It's a good full

Why we flipped to FunSchooling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 14:53:00 +0000

All 10 Corey kids

I could share lots of great stories about Funschooling. I could tell you about how they brought out the best learning in my kids. I could tell you about how they created an atmosphere of always being in the midst of education. I could tell you about how it allowed me to see into the hearts of my children.

So much great stuff to share and yet all of that falls short when I think about the impact it has had on my son Adam. It's a long story, I will try and give you the very condensed version. Adam was 10 when we started funschooling. He wasn't reading very well, he was frustrated, he felt stifled.

School had just kind of stalled at about 2nd grade level for him. He hated school and I felt like I was failing him. I was trying not to freak out and looking into what I could do to help.... but I wasn;t even sure what was wrong.

In the beginning there was... Adam ;)

Through a friend, I was introduced to Dyslexia Games. This lead me to all the other great Thinking Tree books. It also brought me to our facebook page full of amazing homeschooling families. It was through this chain of events that I figured out that Adam has, what I call, left brain learning gaps. He doesn;t have enough 'missing pieces' for full dyslexia but he has enough markers to cause major problems. Traditional school is created for students whose left brain works great and this is true for most curriculums as well. For the Adams of this world, this is not a good thing. In fact, this is a very bad thing.

The first time Adam was told he didn't have to write anything but could draw what he learned was a 'light in the dark' moment! Going to the library and picking out books (I didn't care if he could read them or not. In the very least he could look at pictures) that were what he was interested in actually became a catalyst for his interest in reading and improved reading.

Now, part of this sounds silly because we went to the library, we got books, and he can color. It was the combination of everything and the way it was put together and that it COUNTED as his school. Adam began to crave learning, he wanted to know more! He wanted to document his learning! Homescjournals, scraps of paper, lined notebooks; full of drawings, misspelled words, and all being the over flow of his busy brain at work! And when things became tough with reading... or overwhelming, he could do a film study and draw what he learned. The learning didn't stop just because his brain was tired of figuring out the reading but instead it continued!

making and playing their own board games

Little by little I saw my son embracing education in a way he never had before and this made me take a hard look at what all 10 of my kids were doing! Why are we so focused on all this 'hacking and gagging' academics when we could be living, loving, and laughing through amazing education? It was time for change!

French Revolution

So we began, we shifted, we kept with some things we liked, threw out a lot we didn't and flipped to Funschooling!

Funschooling has looked different for all of my kids; no two being the same. I have learned how to be a good facilitator in my house for each child and have morphed with them in our Funschooling journey.

Studying pigs

Our days now are filled with more independent learning, tea drinking, game playing, and diving into the interest of one and all. I am constantly being amazed that my children have learned this, or that. I didn't teach them that! I have learned to loosen up, not be worried about being ahead... or falling behind. Instead, I embrace it all and we just enjoy the journey.

Minda Corey

THIN STIX ! The new Kwik Stix from The Pencil Grip!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 21:34:00 +0000

Last year, I had the privilege of reviewing Kwik Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc. and was ecstatic when I was asked to review their new product, Thin Stix 12 pack! We jumped on this so fast! We love our original Kwik Stix and couldn't wait to try out these new, thinner ones.
Thin Stix are a solid tempera paint that come in a tube much like a glue stick. Whats different between these ones and the original is that they are thinner, making it easier for the user to hold and use in smaller spaces. They are about 1/2 an inch in diameter, which is about 1/2 the width of the original.
Like the original, they are the same washable, quick drying, non-staining, easy to use, mess-less, fantastic-ness that we have grown to love. They are still easy to use with the same twist up top (just like a glue stick works)

Intrigued yet? =)

I copied this from my original post because the information is still the same with this thinner model:

"My kids started calling these "paint crayons" which I think is a pretty accurate description of them. The paint tube is like a glue stick. So if you need more "paint" you twist up. Then use them just like you would an over sized crayon. They feel kind of like a crayon and a chapstick had a baby. They roll on smooth and easily. I guess, like a dry paint (is there such a thing?), dry in several blinks of the eye, don't run, smear, or seep. In short. They are amazing!"

The Thin Stix 12 pack comes with a large variety of colors. The colors are well represented by the cases they are in. They roll on smooth, bright, bold, and stay that way! The finish is almost a soft, textured look. It's supposed to be the same as if you had painted with tempra paint. I think they achieve the over-all look but it's not quite exact. I actually like the Kwik Stix finish better!

Using it:

My kids absolutely love these things! The are so easy to use and big kids and little kids alike like them! I like that they are mess-less, fast drying, and in the event a child does get them on themselves or clothing, it comes right off!

I do think the Thin Stix have more of a "big kid" feel. The long, thin design feels more sophisticated- lol. It did make it much easier for them to use in their Fun-Schooling books and in making more intricate designs and drawings on their painting papers.

They can be used on paper, in coloring books, on balloons, windows, wood, etc. They are so versatile and the possibilities are endless. We primarily just use our on paper products and gifts. I admit that I am busy and don't venture to off the grid. Paper I have, so paper we use!

PRO's and CON's:

Pro's are abundant!

easy to use
no mess
bright colors
lasts for a really long time
dry's in 90 seconds
doesn't bleed
doesn't run
doesn't smear
can be used on practically every surface
all kids like them
fun!

Con's (if there really is any)

The only one I could think of is that if you wanted it to have a true "paint" look, this is close but not exact. If the child has painted pretty thickly then is does look super close to regular tempera paint, if its a lighter coat then you see more of the "texture".

(Borrowed pro/con list from my original post.)

WHERE TO BUY or FOR MORE INFO:

Click on the links below to find out additional information about Kwik Stix Thin Stix.

Facebook Page- https://www.facebook.com/thepencilgrip?fref=ts
Website: http://www.thepencilgrip.com/
Purchase on Amazon: – Thin Stix
Amazon: -Kwik Stix Products

Scaling back.... or is it forward?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 16:29:00 +0000

Let me tell you a story.

It's probably not a very interesting one but, it's part of my journey as a homeschooling parent (please notice that I used the word "parent", it's important). I think, so often, we get caught up in the "importance" of sticking with the overall plan of things that staying on course can easily become being off course. I believe that life circumstances and having a lot of children propelled me earlier on to be "ok" with veering off the path I thought would be the right one for our homeschooling.

I know I have spoken a little bit about my path from leaving the Classical Education Movement and settling into the Charlotte Mason/Eclectic side of the homeschooling pendulum but I would say that, these days, you might could also throw in a little "un-schooling" terms as well. Why do we keep shifting? Are my kids still learning? Am I even schooling them really? Yes, Yes, and most definitely YES! It's just different, and it's good and, I feel like, as the primary homeschooling parent, (there's that word again) that I am waking up to the fact that all my children are learning in different ways.

Boring school from back-in-the-day.
I have shared this picture before. Man, I was
so proud of all this "studious" school stuff.
They hated it.

That probably sounds silly saying that. I mean, as homeschoolers, we know that part of the reason we homeschool is because we want them to learn in their own way. But let's be honest, many times we go with what we were modeled (public school) and/or the one-hit-wonder style we want for our homeschooling. Our family really muddled through things and I wish I had learned more from my oldest. I really wanted her to conform to what I wanted her to like and the style I wanted for our homeschooling. Little did I know, how wrong that ideal image was for us! The play goes on...

Now, in this story, there have been some key players that have brought me to where I am. Namely, my daughter Mairyn 13.11, Adam 11.2, and Josiah 14.5. Mairyn was the first kink in my train track, She is the straw the broke the camels back with my hopes of returning back to the Classical model wayyyyy back in the day. Mai-Mai hated it. She just wanted to do her own thing, save the animals, and play. When introduced to the Charlotte Mason stuff she literally sang and danced. (Fair note: the older two girls at the time were not as impressed. During our first lesson, a picture study, Faithlynn cried because she couldn't get it- it was too easy, and Hannah thought for sure I had gone bonkers and felt like surely she needed to do a full oral/written essay.... she was 7.5). Anyway, it was Mairyn who led our group toward a love of learning and helped me to understand that I was never going to be "lesson plan mom". We read books, found Queens (which we still use to this day), Mystery of History, and played. Well they played, I had lots of babies!

Next came Adam. Adam was busy. Adam was naughty. Adam was impulsive. Adam couldn't make a good decision to save his life. Adam processed differently. It took me years, and years, to finally figure out what was hindering my boy. Part of it was maturity, but there was a large other part. He has dyslexic tendencies and, what I call, left brain learning gaps. (For Adam's story, go here =)

things finally started turning around for Adam
when we started using The Thinking Tree books.

Adam struggled, primarily, with reading. This kinked the track once again. How do I school this child when he can't read? I started to take out the word "school" and replaced it with EDUCATE. Mostly, I learned that not a whole lot needed to be altered for Adam with the exception of minimizing the reading frustrations and letting him show his work in different ways; like drawing, building, telling. etc.
You see, there is a huge difference between straight up academics and education. I removed the emphasis of academics and replaced it with rich education. We stuck with the over- all idea of Charlotte Mason but the fantastic more un-schooling-esc things started to pop up (for a glimps at some of the stuff from Sarah Janisse Brown-go here and look at the stuff under "Thinking Tree").

The next cast member is my son Josiah. His entry into the script was about the same time I was really trying to figure things out with Adam. Their roles intertwine. Josiah is actually my step-son. We don't "do" steps in our home. I am Mom and he is my son and vice versa. The only reason I point this out is because it is part of the story. He was still public schooled (per his bio-Mum's stance) up until recently. In public school, he struggled to say the least. He has some similar processing things to Adam when it comes to rote academics and I discovered he had minor dyslexia that had never been caught! Anyway, long story short, he was failing public school 7th grade. He hated it. It was finally decided that he (and the other two bonus kids) would all be homeschooled. That was almost 2 years ago now.

Well, now I had a new challenge. And this gets a little.... dicey. See, I have to work very hard at making sure I love and understand Josiah well. We are the complete opposite from each other. If you are up on the MBTI stuff, I am an ENTP and he is an ISTP. For those that have no idea what those letters means. The short story is this: I am a big picture, out-side-of-the-box thinker, and super extrovert. He is a face value super introvert. (If you want to take a good personality test, I like this one). But why is any of this important? I'll tell you. Because I am a HOMESCHOOLING PARENT! (that word again!).

You see, deep within all this homeschooling, teaching, teachery, stuff. At the end of the day. I am a parent. I am their Mom. At the end of the school day, or the end of the school year, they don't get to say "bye-bye to teacher I don't like", and I don't get to say "Glad I am done with that one!". THAT ONE IS MY KID!!!
Before all this schooling stuff. I am first their parent; their mom! I need to make sure that at the end of each day and each year that we all still have a relationship. If I am at risk of faltering in any of my relationships with my kids, I am MOM enough to say that I run the greatest risk with THAT ONE. Which makes me strive even harder to understand him well, so that I can love him well. And that also means I need to figure out the best way to teach him and instill in him a love for learning. But I did have a problem, he had not been taught to love education and independently learn. Also, our homeschooled kids had much more knowledge in history and science than did the public schooled kids. I needed to bridge the gap, get the new homeschoolies up to speed and, specifically, help my Siah.

Reading before lunch from our History Focus: Ancient Egypt

So what do we do? How do we go about this? I started by changing some of what the rest of us did in order to give the new homeschooling kids time to de-frag from public school. Also, I needed to reshape Josiah's perspective on education. He wasn't very interested in academics and was really down on himself, but he was excited to homeschool! We just needed to change his outlook on learning. I needed to help him discover education! I needed him to find a love for learning. I needed to be his homeschooling PARENT and not his teacher.

Our first semester (Spring) was mostly small projects, getting into the swing of schooling, getting on track with math and learning a new way of education. Since they came in mid year and everyone else in my crew was settled into our curriculum choices for the year, I didn't change a whole lot. I took away most writing assignments, did more group and creative projects, and found everyones speed with Math (Josiah had catching up to do).

The second year (and first full year), we ditched Mystery of History and instead did Brimwood Press for history. This was awesome! Very RIGHT BRAIN but still engaged plenty of left! We kept up with Queens for Science and LA, and for math, it was either Teaching Textbooks or Khan (later in the year, Khan was switched out for CTC math.) Oh, and we did a lot of journals. Lot's and lot's of homeschool journals!

The start of the Homeschool Journal Craze!

At the end of this past school year (2014/15) I realized that my homeschool train took a huge swing in the direction of parent-led un-schooling. The journals helped my kids and I find the
platform we needed to allow them to learn about their interest in a more concrete way but still as part of their homeschooling. Brimwood gave us all the confidence to move away from a history curriculum and just do our own. Taking what we LOVED about brimwood and recreating that for our home, on our own. We still use our QUEENS stuff, that is still good, just the way it is =) We just..... relaxed.

Me... not looking forward to fall.

That brings us to now, fall 2016. I actually spent a lot of time stressing out over this school year; primarily about Josiah. I knew I was going to be over extended in the fall. Aside from our normal, crazy crew. My almost 17 year old niece and 12 year old nephew both came to live with us. I was doing curriculum reviews for the Old School House magazine, I run a homeschool enrichment group and Olympic Cotillion, my parents were moving up, we are looking for a bigger home to move into, my oldest started college, the next older two girls got jobs and are attending drivers ed, and then there is canning season, and, and, and, and. I was not looking forward to fall!

I started making statements like, "Can't I just let the little boys play and color and call it good?" and "We can just do our own thing for history right?". I knew I needed to scale back but a lot of the things on my plate were things I could not get rid of. So the answer was to figure out how to better organize and manage it all while still inspiring my less academic kids to want more education and allowing my super academic kids to still be able to fly!

I prayed. I ditched. And I streamlined. I am no longer apart of the TOS review crew. I staggered the start-ups for the programs I run for a smoother fall. I put together (very easily) my own history for the year using the same theory of learning that we have learned from our routine with Brimwood and The Thinking Tree. I'm really trying to keep the education fun and applicable so that I can love and parent them well while homeschooling. I am their homeschooling parent, not their teacher, not like that anyway.

Nature walk

What I now can see is that in my scaling back, we have actually been moving forward. I see them more engaged, more excited, and more interested than ever before. I've been thinking even further outside the box. I gave all my older kids blogs to write on. Even my non-writers have found this to be fun and look forward to posting and reading what the other kids have posted. We have been having art contests, we drink more tea, we are more relaxed, they are more engaged, and I am like "what????". I literally gave them the tools, a few parameters and said "GO!" and what I am getting back is knocking my socks off.

working in our homeschool journals

When not doing our one room school house learning, I spend my time hanging out with the little boys coloring, helping them with their reading and math, playing games and drinking tea (while reading everyones blogs and doing older kid consulting- lol). Actually, that is only about 90 minutes of my day (aside from reading all their blogs and discussing with them), I am still crazy busy, though- lol.
I am enjoying the insights into each of my kids as I read their blogs. I am seeing their creativity come through in the ways they choose to show their work. We have continued with our history book reading and tea drinking as a group. I have stuck with the "write or draw" your notes (regardless of age). We have all just scaled back, in general, and found that it wasn't as scary as we all thought it would be. I guess, in short, I realized that I didn't really need so much curriculum. I just needed my kids to love learning- and we are nailing it!

recent trip to ART OF THE BRICK at the
Seattle Science Center

It's like I, finally, really, for sure and for certain, got over myself. Life getting busier (because that is what happens with young adults/teens) forced upon us another twist in the plot, another turn in the road. And while I whined and complained for a while (I was pretty sure I was going to ruin my kids if we started to look more un-schooly than not), what I found out is that the more I made our lives full of rich education, the more I focused on being a homeschool PARENT, the more I strived to understand each child and play off their strengths, the more we actually learned, the more we actually accomplished, and the more we enjoyed! What a path THAT has been!

My encouragement to you is this: If you feeling like you can't breath in your homeschooling, maybe what you need to do is to scale back and in that state of rest, you will probably be able to see where your story is unfolding... and it may just surprise you!

~Minda

Having FUN with EDUCATION!

*I'd like to note that we are not doing nothing but instead it is how we use our educational material that has changed.
Our Curric pics this year:

Math:
K-1st the complete book of math 1/2 and Math Mysteries

2nd-highschoolTeaching Textbooks

middle school-highschool CTC MATH or TT or Khan

Language Arts:
K-3rd: Reading Eggs, Homeschool Journals , in general writing practice stuff and reading

4th-6th: Reading Eggs, Homeschool Journals , Queens LA, Queens cursive, reading novels

7th-highschool: Homeschool Journals , Queens LA, Cover Story, Blog writing, LA classes on Coursera, and Future Learn. (Last two highschool only for the most part).

*ditched coverstory- just wasn't for us.

Science:
All grades: Queens Science

Geography:
Middle School: United States DIY journal
Junior High/highschool: Travel dreams DIY journal

ART: Art Hub for Kids on YouTube

History:
All kids: Historical novels for engaging thinkers 4 book set Each book represents a time period. Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Modern. We cover 2 books/time periods a semester. We use that as our read-a-loud. Kids take notes in their history journal (spiral bound line paper notebook). We watch movies, read additional books, do art, and independent studies on this time period for the duration of the novel. Then at the end of each time period, each child does an oral/visual presentation to show their knowledge.

Flip Stir puzzle (A Review from me to YOU)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 19:12:00 +0000

A puzzle in a bottle???? Why, YES, YES IT IS!!!! We received a Solar System FlipStir puzzlefrom Enlivenze LLC to review. This self-contained puzzle comes in a plastic canistercontainer that has an internal “arm” to mix around, and place, the puzzle pieces.

They have several different levels of difficulty and different designs to choose from, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Periodic Table, Statue of Liberty, and Rainbow Pencils. I chose the Solar System puzzle, which is a level 2 (which makes it a little more effort to complete). I figured this would be a great starting point for the majority of my kids.

My kids were instantly super excited about the FlipStir Puzzle. It came in great packaging and has the picture of the finished project on it for those that need the visual help.

First impressions were fantastic! The puzzle is contained so there is no way we will loose the pieces, the plastic is solid and of good quality. The puzzle picture has super bright colors, is a great print job and looks like it will last forever. The “arm” is secure and doesn’t seem like it would be easily broken.

The kids all enjoyed figuring out the puzzle. I did have quite a few that were “one and done”. I have other kids that keep going back to it and trying it over and over again. Once you have solved the puzzle, you use the “arm” to stir the whole thing up again. They loved this part; wanting to make sure it was good and mixed for the next person.It worked well taking it with us in the car, kids playing on a rainy day, and I image it would be great for long trips. One thing my kids did with it that they enjoyed was “racing” each other to see who could solve it the fastest. They took turns and kept time scores. Even my Husband found it and couldn’t put it down until he solved it.

It’s a fun and creative spin on regular puzzles. We enjoyed it greatly! To read more about what others had to say about their puzzles, click on the banner below to read more from The Crew.

CTCMath Review!!!!! Complete online math curric for K-12th!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 01:35:00 +0000

Through the TOS Crew, my family received a CTCMath Homeschool Membership from CTCMath. I want to start off by telling you that originally I was not at all happy about this BUT MAN ALIVE! I AM SO GLAD we got to try this out!

We have tried out a few different math programs and I was getting tired of trying things out with all great hopes just to hate it in the end…. Or at least not like it enough to want to keep using it.

clip of the video teaching

When reading about CTC I was kinda like “blah- blah- blah- blah- blah”. I should have been more excited though. CTCMath has complete math courses for K-12^th grade. It boast’s over 1,400 online tutorials for your student to learn from either as enrichment or along with each lesson. Each lesson video is no more than 5 min!

CTCMath offers the following math courses:

· Kindergarten

· 1st Grade

· 2nd Grade

· 3rd Grade

· 4th Grade

· 5th Grade

· 6th Grade

· Basic Math and Pre-Algebra

· Elementary Measurement

· Elementary Geometry

· Algebra I

· Pre-Calculus

· Calculus

· Algebra II

· Geometry

· Trigonometry

For an overview of what is covered in each level CTCMath has a great downloadable lesson list for all grades. It’s located about halfway down the FAQ page. There is also a great video at the top of the page explaining what CTCMath is. This program IS NOT COMMON CORE, has assessment tests, keeps track of all the grading for you, and that is only the beginning!

CTCMath can be used on your computers, iPod, iPads, and iPhones, and Android devices. This makes it so much easier for students to be able to actually get to math! The company is always refining the program too, so if you don’t see something you want, chances are, they will add it!

Lesson videos, of course, need to be watched on line but worksheets can be done online or printed out and then answers can be imputed online. My kids work out the problems on scratch paper but do all the lessons online. They get up to 3 tries to get it right and you can set what percentage they need to be passing. We have ours set at 80%

The parents and students have separate accounts/logins. All student account filter through the parent account. Parents can easily access their child's progress and even have weekly updates sent to their email.

CTCMath makes tracking your child's overall progress very easy. Once you are logged in you are can look at your student's daily activity which includes when they logged in, how long they were logged in for and what they worked on.

You can view how many attempts your child took in order to answer each question. Edit or reset things they didn’t pass. See everything they did pass, awards earned, etc, etc…. HA!

I wasn’t sure who all in my house was going to like it and who wouldn’t. I had a few kids in mind though that I really wanted to try it with. The main being F17g. She stalled out with Algebra 1 and actually back-slid and then has pain stakingly been trying to find her gap and move back up.

CTCMath has been great for her and let me tell you why =)

1. You login and choose the grade level you want to work in.

2. The program breaks down each grade levels concepts into sections.

3. Choose the section and take the diagnostic test.

4. You will then get a score and detailed list of how you did.

5. You can use the list to go into the lessons in that section and learn in the areas you have gaps!

6. Thus enabling you to move forward! You know exactly what you have mastered and what you do not =)

Besides F17g. I also had all of my other kids 6^th grade on up try it. A11b quickly decided it was not for him- fine, no worries. All of the other kids love it! They like it as much as they like TT (different pro’s and cons) and they all like it the same or better than Khan (again different pro’s and cons. Here is what they think:

F17g: I like how the format is basic. That makes it easy to navigate. I like that the lessons are very clear in how they are taught. The diagnostic test was helpful for me to locate some gaps that I had. There are some things I didn’t like, not enough to make me stop using the program, but they did make things kind of annoying. My Mom covers those in a minute so I won’t here. Over-all I love CTCMath though. It has been instrumental in me figuring out what I wasn’t getting and being able to catch up.

A16g: Awesome. They do a really good job teaching. I like that the lessons are short and the problems you do to practice are exactly like the lesson. If they add a new component, then you get a new lessons and new problems to work through. And I really like the feedback the diagnostic test gave me.

H15g: It’s a very good program. I like how the lessons go exactly with the problems. I think its fun listening to the guy teaching because he is from Australia. I appreciate that the program is very clean. It’s easy to navigate where you are going and to understand exactly what you worked on and how you did.

JO14b: I like it. I like have the sections to work with and the diagnostic tests. Although I don’t really get how they work all their score percentages. I think the lessons are easy to understand.

C12b: I like that its very clean and easy to navigate. It’s kind of like Teaching textbooks and Khan academy shoved together. I like the lessons a lot. They are easy to understand and I like the instant feedback on how I did.

CH11g: I really like it a lot. I feel like I am accomplishing more on this program that I do on Khan. I like being able to see what I have mastered and what I haven’t in a very easy and clear way.

Now…. What we wish was different:

1. Some of the older kid lessons do not have the option to do the problems online. The only option is to use the worksheet, find the answers on there and input them online. My kids don’t like that and neither do I.

2. You can’t just “set” the program to remember what grade the student is in. Instead, everytime you log in, you have to choose he grade level you want to work in. This is also true if you want to look at test results or lessons, etc. You have to choose your grade level.

3. We really are not sure whats going on with the percentages. If you take the test on Monday but don’t finish it that day it will hold your spot and give you a score based upon everything you have already done and whats left to be done. Then on Tuesday let’s say you log in, pick back up where you left off, and finish it, well now you have a new log and a new score. We have no clue whats going on. Did the new score factor in yesterdays work? Because it looks like the student should have gotten a better score.

4. After you take the diagnostic test it tells you what you have mastered and what you have not- perfect. But then if you go into “lessons” and look at the identical list to the diagnostic it will not show anything. I wish your results would show up there so that you knew where to start at. I had to manually in put the information.

5. It does not generate a “task” list for you. So we did not use that. Instead my kids would just keep moving through from one thing to another in the way they show up under the lessons. I wish the program would have generated the task list based off of the diagnostic test for us.

I feel like I am missing a couple little things…. Bugs if you will. None of these things completely broke all the positives but they were big enough that we wanted to mention them. Every program has its… bugs. I haven’t found the PERFECT one YET but this is pretty close ;)

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To read more reviews check out the other CREW REVIEWS!

Beric The Briton by Heirloom Audio Productions {a TOS crew review}

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 00:01:00 +0000

Who doesn’t love a good audio drama! WE DO! WE DO!! Audio drama’s are not your average “audio book”. They are stories coming to life like the old radio show days of yore and we love them!!! So we were totes excited to find out that we would get to review Beric The Briton by Heirloom Audio Productions as part of the TOS Review Crew. Beric the Briton is based on the book Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty. We love Henty books and have always enjoyed hearing them put to audio theatrics! Beric the Briton is the story of the Roman Invasion of Great Britain. You will quickly be drawn into Beric’s life as he and his best friend Bodouc, are kidnapped, retrained as gladiators, and finally out into the employment of Emperor Nero himself!! Along the way you see the work of The Holy Spirit in their lives as they come to new realizations about themselves, their past and how that weighs into their future.

Beric the Briton is recommended for kids ages 6 to adult. You will get 2 ½ hours of listening adventure between the 2 cd’s. I received the physical CD set as well as a few special bonuses that come with the purchase of the family four pack package. Included in the bonuses is:

Beric the Briton MP3 download

Beric the Briton E-Book by G.A. Henty

official MP3 soundtrack

printable cast poster

50 page study guide and discussion starter

inspirational verse poster with the quote, “I will gladly die for Him who died for me”

unlimited access to the Live the Adventure Letter e-newsletter

fun behind-the-scenes videos of the cast creating Beric the Briton

These bonus’ were super cool to have. I am not really much of a “print it” person and we don’t do books on devices (I know I know but we are old school like that). I did look at all the bonus material and ooh and aww. I also did do some of the study questions with my kids but mostly we listened and colored. If you were to work this into your history program though, the study guide would be a great resource!

HOW WE USED IT:

It took us about 3 weeks to listen to the whole story. We were listening in about 20 min blocks of time as, well, time would allow. The kids were told that they could either sit and listen quietly or draw/color as they listened. No problems there!

The story was an instant hit! It was adventurous and engaging! After the first “airing” there were cries of injustice when I turned it off! They could not wait until the next time we would gather to listen.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The production was very realistic, captivating and top quality. This was A+ rate for sure! No “B rating” at all! Everything from the music to the actors was just….. wonderful! We wanted to listen!

Beric the Briton was a wonderful story for the whole family. Along with the topnotch production, it’s simply a good book! The character quality of “dying to self and living for Christ” resounded throughout. You all really should pick this one up!

Social Media Links:

Beric The Briton FB Page

https://www.facebook.com/BericTheBriton

The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty series FB page

https://www.facebook.com/TheExtraordinaryAdventuresOfGAHenty

Heirloom Audio Productions social pages

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories

Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647

Instagram: @HeirloomAudioOfficial

ENJOY more review from the TOS Crew!

Writing with Sharon Watson: A TOS CREW REVIEW

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 18:54:00 +0000

Writing is something I LOVE! In highschool I was not only in the AP honors English classes, but I also wrote for the school paper and was an avid poet. My skills are somewhat less sharp these days but my love for written work remains.
My 2^nd oldest daughter H15 is very much like me in these areas. I was super excited when I found out that we/she would get to use and review The Power in Your Hands: Writing NonFiction in High School 2nd Edition from Writing with Sharon Watson.
H15 studies writing on her own and I find it hard to keep up with her in the area of finding her good curriculum/resources. I had already heard a lot about Sharon Watson and knew H15g would be up for it!

The Power in Your Hands: Writing NonFiction in High School 2nd Edition

The Student Workbook and Teachers manual are both high-quality, glossy covered paperback books. The teachers manual is 223 pages and includes not only the weekly teaching instruction, but also how to grade and tips for you to help your student. The student book has 396 application pages and 9 extra pages of toolbox help at the back.

There is a total of 7 parts that this writing book covers:

Before You Write
Persuasion
Proofreading
Exposition
Description
Narration
Reference (toolbox)

Within each Section are multiple chapters that teach the material. The chapters are detailed and self-guided. The chapters are full of not only writing styles, but also great “what-to-do/what-not-to-do” worked in so that the student is constantly learning practical things alongside the technical stuff. Sprinkled throughout the book are personal little tips and famous quotes. Those give a nice, friendly touch and breaks up the text in order to have things not “run together”.

The student both writes in the book and has assignments outside of the book that can be done with paper and pencil or on a word processor. H15g chose to do her assignments mainly through paper and pencil and then do final drafts on the computer. This was her choice and her reasoning (I thought) was suberb!

“The reason I do my assignments on paper and pencil is 3 fold. 1)There is a different connection between what you write and your brain when you are using paper and pencil. I want that stimulation and connection. 2)I do not want the computer correcting everything for me. I want to train my brain to find those mistakes and correct them. 3)I want good penmenship. It might seem weird, but as a writer, I want to actual be able to “write” well.

The Teacher’s Guide is a simple in format, clear in its directions and structured enough to give clear direction but open enough for one to teach without feeling like you are strictly reading a script. I will be honest though, I didn’t “teach” this course to my girl. I actually hate teachers manuals and any curriculum that comes with them I usually run from at a mad pace! HOWEVER, with capable teens in the house that can teach themselves, I will get said curric and let them have at it. This is what I did with H15g. She read both books for the first few chapters and then used mainly just the Student Book but referred to the Teachers Guide as needed. I spent time at length looking over both and then as we checked in every week, I revisited both books as well.

How We Actually Used it:

H15g has finished up her freshman year as far as her social grade but is actually doing “Junior Year” work. One thing we both loved about this curriculum was that it didn’t matter where you were at grade wise, it’s just good and easy to do!

The way that we used this Writing NonFiction was easy for me- I gave it to her and she did it. H15g is studious and self-propelled. We would check in each week and have an open discussion over tea where she would share her thoughts, what she was learning, and her writings. Win-Win!

H15g’s Thoughts:

“I liked this writing course a lot! It was composed really well, easy to follow, and full of great information! My main reason for wanting to do this course was to grow in my skills as a writer and to be challenged. This course is definitely doing that! I feel like the more I do, the more I improved in my skills as a writer. I have noticed that my creative expressions are more rich and my style of writing is becoming more clear. I feel like I am composing my works better and understanding how the mechanics of writing works in an applicable way.

My only negative with the program is that many of the chapters presented too much information at one time. The first time this happened, I was sort of shocked. The first 2 or 3 chapters (I can’t remember which off-hand) were perfect in the amount of information given and then I hit either the 3^rd or 4^th chapter and was just lost! I was having trouble comprehending all that they were giving me at one time. I would read a ton of stuff and then do an assignment on what was presented at the very beginning of the reading material. I would then have to go and re-read that section because I had forgotten what it was about. This “information-heavy” lesson thing became more of a norm than not. If each lesson was split in half, I think I would have liked it better. To make it workable for me, that is exactly what I did. It was easy enough to do, but would have been nice if it was already broken up that way.

My favorite thing about this program is the way it was set up in general. The chapters containing a lot of information did not take away from the clear-cut layout, easy to follow flow and clear directions. I would recommend this program to both developing writers and those who would like to improve their skills. There is something for everyone in there! ~H15g ”

CHECK SHARON WATSON ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WritingWithSharonWatson
Pinterest: https://www.facebook.com/WritingWithSharonWatson

Also check out the other reviews by the Crew members of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

ArtAchieve - Level III (TOS Review Crew)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 21:46:00 +0000

ArtAchieve - Level III (TOS Review Crew)

We love art in our home and are always excited when we get to review art curriculum. This post is about our experience using the Entire Level III online art program from ArtAchieve.

Now, I will say that I was not exactly sure what I was getting. We were offered 3 levels for the review (Although they offer 5 levels) and I couldn't find a clear description of the different levels from their website. I volunteered for Level 3 because it was the highest level offered for the review.

The Entire Level III package consists of 12 lessons. They have a good variety (everything from basic drawing to foil work, and painting). Your online membership is good for a full calendar year after purchase which allows you plenty of time to move through your art projects.

The Chinese Horse project!

Each lesson features an art project from a different country, includes some real visuals, links to online videos, drawing rules/warm ups/and clear instruction.

To access your lessons you simply login and click on "view your lessons". This takes you to your lesson que. The lessons can be in any format (usually at least 3) of wither download, online video, power point, etc. Click on what you want, gather supplies and go!

Example of the lesson viewing options

Because all their lessons include animals from different areas, history on them, videos and encouragement to listen to music, it is VERY EASY to build a unit study around these lessons =)

For most of our lessons, we just did the power point option. Most of the Level III lessons said "3rd grade on up" but some were higher. I used this program on ALL 10 of my kids ranging from 6 years old to 16. The older kids quickly figured out this was not their Level but my 6yr old-12yr old kids found it fun and on target!

The two collage pictures here show some snippets of the "African Crowned Crane" lesson from their power point lesson option. We also liked the video option (especially the younger kids) but the power point was easier to navigate with teaching so many at one time. If I was to use this in a co-op setting, I would definitely use the power point!

We did one lesson a week and with it being summer, we made an afternoon of it! If I was to use this throughout the school year, I would prolly split it between 2 days with the lesson and warm up on one and the application on the other.

A10.11 and K12 adding finishing touches to two of their projects.

I loved that the program was easy to use and had good, clear instruction. The lessons were varied, did not require a lot of skill, were concise, and had great end results!

The over-all consensus from the kids was "This is fun!" They approached each lesson with a good attitude. I asked them what they liked the most about it and all of them said about the same things:

Kandinsky Color Mixing lesson

easy to understand
interesting subjects
easy to follow
liked the end results

I had my oldest daughter look over the program at length since she is the art expert in our home as well as doing the lessons. Here is what she had to say:

F16 working on the Crane project.

"ArtAchieve was a very interesting program. I liked the layout, and the idea's used for the tutorials. I felt like it was relatively simple and easy to follow, at the same time being intriguing. I felt like it captured the attention of the audiences to which it was directed.

I did think the "rubbing your hands together and placing them over your eyes" warm up was indeed unnecessary and weird.

I did enjoy the wealth of information that was included in every lesson, talking about the history or interesting components related with the art lesson. Overall, I think that this program is very good for artist who wish to explore different mediums of art and gain some art experience."

E and D creating and 2 finished projects from 2 of the older kids

I thought she summed it up very well! Overall, it was a solid art curriculum that gives good, clear instruction. The online lessons made it easy to use and the website was easy to use. The lesson's themselves gave us a wonderful art experience lesson!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the things they created. It was definitely a fun curriculum to review for all of us! I also hope that you go and check out the ArtAchieve website and social media, and the TOS Crew reviews!

NotebookingPages.com Review for The Crew

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:55:00 +0000

Recently I was given a Lifetime Membership from NotebookingPages.com to review. I was pretty interested in this opportunity when I heard about it because we already do a lot of our homeschooling with journal pages and these note booking pages are so similar in theory and application. Using note booking, or journal like pages, in your homeschool is a great way to make learning more meaningful to your learners!

What is NotebookingPages.com?

Python pages were a big hit!

This is a website that creates and collects thousands of notebooking pages for you to use for all sorts of subjects, ideas, and uses. Using NotebookingPages enables your students to follow their own interests and apply their knowledge to their journaling pages through drawing, coloring, writing, and other creative measures.
Through using NotebookingPages.com's pages, kids are able to receive or pick a subject matter, do their learning and then have some where to record their learning in a fun and stress-free way. They take ownership of their work and enjoy the freedom of being able to express themselves at their own level. These pages make copy work and note taking easier too because it's simplified and based on their interest (unless you assign a subject matter of course). One thing we have loved with this type of schooling is that we can make the application (printable) have more writing pages for those that like to write and more drawing pages for little ones and/or dylesxic spectrum kids.
NoteBookingPages.com has pages on EVERY SUBJECT! Seriously, it would take forever to just sit and look at everything! Good thing their site is searchable! Anyways, they have early learners - highschool pages. Pages on learning the alphabet and hand-writing, pages on composers and music, pages on art, science, and history. They have pages on famous people, nature, blank pages, Bible, character study, etc, etc, etc! They even have lapbooking pages and "3D" pages. For reals, there are just sooooooo many pages!

How we used it:

Upon receiving the Lifetime Membership Program (which means FOREVER), they sent me a three-step tutorial that explained how to use their site and implement their pages in within homeschooling. Because we already homeschool in a similar way, the "how-to" wasn't any new information but it was great that they sent it and helpful in navigating their site!

I looked over the site and found some things I thought my 10-15 year old kids may like and asked them to pick. We then downloaded and printed the following:

Johann Sebastian Back (Jo14b, C12b)
Reptiles: Pythons (A10b, J9b, K12b)
Emily Dickenson (H15g, M13g, CH11g)
Nature study: Birds (H15g, M13g, CH11g)
Bible pages: 7 days of creation (J9b, A10b, K12b)
Memorial Day (all)

Some of our printables had multiple pages and some where just one page (or more if the kids needed more writing room). I had them do their printables and then decide if they wanted them in a 3-ring binder or separate folder. I kinda let them do what they wanted since we ere only trying it out and are at the end of our school year. In the future, I will be more specific with them about making mini books or projects or collecting them for display in specific ways.

M13 doing research and writing

The idea is that you use books, media, internet, whatever, to research your subjects. For most all of our printables we used the internet, got some books at the library, listened to some things online, and watched some youtube videos.

Because this is a familiar system for my kids, they were able to complete these pages without me and in their entirety. This is SO NICE!!!! It was fun watching them do their studying and seeing their end results! My husband was pretty impressed that the older boys chose to spend part of a Saturday doing extra research on Bach! But that is something I LOVE about this kind of learning! It's education and it just becomes a part of everyday life!

The kids all had great things to say. They liked the pages and thought it was pretty neat that there were so many different subjects and things to choose from. Some things they wouldn't have thought about on their own but they saw the title and their curiosity was peeked!

How do you get in on the goodness?

NotebookingPages.com offers a FREE sample of over 600 pages so you can try out their site before you buy. I highly recommend trying them out!

If you DO like it, then you can choose between two payment plans for the lifetime membership program. You could make a one-time payment $97 or you could spread it out over four months (Month 1 $10 and then Month 2-4 is $29).
This makes it highly affordable since you can use the pages with allllllllll of your kids for allllllll of your years- sweet!

Social Media is a great place to find out more!

Follow NotebookingPages on Facebook
Follow NotebookingPages on Twitter

And don't forget to check out the other Crew Reviews!

BOY BUCKETS for the WIN!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 02:40:00 +0000

So about 2 weeks ago I had a moment of brilliance (yes, they do happen on occasion) . My boys decided they wanted to make some things from the Dangerous book for Boys and then I thought "I should gather supplies for them" and then I thought "I should make them earn these things". Thus, the Boy Buckets were born for the Little Boy Brigade at my house!
The short story is that I filled buckets full of ~~misc. crud~~ amazing stuff and make them work for it thus, providing hours of happy workers and then hours of occupied boys. It's truly a win-win. Now here is the long version.
I started by having them make me a general list that I could work with. I don't have a picture because it was tossed already BUT 85% of the things in the Bucket list are from their original list. I went to the $tree and bought supplies and buckets. Each bucket cost me $10 to make.

Here's whats in them:

Bucket
Pop-its (they think it's dyno-mite)
Shoe laces
Pens
Mechanical pencils
Carabiner
Clothes pins
Plastic cups
Rubber bands
Tooth picks
String
Plastic Straws
Popsicle sticks
Balloons
Paper Clasps
Pencils
Super glue (only older boys)
Safety goggles
Random pieces of wood ends
Zip ties

Now, for the rules!

You only get your bucket if you have obeyed the morning house rules.

Boy Buckets all filled up!

You only get your bucket if you have completed all your morning chores.
After the above have been completes, you must do an extra chore to get your bucket. God says you must be faithful with a little to be faithful with much! Report to me for your extra.
If you leave your bucket out- you will lose your bucket (for a day or so).
If you leave the contents all over the place- again grounded.
If you leave your creations out- yet again, bye-bye bucket.
If you steal from someone else's stuff or trade unfairly- yup, you guessed it, no-das-bucket.

In use =)

Every day these boys are excited to get their buckets. They are eager to get their stuff done, get assigned an extra chore and earn the privilege to use their buckets. They never seem to get tired of the buckets and have used the book and their imaginations to create some great stuff! Even the older kids have joined in and have been found on many occasions asking the Boy Brigade if they need help with making anything.

These buckets have been so successful that I have since run back out to the $tree and decided to have a "bucket box" where they can use sweat equity to get more supplies. I have not had them do this yet as everyone except my youngest, still have plenty of supplies. My youngest, E6, has already used up most of his supplies but is excited just to have the bucket and use it to collect things and play make believe stuff! I want to keep them all motivated and busy though so have some extra supplies they can get is a worth while investment for me. Some of the new things are repeat items and others are just random things. They include:

Pipe cleaners
Toilet paper rolls
Mini flash lights
Duct tape
Needle and thread
Small plastic containers
Funnel
Etc.

Anyway, we are having a great summer so far and these buckets have been a huge part of my busy boys keeping themselves entertained!

I have included the link here for you to the book that inspired it all!

Family Friendly Online Bible Curriculum! {Review} Veritas Press

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 17:23:00 +0000

For about six weeks now our family has been reviewing the One Year Family Subscription
of VeritasBible.com from Veritas Press. This is an online bible study curriculum

So..... What is VeritasBible.com?

VeritasBible.com is a fun, self paced, independent way for kids to study the Bible! Through fun games, quizzes, and videos they travel through the bible creatively. There are currently three courses aimed towards grades 2nd-6th:

Genesis to Joshua
Judges to Kings
The Gospels

They have plans to add more as well! The two currently being worked on are:

Chronicles to Malachi and Job
Acts to Revelation

What do you get in these lessons?

Each course covers 32 Bible events with four lessons for each event. I had my 12 year old son do the math for math and he has calculated that that is 128 lessons in each course for a total of 384 lessons! That is a lot of bible lessons!!!

Each course includes the following:

Music to memorize the chronology of bible/historical events
Memory tools for names, dates and places
Foundational concepts for future in-depth study
Exploration activities in art, music, and geography
32 major biblical events
Activities, Projects, Work sheets and Tests

Each lesson starts with a short video with real actors that go over the main parts of that days lesson. Interspersed between every five or so minutes of these videos are quizzes, activities, games, and review.

How did we use VeritasBible.com?

I set up an account for each of my kids and my sorta-nephew (who is staying the summer with us) ages 6yrs-12yrs and they all started in the Genesis to Joshua program per the suggestion of the program itself.
While VeritasBible.com is geared for grades 2nd-6th I would say it was most perfectly matched for the 4th-5th grade kids. My non readers and young dyslexic spectrum kid had a really hard time doing the program on their own. We quickly realized that they would need a buddy to sit and do it with them. This made it more "hit and miss" with my 6yr-9yr old. The three other kids though could handle it just fine! Those three have been doing it 4ish days a week on their own.

What do we think of VeritasBible.com?

My Opinion first =)
I thought it was very well put together. The videos were high quality; both in acting and animation. The additional activities were engaging and not overwhelming. The content was sound and theology was on target. I really loved that they could do it on their own! I also loved that they were encouraged to take out their bibles and look things up and it inspired many wonderful discussions! Another great thing is that it remembers where each child left off as they all have their own accounts.

K12 happily working through it.

The only down falls I have are these: The program does not work on tablets... at least not on my samsung ones. We could get it to load initially but nothing beyond that. It would just scroll and scroll. It would have been sooooo nice if it had worked on them so that it would extend the computer use better. Another thing that was annoying was that the kids had to get everything in the questions correct to move on (no biggie) but the program would re-set the questions but something in the formatting was wrong and it wouldn't let you interact with it. So we would have to "refresh the page" every time, wait for it to load and then try the questions again.
The last thing that I didn't like was the way the two actors portraying a brother and sister were scripted to treat each-other. In fact, this really bothered me. They were rude to each other, argued, self-seeking, lied, and had bad attitudes with each other. This was interspersed throughout the video so there were plenty of kind moments too. It was easy to tell that these things were put in there in order to create some "humor" but I just don't find those things humorous.
My kids are not allowed to treat each other like that and when things do come up they are corrected. I didn't like that it was being modeled as "funny and normal". I thought maybe I was being too sensitive about it but my kids noticed too. On more than one occasion they commented that the way the siblings were acting was "not nice", "wrong", "rude" just to name a few. I agreed that it was unfortunate that they were behaving so and I prolly made a comment on how their parents should have taught them better. In the end we acknowledge the sin and moved on.
Those few things though were minor and easily worked with (and may just be my tablets/my internet/my computers/my standards). All in all, it was a smooth, well done program and it allowed me to slip in more bible study in a fun and independent way for my middle kids. A10.11 and K12 especially loved it and would ask to do it ALL THE TIME!!!!

What the kids thought:

F16 doing a lesson with E6

E6b: "It was too hard to do by myself. I didn't like the questions but I like the videos."

D7b: "I like doing it with a buddy. I like the videos and the songs but I do not like all the questions, sometimes they are hard."

J9b: "It was good but too hard to do on my own because it does not do all the talking for you and some of the words are really hard. I didn't like how the brother and sister acting either. It was just wrong. I did like that you traveled through the bible world doing the lessons."

A10.11b: "Veritas bible is great. I love it! It is really fun. The video are funny and do a good job on the bible lessons. The tests help a lot because it helps me memorize and solve different bible verses. It really is helping me learn where things are in the bible. My favorite thing is the "Parts of the Bible" song. I am not sure if that is it's name but it is a great song."

K12b: "I like it a lot. It is a good program for kids to learn about the bible. My favorite part is the song "Genesis to Joshua". I think it is helping me memorize more about the bible and I am remembering stuff better because the learning is fun."

Ch11g: "I thought it was pretty good for younger kids. I didn't really care for it because it was just very young. I don't mind doing it with one of the little boy's but for just doing it on my own it was very young in presentation and I have been doing much older bible studies. Also I really did not like the way the brother and sister treated each other. I think their interactions showed that brothers and sister can treat each other in a snarky way. I think it modeled bad character."

ONE MORE THING!!!
You can get a free two-week trial at VeritasBible.com! I think it is awesome that they offer this so you can get a real feel for if this is right for your family!

Connect with Veritas Press Online

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veritaspress/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/veritaspress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veritaspress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/veritaspress @VeritasPress

LearnBop: Online math for the 3rd-12th grade!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 18:22:00 +0000

Online math curriculum is a space we know VERY WELL, in fact, I prefer computer based math programs to anything else. Thanks to the Schoolhouse Review Crew we received LearnBop for Families from LearnBop, which is a 12 month Family Plan subscription for up to four students.

LearnBop offers interactive math tutoring for grades 3-12. Each student has their own account and it's pretty easy to navigate. You can choose either a grade level or a specific math concept for your child to work through. If you are not just learning concepts as a "one off", then the program will move you through the grade level progressively as you master concepts.

Key Components of LearnBop:

Adaptive Road Maps
Step by Step Learning
11,000 Lessons
Growth Mindset
Real Time Insights
Fun Motivational Grades
Self Grading
Concept Trackers

Who used it in my house:

I actually was able to finagle 5 of my kids to use this program instead of 4. The "Parent" also has their own account and so I had my oldest using that one as I was not going to, so here's the line up!

F16g Algebra 1 math
M13g 8th grade math
C12b 8th grade math
CH11g 7th grade math
A10b 7th grade math

The four younger kids got their own accounts and passwords. Because F16g used my account she just logged in with my account information.

It was easy for all of them to navigate the program, as you can see from the picture. They just needed to start at the beginning with whatever was on top. There is always a video for the lesson and then the problems follow.

STUDENTS DASHBOARD: STUDENT VIEW

ON the Parents side, you can see where your student is at. Your students are listed to the left and you need only to click on their name and their learning info will pop up. (The picture below is a clip but I purposely did not include the part that listed personal information). F16g used my log in info and I could see her work by choosing my own Dash Board.
The parent and student Dash Boards look a little different but all-in-all they have the same info. It's pretty self explanatory and easy to understand.

PARENTS VIEW OF Clip of A10's Dash Board. This was near the beginning of him using it.

What the kids thought:

F16g: "I felt like that for older kids the format was more "kidish". It wasn't a bad thing and for younger students it would be a real positive thing. There are bigger fonts, brighter colors, and a more "kid-friendly" feel. But that also made it feel "younger". I felt like other online programs I have used were a little more simple- but I think that is because of the ability to progress through some concepts while working on others. As far as the learning aspect goes, I felt like I understood what they were trying to tell me but things could have been broken down a little more before they gave you the problems to work on. Their explanations were great but they have too much information in one learning video and then when it was time to do the problems, I didn't remember all the different steps for all the different ways to do things (this was with statistics). Other than that it was very good."

M13G: "LearnBop is like a tutor and the instructions are simple but thorough. I like how it takes you step-by-step through everything. I thought it made math a little more enjoyable with the way it was set up. It is a very encouraging math program. They have achievement awards and effort awards you get for doing the math and I liked that. I do wish that the problems where read to you."

C12b: "I like it in the way that it is easy to work with. I did think the instructional video's seemed more for really little kids. I thought for it being 8th grade math it would have seemed a little more... mature. The instruction though is very well explained and the program is easy to work with. My favorite part of it is that if you get something wrong, it takes you step-by-step through the problem to see just where things went wrong."

CH11g: "I think it's a good site and it does teach you your skills in a good way. I like that after every skill it shows you your progress and where you are heading. Sometimes it was hard knowing exactly what they wanted from you and you had to get a problem or two wrong in order to see how they wanted you to actually put the answers in. In some concepts I was a lot further ahead but it keeps you in your grade level and doesn't know which concepts you are better in. You have to complete those whole sections even if you get them all correct."

A10b: "I really liked it. I wished that the problems were spoken to you though. It would have really helped. I really liked it though, because the process of helping you when you get a problem wrong is easy to understand. I also like how I know where I am at with math because of the percents. I can see how much I have gained. I think it was good encouragement too because even if I got something wrong, I still earned a badge for trying hard. I like getting the badges. The only thing that is frustrating is not having the probelms read to me. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with reading and it's easier if I can read along with someone or a program."

What I thought:

It is very similar to another online program we use so this was an easy "pick-up and go" program for us. I was VERY HAPPY with the way the program works and what my kids' reaction to it is. I only had 2 minor problems with it: 1)was that there was no audio for the math problems. I think this is something they could add to make the program run even better! I often had to read things out loud for my Dyslexic Spectrum kids because that is an element they need. The 2) thing is that I wish the program had the ability to move kids ahead in areas they were advanced in while they worked on areas they were not. I know this can be done because we use a program that does this.

In my home we use two different computer based programs and the kids that do well with one do not do well with the other and vice versa. What was interesting is that LearnBop is kind of a mash up of the two and the blend was quite nice! I would say this program is nearly perfect! The only thing that would have made it better would have been the addition of audio on the problems.

Pricing

There are two different plans available for homeschoolers:

Single Student Plan

Subscription (month to month) $14.95
Prepaid (12 months prepaid) $149.95

Family Plan—Up to 4 Students

Subscription (month to month) $19.95
Prepaid (12 months prepaid) $199.95

Connect on social media:

Click the banner below to read more Crew reviews about LearnBop

Forbrain Review: For Reading, Speech, Attention, and more!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 17:22:00 +0000

I was, and am still, sooooo super excited that our family got the opportunity to review Forbrain. This device, which was sent to us by Forbrain - Sound For Life Ltd, uses bone conduction to assist in auditory processing. Auditory processing affects many different areas from speech and reading fluency, to attention and awareness.
Forbrain is a headphone like device. There is no piece that goes in your ear, instead the "amplifier" is in front of your ear on top of the bone conductor (top of your jaw bone). This allows the sound to not just be heard but felt through bone conduction.

When we can both hear and feel something, it changes how our brain processes the information. Taping into our brain on another level can increase attention, memory, and sensory processing. The brains ability to hear all the sounds while also feeling them can help to better develop speech, fluency in speaking and reading, memory, concentration, attention, better communication skills, self awareness, written expression, focus, and builds self confidence. It can also help with ADD and ADHD.

Are you intrigued yet? I know I was! When I heard about it I thought this could really be a great tool to use to help a few of my kids with their reading and speech skills! I spent a lot of time on the Forbrain website to learn more and found this VIDEO to be very helpful.

When we first got our package, I was super impressed with the quality of it all- nothing about this is chintzy! Like I said earlier, Forbrain is like a set of headphones but it doesn't go in the ear, the bone conductors sit right in front of the ear. The microphone is adjustable so that you can position it near the mouth. It has in internal rechargable battery that uses USB. The battery, by the way, last forever!!! The USB cord came with it but it is the same as my windows phone so I just used that charger ;)

When we are not using it, it lives in the super sturdy black case it came with. There is a spot for everything so nothing gets rattled around. Plus, it makes it look so cool everytime you take it out-HA!

I really wanted this for J9b

My son J9b has some speech... things. We have taken him in and have had him checked for hearing and speech over the years. Everyone says he's fine.

J9b had his adenoids and tonsils takes out at the age of 4. Prior to that, He sounded like a drunk russian with cotton balls in his mouth! Every year since his surgery his speech has improved but he still has a bit of a lisp, a stutter, and has a "lazy mouth" (his only diagnosis). The slower he speaks, the better. But if he is talking fast (his usual) he stutters, skips words, uses lots of sound effects and laughs while he talks. He often does not form his words correctly and we are always helping him with that.

J9 is also one of my "slow to read" guys. He has some dyslexia tendencies (like his older brother A10) but otherwise is doing fantastic in school.

Who else can use it?

Everyone! From Pre-K kids though adulthood! Because Forbrain is designed for such a wide range of things; from early talkers to public speaking. It is applicable for everyone!

How we used Forbrain:

It is suggested that preschoolers use it for 10 minutes a day, children use it for 15 minutes a day, and adults for 20. All should use it for 6-10 weeks, then take a rest period so the brain can progress without the device, then start another 6-10 week session.

Now, I will be honest, we didn't quite get that in. May is an extremely busy month in our household. I run two programs and each wrap up for the year, which include a formal dinner and ball for one and a year-end party for another. Add to the state testing, research projects, and end of the year homeschool reporting.

So... We used it more like 3 days a week for 5 weeks. Now that all the crazy end of the year stuff is over, I plan on doing it again over the summer.

The lessons consisted of different activities from reading with your child, them reading on their own, repeating things back to you, etc. But really, you could apply the use of Forbrain to just about anything where the child/student needs to talk.

A10 using the headset while doing math

As part of another review, A10 was trying out a new math program. While computer based, it does not read the problems or read the directions out loud to you. A10 was immediately frustrated with that as reading takes a lot of energy. The first couple days I was helping him. He can read just fine but he was not comprehending what he was reading very well. When read to, he does fine. This was taking more time than I had to give. Then I had this brilliant idea! He can "read to himself"!

He got out Forbrain went back to math, reading outloud again but this time with the headset and voila! His comprehension immediately got better and he didn't need my help as often! Success!!

Using It

It was easy to use. You didn't really "feel" anything, you just heard yourself like you were speaking in a microphone. I had to keep reminding my boys, at first, to "talk normally" but that was the only real reminder I needed to give.

We followed the directions for sitting and making sure that we gave our best attitude and effort. After 2 weeks, I included the rest of my readers in the Forbrain fun, but in a slightly different way- I will get to that. For A10 and J9 though, when we were doing our "Forbrain Time" we did it the way it was described in the instructions.

A10b - 5th grade - He really enjoyed using this and immediately noticed that there were things he was not doing or saying correctly. The first week especially was a real eye opener for him. Understanding words and what they are really came alive for him! It was exciting to see! The connection for him was sooooo much different then when not wearing the Forbrain headset.

I remember the first day asking him why he thought he kept pausing during one of the exercises. He said he didn't realize that his reading speed was so "off" before.

We both noticed that his reading fluency has gotten a lot better in the last month and his reading confidence. I also think his immediate comprehension skills for his own reading has gotten better. If you read to him, he does fine, if he reads it, he spends all his energy on the reading and doesn't always know what he read. This has definitely helped with that!

J9 - 3rd grade - He is the child I described in detail above. The first day we used it he cried. Great intro huh? I don't think J9 realized how differently he spoke and the instantaneous realization for him was emotional.

Now, in all fairness, he is not "that bad". People can understand him, it's not a "man that kid has speech problems" kind of a thing. Sometimes you have to ask him to slow down and there are different words you have to help him with if he keeps saying them wrong. But for J, he often could not identify the difference in what he was saying and what you were asking him to change. With Forbrain he could! This was a startling thing for him and I think that is where the tears were from.

As the weeks progressed, his confidence got better and we started noticing different things in his speech. It was over-all more clear, he didn't seem to be stuttering as much and his connection between words and what he was saying got so much better! Also, he finally seems to have gotten the sounds worked out for words like "actually" which he would normally say as "atchalee". This is HUGE progress!

Everyone else

I started using Forbrain during our group reading time. When it's your turn to read, you get the headset! Everyone thought it was cool and it made everyone pay a little more attention. Through this experiment, I noticed that I have a couple other kids that I think would really benefit from using Forbrain as an actual thing and not just during reading time. I plan on implementing that over the summer as well.

Find out more on their website and social media:

Forbrain

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The Glass Castle {Shiloh Run Press Review}

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 19:11:00 +0000

One of the things we love to do in our house are read-out-louds with books. When the opportunity came up to receive The Glass Castle by Trisha White Priebe & Jerry B. Jenkins, in exchange for my honest review, I just knew that it would be perfect for our group reading! Many thanks to Shiloh Run Press for sending us the book!

{Synopsis} The Glass Castle

Avery is a spirited, adventurous, newly-turned 13 year old girl in medieval-ish times who gets kidnapped, along with her three year old brother, and taken to live in a castle with other children her own age.

These children all live and work in the castle behind the scenes and without adults. But Avery is not like these children. They are all orphans and Avery has parents... at least a father, her mother vanished years ago.

If that is not mysterious enough, what's with the sickly King, his wretched finace Angelina, and the supposed missing heir to the King's throne? How will Avery free her self, her brother and everyone else?

In this page-turning story, you find out all those answer and more in this mystery packed story! Along with solving the questions at hand, Avery also learns so much about life, leadership, friendship, family, and being where ever it is one finds themself for a reason and a purpose.

We Began Our Journey:

We opened up our shipping box and were immediately drawn to the cover art on this hardbound book. One by one my kids read the back, slipped through the book itself and started barraging me with "when we will start!?"

The Glass Castle is listed as juvenile fiction with a target age of 10-14. Thee text was a good size for young readers (and aging Mama eyes) and the line spacing was enough for it to not be crowed but also close enough to not look like an early reader. The book has a total of 256 pages contained within 41 short chapters (each chapter was about 4-7 pages in length).

For read-out-louds, my kids all make tea and we gather into the living room and I read. Sometimes we pass the book around too, but usually this is my time to read to them. 9 out of my 10 kids all gathered to listen; my eldest had college work to do. So, kids ages 6-15 all gathered to hear the tale. I will state, though, that sometime the 6 and 7 year old were more impressed with the sunshine and bird calls from out yonder and so I sent them off the make their own adventures once their hot cup of happiness was done.

We were all drawn into the story from the get go and after every chapter the kids begged for "just one more!" with eager looks on their faces. It was nice that the story had good flow and do-able chapters.

What We Thought of This Book:

The story had many wonderful qualities right off the bat!:

Suspenseful but not scary
Mysterious
Positive character traits were shown
Strong female role models
Strong male role models
Action
Positive/Negative behaviors and how they affect others
"Bad guys" were not "scary horrible", they were just.... the bad guys.
Christian in context

There were also some things we could have done without:

There is the start of romance between Avery and Tuck. I wish they would have left this out as we are talking about 13 yearold children. There is no inappropriate touching or conversation but it is made very clear that Avery notices Tuck and is stirred by the feelings (as foreign as they are) that she seems to have for him. Seeing it that this is book 1 of a long series (book two is not out yet), you can see were the foundation is being laid for a relationship.
There is quite a bit of "sassiness".
There are "mean-girls" and I just don't like them. Like full on, stero-typical, "public school" mean-girls. I understand why they are there but don't like the way they talk to people.
Which leads to my last gripe. The way all these 13 year olds talk to eachother is sooooo.... atypical, "public schooly", tween-agery. I get it, I understand why. I just hate it. My kids don't talk like that, and you want to know why? Because we don't let them. I am not raising "tweens/teens" I am raising young adults- it's biblcal. Ok, rant over.

With that said, the positives far out-weigh the negatives (which are manageable). Everyone loved the story! About halfway through they were already asking if there would be a sequel! I liked everything but the romancy-ish bit. I loved how God was weaved into the story making the "christian stuff" real and seamless.

Heres what the kids say"

H15g "I thought it was a very creative and exciting story. I would have read it even on my own, although I would have finished it quickly."

JO14b "I thought it was good and it captured my attention. At first I wasn't that into it and then as my Mom kept reading and the story kept getting more and more interesting. I couldn't wait for reading hour!"

M13g "I thought the story line was really good. I liked how it said the castle worked and loved imagining it all. It was exciting!"

C12b "I liked it because it was a story that all of us were into, it captivated all of our age groups. I also liked the describing words the author used because it made a good image in my head of what was going on."

Ch11g "I thought it was an interesting storyline that got my attention easily. I thought Avery sounded very brave, like my sister M13."

A10b "I liked it a lot because it was easy to imagine everything. The author express the characters and objects really nice. It was a pretty mysterious story. My favorite part is where Avery almost burned down the kitchen trying to cook!"

J9b "It is a good story and pretty funny too. Sometime the kids do things and it make me laugh."

I am one of a few who read the book, so, go check out the other crew reviews!:

Also check out the company on Social Media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbourPublishing
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/barbourbuzz

MAXSCHOLAR (MaxGuru): a Reading Intervention Program Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 19:51:00 +0000

This weeks review is brought to you by MaxScholar! I was given a one year membership for two of my kids to the MaxScholar Reading Intervention Programs MaxGuru! While this program is listed as a "Reading Intervention Program" it really is an all inclusive reading/grammar program and not just for "intervention". It encompasses a wide range of learning ranging from teaching the basics of pre-k phonics all the way through teaching how to summarize and outline paragraphs, recognizing Greek and Latin roots, vocabulary, parts of speech and more.
Our one year subscription to the MaxGuru program gave us a lot of different learning of learning options. They included:

All MaxPhonics
All MaxReading
All MaxWords
All MaxMusic
All MaxPlaces
All MaxBios
All MaxVocab

A10 and J9 were my testers. I planned on having D7 and E6 try it out too but upon getting the older two boys registered, I was a little overwhelmed with it all and decided to just do the two older boys and see how things went. Because of some things that we feel are inappropriate, we will not be having them try it. Nor will the other boys continue. These are for preference reasons and I will explain.

My boys were using two programs at one time to review (bless their hearts) and they definitely liked this one better! This is the one they asked for and looked forward to doing- so that's good.

J9 working in phonics

They started by clicking on whatever looked good. Max phonics came first so we clicked on that first. J9 really liked the phonics portion and enjoyed how interactive it was. It would have been harder to do with a mouse but thankfully we had a touch screen.

I wish there had been a clear "starting point". It was kind of like "okay Phonics was nice- now what?" Eventually we clicked on "Max Reading". There was a placement test at the beginning of that so that was great to find! I like things that are systematic so this felt like familiar space.

A10 taking the reading test

They took the test but I felt like it was a little wonky. I didn't need to really adjust anything, so it wasn't a flop. I just think it could be tweaked a little more in order to get a more accurate assessment. I think it could have started off at a younger starting point as well.

The first thing they give you in the test is a longer story on a page. A10 could read it just fine but J9 was immediately overwhelmed. There is a "too hard" button to click and then it generates something on a lower level. It took us a minute to see it, though, and know to click it. I think the program should have started with a younger starting point.

Also, I thought some of their questions were.... not really..... kosher? One of the question in the reading test was a twist on the game "hangman". They gave a definition and then filled in the anser line with only one letter. Here was the question in a paraphrase (The definition was longer but the main question is the same. I should have takes a picture but I didn't):

question: "The act of inhaling tobacco" answer: "smoKing" (K was the letter they had filled in already).

I just really felt like that didn't need to be in a childrens reading program- Know what I mean?! This was a "red flag" for me and made me feel like I needed to monitor the program more closely.

Moving on: My boys found the different programs and learning games pretty interesting and enjoyable enough (but not quite fun). The layout of all the programs was good and the graphics were up to date with today's technology. The voice was a little computer-y but not too bad. Overall it was visually and audibly pleasing.

It was great that in all the programs it kept track of where each boy was and would pick up where they left off. We hate it when programs are more "willy-nilly". I also appreciate that easch boy had their own log in/account.

The other activities in the MaxReading program were good. I thought it did a good job of helping with comprehension and writing structure. I didn't really see anything else at this point that was "inappropriate" but I didn't read everything they did.

One of the other sections that my boy's were very interested in was MaxMusic. the music artist list could have been better but I thought "meh- it is what it is". I pick one of Louis Armstrongs songs for J9 to do. He had a lot of fun with it and especially loved the piano player!

It was all fun and games though until A10 went on it and then came and asked me "What's a dangerous love affair? BUT WHERE DID YOU HEAR THAT???? So he had clicked on "JayZ" and the song option was "Run this Town". And THOSE were in the lyrics. I have included a picture of this one! This made me look at all the song choices. I found a lot of them to be totally inappropriate! I get that this is not a christian program but there are soooooo many positive message/kid appropriate songs out there that can be used! And I don't think the argument that they are not "current" fly! I run a Cotillion Group and I have to find current, positive message music to use, so I know, they ARE out there!!! Rant over and no more Max Music.

At this point, I was really wondering if there were more things in the reading program that I would not like that I just wasn't seeing. I feel like between the smoking question and the music selections that the integrity of the material was totally compromised.

While, in the end, my kids will not be continuing in this program, my overall opinion of the academics within the program are good. I think the MaxScholar Reading Intervention Programs are well done and I really liked the stress on comprehension and the way it keeps track of where each child is at on their learning journey. I just felt really uneasy with what content they would run across with this program as, obviously, they have a different opinion of what is child appropriate and what is not.

comprehension question from MaxReading

You can always check them out on Social Media and read other reviews by clicking on the review link below.

Check out MaxScholar on social media:

Facebook: MaxScholar

Twitter: @MaxScholarLLC

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CREW REVIEW---> Essential Skills Advantage: Complete Home Suite

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2016 17:14:00 +0000

Over the past couple months, we had the chance to review the Complete Home Learning Suite from Essential Skills Advantage. This is a supplemental, computer based curriculum program for all core subjects, for children in k-6th!

Let's do a quick over view of what the Complete Home Learning Suite from Essential Skills Advantage is:

Over 14,000 online lessons for grades K-6
Reading, Language, and Spelling activities
Math
Science
Geography
Interactive
Grades
Charts
Record Keeping

So, you sign up, you get an account and you make one for whichever children you will be having use it. I had A10b and J9b using it. Both of them have used all of the other online learning (and specifically reading) programs we have had the opportunity to review and then some, and both boys are able to give great feedback!

Upon investigating this program prior to reviewing, I really liked that the program encompassed more than just reading. Having the other subjects makes for more well rounded supplemental work in all areas and gives extra areas where both boys can work on reading skills but not as a reading program. (for those of you wondering why I have a 9 and 10 year old still working on reading, it is because both have minor dyslexia tendencies and are extremely right brained- that's the short answer).

We got their accounts set up and then.... well then we were all kind of at a loss. This was just not the program for us and I almost feel bad that I don't have a more glowing review. So, I should probably state that we are very use to a certain easy approach to online or digital programs. Here it is:

log in
programs puts you where you should be
you do that lesson
it saves your stuff
re-peat

Anything that doesn't really function like that, we are kind a like, "oh heck-no tech-no"! We just really like things very streamlined. This was not like that at all.

Everytime my boys logged in they had to chose a subject, grade and/or program. After picking all of those, you have more menu's, and more choices, and more clicking. My boy's had no clue "what was supposed to come next". It was more of a "choose what you want" but that proved to be problematic. Plus! They might be at a 4th grade level in one part of LA but maybe a 2nd with another part. This program had no type of systematic learning scale. This made my boys feel very frustrated.
I wish I could have plugged in their settings and where I wanted them so that it was simple but there was no way to do that so each and everytime you had to go through all the pointing, clicking, and choosing.

A10 working on spelling.

The material was presented in a very bland and "computer-ish way". The voice used did not sound like a regular person but more like a guy "siri". Very..... cold and computer-y even though it was a real human voice. Also, the recording of the talking was very scratchy, or airy-like. Like a home recording on a cassette tape! Yup, that's what it reminds me of!

There was no real teaching! I am assuming this is because it is a "supplemental program" designed originally for public schools, regardless, a brief over-view of the skill would have been nice.
I was very surprised that there was not more explanation for the lessons and that even down on the K-3rd level a lot of the material was presented as "read this and choose the answer".
Now, I realize that my 2 middle boys are not strong in reading skills (A10 reads fluently at a 6th grade level but content and length wear him out. J9 reads fluently at about 2nd grade but also sturggles with content and length) BUT, even for a normally literate K-3rd grader, I could see some, if not most of them, being very frustrated; especially the younger ones.
For instance: In the Kindy Program there is a "Books and More" section. The very first thing they show you is a

cartoon-ish picture of a book with details like the author, illustrator, etc. and "The Voice" tells you to read the question and choose an answer. I have included a picture so you can see the page. My kids would have had a VERY hard time with this. Even my daughter who was reading at 3 1/2 would have had a hard time with the word "picture".
Maybe I have had too many dyslexic tendency kids in a row, but that still seems a bit much for kindergarten! Maybe it's me though, maybe it's me...

I was also a little muffed by the fact that the program boast the other subjects but in science and geography there was not much material and, again, little-to-no teaching of the material. It was just questions and answers. If you did not cover that material yet, your kids would be at a loss. But even at that, this program only had K-3rd for science and 4-6th for geo. Not a lot of flexibility there.

What I wanted:

I wanted them to start the program, have the
system figure out where they were and then peg them in.

A10 is not impressed.

This can at least be done with LA and Math. I think Sci and Geo probably has more of a "start and finish" kind of a thing, maybe different content per grade or something. I will say though that once you complete something, it does show that you have done that lesson and there is good record keeping for you to look it. My problem was that they didn't build off each other, it was all so... random.

J9 looking VERY overwhelmed. He was asked to read all
of that and decide which things were "living". This was in the
3rd grade level. J9 has minor dyslexia and gets overwhelmed
when there is a lot of reading to do.

I gotta give it to my two boys, though, they plugged away despite the fact that they really did not like the program at all. They did it because it was required for this review but they did not have fun doing it. I actually felt really bad that I needed them to continue to use the program despite the fact that none of us were liking it. It was a good lesson for them in character, if not anything else.

What can I say that is nice?

Well..... I think if you are a public schooler that this would most likely work better. It's all supplemental and would most likely align with the schools wants/expectations.

J9 doing math. He liked the math alright but then again he
is far above grade level in math.

I did poke around at the levels below my boys in order to see if they were more systematic. I thought the reading program was ok. The graphics were nice enough. But, I wouldn't choose it over another program that we use and love.

Okay, I DID LIKE the record keeping. I am primarily an audio learner and secondarily a visual learner. I loved being able to click into the parental control and see the progress report. In one easy sweep of the eye I knew what they had done, succeeded or failed at, and what day/time they worked in the program. Very nice!

Overall: Well, I think you all know that this was just not our cup of tea. If you are curious about the program still, I would look at other reviews as different people definitely have different opinions. There are many of us on the Review Crew and so you will have no problem getting other perspectives. This is just my honest review of our experience- others (yours) could be very different =)

To check out more from Essential Skills Advantage, find them on social media and/or click on the Schoolhouse Review Crew link to read more reviews!
Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skillsadvantage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkillsAdvantage @SkillsAdvantage
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SkillsAdvantage
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skillsadvantage
Blog: http://buyesa.com/blog/

Co-Op Party

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 May 2016 15:10:00 +0000

Last week we had our end of the year co-op party (HYPE: Homeschooling Youth Partnering in Education). Our "co-op" is actually an enrichment group because I dislike "co-op's". I co-run our enrichment group so it is designed to run and function in a way that I actually like.
Our classes are educational but non-academic. We do not require anyone to teach/serve but, of course, we do not run without it. We run for 12 weeks in the fall and 12 in the spring, which is perfect! It's a three hour program so no one gets burned out. It is lovely =)
Anyway, I just wanted to share the posters my kids made to depict their school year at HYPE. Each child in our group makes a poster and then it is on display during our end of the year party. We are always sad when HYPE is over for the year and look forward to it starting again in the fall.

Spring Chicks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 May 2016 16:40:00 +0000

Spring Chicks

They chirp and they flap
Little white wings moving in the sun.

They stomp their little legs
and peck with their little orange beaks

"Meep-Meep"
"Beep-Beep"
"Chirp-Chirp"

They're getting bigger everyday
They'll soon be fully grown

They will be too big for their little crate
and will claim the hen-house for their home

~author
Hannah Corey

{Crew Review} ARTistic Pursuits Inc. HIGH SCHOOL 9-12 BOOK ONE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 May 2016 12:47:00 +0000

My oldest daughter is a VERY TALENTED artist and I love being able to find things to help her hone in on her skills! I have been very interested in ARTistic Pursuits Inc for quite sometime but wasn't sure if it would be something she'd liked. I was very excited when I found out that we would get to review the HIGH SCHOOL 9-12 BOOK ONE from ARTistic Pursuits Inc.
One of the things that always drew me to ARTistic Pursuits Inc. was the fact that they combined art history with art lessons. This makes the curriculum so much more than just art instruction! I decided that all three of my older kids would participate in this review. That way you would get the perspective of an advanced artist and two beginners =)

First Things First:

ART SUPPLIES:
You are responsible to supply these- they do not come with the program. However most of them are very basic things that one would have anyway. Everything else can be purchased reasonably from a local store or AMAZON.

TIME:
It is suggested that you do 2 classes per week x 1 hour for each classes. THIS IS DO-ABLE!
The book will last 36 weeks, which is one school year.
You can change this schedule, of course, to fit your family's needs. The one thing I would suggest though, is that you have your student finish their project that day. It can be hard to set it down and then come back to it and still have all the instruction fresh in their mind for application.

GETTING STARTED:
This program is just a book. There are no DVD's or online video's to look at (which was fine).
At the beginning of the book there is a note for parents and then another note for students. Just a little "before you start" that gives a little over view.
The book is written FOR STUDENTS (which I love!) and so the wording throughout the book is for them. There is a pleasant rhythm to the wording and it reads clearly and enjoyably.
This is a SELF-GUIDED program and I was not needed to provide any formal instruction! (Loved this too!)
Once the student has read the note to them and collected all their art supplies, they are ready to begin!

HOW IT WORKS:

Each lesson starts out with an overview of what the student will learning in that lesson, complete with a "try this" art exercise.
You compare, discuss, appreciate, and consider art that shows these skills and elements.
Then there is an art history lesson where they talk about famous artist's and their works.
Lastly, there is a follow up lesson with a little more technique instruction added in.

USING IT IN MY HOME:

Like I said earlier, my three oldest kids worked on this book together over the past couple months. They have done a dozen projects and have enjoyed either all or parts of the program. They have had some frustrations too. It's been a true mixed review from them!

We set aside 2x a week for them to be able to "art it up". They would do the art history lesson together and then work on their projects seperately, but at the same time. Here are their thoughts and some of their projects!

JO14b: Beginner Artist:

"I thought that the art program was pretty fun. There was some art lessons that were a little hard but other than that it was fine. I would recommend the art book to a person who is just starting to learn art or who has done art for a while, it works for both.
The reason why I liked it in some parts is because I got to use some creativity with some of the pictures and I liked shading, it was fun.
I thought that the teaching was very helpful to me and after I read the directions I knew what to do and how to do it. The art history lessons were pretty interesting too. There wasn't too much information and I liked that things were in blocks and sections. It made it not seem overwhelming.
My art projects turned out good and I did feel like I got better as I did more projects. We would read the lesson as a group, taking turns with the reading. Then we would work on the art on our owns. My favorite project was probably the dragon from Lesson #4 "

H15G: Beginning Artist:
"Well.... Okay, I liked the art history parts a lot. I enjoyed learning about the different artist and looking at how the lesson applied to the art that was being featured.
I didn't really like the art instruction though. Some parts of it were fun, but I didn't really find myself learning any technique. Basically they just told you what to do, and not how to do it. Some of the assignments were enjoyable, but a lot of them were annoying because I didn't know how to do anything. I found myself getting frustrated and having to ask my older sister how to do things.
I would only recommend this program for more experienced artist who already know technique and just want to do it for art inspiration and a quick history lesson. For a beginning artist though, especially one that does not have a natural knack for art, I would not recommend it at all."

F16.7g: ADVANCED ARTIST

"I have a mixed opinion about this curriculum. In regards to the historical teaching portion, I liked it very much! I thought it was interesting, informative, and I appreciated the fact that it taught about the origin of the techniques, since many curriculum's don't. I enjoyed learning about the different artist and I think they did a great job tying in the featured artist's artwork into the overall lesson.
However, when it came to the instruction part, I felt like it was lacking quite a bit of detail. Minimum instruction is given in the actual art lesson. Being it that I have art experience, I really wanted a little more instruction than what was laid out. At first, I thought maybe I was just being too critical because I know the basics but I saw my brother and sister struggle with the lack of clear and detailed art instruction too, so I know it wasn't just me.
The lack of detailed art technique did have one benefit, this aspect gave freedom to the artist themselves,to just kind of do it the way they wanted/interpreted the instructions. Each of our pictures came our great and were unique to us. Still, overall though, the art lesson had me at a bit of a loss when it came to knowing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I didn't learn any new techniques and relied on the knowledge and skills I already had in order to best complete each lesson.
In addition to this, what instruction was given wasn't always adequate, nor was it very sound. For instance in Unit One: Lesson Two, on page 8, the student was given instruction to darken portions of their drawing by pressing harder onto the paper. I was actually quite shocked by the fact that this was instructed because it is common knowledge that pressing harder on paper flattens out the texture of it and if a mistake is made while using this technique, it will be quite impossible to fully erase it. So the lack of technical instruction and some bad techniques being taught left me very disappointing.
Positives though were present! I was actually very impressed by the variety of art history technique mentioned, art variety, style, and mediums that were used. I have never quite seen an art book that focuses on such an array of aspects in the art world, and thought that this particular feature was very satisfying (and I have read A LOT of art books!).
I thought their overall concept of trying to tie in so many different elements of art (history/vocabulary/skill) into one curriculum is a fantastic idea. The concept was clear and the art instruction they did have was not wordy but simple to follow.
If I were to recommend this to anyone, I would recommend it to kids/teens that tend to get overwhelmed with tons of instruction and just want more of an art experience. Or anyone wanting to do art history with some do-it-yourself applications involved.
In conclusion, I think the idea and aim that the curriculum has is phenomenal; I just don't think it was executed very well. So for the serious art student, this would not be the best choice but for a beginner that just wants to learn some things, it's great!"

MY THOUGHTS:

Well, I was a little sad that they didn't like it more. I have been eyeing this program for soooo long that I had really high expectations. I love the concept of this art curriculum and really wanted it to be a "one-hit wonder".
We have used other at-home art curriculum's so, not only am I well acquainted with this area, but I know my kids know what they are talking about when it comes to this review as well. In the end, we all had positives and negatives to say about it but would still recommend the program over-all.
I hope to maybe have the opportunity to try one of the younger programs in the future as I think this would probably work great for a younger age group that doesn't need so much art technique worked in but would still benefit from the history lesson parts. For my older kids, something with better art instruction is definitely needed.
There are things I did really like with this program though. I liked that they could do it without me and that they had something to do together. I also really liked the art history that was incorporated (we all loved that!). I also appreciated the way the book was put together. It was clear and easy to read/intake information.
My kids did some amazing art while reviewing this program! It was a great experience for them and they learned a lot along the way as well. Over-all, it was a win!

Check out ARTistic Pursuits Inc.:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticPursuitsInc
ARTistic Pursuits Inc

My FAVORITE cucumber salad

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 May 2016 19:49:00 +0000

mmmmm- love this stuff!

It's spring time and quickly leaving are the days of soups and stew. My favorite (and the kids all like and eat it too) is a super yummy cucumber salad!
I make a vat of this a week (or so it seems) and we et it throughout the week. I have even mix pasta with it (for the kids) to spread it out as a cold pasta salad. You can add chicken too for extra protein! You really can't go wrong- it's sooooo good!
I will say though that the initial recipe makes A LOT! Also, you really can do just about any amounts of any of this and/or not include some of these ingredients and it will still turn our awesome. Be as creative as you want! I have added quinoa to it before also!
I don' even bother with the recipe anymore, I just chop stuff, throw it in a bowl, and eat!
Enjoy!

Spring Time Cucumber Salad

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 red onion, slivered
3 bell peppers of any color seeded and chopped
2 cups of grape tomatoes, sliced
1-3 cucumbers chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
a hand full of chopped Kale (I use prepped dino)
1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese- really it's as much as you want
some shakes from the ole'salt and pepper shaker

DRESSING

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tbs of fresh, chopped, parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Chop it all up and throw it in a bowl
Prepare dressing by throwing it all in a bowl and mixing it. (I use a stick mixer)
pour dressing over everything and mix in
EAT!

Kwik Stix 12 pk -> REVIEW and GIVEAWAY!!! (no mess, no water painting stick)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:22:00 +0000

Well, howdy-ho! My kids LOVE, like L.O.V.E. art. I, on the other hand, cringe at the mess involved. I was intrigued though, when I heard of a non-messy, no water needed, dries in 90 seconds, roll on paint! Do I want to review it? YES!!!! Our family got to review the Kwik Stix 12 pk from The Pencil Grip, Inc. and let me just say, we ARE ALL LOVING these paints!
(We also got a pencil grip for free to use! I liked it so much I ordered a pack!)

We love these painting sticks so much that we have a GIVEAWAY and a CRAFT for you at the end of this post! But first, you need to know why we are so excited about these things over here!

Kwik Stix are a solid tempera paint that come in a tube much like a glue stick. They are washable, non-staining, easy to use, and mess-less. They leave a clean, no smear finish that is dry in 90 seconds or less. To use them, you literally take the cap off, twist up if you need too, and start creating your masterpiece!

Heres more =)

My kids started calling these "paint crayons" which I think is a pretty accurate description of them. The paint tube is like a glue stick. So if you need more "paint" you twist up. Then use them just like you would an over sized crayon. They feel kind of like a crayon and a chapstick had a baby. They roll on smooth and easily. I guess, like a dry paint (is there such a thing?), dry in several blinks of the eye, don't run, smear, or seep. In short. They are amazing!

The Kwik Stix 12 pk come with a great variety of colors. The colors are bright and bold. We love the way they look! The creators, The Pencil Grip, Inc., say it leaves a "paint like finish", it's not quite paint like, in my opinion. I am not really sure what it is. It leaves a nice finish but it has almost a soft, textured look.

Using it:

My kids have been using these on just about everything! The "paint" goes on easily no matter the surface! I was TOTALLY IMPRESSED that they could be used in coloring books with no "bleeding" onto the underside and no "wet-ness" either.

It is easy for the younger kids to do on their own. There is no frustration in using these and they are enjoyable to handle and create with.

BIG KIDS LIKE IT TOO! My older kids loved using them. My 13 year old daughter said that they are one of her favorites now for art because the colors are beautiful and they are great for large "zentangle" designs.
All of my kids have enjoyed using them in their homeschool journals and large painting papers as well. They have a plethora of painted rocks, sticks, and paper plate masks around here too ;)

I LOVE THESE THINGS SO MUCH that I bought the mega huge pack off amazon for the homeschool co-op I run. We have used them on several occasions in art class with multiple ages and stages of kids. They are so fun for the kids to use and so easy!!! I love that the whole clean up process is "put the lid on and put it away". The fantastic masterpieces the kids create are my favorite but the easy clean-up is a close second ;) No water, no paint brushes, no pallets to clean. Super quick and clean!

PRO's and CON's:

Pro's are abundant!

easy to use
no mess
bright colors
lasts for a really long time
dry's in 90 seconds
doesn't bleed
doesn't run
doesn't smear
can be used on practically every surface
all kids like them
fun!

Con's (if there really is any)

The only one I could think of is that if you wanted it to have a true "paint" look, this is close but not exact. If the child has painted pretty thickly then is does look super close to regular tempera paint, if its a lighter coat then you see more of the "texture".

NOW FOR THAT GIVE AWAY!!

The Pencil Grip, Inc. is being very generous and have a a Kwik Stix 12 pk for me to give TO YOU!!! Wanna win? Of course you do! Share this post on social media, #kwikstix, and comment here on the blog. In one week, on 5/10, I will draw a name and we will have a winner! Your Kwik Stix 12 pk will be shipped directly to you from The Pencil Grip, Inc. =)

IN THE MEANTIME:

Click on the links below to find out additional information about Kwik Stix.

Facebook Page- https://www.facebook.com/thepencilgrip?fref=ts
Website: http://www.thepencilgrip.com/
Purchase on Amazon– http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013HO4OR0?keywords=kwik%20stix%2012%20pack&qid=1445625236&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

AND THE CRAFT:

The Pencil Grip, Inc. also sent over a MOTHERS DAY CRAFT idea for you and me! ENJOY!

Personalized Mother’s Day

Balloons & Cards

How To:

Personalizing Balloons

Using an inflated balloon and Kwik Stix no-mess tempera paints. They dry in 90 seconds. Write your personalized message. Use phrases, names and draw pictures.

Wait 90 seconds for the balloon to dry.

After it has dried, decorate the back of the balloon with the same design or something different.

Add A Card

Pair your balloons with a hand painted card.

The easiest way to make a card is to fold a piece of 8 ½” x 11” paper and decorate it. You can match the card to the balloons for an original gift for mom.

Kwik Stix are available on Amazon.com in a variety of colors. These balloons were made using a combination of assorted, neon and metalix colors.

Here’s what you’ll need:

ü Kwik Stix

ü White Mylar inflated balloons

Time: 15 – 30 minutes

The total time to do this complete craft will depend on how many balloons you make and the intricacy of the design.

Tips for a Successful Project:

Ø Press lightly on the Kwik Stix when painting. It will give you more paint and richer color in one application. Depending on the material of the balloon, you may need to apply multiple coats. But remember, the trick is not to press hard.

Ø Allow each side of the balloon to dry before continuing to paint.

Ø Don’t write too far over to the edge. Keep your words centered so they are easily read after the balloon is inflated.

Ø You can also paint on uninflated balloons and inflate them later. This is great for party prep or a special group occasion. The paint will not spot or look any less colorful when the balloons are inflated.

Ø BE CREATIVE.

And that’s all there is to it!

Happy Mother’s Day

GREEMU Review: A plant based alternative to emu oil (Say What??)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000

For the past several weeks I, and some of my girls too, have been using a product called GREEMU from Devonian in order to review it. GREEMU oil is a green (and vegan) alternative to emu oil. I didn't even know that was a thing, by the way, until this review opportunity came up. Apparently it's a wondrous hair and skin oil and, I totes got long hair! Besides, I have teenage girls. We were all in for trying this one!

SO... What is GREEMU?

Well, first let's talk about Emu oil. Emu oil is made from the fat tissues of an Emu. It boasts wonderful having a characteristic composition of fatty acids that ARE NOT found in other oils. BUT THE POOR BIRDIES! Enter on scene, GREEMU!

GREEMU oil is a green alternative to Emu oil. The scientists at Devonian have done all their homework and created an alternative to emu oil that matches that special characteristic. Devonian uses only plant oils and butters to replicate Emu oil. The oils in GREEMU are:

madacamia
seed oil
sustainably grown organic palm oil
shea butter
sunflower seed oil
rice bran oil

In short, all these things put together make a fantastical substance that you can use on your skin and hair to make it all happy, happy, happy! You can read more on the What is GREEMU page on their website if you want to get all the "sciencey" stuff.

How did we use GREEMU and WHAT did WE THINK?

Since this product is for hair and skin, that is what we used it on. I and 3 of my daughters used it on our hair and skin for several weeks.
The oil was packaged nicely and arrived in one piece. I opened it up and smelled it. It was a little,,, weird... I'm smelling it again now... it's kinda like unscented playdough. It is an opaque white color. When I first opened it and broke the seal it looked like creamy milk water. I then dropped a little out and the oil had kind of separated and a glob of lotiony stuff with a watery oil behind it came out. It was a little strnage, but what-ev's. I shook the bottle up and a more consitant milky oil came out. (This might be weird but it kinda looks like colostrum- just say'n). It was easy to spread but does take a while to fully absorb into your skin.

On the hair:

Okay, moving on. The next day, after my hair was washed and air dried with non of my normal oil in it. I have very healthy, long, normal hair. I followed the directions and dripped a couple drops into my hand rubbed my hands together, and then applied it at the root, massaging into my scalp. I ran my hands through my hair a bit too. The immediate result was a glossy looking main that was very soft but... kinda greasy looking. It did not feel greAsy. I thought maybe I used a little too much (3 drops). As the day went on, it remained soft and manageable but definitively looked greasy. I am not sure if the pictures really show that. In some ways I think it makes the hair look better but in person- it just looked greasy.

I tried it again after another fresh wash and used only 2 drops... same results. Maybe I have the wrong hair type for this. I have realllllly long hair so I figured it would disperse and absorb. The oil def dispersed but remained greasy looking. Ugh.

CH11g

H14g

My oldest daughter, after seeing my hair, had no desire to try it on her hair- which is very thin. H14g has very course, dry, red hair. M13g has super thick, normal red hair, and CH11g has thin, slightly curly hair that doesn't grow any longer than you see it in the pictures.

I decided just to do ONE DROP on Ch11g's hair and TWO DROPS on the red's. The result. Same as mine. Soft and manageable, but greasy looking. After a few hours The Red's were beginning me to take showers and CH11 had twister her hair into a bun.

M13g

H14g

End result: we DID NOT like it for hair. Definitely not our choice for our hair types. We tried one more time on the hair rubbing into the ends first and then the scalp. Nope. Same results. I do wonder if it would work really great though on African American Hair since the texture is different. This oil really left your hair very, very soft, but the greasy look was just too much. I really wanted to love it for my hair... oh well. So a swing and a miss in the hair category.

On the Skin:

Okay, we used this as a facial moisturizer, sunburn relief, overall body health oil for H14 (who has acne on her back), and as a general hand oil. We have been more or less pleased with all these applications and results.

We were happy that the oil left our skin feeling soft. It did still leave a "shinny" gloss look, even after an hour or two. You do get a nice silky feeling on your skin, not really oily, but silky.

Sunburn: It did sting just a little when I put it on a small sunburn I had where M13g didn't spread the sunblock in all the way. But the sting may have been from me just touching it. I don't know that it helped at all but it certainly didn't hurt.

We were very happy, though, to see that H14 could use it, and not only did it not cause her to break out, but it seemed to clear up the areas where she tried it! She did say though that she didn't like the smell when using it on her face. But not enough to stop using it. She said that to her it smelled like the oil container or stale sheets (?).

Conclusion:

I was really hoping I would love this oil for my hair- but I didn't. I will stick to my other stuff! As a skin oil though, I didn't like how it left me looking "shinny" so I probably won't use it again but H14g is liking it as far as her skin goes; she is happy with it.

I do think you should still check it out though. Different people have different results and yours may not be like mine.

Where to find GREEMU
DevonianDistributed by Koru Naturals FacebookPinterest

Dyslexia Therapy with NON-dyslexic kids? YES INDEED! Part 4: Brain Games for the win!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 19:00:00 +0000

Part 4 in "Dyslexia Therapy with NON-Dyslexic Kids". And, YES, you have read that title correctly! This mini-series is all about using dyslexia therapy with kids who DO NOT have dyslexia! In this post we will finish A10's story and talk about his brothers too.
~~~

A10's library book pics to use with
his homeschool journal

A10 was cruising along with all the Thinking Tree Journal Love , he finished 3rd Grade Queens book, he was taking more interest in writing, and he was enjoying his reading. All of this was sooo positive! But, he still needed more help.

I ordered Dyslexia Games series A/B/C and they arrived in December. I bought all thee series as I really didn't know where A10 was going to place until I saw them. I felt like I needed to see all of them in order to figure it out. Besides, with so many kids, I knew they would all get used!

There are 6 therapy books in Series A and 8 each in Series B and C. The books are numbered and you do them in order. The student works on them for 15-20 minutes per day. Series A is roughly for children 5-8 years, B is for 8-12, and C is for 10-adult. These books work on things such as:

Basic reading skills

Reading cinfusion

Handwriting
Letter and number reversals
Comprehension
Weak concept of direction
Concentration problems
Spelling
Weak concept of Right/Left
Memorization problems
Slow reading/oral reading
And more!

As it was, A10 was ready for series B! We started in January with this replacing all language arts stuff (other than his other Thinking Tree Journals). It was great having the whole set here because I could see how things built upon each other. They use art in order to teach skills. By using art and logic, you teach the right side of the brain to process and thus train the left side to kick in.

A10 thought it was easy and fun. He stated that "It's not like school work at all". He looked forward to working in his "Brain Games" (as we call it) everyday. He took a lot of pride in the work he did and usually asked to "do one more page".

What I began to see was A paying closer attention to detail. Noticing the little things. Recognizing the patterns. Working on his hand writing. I saw all these things and he never realized he was doing it!

By February, A10 was reading good enough to participate, with general ease, in our family read-out-loud times. He was devouring books! His favorites being the Illustrated classic novels, namely, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Moby Dick". He was able to do all his own reading and writing in his other school areas. A10 passed put of Reading Eggs and was blowing through Reading Express! If this wasn't progress, real, undeniable progress, then I don;t know what is!

A10 is now almost done with the second book in series B. He has slowed down a bit, but that's okay, we are going at his pace. He is enjoying his schoolwork and he continues to improve every day.
He's writing more. He's reading more. He's desiring to DO in these areas. He has more confidence and see's his own achievements. He is growing.

Looking forward:

As we continue in our journey with him I know we will continue to see him flourish. I am sooooooo THANKFUL that we found The Thinking Tree/Dyslexia Games!
My plan with A10 (and his younger brothers) is to primarily use Dyslexia Games as their primary LA curriculum at least through the completion of Series B. I then plan to add the grade level QUEENS LA book in addition to continuing through Dyslexia Games (DG) Series C.
At some point, I will probably add in QUEENS handwriting (cursive) as well. DG series C does touch on that but I think they may need more and QUEENS is so gentle and includes art study at the same time so why not. I have debated on doing that with A this next year.... I probably will.
We continue to use reading eggs as well as some other online programs. I think the more A10 practices his skills the better.
Another thing I now do is choose curriculum that I believe will work well with our fun-schooling for all other subjects. Queens, for sure, fits in and often A10 gets books to read based off of his science studies from QUEENS.
We used Brimwood Press this past year for History and that was great but it's a one-off. I am not quite sure how I want to do the history this year. Go back to Mystery of History and spin it to work with our journals, create something on my own, find something that works better with our journals??? I am not sure.

And with the kids under A10. Well this is it! ALL THINGS THINKING TREE!!! I see no reason to push beyond that until we hit higher grades. I really like that 4th/5thish grade level for the formal history (5th on up is really great). We do QUEENS for science because QUEENS is awesome. And other than that.... Happy homeschool journal it is!!

In Conclusion:

Because this is "Brain Training", it is totally applicable to anyone. Regardless of if you have "a thing" like dyslexia or "brain gaps", or learning delays or whatever. I think that is partly why they are sprinkled throughout the regular journals as well.
I also believe that this is such a GREAT program to add to anyone's LA stuff, especially the little/new learners! What a fun and easy way to get their brains ticking and learning! Due to the nature of the program, you are learning so much else at the same time. It's not just about letters and numbers! You are teaching their brains to pay attention and look for learning everywhere. I love that!
I can't wait to see how DG continues to impact A10 and his younger brothers. So far, it's all been good! I hope, too, that A10's story will possibly help other Mom's with kids who struggle like A. I hope his story can help other families not fumble as we did, save you from all the tears, and instead encourage you with tools (DG) that really work!

~Minda and A10

Missed one? Click below for the other parts of the series!

LINKS for this series:
Part 1,
Part 2
Part 3

CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW C.S. LEWIS: Master Storyteller Book and Study Guide {REVIEW}

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:50:00 +0000

________________ YWAM Publishing______________

Great Books! We LOVE great books around here! This post is a review of a fantastic book, CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW C.S.LEWIS: Master Storyteller and the companion Digital Unit Study by YWAM Publishing.

We love books by C.S.Lewis, so it was exciting to be able to delve further into who he actually was. CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW C.S.LEWIS: Master Storyteller is a great book to get to know the author in an easy to read format (recommended for ages 10+). The book allows you to get to know things about Lewis’s life such as:

· What was his upbringing?

· What was his family like?

· What were his beliefs?

· Who he was outside of being an author.

· The major world events going on at that time.

· His inspiration for his writings.

· How Narnia came to fruition.

· Other writings by Lewis.

Why is this important? Knowing who the author is gives you a better understanding of their writings. More so, it gives you the testimony of a great Christian!

Along with the book, we got the Digital Unit Study to go along with this book. Now, before you get overwhelmed, this is a really easy going study! It can be worked to fit your own educational needs and is more like …. A study map than a “fill in the blank” guide.

LET ME TELL YA' HOW WE USED IT =)

I opened my digital download. (Note to the wise: unzip your download before you try to open it or it won’t work. Just say’n). Anyway, I opened it up, it connected to the web and brought me to the unit study page and I clicked on “Classroom & Home”. I read through the 12 page information packet. I then went back to the main menu and read the “Unit Study: Part 1” guide that was specific to the book we read. There is also a "Unit Study: Part 2" but it is just some additional printables.

Here are my thoughts:

1. The initial packet covers how to use these books and study guides for everything from small groups, homeschooling, to individual learning for ALL THE CHRISTIAN HERO BOOKS. It was easy to read and understand. (There is a separate little packet that is specific to your study).
2. I liked that it gave sample schedules, ideas on how to use it, and even talked about how to do it for different skill level learners at one time.

Snippet of their advice on working with varying ability students at one time.

3. It had a break-down of all the books and their time periods and geographical location. They had another break-down that listed the books by geographical region first and then the time periods as well. This would make it VERY EASY to know which books you needed to read to study different things. Well done YWAM!

Snippet of The Biographies

Snippet of them organized by location

4. Within the study guide, it spoke of different learning styles and the different things you can do to be able to make the study meaningful for each student and how they learned. That was refreshing to read!
5. They encouraged flexibility in order for you to get what you need our of the guide. I LOVED THIS! I could make this a major thing or I could pare down and use it as it fit. This is why I called it a “map” early. It gives all the fine points but in an easy going way so that it’s flexible.
6. It has a wonderful variety of learning ideas!

Many of the learning idea’s found in this Unit Study Guide fell into these categories:

H14 Working on a poetry assignment. She was asked to write a
poem as though she were a soldier in either WW1 or WW2.

· Writing activities

· Hands on activities

· Bible Study

· Scripture Memorization

· Media studies

After reviewing all the info and talking with my kids, it was decided that my daughter H14g was going to read the book and do the study. We will probably do it as a family next year but for this year and this time period, it was H14 or bust.

H14g's snippet of some of the study questions

H14 is an avid reader and history buff. She was excited to do the study even though she was older than it’s intended age group. The book was an easy read for her but still very interesting. H14 is an audio learner and a writer so we focused her study time into those areas.
Instead of starting a new folder for her C.S. Lewis studies, she used her 12 subject Portfolio book instead. Everything she did within the study guide had a section it could go into in her 12 subject Portfolio. This worked well for us!

Book review done in her 12 subject portfolio

She did:

· ~Creative writing assignments

· ~ Essay’s

· ~Chapter study questions

· ~Geographical work

· ~Media (online documentaries and movies)

· ~Book reviews

· ~Oral presentation/performance

· ~Bible verse memorization

· ~“Inkling” project (poetry group)

Here is what H14 had to say about it all:

“I really liked the book. I enjoyed all of the interesting facts and information that I never knew about C.S Lewis. I wouldn't consider this book “school”, instead it would be a pleasure book for me.

The curriculum was cool too, and I liked a lot of the creative writing activities that went with it. I thought the study guide questions were good ones and made me reflect a lot, both on C.S. Lewis and myself. There were a lot of different type of activities to choose from. I think if you wanted to do all of them you should give yourself a good amount of time to do them. At first, I had planned to do more but then I felt like I was rushing through things in order to try and cram it all in. (I read the whole book but only did about half of the total chapter activities). I think I would have liked doing 1 chapter a week with additional learning activities if I was going to do all of the suggested learning applications.

One of the poems H14g wrote, plus a pic of her doing an
oral presentation and reading

One of my favorite things that I did within this study was starting an “Inkling group”. This is a group of friends who are writers who influence each other in their writings by meeting together to write, share, critique, and encourage. One of the additional activities was to start your own. I did this but just called it “Poetry Club”. Several of my friends and I each write something in a spiral bound notebook for one week, then, on Fridays, we rotate the notebooks. We then have a week to read what others have written, write them notes, critique and encourage, and then add to the book with our own writings. Once a month we get together to discuss everything and drink tea. “

My thoughts:

The more I read for myself and saw H14 reading and doing, the more I wished all my kids were participating! She and I had some GREAT discussions on C.S. Lewis and enjoyed getting to know him together. The other children really enjoyed everything that H14g shared with them as well.
The questions and activities in the study guide really made her think deeply, plus many of the activities connected her as a young writer to C.S. Lewis. We both enjoyed a lot of the fun, random information in the book too, like, learning about the friendship between Lewis and Tolkien.

Writing again!

I also loved seeing H14 enjoying the creative writing projects. She often did more than she needed too. If they said to write one poem, she wrote 5. If they ask for a creative short story, she wrote 2. H14 loves to write. Anything from essay’s to short stories and poems. She also loves history so being told to write about history was a major plus for her. She combine a lot of things with art too. Many of the memory verses were written in her portfolio and/or creatively made into posters for our walls. It was great seeing her enjoying the activities and being inspired by them.

I was also impressed with how well rounded the Study Guide is. In the beginning I thought it was just going to be more like chapter review stuff (boring). I was greatly surprised when I read the guide and saw all the different ideas and options! I was even more impressed when I saw them begin to take shape while H14 was doing the study!

CONCLUSION:

I am now seriously looking at how I might use these books and companion guides next year. YWAM Publishing has many other books and unit study curriculum guides available and I know they would be a great addition to our homeschooling!

You can Check out more from YWAM Publishing on their Social Media Links:

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Do you need to UN-PLUG your "Digital Girl"?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 19:34:00 +0000

More and more these days we see/hear/experience the effects of the digital world becoming the world that everyone seems to live in. Recently I stumbled across this article from nprED about kids having too much screen time and how they are effected by that. This put me on a rabbit trail that eventually landed at teens and technology and specifically our daughters. Some of the more noteworthy articles include this one by The Huffington Post, A Teen's confession also on The Huffington Post, and this one by The NY Times. What do that all of in common? They all say that over-using technology leades to un-happiness, loss of social understanding/cues, and general addictive/anti or digitial-only social behaviors. But what does it mean? It means todays kids don't understand normal social behavior and are more comfortable living their false digital lives.

Both lads and ladies alike are affected but in much different ways. Girls often fall more into an "over-sexed", self conscious, self-depreciating area. Even if you have a daughter who is not really "doing the internet media thing", secluding themselves to function mainly in their own little online world is still separating them from the living, breathing, REAL LIFE world around them.

In the article "Does Technology effect Happiness" from The NY Times they state:

"But the researchers hypothesize that heavy use of media is a contributing factor to the social challenges of girls.

The reason, say the researchers, is that on a basic, even primitive level, girls need to experience the full pantheon of communication that comes from face-to-face contact, such as learning to read body language, and subtle facial and verbal cues..."

As a Cotillion teacher, a mother of teenagers, a leader within our local Homeschool Community, and all around social person, I have seen more and more middle schoolers/teens/and young adults struggle with basic social adeptness. This is NOT JUST ABOUT ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOR either! In fact, many are very social, talkative and friendly but they have no idea how disconnected they are from those around them.
I have been in many different situation with teens one on one or with their parents; I have watched and observed strangers; I have seen things within my own community where it is clear and evident that our young people value their technology more than the living, breathing, blood-pumping people around them.
The introverts are just quiet and stay to themselves in their little digital world. The extroverts walk around with their phones "extroverting" as fast as their teenage thumbs can type. Regardless or personality, if you try to break into their digital bubble things can get ugly! The eye rolling. The Short answers. The clear annoyance. The way they don't break away to engage with you because they are still engaging with their technological life- they are only humoring you.

I have talked with other mothers about this too. I have heard their frustrations about their daughters. Many distraught moms are siting that their daughters:

"act like they just don't care"
"don't seem to understand that what they are saying/doing is mean spirited"
"put more value on on-line things/people than their family and friends"
"She thinks she is ugly because of what she saw online- I tell her she is beautiful but she doesn't believe me"
"I found THIS on her phone- why would she participate in doing that!"
"Her only interest is what's happening digitally"
"She get's together with her friends but all they do is play with their phones or play video games.... They don't actually "do" anything"

What is happening?!?! Why are we loosing our daughters to the digitally fake world? How can we reclaim them?

I don't really know the answers. What's happening is that the digital life is getting out of control. I know that much. I can share with you what we have done in our home and I can encourage you to go after the hearts of your daughters.

So, confession. I know that if anyone in my house has a "digital issue", it's me. HA! True story. I do so much online between the blog and the running of the programs I do... besides the homeschooling. So, as I have been reading these articles and talking with others I have had to do a lot of self reflection. I need to make sure that I AM NOT setting a bad example to my children. Okay, confession over- moving on.

We talk all the time to our kids about "practicing when you are younger what is appropriate when you are older". When we view technology through those terms is really changes things. So here are some of the boundaries we have set for our home.

We don't do video games. We don't have a video game consoles, or games downloaded on our computers. Any tablet "games" we have are education and even then they are limited and mostly only used sporadically by younger kids. My husband and I don't really have games on our phones either. I have a bubble pop game and I think he has some disc golf game. BUT WHY???? We don't want our kids growing up "practicing" that playing video games is a)the best use of your time and b)what you should be spending your time doing as an adult. Want to play a game? Go outside or play a board game.
As you grow older, the way you use technology does and should change. So the most non education type game we have on our tablet is a minecraft game. The only kids in my house who play it are my 3 youngest boys (5/7/9) and they maybe play it once or twice a week- if that. But my older kids do not play it. BUT WHY??? Because, it's still a game and as you get older you use technology for reasons. How do/should adults use technology? For education, jobs, learning, communication. So our older kids use technology for those reasons.
Cell phones. My kids don't have them. My oldest really needs one at this point as she has a job and is starting college but we just haven't gotten around to it because it hasn't been a need. When she does get one, it will not be a smart phone. Too much "freedom" too soon can through you into a mess. I'd rather her practice good phone/texting habits without being able to turn her phone into a toy so that when she does get a smart phone, she knows how to view it and use it maturely.
Social Media. We let our kids get an email at 12 and FB at 15. We have rules and boundaries with each. We want to teach them how to use social media safely. What "friends" really are and how to navigate all that with a "seat belt on".
Computer time/screen time. This has gotten so much harder as they have gotten older, We do watch some family shows or movies one or two nights a week as a family. The kids sometimes have movies for school that they watch. TV is not an issue. But time on the computer can be. Our kids use the computers for math and research. We do a lot of research stuff. I would say that they use technology for school work for 2-3 hours of the day. That can include straight up research, math, tutorials, creative writing, etc. But then in their free time, they would like to email friends, check FB, do more art, more creative writing, etc. That's where it gets tricky to regulate. I usually say 30-60 minutes depending on what else we did that day and what they are wanting it for. AND WE TALK ABOUT WHY! I am teaching them how to regulate so we need to talk about the why of it. Also, for the most part, we don't do technology after 4 in the afternoon. Sometimes and older kid or two needs will in the evening for 30 minutes but it is uncommon. If they do- we try and keep it social. Want to do an art tutorial- find another kid to do it with, that way you are not checked out. Want to listen to a radio show and color- great but do it in the open so that your siblings can join in so that you are not being exclusive.

H14g listening to Celctic music and doing some creative
writing/coloring in her journal.
We set boundaries and we talk to them about why and we allow them some input as well. If H14 ask to type up a poem on the computer I might say yes but then ask "for how long? I am concerned because you wereon the computer a lot today." this allows her to come up with her own boundary; "I think 25 minutes, then I want to print it out and do a drawing for it." PERFECT.
Lead by example. When they come to talk to me. I set down my electronics and make eye contact. If we are hanging out with others I put my phone away. If I do need to use it I excuse myself and make sure that the company I am with does not feel slighted. I only answer calls and text that are needed- everything else I ignore. I do not sit in a public setting and check e-mail or FB, you know, "play with my phone".

But What if the BAD HABBITS are already there???

FIRST, re-define the boundaries and expectation for digital use... and then stick with them. The start of breaking bad habits is always the hardest. Find things to fill the gaps and build better habits.

SECOND, find ways to encourage your daughter to break her bad habits and to re-train her brain to consider life. I LOVE the book ""How to escape the digital world & enjoy reality"by Sarah Janisse Brown. It weaves new habits into the process of breaking the bad ones in a whimsical and fun way (pssst!!!! Mom's like this book too!).

Sample pages from "How to Escape the Digital World &
Enjoy reality" by Sarah Janisse Brown.

It challenges you to:

Look at who your real friends are.
Look for ways to bless others.
Discover things you like to do.
Find role models.
Being encouraging to others.
Doing things with others
Identifying your hopes/dreams/passions.

Let us not grow accustomed to these bad habits but instead let's teach our daughters, nay, all of our children, how to have balance. Also, I'd like to note that what works for one family may not work for another. I'd also like to note that I realize that "MineCraft" is viewed as a highly educational program by most everyone. For us though, it still falls into that category of "digital games". If they want to build something, I've got sticks in the yard and legos in the house ;)
I am now done with this post and ready to be "un-plugged" for a while. The digital life can be a real "life sucker"! The sun is shining and I can hear a raucous game of "For Narnia" out my windows. Time to play ;)

__ It's a good full__

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Do you need to UN-PLUG your "Digital Girl"?

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