101 Bible Adventures gives kids a great way to explore the Scriptures while highlighting concepts such as building good character; the importance of having good role models; and themes such as forgiveness, love, and God's wonderful plan for our lives.

My Thoughts: This book is great if you would like to focus on a particular story from the Bible {you have 101 to choose from}. The stories are in the New Living Translation so they are easy for children to read and understand. In addition to a brief overview and key verse, each story also has a cute cartoon to go along with it, which is one of the things that Funny Bunny enjoyed the most. I especially like that there is an box at the end of each story so the children can apply what they learned.

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old: What I like best about 101 Bible Adventures are the silly pictures and captions.

Find Out More: 101 Bible Adventures is set to release in February 2012. You can find out more information at Tyndale House Publishers. The prices is listed as $12.99 and is for ages 7 and up.

Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Matthew 3:16-17

2012-01-25T08:39:00.000-05:00

How to Fit "The Arts" in School

2012-01-24T17:26:00.001-05:00

Susan at Homeschooling Hearts and Minds is hosting a Virtual Curriculum Fair for January. Each Monday a new theme will be introduced that concentrates on a field of study.

Jan 2 - Playing with Words: the Language Arts
Jan 9 - Discovering Patterns: Math, Logic, and Science
Jan 16 - Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science
Jan 23 - Seeking Beauty: the Arts
Jan 30 - The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together

Our Homeschool Reviews will be one of the many blogs participating {about 30 all together}!! Although I am a day late, I'm still going to be joining in and today I'll be talking about Art!

Sometimes I find it very hard to incorporate The Arts into our homeschool day. There are so many other things that HAVE to get accomplished, anything extra just gets brushed to the side.

Art

Funny Bunny LOVES to draw, so I pretty much let her draw whenever she wants to. I don't correct anything that she draws and I always praise her work. We have, however, used a few programs and/or books that teaching drawing.

Artistic Pursuits is a program we are currently using. I have written a review on it that you can read more about here. Students learn technical skills while creating original works of art. Book One at each level provides an overview of drawing, covering the elements of art and composition and Book Two provides an overview of color theory and composition.

We also use the Draw and Write Through History and Draw Write Now books.

Funny Bunny likes how these show the process of how to draw things, but she doesn't neccesarily like to go step by step. We have several.

Dance

Well, we have this one covered with ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical each week.

Music

Funny Bunny has been taking piano lessons for two years now. She's been working in Alfred's Basic All-in-One Course books. She started with Book 1 and is about halfway through Book 5.

We bought a used electric piano about a year ago and she loves to practice each day, without me having to make her.

Poetry

Poetry is included with our Heart of Dakota curriculum. She learns a new poem each week that goes along with the history topic that week.

Homemaking

Funny Bunny is taking a Jr. Homemaker's class where she has learned beginning crochet, sewing, baking, and now cake decorating.

** All participants in this Virtual Curriculum Fair will be posted below as they link up!! **

Memory Making by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic
Learning Art at Our House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
history, up close by Jennifer @ a glimpse of our life
Fitting in the Arts When Homeschooling by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World
Appreciating the Arts by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family
Beauty in Homeschooling? by Cindy @ For One Another
Heart of Dakota- The Fine Details- Part 4 Poetry & Bible by Lynn @ Ladybug
The Art of Art by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
The Beauty of the Arts - Where Does It Fit? by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Learning and Art Library by Angie @ Petra School
Seeking Beauty: The Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World by Christa
How to Fit "The Arts" in School by Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews

Favorite Educational Apps

2012-01-23T11:44:00.000-05:00

I received an iPad from hubby over a year ago as a gift, but quickly realized I would be the one person in the house to use it the least.

Of course, Funny Bunny uses it the most, playing the many apps we have downloaded for her.

So what are some of our favorites?

Stack the States
As cheap as I am, I did fork over the $0.99 to purchase this one. Funny Bunny loves it and has learned all her states and where they are located by playing this fun game.

Stack the Countries
She is still using the trial version, but since she mastered the states, she enjoys playing this one. I may buy her the full version as a surprise. ;)

GoSkyWatch Planetarium
Fun to take outside at night, lay on the ground, hold it up, and have it point out what you are looking at

Tangram
Great puzzles

Flashnote Derby
I reviewed this one here. Good practice for those learning their music notes.

Doodle Buddy and Whiteboard
Two of Funny Bunny's favorite drawing apps

Mathomatix
Cute geometry games for ages 4 and up

BrainPOP Featured Movie
They play a new educational movie each day. We both love BrainPOP!!

I could seriously be here all day listing all the apps we enjoy and I can't wait to read the posts from the other blogs participating to get some more ideas!

Menu Plan Monday - Jan 23

2012-01-23T10:36:00.000-05:00

I haven't participated in a Menu Plan Monday for a few months now, so thought I would join in today and list our meals for the week. We are trying to eat protein at each meal, so you will see a lot of meat this week. :)

Monday - Burgers in the broiler with a vegetable side. I just add a little salt and pepper to some lean ground beef patties. Funny Bunny especially likes them!

Tuesday - Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

Wednesday - ??

Thursday - Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

Friday - Pasta and Rolls

Saturday - ??

Sunday - Vegetable and Bean Soup

What recipes do you have for the week? For more recipes or to link up, click the picture at the top.

miscellany monday

2012-01-23T09:20:00.001-05:00

~one~

since friday the weather has been beautiful! funny bunny and I worked in the garden picking weeds and watering and trimming plants. maisy enjoyed the sun.

~two~

today funny bunny has her jr. homemaker's class and they will be learning how to ice a cake. fun!!!

~three~

this week is busy with doctor and dentist appointments. blahh!

~four~

one thing for funny bunny to look forward to this weekend is going to birthday parties for two of her friends! she is very excited!

~five~

a verse that is speaking to me a lot the past couple weeks:

luke 12:22-34

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Frugal Friday

2012-01-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

I was out of the house all day yesterday so I didn't get to post any Thrifty Thursday deals but I've seen some great things today that I want to pass along.

Homeschool Freebie of the Day ~ Several Audio Dramatizations
Little Women
One of the 28th by G.A. Henty
David Copperfield
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

CurrClick Freebie
Winter Matching Cards

Freely Educate
Free Children's Library
Free Spelling Words Curriculum

Art Projects for Kids
Falling Away Drawing

15 {Free} Online Science Resources
Posted at Heart of the Matter

FREE Valentine's Day Card {TODAY ONLY}
Get a FREE Valentine’s Day Card from Tiny Prints

FREE Barista Prima K Cup Sample
Like them on Facebook for your Free sample

FREE Sample Roundup
For anything I missed, you can get your FREE sample roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!

Weekly Wrap-Up: Third Grade #17

2012-01-20T12:58:00.001-05:00

This week we finished Unit 18 ~ Robert Fulton and the First Steamboat in our Heart of Dakota book, Bigger Hearts for His Glory.

Reading

We are still reading the same three books, and although Funny Bunny is only supposed to only read a chapter a day in Toliver's Secret, she loved it so much she finished it today. I think we have a book about Daniel Boone that I may slip in for next week since she finished early. :)

Read Aloud: Concord Cunningham: The Scripture Sleuth
Independent: Toliver's Secret
Science: One Small Square: Woods

Science

Learning about how plants and funguses grow differently and have different purposes, as does everything in the woods.

Dance / Piano

Funny Bunny is still taking four dance classes a week, along with 30 minutes of piano. She is enjoying them all {although ballet is not her favorite anymore because they have to stretch so much...it's almost like actual work...lol!}

She has a piano recital in two weeks that she is excited about. Her and her teacher will be playing two songs together. I have only heard them play together through a closed door, so I am really looking forward to the recital!

Community Bible Study

We are still participating in CBS each week and studying Luke. The women in the program are great, especially the teachers, and the children in the classes so sweet! They all get together so nicely and I love to see them grow together, both in friendships and in Christ.

{She loves drawing pictures for each lesson}

Nature

We found this little guy {or gal} on the inside of our screen today. Funny Bunny saved him and placed him on one of our trees. The weather here has been changing daily, some days have been close to freezing and others, like today, have been gorgeous. The high today is in the low 70's and we are enjoying it with the windows open.

So how was your week? Thanks for joining Our Homeschool Reviews and for more Weekly Wrap-Up, this week I am linked up with Kris over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Wordless Wednesday: P90X

2012-01-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

You can read my post about our new workout here.

P90X

2012-01-17T10:23:00.001-05:00

I had mentioned a couple weeks ago that hubby got us something for Christmas to help us keep our New Year Resolution of getting fit. I had gone back and forth on what I wanted for Christmas. At first I wanted a Ninja Kitchen System...you know, the blender that does everything?! But after thinking a while, I changed my mind. Then one afternoon I was walking by the TV and the P90X infomercial was running. "That's what I want!!!"

So Christmas came and went and I finally opened up the package, read the two books inside {the Fitness Guide and Nutrition Guide}, and was a little worried...lol! I started with the Fit Test. Below is a list of things I should be able to do {as a female} before I start the program {hold your laughter until the end}.

1. 1 pull-up - I have NEVER been able to do a pull-up :(

2. 3-in vertical leap - Yes, I can do this :)

3. 3 push ups {or 15 on my knees} - 15 on my knees, yes! :)

4. Come within 6 in of touching my toes - I'm pretty close :)

5. Hold a wall squat for at least 1 min - Really? That hurts!! :(

6. At least 10 curls with 8 lbs - Good to go! :)

7. At least 25 in & outs - What's an in & out?? :(

8. 2 mins of jumping jacks - Hellooo, I've given birth people!! :(

Ok, so half is good, right??!! Well, apparently not because the manual is now telling me that if I can't complete these items, maybe I should try one of their easier programs...hahahaha! Really, we didn't just pay all this $$$ to buy something else.

So, against our better judgement, hubby and I set out to start the program on Monday, January 2nd. The only time we can work out together is from 7-8pm. We get started with Funny Bunny ~~distracting us~~ cheering us on in the background.

The WHOLE first dvd is PULL-UPS and PUSH-UPS!!!! Akkk! And each of the 12 dvds is about an HOUR long! Well, I still didn't do any pull-ups...we have a pull-down bar that I used instead {yeah, I'm cheating}. I could also used bands but we don't have any. But, we did finish the dvd. :)

We continued with a different dvd each day that week...and the soreness ensued. Tue = super sore, Wed = couldn't walk at all, Thur = less sore, etc.

I'm happy to say that we are now over 2 weeks into the program and we are both enjoying it. I still have soreness somewhere on my body each day but it is a "good" sore {I can still walk, at least}. We are both feeling better and have lost some weight. Of course hubby lost 10 lbs after 5 minutes of working out, but I have lost about 1 1/2 lbs in two weeks, along with 1/4 inch here and there.

Now, the question is, will we be "ripped" after 90 days?? Well, I'll keep you posted...only 75 more to go. ;)

We Choose Virtues Review

2012-01-16T10:51:00.002-05:00

Isn't that a great name? We continually work on virtues in our home, and have for many years. We talk about right from wrong and look up Bible verses that correspond. It can be very hard work! For us, Funny Bunny has known the rules and the right things to do for many years, she just has a hard time consistently following some of them. Some are easy for her, but then others are quite challenging.

We Choose Virtues was created by Heather McMillan, out of her love for children and her desire to see them reach their personal potential. As a preschool teacher and a children’s pastor, it concerned her how often she came across children whose lack of self control, honesty and perseverance was almost debilitating. How could they succeed in life without the skills that come from good character?

We Choose Virtues offers a great assortment of products and we were lucky enough to get one of their brand new products called Virtue Clue Cards.

Included in a plastic carrying pouch with a velcro button closure, are 13 brightly decorated cards. These cards are the perfect size to fit in a purse and take with you wherever you go. They feature The Virtue Kids, their names, the Virtue catchphrase and antonyms, and on the back a "You can do it" challenge.

The virtues included are: Attentive, Content, Gentle, Obedient, Diligent, Forgiving, Honest, Kind, Helpful, Patient, Perseverant, and Self-Controlled.

In addition to the cards, we also received the Family Character Assessment and Kids Memory Verses, Bible Heroes, and Truths, which are both FREE on their website...so make sure you go and check those out!!

We also received the Kids of VirtueVille Coloring Book and Teacher's Handbook, which are both available on their site for purchase as downloads.

The Handbook is especially helpful in implementing the We Choose Virtues products, and includes 4 Simple Steps for Teaching Virtues and 9 Inspiring Tools for Teaching Virtues.

Although we only received the Virtue Clue Cards, We Choose Virtues has complete kits for the classroom, family, homeschool, and church. The products we received, as well as many others, are geared toward early elementary, but they do have products for teens as well.

If you are having trouble picking the right product for your family, the Product Comparison Chart is helpful!

My Thoughts: I think these cards are a great tool to use for young children. They are colorful and bright, the children featured on each card are cute, and they sayings are catchy. Since only one virtue is featured per card, it is easy to work on one card a week or month. Funny Bunny will be turning 9 in May, so I wasn't sure what she was going to think when I showed them to her. I was pleasantly surprised. She enjoyed trying to guess each child's name before turning it over to see what it was. I think she is at the age where she thinks they are kinda silly, but in a fun way. We will be using them...working on the "Obedient" card first! ;)

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old: I like Virtue Cards because they are silly. They also rhyme - Perseverant, Penny Jenny. Fun pictures come with each card, like Penny Jenny. The card pictures give clues of the name, like Penny Jenny holds a penny! Right now we're working on Obedient. Oboe Joe knows I can do it!

Find Out More: You can find out more at We Choose Virtues and on their Facebook page. The Virtue Clue Cards we received are only $5.99 (down from $7.95). Now through the end of February, the 100 Days of Virtue Poster and Stickers will be included FREE with any Homeschool Kit purchase. The following coupon codes are also available {only one at a time can be used}: VIRTUE15 for 15 % off your total purchase and SHIPFREE for free worldwide shipping.

My Crewmates are also reviewing We Choose Virtues, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Weekly Wrap-Up: Third Grade #16

2012-01-13T13:10:00.000-05:00

This week we finished Unit 17 ~ Daniel Boone Heads West started Unit 18 ~ Robert Fulton and the First Steamboat in our Heart of Dakota book, Bigger Hearts for His Glory.

History

We have been reading about Daniel Boone and how he and his family and friends moved west to settle Kentucky. He loved the wilderness and had many close calls with the Indians.

Daniel Boone swinging on a grapevine to break up his tracks

Daniel Boone's daughter getting captured

Reading

Read Aloud: Concord Cunningham: The Scripture Sleuth
Independent: Toliver's Secret
Science: One Small Square: Woods

Writing

We started Student Writing Intensive (SWI) A from the Institute for Excellence in Writing last week. Funny Bunny finished the first lesson today...so far so good!

Lesson One includes watching part of the first dvd where Andrew Pudewa teaches the lesson. He is teaching a live class of children and it is very interactive and fun to watch. (Funny Bunny liked it so much that she wanted to watch it again the next day) Topics include Key Word Outlines and Summarizing from Notes and she completed both on stories about the Desert Tarantula and Pillbug.

Next week the same topics will be continued on three new stories about Starfish, Oysters, and Pearls.

Good with some errors {but I'm not making a fuss over them}

So how was your week? Thanks for joining Our Homeschool Reviews and for more Weekly Wrap-Up, this week I am linked up with Kris over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Thrifty Thursday

2012-01-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

I'm back with Thrifty Thursday!! Below are the deals for today. If you find something I've missed, please leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day
Vintage Country Project Plans
25 Ways to Save Money Without Coupons

CurrClick Freebie
Place Value with Three-Digit Numbers

Freely Educate
Free Homeschool Printables and Planners

Art Projects for Kids
How to Draw a Rooster

Restaurant.com: 80% Off Save 80% at Restaurant.com using code DINNER at checkout. This makes a $25 gift card only $2! Ends 1/16

FREE Sample Roundup
For anything I missed, you can get your FREE sample roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!

Wordless Wednesday: The Last Cup

2012-01-11T09:42:00.000-05:00

My last Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice cup :(

The Kitchen Pantry

2012-01-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

I've been cleaning and purging since I took the Christmas decorations down almost two weeks ago. Yesterday we went grocery shopping and when I got home to put things away, the kitchen pantry and I had it out! He put up a tough fight...but I won!!

Top: Coffee and Tea / Bottom: Pasta, Rice, etc

Top: Baking / Middle: Orderly Cans / Bottom: Cereal and Snacks

Top: Glass in the bin / Bottom: Breads

Can you tell we are eating healthy? All junk food was either thrown away or {more likely} eaten like crazy on Jan 1. What are you tackling this week?

Math in Our Homeschool

2012-01-09T16:42:00.001-05:00

Susan at Homeschooling Hearts and Minds is hosting a Virtual Curriculum Fair for January. Each Monday a new theme will be introduced that concentrates on a field of study.

Jan 2 - Playing with Words: the Language Arts
Jan 9 - Discovering Patterns: Math, Logic, and Science
Jan 16 - Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science
Jan 23 - Seeking Beauty: the Arts
Jan 30 - The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together

Our Homeschool Reviews will be one of the many blogs participating {about 30 all together}!! Today I'll be talking about Math!

Funny Bunny's 3rd Grade Math at a glance:
Rightstart Math D
Evan Moor Daily Word Problems 3
Life of Fred

Funny Bunny has struggled on and off with math for several years now. Some moments are happy and things are easy but we have had many, many frustrating days! My one word of advice with dealing with math and a struggling child is PATIENCE! I went way too fast through 2nd grade math and there were many tears. If I would have just slowed down I think things would have gone a lot better. I almost switched curriculums altogether, but decided to give Rightstart one more try.

We have been using Rightstart Math since PreK. I wanted something different from the math I learned in school. Rightstart is not for everyone though. We like it but it is very teacher intensive, so if you have several children on different levels, it may not work for you. On the other hand, if your child enjoys games and manipulatives, it may be the perfect thing! Funny Bunny is working in Level D right now, and I have slowed down the pace, so she will take a year and a half to complete this book. Below is a sample page.

Last year I reviewed Even Moor's Daily Word Problems 2 and we loved it so this year I bought level 3!! Just one word problem a day, that is it!! It is simple but makes them think. I would highly recommend these workbooks.

Lastly we use Life of Fred. And, oh my word, we LOVE Life of Fred!! I don't really know how to explain these books, other than saying they are about the life of a boy named Fred and his adventures. They recently came out with an elementary series, which is what we are reading through. I don't know if the series is as funny as the books get harder, but we are enjoying them now. You can find all the information you ever wanted to know here. We started at the beginning with Apples and are now reading through Butterflies. They are below Funny Bunny's level in math right now, but I wanted her to enjoy them so she will want to continue. We just use them as a supplement, but I am told they could be used as a full math curriculum. And your child will learn so much more than just math!! Below is a sample.

So that is what has worked for us in Math so far! Thanks for visiting!!

** All participants in this Virtual Curriculum Fair will be posted below as they link up!! **

Math Lapbooks---Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 2 Angie Wright @ Petra School
Virtual Curriculum Fair Week Two: Discover Patterns, Mathematics, Logic and Some Science by Leah @ The Courtney Six Homeschool
Our Choices For Math by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool
A Magnificent Math Manipulative by Letha Paulk @ justpitchingmytent
Our Math Choices - Virtual Curriculum Fair by Tristan @ Our Busy Homeschool
Math Literature?!?! by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic
Learning Math at My House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
Math Using Hamburger Paper by Debbie @ Debbie's Digest
Math Facts or Fun? Why Not Both! by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings
Heart of Dakota- The Fine Details- Part 2 Science by Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles
Learning Math Block by Block by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World
Plugging Along with Math by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family
What's Working and What's Not: Math Edition by Leann @ Montessori Tidbits
Math Anyone? by Cindy @ For One Another
Ahh, Math. by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
Flying Without a Parachute: Math with no Curriculum by Pam @ Everyday Snapshots

miscellany monday

2012-01-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

~one~

wow, it's been since wed since i posted...sorry about that. things got a little busy toward the end of the week.

~two~

funny bunny had her first american girl book club meeting of the new year on friday. they started the josephina series and had to read books 1 and 2. there were 20 girls in attendance and they sat in a circle for about 30 minutes and chatted so nicely with each other about the books. then they made little bowls out of air dry clay. ours is just about ready to paint. and if i could find my camera card, i would take a picture and post it.

~three~

i went to thirty-one's spring product premier on saturday morning. they were held at movie theaters across the country. it was an interesting and exciting experience to be with other thirty-one ladies, watching the new patterns and products revealed. more to come later...

~four~

funny bunny had a stuffy nose at the beginning of last week, and although she had been clear for a couple days, hubby and i woke up on saturday with it. :( It's only a stuffy nose for both of us...hoping today is the last of it.

~five~

still am not telling what hubby got for us for christmas to keep our new year resolution to get fit. i am giving it one more week to try before i let the cat out of the bag. ;)

Z-Guides to the Movies Review

2012-01-04T16:36:00.001-05:00

We are studying American History this year and right before Christmas break we ended our study with the American Revolution. We have incorporated several things into our study which have added tremendous value, like taking a family vacation to Williamsburg and reading the entire Felicity series.

Then I found out we would have a chance to review a Z-Guide to the Movies from Zeezok Publishing. ZeeZok has been providing materials for the homeschooling community since 1993 and recently added Z-Guides. These movie guides are a great way to incorporate media into any curriculum.

They have dozens of guides available, each falling within a specific time in history. Of course my choice was simple, I had to pick something from the American Revolution! Their website has a great Z-Guide Timeline so it was easy to find what I was looking for.

Up popped the Z-Guide for Johnny Tremain. I have to admit, I had never heard of Johnny Tremain, but thankfully their website has a good description of the movie, and even a short clip. I thought it would be perfect.

And on a side note, almost all their movies can be found on Netflix or at your local library. {We don't have Netflix so I was happy that our library had a copy}.

So what is a Z-Guide? Well, all of the guides contain ten educational activities that build upon the movie. Each guide starts out with a Topic Overview and Movie Synopsis. The first activity is always review questions and the next several activities all build around the historical time of the movie. There are also hands-on activities like crosswords and coloring pages.

ZeeZok recommends students complete two activities per day, taking a week to complete. Z-Guides are meant to supplement your current history curriculum and not intended to replace your core curriculum for history.

My Thoughts: I think these Z-Guides are wonderful! We watched the movie as a family and Funny Bunny enjoyed it. The review questions in the first activity are supposed to be completed while watching the movie, but she did not want to do that, so she answered them afterward. This particular guide is for Middle School, so she did not complete everything, but answered the simpler questions and enjoyed the hands-on activities. After seeing this guide, I would say that if you several children, buy the guide to fit the needs of the oldest and have the younger children do what you see fit.

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old: I liked the movie, but I would rather watch it without doing the questions at the same time. The guide has crosswords and things like that. The questions were fun to answer.

Find Out More: You can find out more about Z-Guides at ZeeZok Publishing. Z-Guides sell individually for $12.99 and $49.99 for a co-op or classroom. You can purchase the movies through their site as well. Here you can see a sample guide. Guides are available as an e-book download or shipped on a CD.

My Crewmates are also reviewing ZeeZok, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Wordless Wednesday: Disney Fairies

2012-01-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

Teaching the Distracted Child

2012-01-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

Do you have a child that is easily distracted? A while back I wrote an article touching on this subject and you can now listen to a recording of the highlights of my article on Homeschooling with Heart. Enjoy!!