I’ve been grumbling about not being able to find a simple, straight-forward, just-the-basics Geography curriculum for my rising 6th and 8th graders, so I was excited to receive Geography I from Memoria Press to review. Mind you, I wasn’t wanting an in-depth study of the culture and history of every nation in the world; perhaps my ideal would be better described as a briefing, giving them a baseline from which to understand current events and historical references.

Given my goals, I’m totally pleased. Let . . . → Read More: Geography from Memoria Press (review)]]>

I’ve been grumbling about not being able to find a simple, straight-forward, just-the-basics Geography curriculum for my rising 6th and 8th graders, so I was excited to receive Geography I from Memoria Press to review. Mind you, I wasn’t wanting an in-depth study of the culture and history of every nation in the world; perhaps my ideal would be better described as a briefing, giving them a baseline from which to understand current events and historical references.

Given my goals, I’m totally pleased. Let me explain.

The entire Geography I set includes five books for $48. (Materials may be individually purchased, especially helpful for multiple students and the consumable workbooks.) The primary part of the Geography curriculum includes three: a student text, a student workbook, and a teacher’s guide. The other two books focus on the United States (a student workbook and a teacher’s key with quizzes and tests), and are intended as review for those who have either completed Memoria Press’ States and Capitols curriculum or another program previously – more on those in a moment.

Even though Geography I is listed as being part of “4th grade curriculum” on Memoria Press’ website, with a range of grades 4-6, I’m comfortable saying that it will work for a broader spectrum of students than suggested, especially if the goal is to familiarize the student with many countries from around the world in a short-timeframe (of  year or two). The text isn’t too simplistic or “young” for older students – instead, it’s short and sweet and quick.

Geography one covers the areas of the world that were once a part of the Ancient Roman empire, including Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. (The remaining areas of the world are left for Geography II.) Each lesson is comprised of a short reading in the text, followed by relevant workbook questions and mapping.

The student text includes:

• a summary of both historical information and modern events,
• a sidebar listing basic facts,
• the country’s flag,
• a small map showing the country’s location among nearby countries,
• a large map with local details,
• and, for most lessons, a couple of relevant photos. (These are also available to view in color, linked from the Geography I page.)

Memoria Press recommends doing 2-3 lessons per week. During a lesson, the student will read the text (either independently or with the teacher0, then complete the worksheet and mapping in the workbook. Each worksheet includes space for the current and ancient name of the country, the capitol, interesting facts about the country, practice spelling the names of the country and its capitol, plus a map with room for the country’s name, capitol, and relevant landmarks. It’s also suggested that the country’s borders be discussed, whether they are natural (rivers, etc) or man-made.

Each section of the book (Europe, North Africa, Middle East) has its own introduction, set up similar to the country’s, with an introduction in the student text, and mapping pages in the workbook, though the only information from text that the student is expected to reproduce in the workbook are the names of the countries in that region.

The teacher’s guide is primarily an answer key and quiz/test bank, with a few teaching suggestions in the introduction. It makes for extremely quick and easy grading. Samples of the text, workbook, and table of contents are available here.

As I said, I’d be back the The United States portion of the curriculum, and here it is: The United States review workbook does not introduce any new information whatsoever. (I imagine that is in the States & Capitols book.) It is primarily for review of mapping the states and their locations, and as such, is an excellent resource – but you wouldn’t necessarily want to use this if your students had not previously had some instruction on the states, their relevant locations, and their capitol cities.

We’ve been using Geography I as suggested during the review period, 2-3 times a week, but since we haven’t done a state-by-state study in years, I’ve decided that we’re going to get the States & Capitols materials, and interpose the state lessons this year among the world geography, followed by using The United States texts along with Geography II next year.

Another option for a family that would prefer to start with States & Capitals would be to use it first during a year, followed by however much of Geography I that there was time available for, and then work through the United States review book during the following year, as we will, along with Geography II. (We’re going to mix the two, since we’ve already started Geography I, but if I’d planned it out ahead of time, I’d go with the States & Capitols first.)

The kids have enjoyed it – it’s relatively simple and quick to do – the hard part is the memorization. We’ve been discussing the value of backing up and Chris and Chey using large index cards to make “country cards” for reference. For my part, I love that it’s quick and easy to grade, and it’s easy for slightly older students to use independently, so there’s no additional strain on my time.

Are you looking for Latin? Schoolhouse Review Crew members also reviewed Prima Latina:

Prima Latina from Memoria Press is an introduction to Christian Latin. Designed for early elementary, approximately grades 2-4, Prima Latina was crafted so that students could progress directly from Prima Latina into Latina Christiana (grades 3+) without missing any essential vocabulary or concepts. It includes audio, video, text and flashcard materials.

Click below for more info about Prima Latin or Geography from Memoria Press!

My daughter dear is still in bird-freak mode, so you can imagine her excitement when the game Wild Cards: Backyard Birds arrived from Birdcage Press. She’d been waiting impatiently for them to arrive, pestering me on a daily basis… “Are they here yet?!?”

It was a relief to finally be able to say, yes, yes they are… until she opened the package, squealed, and promptly scurried off with them!

I reminded her that she *did* need to share them, . . . → Read More: Birdcage Press: Backyard Birds Game (review)]]>

My daughter dear is still in bird-freak mode, so you can imagine her excitement when the game Wild Cards: Backyard Birds arrived from Birdcage Press. She’d been waiting impatiently for them to arrive, pestering me on a daily basis… “Are they here yet?!?”

It was a relief to finally be able to say, yes, yes they are… until she opened the package, squealed, and promptly scurried off with them!

I reminded her that she *did* need to share them, at least until we’d played the games ample times for the review, and she reluctantly handed them over – after examining every single card in excruciating detail.

Despite her love of this game, Chey wasn’t available for modeling when I needed it. Instead, her brother Chris hammed it up while we played a few games. Above, he’s reading through the vibrantly-colored fact book. A sturdy little softcover volume, it stores just inside the front cover of the box. The box is unique, for a card box. Think typical card box, with fold-in ends – and then add a little folder-style pocket on the front, just the right size for stashing the book when you’re not reading it. (Great way to keep the book and the cards together – I *really* like this storage setup!)

Chey, Chris, their cousin Jazmin and I have had quite a bit of fun playing the various games that rules are provided for. They’re the old favorites, with a little bit of a “twist” to keep things interesting…

I think our favorite saying we discovered was when telling people to GO FISH. (To start with, we had this lively little discussion about whether it should be GO FISH or GO BIRD, and eventually settled on ‘Go Fish… for BIRDS”… at least when we weren’t suggesting random things, like Go Fly Fishing, Go Tie Flies, and other assorted, but marginally relevant, nonsense. (Somewhere in here, Cheyenne mentioned that there ought to be an insect one, so we could say “Go Bug!” and there is one, here – Wild Cards: Bugs.)

To explain the differences from the standard games, I need to tell you a little about the card set-up. There are 36 cards, and these are separated into 6 groups, marked with the numbers 1-6, which each have their own color and type-of-bird (Songbirds, Hummers, Woodpeckers, Waterbirds, Little Chirpers, and Tricksters – this classification system makes more sense to me than the real scientific system!) Each set has six cards, with three birds – two of the same bird in each set, with identical photos, but different text. Also, the other two birds in that set are listed at the bottom of each card.

Go Fish deviates the most from the traditional game. Six cards are dealt to each player, with the remaining cards placed face down in a pile, and turns are taken, in order, asking other players for cards. The asker determines who to ask, but must ask for a specific bird, NOT the set name. If the asked has one or both cards of that bird, they hand them over. That player’s turn continues until until they are told to “Go Fish”, at which time they draw from the pile, and play moves to the next player. To lay down a set of cards, a player must obtain all six cards in that set, and when all cards have been laid down, the game ends.

Memory, also known as concentration, is played the same as the traditional game. All cards are placed on the table, and players take turns in which they turn over two cards at a time, ensuring that all players are able to see them. If the cards match, they pick them up and keep them, and then play again; if they don’t, they are turned back over and play continues with the next player. A simple concept, but challenging for all ages – often, it seems as though the younger players are better at remembering where the cards are than the adults! The set colors/numbers add a bit of an extra challenge to the game – yes, the colors make it easier to remember the set, but we found it was also easier to mix up the cards in the same set, thus turning the right set, but wrong card.

Backyard Birds is recommended for ages 6 and older, due to the text on the cards, but I’ve seen Memory successfully played with children as young as 3 or 4. It’ll depend on the individual child, of course, but if you have one that’s an old hand at a traditional memory game, there’s no harm in including them – and you might just find that they beat the pants off you!

We found Old Maid to be quite amusing – for most of the games, we’d find we had forgotten what card was the Old Maid in the first place, (the magpie) so we’d come to the end of the game, and have no idea during those last few turns who had it. (This could be done on purpose by randomly discarding one card during each game, and ensuring none of the players saw what card it was.)

Playing Old Maid with three or four players makes it last quite a bit longer, and makes it even more uncertain who the winner will be in the end. All cards are dealt out – if players have an uneven number, that’s fine – and on their turn, each player draws a card from the hand of the player on their left, and if a pair is made, discarding them. The person with the Old Maid remaining in their hand loses the game.

It didn’t seem to matter which game we played, we had fun with all of them. Even though we played with older kids – two 11-year-olds, a 13-year-old, and myself – changing up the cards to something unique really revitalized these old standbys for us. An added bonus is that the cards word as information flash cards, too – but it can be rather annoying when someone stops to read every single card they obtain during a game. This is one of those fun tools that can be both educational AND fun at the same time, while appealing to a wide variety of ages.

All the cards are really bright and vibrant in Backyard Birds, and it’s likely this is true for other games from Birdcage Press. Based on our experience with Backyard Birds, and the impressive photos and well-written text, I believe we could safely recommend any title from them that you’re interested in. I know we would like to have more! (Wild Cards: Backyard Birds – $10.95)

Schoolhouse Review Crew members reviewed several games from Birdcage Press; click the link below to read all about them!

Art Close Up: Museum of Modern Art - Crafted for ages 5+, this deck of 48 cards features artists from the Museum of Modern Art, including Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Cézanne, Klee, and more. Cards are paired, with one card of each pair showing the full work of art, with artist name, title of the work, and date created, while the second card displays a close-up view of the work, complete with visible brush strokes. Instructions are given for playing five games with the cards, including Memory, Old Maid, and two new matching games. $10.95

Art Ditto - With 48 art tiles and 8 large “collecting cards”, Art Ditto enables children as young as 4+ to make comparisons between the styles of artists, using themes such as cats, birds, boats, flowers, and horses. Using a variation of the game Memory, children can collect their favorite tiles, which are also marked with descriptions in four languages. $24.95

Go Fish for Ancient Egypt - With 36 playing cards and a 34-page fact book, Go Fish for Ancient Egypt adds a fun dimension to any study of the gods, goddesses, pharaohs, and mummies of Ancient Egypt. Written for ages 7 and up, each card highlights fascinating facts and incredible artwork, the remnants of that era in history, while playing Go Fish and other children’s games. $10.95

Go Fish for Impressionist Artists - This set is similar in design to Go Fish for Ancient Egypt, also created for ages 7+, also with 36 cards, but a slightly shorter fact book, at 28 pages. Children can play Go Fish and other memory and matching games while learning about the Impressionists and the time period they lived in. $11.95

Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the World - Too cute for words, the baby animals in this set will encourage children ages 6 and up to learn more about the wildlife of all five continents and the polar regions while playing Memory, Go Fish, and Old Maid. Learn what life is like for many baby animals as they grow, including a polar bear, a penguin, a sloth or an elephant. Included with the 36 playing cards is a 28-page fact book. $10.95

Christianity Cove produces many Sunday School products that may also be used in the home/homeschool environment. Their products are in ebook format, making them quick to purchase and near-instantly ready-to-use. Teach Sunday School or lead youth group and want to recharge your lessons? Or, need some new ideas for devotions and discussion opportunities with your kids at home? I’d recommend checking out Christianity Cove.

We’ve been able to explore two of these: Daily Dilemmas: 26 True-to-Life Devotions for Kids and “Tween a Rock . . . → Read More: Christianity Cove (review)]]>  

Christianity Cove produces many Sunday School products that may also be used in the home/homeschool environment. Their products are in ebook format, making them quick to purchase and near-instantly ready-to-use. Teach Sunday School or lead youth group and want to recharge your lessons? Or, need some new ideas for devotions and discussion opportunities with your kids at home? I’d recommend checking out Christianity Cove.

We’ve been able to explore two of these: Daily Dilemmas: 26 True-to-Life Devotions for Kids and “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints - many more titles from Christianity Cove were reviewed by Schoolhouse Crew members – make sure to check out the link at the end to see the rest of the reviews!

Daily Dilemmas: 26 True-to-Life Devotions for Kids - Daily Dilemmas is a series of 26 lessons (appropriate for ages 6-12) that introduce a scenario, suggest a few relevant bible verses to read, and then get down to the nitty-gritty – discussion time. Rather than leaving possible solutions completely open-ended, four possible reactions are listed for each scenario, that range from: ”the best answer for Christians” through “over the top scriptural, but not effective” and  ”a typical worldly answer” to the “probably not a good solution for anyone, let alone a Christian”.

The lessons touch on subjects that will be common experiences for most kids. (A sample lesson and a list of topics is available on the linked page.) Each lesson has four parts. The scenario, a list of suggested scriptures, and the possible solutions, are all on one page, making them idea for printing and sharing with the kids. The fourth part, reflections, are created for the teacher to read after discussion time. These are written to highlight both the most appropriate response for a Christian, and comments on why the other responses are lacking.

One of the things that I’ve come to appreciate is that these truly are real-world situations AND real-world answers. Altogether too many resources of this type are focused on what they believe is the ideal – and the ideal isn’t always the most reasonable choice. If a part of what we choose to teach our kids is to reach others through their actions, and not just their words, it’s important for those actions to be something that others not see and ridicule, but instead identify with. Daily Dilemmas does an excellent job at walking the tightrope between these two, and as a result, it’s an excellent set of devotions to share with your kids. I’m really happy with this ebook – and it also strikes the right note of interesting, yet challenging, with the kids, especially because the goal is real answers – not pat answers. ($29)

“Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints – The lessons in “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” are for 9-12 year olds, also, but if I’d actually recommend doing the in the order I’m writing about them, the reason being this: Tween a Rock simply hits issues that are much more intense. These are the kinds of things that, given today’s world, we KNOW we need to talk with the kids about, but it isn’t always an easy thing to do. Tween a Rock fills the gap between “How am I supposed to talk about that?!?” and “Ok, this is edgy, but it isn’t all *that* difficult… what was I so worried about?”

While Daily Dilemmas sticks with topics like bullying, lying, and kindness, Tween a Rock moves right on into things like abstinence, drinking, and drugs – all intermixed with lessons on forgiveness, peer pressure, and gossip. There are twelve lessons, and each consist of a:

• Lesson Capsule – this basically lays out the intent of the lesson, the materials needed for the class activity, and how to set up the activity before the lesson.
• Lesson Activity – this is in-depth instructions for the class activity, guiding the instructor through the lesson in pretty good detail – there isn’t much need for improv, which is perfect for those of us with little religious instruction experience.
• Discussion – Here are the bible verses, plus plenty of questions and material to facilitate discussion with interactive questions that encourage expression and not yes or no answers.
• Small Group Activity – This is an activity for smaller groups; depending on whether you’re teaching at home, or for a larger group, this will work for you. It usually explores how to apply the lesson in real life
• Handout – With fill-in-the-blanks, the lesson handout is both another way to engage the students and a resource/reminder that they can take home with them and continue to ponder over.
• Class Conclusion – this section summarizes the lesson in a concise manner, and it’s a perfect way to send off the students to the rest of their week with a something to consider further.

A companion book, titled “Teaching Tweens: A Guide for Parents and Sunday School Teachers” does an excellent job of presenting the general mindset and assumptions of this age group, and is a helpful tool for gaining understanding of both your own children in this age group, and what may be behind the actions of other children that you don’t know as well. It demonstrates that having both the lessons and the materials needed is only part of the equation; a willingness to both understand them to reach them on their level are just as, if not more, important. ($29)

Many More Titles Were Reviewed By Schoolhouse Crew Members, including:

Outstanding Object Lessons

Bible Science Experiments

100 Simple Service Projects

Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today’s Teens

Bullying & the Bible Lesson Plans

KidMin Power Pack

Bible Memory Games

The Divine Dozen: 12 Parables of Jesus Every Child Should Know

Make & Take Bible Crafts

New Testament Life Lessons

Fruits of the Spirit Activity Kit

10 Commandments Activity Kit

Lord’s Prayer Lesson Pack

This week’s bundle is the perfect companion for a paleo or primal lifestyle! Whether you’re just dipping your toes in or looking for more recipes to add to your rotation, this collection of ebooks is both inspiring and practical, with more than 200 recipes plus inspirational stories from people who have transformed their . . . → Read More: Paleo and Primal Eating Ebook Bundle]]>

This ebook bundle isn’t exactly my thing, but I’m sure some of you will find it right up your alley. With low ebook prices like this, if you’re into paleo and primal eating, how can you resist?

This week’s bundle is the perfect companion for a paleo or primal lifestyle! Whether you’re just dipping your toes in or looking for more recipes to add to your rotation, this collection of ebooks is both inspiring and practical, with more than 200 recipes plus inspirational stories from people who have transformed their health through a paleo diet and tips for eating out without cheating.

Paleo ebooks can be expensive, but this week only you’ll get all 5 at a savings of more than 85% off, less than the cost of any one of the ebooks by itself!

The Paleo Miracle by Joe Salama and Christina Lianos
In The Paleo Miracle, Joe shares a compilation of stories from people who have undergone a miraculous transformation in their health thanks to the paleo diet. The people featured in this ebook have eliminated or dramatically improved their symptoms of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, ADHD, Crohn’s, and many others — and in most cases have become completely medication-free — by eating real food. And in the process, they’ve learned that when your body is healthy inside, it will automatically look healthier on the outside to — losing body fat in the process!

The Paleo Snack Recipe Book by Suzanne Crawt
For those times when you need a snack, Suz’s Paleo Snack Recipe Book has more than 75 paleo-compliant snack recipes to help you stick to a paleo diet when hunger strikes! Each recipe includes a full-color photo and step-by-step instructions, with plenty of ideas that don’t require any cooking!

Eating Out and Traveling on the Paleo Diet by Aglaée Jacobs
In Eating Out and Traveling on the Paleo Diet, Aglaée shares tips and tools to help you avoid non-paleo ingredients away from home, so you can feel at your best at all times. You’ll find dozens of meal ideas, snack lists and recipes you can prepare on the road, as well as information about cross-contamination, the use of fasting as a tool while traveling, a paleo-friendly dessert guide and tips for explaining your food preferences in social settings, as well as various printables to help you simplify your travel diet.

Toadally Primal Smoothies by Primal Toad
In Toadally Primal Smoothies, Todd Dosenberry (aka the Primal Toad) shares more than 150 paleo and primal smoothie recipes, complete with substitution ideas and nutrition information! Discover tasty flavors like coconut egg nog and vanilla almond cappuccino and more.

Paleo Ice Cream by Ben Hirshberg
With 31 delicious, healthy and nutrient dense ice cream flavors, Paleo Ice Cream is your guilt-free ice cream handbook. Armed with a love of ice cream, Ben tested and created each flavor combination by replacing the problematic ingredients and chemicals found in conventional ice cream with healthier paleo-friendly options so that you can enjoy your dessert without feeling like you’re cheating!

The Paleo & Primal bundle is only available through 8am EST on Monday, 6/17. Get yours today:

Disclosure: If you purchase through the links on my post, I’ll earn a small commission for sharing news about the Bundle of the Week with you.

With so many of today’s employment opportunities centered around computers and the internet, computer science curriculum is an essential component of a well-rounded homeschool plan. Motherboard Books offers computer science courses designed especially for ages 8-12. We’ve been using Let’s Make a Web Page in our homeschool, while other Schoolhouse Review Crew Members have been experiencing Logo Adventures.

While there are many resources available for an adult (or savvy teen) to learn web page creation, there isn’t much . . . → Read More: Entry Level Web Design from Motherboard Books (review)]]>

With so many of today’s employment opportunities centered around computers and the internet, computer science curriculum is an essential component of a well-rounded homeschool plan. Motherboard Books offers computer science courses designed especially for ages 8-12. We’ve been using Let’s Make a Web Page in our homeschool, while other Schoolhouse Review Crew Members have been experiencing Logo Adventures.

While there are many resources available for an adult (or savvy teen) to learn web page creation, there isn’t much out there crafted with pre-teens in mind. Let’s Make a Web Page smoothly fills this gap, and does so in a way that is not just student-friendly, but simple for parents to use, too, with clear instructions and helpful screenshots to show the way.

The instructions in Let’s make a Web Page are based on the free trial edition of Coffee Cup’s Visual Site Designer. Visual Site Designer is a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) application, meaning that there’s no messing with the html code unless you want to. It’s highly visual, using “drag & drop” methods, so it’s easy to see what the end result will look like, because that is what you’re working with on the screen.

(A small side note – we reviewed the updated 6th edition – it doesn’t appear that the table of contents on it’s sales page have been updated.)

Let’s Make a Web Page leads the student (and parent) through ten lessons:

1. An interview – this is a task intended to create content to put on the web page – great for the first go at it, but if your student has other ideas, or is working on additional webpages, of course, I’d recommend taking the needed info from this section and moving on)
2. Downloading and setting up Visual Site Designer – this will be primarily for the parent who is doing the installation, no prior experience necessary other than a general familiarity with your computer)
3. Adding text to the webpage – either from step 1, or unique content – this is how to get the words, the backbone of the site, into place.
4. Adding a photo – put a picture on the page to highlight the text. If you interviewed a person, put their photo. If you wrote about something else, any complementary photo could be used.
5. It appears there’s a minor editing error – the lesson numbers skip to 6. (This doesn’t affect usage, and the only reason I even noticed was because I was sharing info about the changes in the table of contents. The kids didn’t notice at all.)
6. Adding animations from the internet – parent supervision highly recommended for this lesson. Included are instructions for using Google’s SafeSearch to make web browsing more appropriate for the targeted age group.
7. Checking for actual appearance in a browser, adding backgrounds, using a photo as a background, and adding additional photos – Again, parental involvement suggested during any internet time, but suggestions are made for obtaining backgrounds textures and the like.
8. Adding sound to a page – Adding sounds is fun, but it might also be good to mention that later on, when they’re designing pages for viewing by people other than themselves, that sounds on every single web page can be disruptive an annoying, so it’s better to use them in moderation.
9. Adding links – the most important part of a web page – what does it link to? As this initial web page is intended to be a start page for students to use as a page that initially opens up when they start their web browser, this is an excellent place to include all the sites that you DO want your child to regularly visit, and page like this is a fun alternative to merely having a list of bookmarks in the browser.
10. Posting your work – this is where the student learns how to make the browser open their page first, and is quite straightforward.

Also included are two appendices. The first explains how parents would go about setting things up so that web pages could be uploaded to the internet, viewable for anyone. The second is for troubleshooting any problems that might occur. The author, Phyllis Wheeler, can also be contacted through the Motherboard Books website with any questions that arise.

After your child works through this program (which, for a motivated child, might take only a couple of days), it makes an excellent reference as they repeat it for multiple pages later on. My kids have found it fairly easy to follow. Since I have web hosting in place for the blog, anyway, we may decide to upload their further efforts to actual pages – it’s going to depend on just what those are. Let’s Make a Web Page encourages creativity and exploration, but for these first few pages, at least in our case, should probably be left as their own home page. (And if they’re not careful, I *will* make them turn the sound off!)

That said, it’s an excellent way to set up personalized start pages for your students, especially if they have separate user names on the computer, because each browser can be individually assigned different pages. All in all, Let’s Make a Web Page is a great start to beginning web design.

Let’s Make a Web Page is $19.95 for a 60-page pdf ebook with many color images. We chose to go ahead and print it for ease of use, but did so in black & white to save on printer ink. (The images are still quite usable in black & white.)

Some Schoolhouse Review Crew members received Logo Adventures, a year-long course in computer programming (if used for about an hour per week). Logo Adventures uses the MicroWorlds software. Students learn logic and reasoning while giving a turtle instructions, with 26 lessons in drawing and animation. Logo Adventures is $129, and includes both the instructional material and the MicroWorlds EX disk.

One of the difficulties with teaching complex mathematics is that it can be difficult for students to translate the concepts to real-life implementations. “I’m never going to use this!” is a common complaint, as if higher level mathematics was merely devised as a method of torture. Often, the true value of math’s “word problems”, regardless of the math topic, are exposed in how effectively the challenges are rooted in real-life.

We’ve been exploring some new Math Mammoth titles from the Make It Real . . . → Read More: Review: Math Mammoth]]>

One of the difficulties with teaching complex mathematics is that it can be difficult for students to translate the concepts to real-life implementations. “I’m never going to use this!” is a common complaint, as if higher level mathematics was merely devised as a method of torture. Often, the true value of math’s “word problems”, regardless of the math topic, are exposed in how effectively the challenges are rooted in real-life.

We’ve been exploring some new Math Mammoth titles from the Make It Real Learning series that are designed for the explicit intent of helping students understand how the skills they learn can be applied to real-life problems. Make It Real Learning is a series of 22 topical workbooks, designed for grades 4-12. We received Geometry I, Linear Functions I, and Quadratic Functions I.

Each of these three pdf workbooks includes 10 activities designed to make students think and apply what they have learned to actual situations with real data from the world around us. The Make It Real Learning books do not include instruction in the topic area; instead, they’re to be used as a supplement to regular math curriculum.

My 5th and 7th grade students tried out Geometry I. Topics include working with area, volume, and perimeter, the Pythagorean Theorem, and working with cross-sections. They’re familiar with the first three, and my 7th grader has apparently fallen in love with the Pythagorean Theorem, but the explanation of cross-sections totally threw my 5th grader for a loop. No matter how many times she read [what I thought was] the fairly straightforward, simple explanation, the concept eluded her. It took getting out real objects and showing her, on the actual objects, that a cross-section what you get when you take, say an apple, cut it in the manner described, and what you see it what the cut portion looks like, when you look at it straight on. [This particular lesson, I'd HIGHLY recommend having food available you can chop up - it would be great for just prior to lunch!]

My high-school junior was in charge of checking out both Linear Functions I and Quadratic Equations I. Unsurprisingly, Linear Functions I is all about creating and using linear functions, in all sorts of ways that a high school student might reasonably encounter during their near future.  Starting off with cell phone plans was an inspired choice on the part of the author, given how many high school students have mobile phones these days – and often, how much they under-appreciate the value of the technology. [Par for the course, I suppose, when they don't remember a time when you couldn't "just call", no matter where you were... but that doesn't mean they have to be oblivious to the cost!]

Quadratic Functions I is similar, and goes through working with quadratic functions, modeling data, and solving equations. The topics used here aren’t quite as “fun” as those in Linear Functions I, but they’re still intriguing and approachable. Tasks include working with population data, business growth, body-mass index, and even some on objects falling from tall buildings. (Might not want to go test this out in real life – could be hazardous to the health of someone beneath.)

The kids enjoyed the change of pace, using these at the end of the school year as they did, but it would be equally appropriate (and more timely) to add in lessons whenever the students are ready for them as they work through their regular math curriculum. With just ten lessons, it might seem that these books are short, but in reality, each lesson can be spaced out over multiple days. By stretching it out, students could have time to ponder any challenges that they’re struggling with, so that instead of giving up on the same day that it was assigned, they could be encouraged to reconsider. Often, time – and less on-the-spot stress – give the subconscious a chance to work at the task, and alternatives will appear.

As for me, I appreciate the fact that the answer pages immediately follow the assignment pages and include full solutions to each and every question. It’s also very helpful to me that the answers are shown on a page that is a replica of the student page, which makes it *much* easier to correct any work, and consider where the student might have erred, when the problems are right there for review.

Each book in the Make It Real Learning series is priced at $4.99, or they can be purchased in two separate bundles, with 11 books each, for $39.99.

Other Schoolhouse Review Crew members received a variety of titles from Math Mammoth, from the Make It Real Learning series and others, including:

• Blue series, which includes 39 topical worktexts that contain both instruction and a variety of practice problems in the skill area,
• Light Blue series, a full elementary curriculum for grades 1-6. Each grade level includes two worktexts, plus support materials, including answer keys, tests, and cumulative reviews.
• Green series, with topical worksheets for skills usually encountered in grades 3-7. Each book spans several grade levels, due to the focus on a skill. No instruction is included with these workbooks.
• Golden series, which is arranged by grade level (from 3 to 7/8 (pre-algebra), plus algebra 1.
• States By The Numbers, which is a series of 50 workbooks, one per state. Each book includes instruction and about 80 practice problems, using data taken from the 2008 census.

Want to get the entire family involved in an art project? Even better, want it to be educational, but actually DO-able for everyone? Then oh, boy, do I have a recommendation for you!

We recently had the absolute pleasure of painting (and making a mess) along with master artist Pat Knepley in Dreams of Joseph, an art project DVD from See The Light. Dreams of Joseph highlights the work of Russian artist Marc Chagall, discussing the styles of . . . → Read More: Review: See The Light]]>

Want to get the entire family involved in an art project? Even better, want it to be educational, but actually DO-able for everyone? Then oh, boy, do I have a recommendation for you!

We recently had the absolute pleasure of painting (and making a mess) along with master artist Pat Knepley in Dreams of Joseph, an art project DVD from See The Light. Dreams of Joseph highlights the work of Russian artist Marc Chagall, discussing the styles of surrealism, symoblism, and fauvism. The color and shape elements of art discussed, along with the principles of movement, balance, and wet-on-wet painting.

Materials needed for Dreams of Joseph are fairly basic, and include:

• a 12″ x 16″ piece of white or manilla bristol board or poster board (we actually used foam board from the dollar store, cut into 15″ x 20″ pieces – it worked quite well for us – just be caution how wet you get it, or the foam board may warp)
• craft or tempera paint, in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, and brown (we got this cheap, in matte, not glossy, for just $0.57 a bottle at our local discount store)
• several wax-coated white paper plates (again, we modified – we have a few palettes, so we used those, plus some paper plates – a little less running paint that way)
• a variety of paintbrushes, from 1/2″ flat to very small round (we discovered that if we’re all painting together, we could *really* use more paintbrushes than we have, but it worked – if you’re buying some, go for the mid-price level if possible – aka, the nicer kid ones on up. The really cheap brushes like come in watercolor paints might be *really* irritating by the time you’re done, while you’ll appreciate a slightly better quality brush.)
• newspapers, an old tablecloth, or something to protect the table (be wary of newsprint; it likes to come off onto hands and the board you’re painting on)
• a bowl of water or sink nearby for rinsing and washing brushes
• paper towels – for cleaning and drying brushes (these are a must, in my opinion)
• Also recommended were a #2 pencil and a white or grey kneaded eraser – I’m not sure what these were for, because we didn’t use them, and I don’t recall Ms. Knepley even mentioning an eraser. As for the pencil, she specifically said in the video that we weren’t going to use one!

There are four lessons for Dreams of Joseph, intended to be spaced far enough apart that the paint has time to dry between lessons. The first leads the student through constructing a simple black outline for the objects in the painting, while retelling the beginning of the tale of Joseph’s coat of many colors. The purpose of the project is to depict those dreams, with symbolism, and Ms. Knepley explains in a clear and understandable way just how those dream elements can be incorporated into the painting.

In the second lesson, students will color the background, using colors both as-is from the bottle, and some blending of colors for shading in portions of the background. Students are repeatedly encouraged not to worry too much about accidentally painting over the black lines; they’ll be touched up in the last lesson.

During the third lesson, we continued with color, finally painting Joseph’s robe, and adding in other color details that we might have missed. Ms. Knepley reminds us that the coat is embellished and bright, an physical representation of Jacob’s love for Joseph.

In lesson four, we finish up our painting, touching up the black lines, adding detail to Joseph’s elaborate coat, and generally tidying up any area that we felt needed it. We were quite surprised as we finished up – even for the desperately not arty (me, Mom) – the paintings actually turned out pretty good. I have no idea how on earth that happened, in my case, but I think it goes to show that Ms. Knepley did a fine job teaching the lesson, if even I can get something appealing out of it!

It was clear the kids had fun painting, both as a group and in response to the video instruction. We moved the table right on into the living room and sat in front of the TV as we painted; though she said we could watch the lesson, then paint, if needed, we felt much more comfortable painting as we watched, with liberal use of the pause and rewind button. My biggest frustration was trying to take pictures at the same time we were watching and painting – it takes a little bit of effort to manage that, what with not getting paint on the camera and all.

Based on this video from See The Light, I’d have to recommend this art series. Ms. Knepley does a fine job incorporating a bible story, art history and instruction into the same project, in a balanced, educational manner. Her commentary and explanations fit well into the scope of the project, and felt like a natural extension to be included – it just seems right that she continues to describe the style and symbolism as we painted.

Though in some parts (especially the black line painting in the first lesson) it seemed like she moved a little fast, there was good reason for this: she wants the painter to put the lines down on paper, not studying them, erasing and moving and perfecting them. It’s good practice for simple DOING, rather then over-analyzing – something that non-artists are prone to do, especially when they don’t want to “mess up” the clean white media they’re working with. Encouraging us to just start (which was hard mentally, without lines to follow) in the paint, by beginning with an oval for the head, and simple lines at the beginning, it took the focus off of perfectionism and put it on the painting as a process, where we could repeatedly paint over the same areas if we desired.

Dreams of Joseph is intended for ages 10 and up; younger students might not have fine motor control – or patience – for this painting project, but if your younger children are interested, go right ahead and have them join in. The paints used are standard craft paints, which are machine washable, making for relatively easy cleanup. (In fact, cleanup is so easy that the parent might as well join in; can you guess which project is mine?)

Schoolhouse Crew members received a variety of art project and bible story videos from See The Light in addition to Dreams of Joseph, including:

Cartooning (ages 5+)

God’s Special Surprise (ages 6+)

Shipwrecked (ages 6+)

God’s Runaway (ages 6+)

Tiffany Window (ages 10+)

Repeated Sweets (ages 10+)

Paper Jungle (ages 10+)

Pointillism Fruit (ages 10+)

Poppy Collage (ages 10+)

The art projects and bible stories from See The Light may be purchased individually for $14.99, or as a bundle with all of them for $99.99.

I’ve recently had the opportunity to read – and try out the methods – from three ebooks by Mystie Winckler of Simplified Pantry. The first, Paperless Home Organization, helps you create, using tools available freely online, a paper-free recordkeeping and to-do system, using a streamlined, easy-to-follow workflow. The second and third, Simplified Dinners and Simplified Dinners Gluten Free/Dairy Free, are recipes books designed to make a busy family’s menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking much easier and . . . → Read More: Review: Simplified Dinners & Paperless Home Organization]]>

I’ve recently had the opportunity to read – and try out the methods – from three ebooks by Mystie Winckler of Simplified Pantry. The first, Paperless Home Organization, helps you create, using tools available freely online, a paper-free recordkeeping and to-do system, using a streamlined, easy-to-follow workflow. The second and third, Simplified Dinners and Simplified Dinners Gluten Free/Dairy Free, are recipes books designed to make a busy family’s menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking much easier and stress free.

Paperless Home Organization is an excellent introduction to digital record-keeping, and well worth the $3.99 even if you’re already using some paperless tools already, because the workflow is well-thought-out and streamlined to be as pain-free and no-thought-needed as possible.

With simple directions and plenty of screen shots, it’s very easy to follow along. First, Ms. Winckler describes the purpose, goals, and methods she used in setting up her workflow. Then, you get right to the heart of the issue, as you set up each of the tools that you’ll need – or (perhaps) modify them to be just a little more user-friendly, if they’re something you already use.

The principal tools she uses include Gmail, Google Calendar, Remember The Milk, and Evernote. Even if you’ve already tried one of these, and not been thrilled with it, I encourage you to try it again, following it according to the method she recommends. While I’ve used Gmail for years, there were tips and tricks that I’d never discovered, and my inbox is under much better control these days.

Google Calendar is also an old friend of mine, but it has seen intermittent use of my personal calendar over the years, primarily because it didn’t fit well into my pattern. (Though using it to pull in other calendars? That’s a WONDERFUL thing!) I’d always end up resorting to paper calendars because it seemed to take more time to make entries than I actually needed them for. Now that I have a tablet (though Android and iOs phones would work as well), it’s become much more central to my daily life.

Remember the Milk is one that I’d tried – and just couldn’t seem get into using as a regular habit. I still struggle a bit with it, but I must admit, it *is* getting easier as I go along – and if I were to decide at some point that it and I needed to part ways, I’d be much more confident at finding a replacement that works for me and fits well into my daily schedule.

Evernote is the biggie. I’d tried it before, and just did-not-get-what-the-big-deal-was. Seriously. I’ve had an account since shortly after they first opened – and it didn’t have much in it. It’s gotten a huge makeover these last few weeks. While I will probably still keep my primary “important documents” in my other auto-backup place, I’m working on uploading them into Evernote. (So far, around the end of my month, I still have plenty of upload space available – this is the perfect time to upload documents when you have some that you want to get in there eventually, but don’t want to run out of space early in the month, and have no desire to upgrade to a premium account.

Since Evernote works on my phone and tablet, in addition to the web and computer, we’re busy falling in love these days… the templates and suggestions that Ms. Winckler has included made it *much* easier to take that leap, and I even splurged on a title that she recommended for learning Evernote’s uses in greater detail. It’s SO nice, when I forget the library cards, and have books to stop and pick up, well, they’re right there on my phone. So is my blog schedule, and my recipes, and lists of everything from book series to card game sets that we intend to get. (It’d be a dream for yard-sales and thrift stores, and that hadn’t even occurred to me til this moment.)

Better yet, those Evernote files can be shared. Have a book series you’re looking for, and a friend that goes to lots of yard sales and used book stores, but always tells you, “I know you’re collecting those, but I didn’t know which ones you needed…” With Evernote, they can – just a simple check of that shared folder on Evernote, and ta-da! now they do.

Best of all is the price. Paperless Home Organization is just $3.99 – with the discount below, if you buy before June 3, 2013, it’s under $3. Just $3 for a simple-to-implement digital record-keeping system? That, my friends, is a deal!

Simplified Dinners isn’t just a recipe book; it’s an entire way of thinking about cooking and purchasing food. Many of us intend to create meal plans, but it’s so easy to get sidetracked while searching for recipes – besides, who can hold all those details in their head while they’re busy with their family? Between recipes and menus and sales, if it isn’t 1) written down, and 2) find-able, I know I won’t remember! As an added bonus, these recipes are easy to modify – think of them as “base” recipes, with multiple variations included – but they’re adaptable to your family’s preferences.

The structure of each recipe is written a little differently than those in a typical cookbook. First, the details of the basic process are given; these are the steps and items needed for the core recipes. Modifications follow, and the only information listed in this section of the recipe are those given for changes to the base. It makes it incredibly easy to choose a recipe that you have the main ingredients for, and then modify it to suit your needs or desires at that moment, using whatever else you have on hand. It’s easy to SEE what I mean then to describe it – if you go here, and scroll to the bottom of the page, there is a Download Sample link that will show you exactly what I mean.

The really excellent part of all this, I’ve found, is you don’t have to ignore your family’s favorite recipes – once you’re comfortable with the basic method, you should be able to create your own base for that recipe, plus variations.

Another plus – these are perfect when you’re teaching your children to cook, because they’re not just blindly following a recipe, they’re learning what food go together well, and each recipe is so simply to modify, you’ll probably discover your own favorites. (Just make sure to write them down!)

And, before I forget, what do you cook with? Simplified Dinners includes a master pantry list. If you have these staples, you’ll be able to craft any recipe in the book – and even if you’re out of quite a few, there are still many recipes you’ll be able to use right away. No expectation of – or waiting til after – a huge stocking-up shopping trip just to get started.

This book is designed to be printable – it has a limited color palette that works well in black and white. I’d recommend printing it out, right to start with, just to keep things easy. We put ours in plastic sheet protectors; I’ve learned from experience that recipe pages are likely to collect *mess*, otherwise, and I prefer easy-to-wipe-off pages. (PDF ebook – $12.99)

Simplified Dinners Gluten Free/Dairy Free is a variation of Simplified Dinners, modified to be appropriate for those who need Gluten Free or Dairy Free meals. We haven’t used any of the recipes from it – we’re still working our way through the plethora of recipes in the standard book – but I expect these will be just as easy to use and delicious. (PDF ebook – $12.99)

Simplified Pantry is offering a 30% discount to all blog readers, applicable to any – or all – of these three titles. Just enter the code TOS2013 – it’s good until June 3, 2013.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has just released a huge new digital library resource for homeschoolers. The Schoolhouse Library has more than 175 ebooks and audiobooks, including: