Unionvale Homeschool

Camp Sunny Patch from Melissa and Doug

2012-06-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Melissa & Doug is thrilled to announce the launch of our first-ever virtual summer camp: Camp Sunny Patch!

All season long, our blog will feature exciting original play ideas to help you add a little bit of structure and a whole lot of fun to summer vacation. Each weekly camp activity, written by our favorite bloggers, features a creative new way to get your kids moving their bodies and using their imaginations in the great outdoors . . . and you never have to leave your own backyard!

Just check out the weekly activity online to get inspired, then get outside and start having a blast. Download a weekly badge for each session your kids complete, and you can paste it on the printable Camp Sunny Patch poster (available exclusively on our blog and to our email subscribers!).

We’ll have special camp-themed surprises throughout the summer for Melissa & Doug Facebook fans, too. Remember to sign up and tune in to get the latest on giveaways, albums, contests and more.

Best of all, camp is just around the corner–June’s activity calendar will be available in just a few short days. It’s free. It’s fun. And it could be the start of the best summer ever.

See you at Camp Sunny Patch!

***This post was copied and shared from the Melissa & Doug blog as part of their blog ambassador program. I received no compensation for this post***

Blue Ribbon Awards 2011-2012

2012-05-29T16:34:00.001-07:00

Being a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew this year has been amazing and educational for me as a Mom and teacher and has been a huge blessing to our homeschool.We have reviewed some amazing products and some not so amazing products this year. As a member of the crew we also helped picked the Blue Ribbon Award winners.I am including links to our reviews for the products that made the list:WriteShopAmazing ScienceMath Mammoth Math RiderVisual LatinArtist PursuitBefore five in a RowAmazing Animals by DesignCreek Edge Press

Did your favorites win a Blue Ribbon this year?

Scripture Sunday: May 27th

2012-05-26T15:36:00.001-07:00

This week's scripture for the boys I hope gave them something to really think about.

Proverbs 21:30

There is no wisdom nor understand , not counsel against the Lord.

Nathan noticed the similarities in this Scripture to the Scientific Statement of Being from the Christian Science Textbook Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. I was very proud of the connection he made this week and of the eagerness to learn more about our connection with the Lord.

Writing with WriteShop

2012-05-22T21:01:00.001-07:00

I was crazy excited when we were assigned Book B of the WriteShop Primary series to review. I have wanted to try WriteShop with the boys for the last 2 years and never took the plunge.

I started out by going through the Teacher's Guide and reading all the lessons to fit the boys into the program without too much overlap to what we have already learned. We decided to start with Lesson 2 and work forward from there. The boys enjoyed a few of the activities but found writing the words 3 times each monotonous and frustrating, so I had them write the word list words twice, a simple difference but the happy medium to stop a battle.

We found some of the activities engaging but very similar to things they had already done and they had a hard time connecting it to anything we were doing in our other subjects. One thing we did gain which really doesn't have any connection to the writing, Nathan started to color and enjoy coloring. This has been a huge stumbling block for him; he has never been into coloring until now. Something about the activity pages tripped his trigger and opened the door to the wonderful world of coloring. That I am very grateful for.

I did gain a lot of ideas from the Teacher's Guide for things we can adapt to our lessons and unit studies. I really liked the layout of the lessons in the Teacher's Guide and can modify the lessons to fit into our homeschool easily enough to get a lot of use out of the program overall.

WriteShop's website also has Placement help HERE and you can view Sample Lessons HERE

The e-books range in price from $4.50 to $39.95 depending on which product or package you purchase. The set we reviewed sells for $31.45 e-book and $34.90 print combined pricing for the Teacher's Book and the Activity Set. In my opinion for the price difference I would buy the print version of the Activity Set and probably the Teacher's Guide as well since it isn't that much more for the print version. Now as far as the value, I'm still not totally sold on the program and believe I really wanted to love it.

Interact with WriteShop on Facebook and Twitter
Check out what the rest of the crew thought HERE

Disclaimer: I received an e-book copy of this product as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for my review of the product, all opinions are that of this writer.

Just the Fax Ma'am a look at CapJaxMathFax

2012-05-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is the age of technology and by no means does that leave out our homeschool classroom. The boys aren't huge fans of computer time for the classroom, computer time is a reward system for them, but I did learn that the occasional break from the school table helps them review in a different environment. So, I was intrigued by CapJaxMathFax.

CapJaxMathFax is a computer program incorporating Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication , and Division in a fun environment where the goal is make sure children have basic math skills. The program can be downloaded or a CD-rom purchased to load on your computer. We loaded it onto my net-book as well as Daddy's desktop computer to give us flexibility since the program does not requirement an internet connection.
As the boys work through more and more levels they will earn merit badges and although there aren't any flashy games, they are enjoying the sense of accomplishment from the program.

The program is a good value for $29.95. You can also download a free short term demo version to see what your kids think of the program. I would put this as a definite possibility on our budget.

Disclaimer: We received a copy of this program as members of the TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for our opinion and review of the program.

Check out what the rest of the Crew thought of the program HERE

Scripture Sunday May 20

2012-05-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

...hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him , who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalms 42: 11b
This week's verse introduced the boys to new concepts and a few new words,.but they did well.

Go Science: Christian based Science DVDs

2012-05-17T20:36:00.003-07:00

With a Science Guy wanna be in the house I am always looking for new videos for him to watch. I was excited to find a series of videos from Library & Educational Services called Go Science. Nathan was crazy excited about the DVDs even before they arrived.

Library & Education Services is an online education products website that has a wide variety of books and media to purchase. You can shop online or request a catalog and sales flyers. I was impressed with their prices and selection. I have already created a huge wish list of things I want to get for our homeschool library

We received Volume 2 Go Science Simple Machines, Sound , and Weather, a 59 minute creation science focused DVD that teaches things like incline planes and making a cloud.
Nathan enjoyed watching the DVD but didn't feel like he could easily do the activities at home. He did enjoy the feel of the videos and the kids involved in the DVDs.
We also received Volume 3 GO Science Magnetism, Electricity and Engineering Design where we learned about Static Electricity, Jacobs Ladder, and a Heat Engine. While Nathan watched this one , Mommy learned it is going to be hard to keep up with this kid. He was excited and inspired with each video.
As we were talking about the DVDs getting ready to write this review, Nathan brought up the message I think really hits home for me in our homeschool ' God is the only creator' and 'Everything we are comes from God'. Some days my little guy blows my mind with his grasp of God's awesomeness.
I am very grateful to find DVDs that not only inspire the boys' desire to learn more but also support the underlying theme of God in our world. So often the things we watch chip away at that message and theme.
Mr. Roy does an amazing job reminding us at the end of each video lesson

“Every time we learn something about SCIENCE, we learn something about our CREATOR GOD!”

So , are these DVDs a value?

They are regularly listed for $14.95 each – or $79.95 for the set of 6 and honestly I think they are worth every penny. However, you know I love a deal especially when it is an educational product that the boys like so I am over the top excited that Library & Educational Services has the Go Science DVD’s available for just $8.97 each, or $47.95 for the set of 7 DVDs. I am even considering purchasing the other 5 DVDs for our library to be used over the next year.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Crew thought about these DVDs HERE

Disclaimer: We received 2 Go Science DVDs as members of the TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for our honest opinions. All opinions are that of the students and staff and Unionvale Homeschool.

5 days of Lesson Planning…a month long theme

2012-05-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I love planning lessons around a single theme, this was a lot easier during the preschool/kindergarten years, but it is still possible.

With our year sketched out, I can take it to the next level.

Our main theme for June will be Creation Week through the Great Flood. We will be incorporating art projects, scripture, Bible stories, science, math, and poetry together. I am an eclectic homeschooler so I use a little of everything, but unit studies seem to work and really make lesson planning a lot more interesting.

For unit studies or monthly themes I like to use a curriculum map with the center point being the theme or topic. I can use it for a whole month or a week either way.

Here is the break down:

I start with the theme CREATION WEEK

then I pull out the concordance and find all the scripture verses,

next I try to find elements of math that can be worked in as story problems or living math.

Living books other than the Bible or stories within the storybooks we have on hand are listed under reading/ literature.

A subject I will admit weakness in is science so I try to find science related activities, thankfully with the Creation Week through Flood there are enough science topics to incorporate.

Geography is usually pretty easy if the theme is location or history based.

Arts and crafts making it fun for the boys so even if it is just a coloring page. I love doing crafts but have found we can overwhelm a unit with too many crafts so I try and limit it to no more than 2 a week‘

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the crew’s 5 days series, click on the picture above to see them all.

Tomorrow lets look at a weekly lesson plan. See you then.

The Principled Approach with Judah Bible Curriculum

2012-05-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am always interested in learning new styles and approaches to education as I search for that perfect answer to our ever changing homeschool. I was excited to learn more about using the Principled Approach by using Judah Bible Curriculum along with others on the TOS Homeschool crew.

Judah Bible is a guide that uses the Bible as the main resource, and I love that about the program.The program is designed to help you teacher your children how to apply God’s word to everyday life. Through the Judah Bible program parents and students gain a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of God’s word.

I was so taken by the program as I spent more and more time studying it and putting into our lesson plans I decided to apply the program outline to our lesson plans for the coming year. One thing I found helpful was to treat the notebook as a resource rather than just work. I decided to add some more worksheets and coloring pages to their notebooks to make sure the concepts and ideas really stick with. Judah Bible Curriculum builds each year on the same concepts but different details, building a strong foundation.

The program also comes with 8 lectures / teacher training seminars. I listened to the lectures and got some basic ideas but found they were hard to follow with the manual as an e-book. I will however continue to reference them as we continue to implement Judah into our homeschool

Judah Bible Curriculum is available in hardcopy for $69.00 or downloadable for $44.00.

1) Judah Bible Curriculum K-12 Manual, e-book format to download;

2) Elementary Notebook Ideas booklet to view online or download;

3) Eight-lecture Teacher Training Seminar. listen online or download.

Here is that moment, if I hadn’t received this as a review, honestly I’m not sure if I would spend the $44.00 to purchase it. I love the concept of the program and if you are unsure of how to set up your own Bible based lessons this is a great program to help guide you through that. If you are comfortable setting up a Bible based program then this program may be repetitive for you.

Check out the what the rest of the Crew thought of this program HERE

disclaimer: I received a downloadable edition of this program as a member of the homeschool crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

5 days of Lesson Planning: A Year Ahead

2012-05-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year we start planning for next year. For us, we homeschool year round, but I tend to really start planning ahead in early May so I know what to look for at curriculum sales.
Several years ago I saw a you tube video where a homeschooler used a large piece of paper folded just right to plan goals for the year.
I am taking a modified approach to that I would love to share Planning a Year Ahead.

I started with a large sheet of paper (16x24 approximately). I folded it length wise four times and then into thirds to create 12 boxes. I labeled each box with the months of the school year starting with June.

Once all the boxes are labeled I start adding in the plans for each month in pencil.

I list math goals (4 lessons in the month of June), our history/geography theme, and reading plan (summer reading program)

For July I listed the 2 History based units we will focus on along with an idea for a month of Math review and our summer reading program.

For August I have some fun crafts and activities planned so I listed those in their subjects.

I am continuing to fill in the chart for the coming year as we finish up this year and reflect on what has worked and not worked. I am writing everything in pencil and using post-it notes for thoughts and curriculum questions I have ahead.

The next step is to break down the units.Watch for tomorrow’s post about lesson planning and unit studies.

Scripture Sunday

2012-05-13T09:56:00.001-07:00

This week the boys had a longer text to copy, but it gave them something to think about.
...when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away... For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
1 Corinthians 13: 10, 12

Z is for Unconventinal Social Studies with Zhu Zhu Pets

2012-04-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

The boys are involved in their community, but we haven't really studied community structure until the other morning, when the pulled out 2 bins full of ZhuZhu Pets pieces.

They got lesson in city planning, traffic control issues, and angry community members as they laid out the city, built the city,

They had lessons in dealing with contactors and suppliers (ie Mommy was setting up the crock pot for dinner and couldn’t stop to find that one last piece). They had their lesson in politics when the 2 city planners didn’t agree on the location of the hospital. (ie the boys had to come to an agreement as to where the hospital would be located.) Generally they learned a lot more about community, local government, and the people involved then they could have learned from any book; and for almost an hour they played together without fighting and without tears.

M is for exercising with Math #atozchallenge

2012-04-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

Recently the boys and I saw a fun activity on a TV show ;combining math and exercise, with a number board and jumping jacks.

We decided to give it a shot. Cameron got the sidewalk chalk out and drew the number box for us. Then the boys took turns jumping onto two numbers and adding them together, once they had the answer they did jumping jacks to that number.

Burns energy and makes math facts a lot more fun!
Since we live in Oregon and never know if the sunny spring days are going to last we have to figure a way to play the game inside as well.

No problem, Mommy just got 10 sided dice to add some fun to our stamp game and Montessori Checkerboard activities,why not use them to come up with the addends?
Perfect!

This time Nathan decided to do push ups and Cameron stuck with the jumping jacks.

Either way they are practicing their math facts and adding healthy activities to their school day.

R is for River, an evening of fun and mud #atozchallenge

2012-04-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

What boy doesn't love mud?
My boys love riding bikes through mud puddles. We took the boys down to a Ediger Landing on the Willamette River.

something about riding their bikes through gravel, dirt, and even mud puddles makes everything in the world seem perfect, at least for my boys.

Depending on the river levels this spot can be a tiny little stream or a full fast moving tributary for the river. This particular night it was just a little stream.

Finally throwing rocks into the river, note to self teach them how to skip stones it will be a lot safer.

Crypto Quotes a Challenge thanks to Critical Thinking Co

2012-04-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

I love a mind bending challenge, but I found out the boys aren’t quite there with me yet.

We received a copy of Crypto Mind Benders Famous Quotations published by Critical Thinking Co. to review as members of the TOS Homeschool Crew. Since the book is graded 3grade and up I figured it would be a fun change of pace for Cameron for Math.

I soon found out that the abstract concept didn’t fit well for him.

We worked through several of the quotes and decided to set it aside while we worked on some more of the skills needed to work through the cryptograms.

I am happy to say though that as I sat down to write this review, the boys saw the book sitting out and asked if we could try them tomorrow for our Friday Math activity. So I guess the challenge has been met head on.

So details: The book retails for $10.99 print or e-book format and is filled with 32 activities where the answer is a famous quote.

Each activity has 3 sets of clues to work out and the puzzle at the end to find and reveal a famous quote.

For us the challenge led to learning new concepts including greater than and less than problems. Since the boys weren’t familiar with that concept we have incorporated < and > into our other math activities to reinforce the new concept.

I can saw with out a doubt that this book is a value in the challenges and the doors it opens when the quotes are revealed. I can see the value in the e-book as well.

The rest of the crew reviewed not only this fun book but several other books from The Critical Thinking Company HERE

Disclaimer: we received a copy of the above book as a member of the TOS homeschool crew in exchange for our honest opinion of the product, all opinions are that of this blogger.

S is for Amazing Science DVDs that make science fun!

2012-04-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Nathan is my science guy, he loves creating new experiments and learning why things happen. I was very excited to introduce him to the Amazing Science DVD set from ScienceandMath.com. The 2 DVD set contains 23science experiment videos and retails for $19.95.
The videos are engaging and explain the how and why of each experiment in a fun environment. Nathan watched both DVDs through 3 times and still watches them just for fun. The DVD set is worth the cost if even if only for the entertainment value….
Seriously though, after watching the set through twice, Nathan was eager to start working on the experiments. One thing I noticed was although the supplies needed for the experiments are listed on the screen, there wasn’t a printable list on the website or on the discs, thankfully though a fellow crew member created one with the publisher’s permission.This homeschool Mommy is very thankful to Walking by the Way for saving my sanity..

We picked 2 experiments to focus on… #1 and #6. Nathan found all the needed supplies around the house and eagerly jumped in.
Color Changing Milk
Well, the idea that he could draw in milk intrigued.. We used a small Styrofoam plate and 2% milk that is what we had on hand.

We used a gel based food coloring so it wasn’t as vibrant as on the video, but Nathan was still excited enough about it that he drug Daddy in to show him and explained the why to Daddy as well.

Next up Candle Suction Power.

We actually had to do this experiment a couple of times to find a glass that was large enough for the candle.

Again Nathan was glued to the actual experiment and had Mommy do it again so he could show Daddy.

It was actually fascinating to watch the water rise inside the glass.

The smile on my little guy’s face was worth all of it to this Mommy, but don’t take my word for it , check out what the rest of the Crew thought of it HERE

disclaimer: We received a copy of the above DVD as a member of the TOS homeschool Crew in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are that of the blog’s author, no monetary compensation was received.

Scripture Sunday April 22nd

2012-04-21T21:55:00.001-07:00

This week’s scripture for the boys was a perfect one for them to not only copy but memorize.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Nathan was eager to read it as soon as he saw the verse, I asked him why he was so excited and he proudly responded “we are learning it in co-op Mommy” . He read it to me then wrote it rather than traced it. I am so grateful when things fall into place so perfectly.

N is for New Testament with God’s Great Covenant

2012-04-20T16:38:00.001-07:00

The New Testament is full of so many messages for kids and sometimes it can be hard to explain it to the kids. I was so glad to receive God’s Great Covenant volume 1 focusing on the Life of Christ. Christian Academic Press publishes a large variety of educational books for Christian Education including the God’s Great Covenant series that includes Old and New Testament books.

Teaching the importance of the Gospels to young children can be simple or it can really dig deep into the lessons of the New Testament. Cameron, Mike, and I spent time together reading and listening to the stories, reading scripture, and studying the messages in the beginning of the Gospels. While the lessons are really geared for 4th grade and up, we worked together to answer the questions.

I was impressed with the layout of the student book and each lesson. Being able to break apart each lesson into manageable sections that we could get through. The Review worksheets are perfect for breaking up whether throughout a day or over a couple of days.

This is a complete program with Teacher’s Guide, Student Book, and available audio files of each lesson’s story having a price that reflects the completeness of the program. You can purchase the components separately as well, although I found the Teacher’s Guide to be a huge help with lots of added notes that help explain verses as well as insight into concepts that aren’t always seen during the reading. The Teacher’s guide also has space for notes which I really appreciated. The books are large paperback style books which was hard for both Cameron and me to work with ,so I took them to our local office supply store and had them spiral bound, but it was worth the extra cost for us in the functionality of the product.

The bundled set we reviewed retails for $56.95 and is in my frugal opinion worth every penny.

Check out what the rest of the CREW thought of this product.

Disclaimer: We received the above mentioned bundled product as a member of the TOS homeschool Crew in exchange for our honest review. No other monetary compensation was received.

K is for kids thinking outside the box

2012-04-20T12:47:00.001-07:00

Our youth group kids have been talking about a variety of things lately including being a caring friend and being environmentally aware. When I received the Cottonelle Roll Covers to share with Moms and Kids I decided this would be a great opportunity to share a fun way for the kids to help Mom and think outside of the box a little.

We talked about how looking our best reflects on our parents and presented a nice space reflects on us and our parents. The Cottonelle Roll Covers were a nice way to cover and protect a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, but it also made a nice gift box (I gave each of the kids one with some little things that tied into our other honors we were finishing up). One of the girls mentioned they have a fabric cover they hang in the bathroom and she was going to use the roll cover as a recycle bin in the car. The boys also thought it would make a nice place to store things since it had a lid on it. The Moms that were with the kids thought it was a nice way to hide the toilet paper roll on the counter or the shelf. Either way , it got the kids thinking about ways they could help Mom clean up around the house and maybe make the bathroom a room not to hide.

***Thank you to Mom Central ,on behalf of Cottonelle, and received product samples and a promotional item to facilitate our event and to share the product and our experience on this blog. All experiences and opinions are that of the write and no other compensation was received***

Scripture Sunday April 15th

2012-04-14T22:23:00.001-07:00

This week the lesson was focus on Atonement or our at-one-ment with Christ.

The Golden Text the boys worked on is from 2nd John.

He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9 b

Goal Planning Monday April 9th

2012-04-09T17:07:00.004-07:00

This week's goals should be attainable.
1. Finish 3 crew reviews
2. Get the boys back on track with math and multiplication.
3. Finish lesson planning Bible and Ancient History.
4. Read Pearl Harbor Story and rest of WWII with Cameron.
5. Start emptying my office into boxes and sorting books for classroom.

Last Week's goals status

1. Catch up on God's Great Covenant lessons DONE!

2. Get the milk crates from behind the couch out and sorted only did 1

3. Complete our lessons on subtraction so we can get back to multiplication. We finished subtraction for now

4. Catch up on emptying Mommy's old office so we can work toward the room switch .moved to this week

H is for History Help from Truth Quest History

2012-04-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying I love History!
Now, my boys aren't so sure and this year we were doing Modern American History so it wasn't as exciting as they had hoped. It is hard to teach 1900- present to 2 little boys without first over whelming them and second getting the ideas across without scaring them.
I was very excited to get American History for Young Students III from TruthQuest History to review. Cameron and I started reading at WWI since that was were we had paused in our History lessons.
Michelle Miller does an amazing job writing to the children at the level the can understand and explaining ideas in a way that they need to hear.
TruthQuest is Biblically based which I love and explains concepts that even some adults have trouble understanding. The book is outlined by Events in a chronological format but also ads elements of art, culture, film, and sports to the history timeline. In each section Mrs. Miller lists books as well as films that may be used to read about various historical events , people, and places. I appreciate her honesty when writing about books or films that she hasn't read. It is important to read or view films before sharing them with our younger kids.
As we were reading through the lessons , we came across the story of Balto and Cameron excitedly told me he had seen the movie at Gamma's house. I paused and he then told me about the movie including details that were in what I was about to read him.
When we started reading about the Great Depression , TruthQuest once again was our lifeline. I love the examples she uses and how she brings it to life in the lesson story. We were able to borrow a friends copy of Mystery of History to use for additional reading along with a book I had already planned on using. I love how Mrs. Miller explains her book choices when dealing with the various people during the Depression Era and the New Deal programs. We settled on using the book I had picked out "Clara's Kitchen" about depression era cooking. It worked perfectly for us and stayed within what the TruthQuest book had been teaching the boys.
We are moving into WWII and again TruthQuest did an amazing job explaining the Allies and the Axis along with the confusing aspects of U.S.S.R (ally or enemy???). I was able to find a map to show the boys so they could visually see exactly what Mrs. Miller was explaining to them.
I love that the boys and I can sit on the couch, pull out the TruthQuest History book and read a lesson, then the boys want to find a movie or another book to go along with the lesson. It has inspired both Mom and boys to continue on our History Quest this year. We will be finishing up Modern history with a field trip to our local Air / Space Museum as well as a living history conversation with PaPa about WWII life, Korean War, and everything since in the next couple weeks. I am so thankful for TruthQuest History this year as it has helped put on back on track.
There is a wonderful list of option "spines" that goes along with the book we are using

Now for the other details about the books.

TruthQuest History has a collection of 8 books that travel through History beginning with Old Testament/ Creation/ Ancient Egypt and ending with Modern History for grades 5-12 and a set of 3 books dealing with American History for grades 1-3. Books are available in print or e-book format and range in price from $19.95 to $24.95 depending on level and format.
I would highly recommend the print format, the price difference covers the printing and spiral binding. If you are looking for a lesson plan for History that uses living books as well as films with a Biblical foundation, then this is a great program.

Check out TruthQuest History on Facebook you can also find a wonderful Yahoo Group (History Questers) where Mrs. Miller facilitates discussions with other homeschoolers using TruthQuest.

The TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed a variety of the Truth Quest History Guides. Check out the reviews HERE
Disclaimer: We received a copy of 1 Truth Quest History Guide in exchange for our honest opinions, no monetary compensation was received.

G is for Geology with AIMS

2012-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Earth Rocks! Well as my boys like to say God Rocks Earth Mom. With that in mind we jumped into a geology unit with AIMS Education Foundation Earth Rocks book.

The book is set up to integrates Math and Science activities on a 4th or 5th grade level. Since my boys aren't 4th and 5th grade I knew I would be doing some modifications to the units but figured it wouldn't be a problem.
The book came with a CD that has all the handouts in a pdf format which is very helpful. Each lesson has detailed plans and instructions. We did a few of the units but realized a couple of things. First being a secular publication I had to be careful as I read through various sections to keep the evolutionary vocabulary out of the conversation. I have chosen to not teach evolutionary theory to the boys until they are older and can make up their own minds. We use a young earth, Creation based Biblical view in our history and science lessons.
The other issue I had was adjusting the supplies and materials to 2 students instead of a classroom full. The activities are a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed the lessons we did do, which told me that I can add more hands on geology and geography activities as we move forward.
The book with the CD retails for $29.95, there is also a .pdf version available from the publisher which also retails for $29.95

So based on the price and the full array of activities I can say there is value in the book if you are OK with evolutionary timeline or if you are willing to adjust the conversation as you go.
AIMS has a variety of books available online as well as a selection of lab kits to complement their programs. The fun characters also add value to the programs as the characters caught my boys' attention.

The TOS crew reviewed several of the AIMS products, you can find the crew reviews HERE
Disclaimer: We received a copy of Earth Rocks as a member of the TOS homeschool crew in exchange for our honest opinion of the product, no monetary compensation was received.

Scripture Sunday : Easter

2012-04-07T21:35:00.002-07:00

This week has been a hard week school wise, but I am very thankful for the verse the boys studied this week. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15: 57 Happy Easter everyone! He is Risen!

F is for a Frugal education #atozchallenge

2012-04-06T04:45:00.000-07:00

I have often talked about the cost of various products we have reviewed and whether or not I felt there was value in it, well lets take the monetary value of home education to the next level. Frugality is something many people don’t always think about when they think about homeschooling. It costs to keep the kids at home, but it can be done.
I try and keep our homeschool budget to less than $200 a year for curriculum and supplies. I know that seems crazy, but I have found some wonderful sites to download elements from.
1. Homeschool Freebie of the Day : is an amazing site with daily freebies through out the school year. I have saved so many wonderful books and mp3s I have an assortment I can fall back on , or even start at when I am lesson planning.
2. CurrClick is another wonderful place. They offer a weekly freebie from a variety of publishers as well as seasonal specials. I have downloaded a huge variety both freebies and reasonably priced elements including some amazing Montessori Grammar and Language Arts products.
3. Hands of a Child: I was a conference representative for them our second year homeschooling and was able to purchase a lifetime Super Membership that gives me 2 complete units a month as well as a 15% discount on e-books. HOAC also offers a semi-annual freebie to vistors and Facebook deals on occasion.
4. The biggest blessing to our Homeschool has been our Membership on the TOS crew, while this isn’t for everyone, I have found many vendors offer specials and demos that I never knew. TOS also publishes an annual freebie directory.
5. Project Gutenberg and internet archive are awesome resources for out of print books as well as source documents, audio files, etc.. to help supplement a variety units.
For supplies make sure you have a homeschool i.d.card to save money where educators receive a discount. Also check with your local office supply store (Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples) to see if they offer a teacher rewards card. I stock up on things like composition books, pencils, color crayons, etc… during the back to school season knowing we will use them. Also check Goodwill or other similar thrift shops for things like binders ,milk crates for storage, books, etc… we don’t have to have new binders every year. Another amazing resource for me has been Craigslist. I have found several lots of books and other resources for free and low low priced on Craigslist.
Another fun one that keeps costs down, local parks for nature walks and physical activity. A change of scenery also helps both Mom and kids refocus.