Training Hearts at Home

Our Weekly Lesson Plans

2011-09-27T21:28:00.003-05:00

I always love seeing how other homeschool moms organize and plan out their lessons, so, I thought I'd share with you what has worked for our family for the past few years. Maybe something here will spark an idea for you that will help you just as reading about others helped me develop the best plan for our family.

First of all, I'm not going to lie and tell you that this way is neccesarily quick. I do have to put some time into it each week. But compared to the years I tried to get by without having a plan down for the week, the time invested in laying out our weekly plans is SO worth it!

When sitting down to plan out this school year the very first thing I did was take each subject and see where I wanted us to be by the end of the year then backtracked to see what we needed to cover each month in order to reach that goal. Each month was then broken down into what needed to be covered each week.

The result is what I have sitting before me each school day:

I made this form myself using Mircrosoft Word, tweaking it here and there until I felt it was what would work best for me and our schooling. Each subject we cover through the week is listed down the left side with the days of the week going across the top. I have a section on the right side to list what books the kids are currently reading along with a place to write down about our week, a sort of easy-access journal of our school days.

Once I have this filled out for the week I transfer the kid's assignments to their own weekly checklists that they keep in their box with all their curriculum books.

I fill in as much as I can before the beginning of the week, but there are some things I have to fill in as the week goes on depending on what they do each day. For example, how they do on their daily typing determines what they will do the next day. Also, if more practice or help is needed in math, that also determines what the next day's assignment will be. Again, like my planner, subjects are listed down the left side with the days of the week going across the top. Each box has a place for them to check off each assignment as they complete it. I also put their weekly scripture verse they are to memorize at the bottom so they have a visual reminder several times throughout the day and week. (This has worked wonders in the success of them memorizing them!)

Having their own personal checklist has brought so much peace to our days and took so much frustration off of me. No longer do I have to continuously hear, "What else do I need to do mom?" or "What's next mom?". Along with having all of their books in their own boxes so they can find what they need at any time, these weekly assignment sheets have allowed my children to take some control of their own education, which is the ultimate goal as they grow into responsible young men and women.

So, there ya' go. That's how our homeschool weeks are planned. Hope this may help inspire someone to come up with a planner that fits their family. As my very wise hubby always says, "Proper prior planning prevents poor performance."

(Pssst... there are tons of planning forms here! This is where I get most of the ones I use.)

One Busy Momma

2011-09-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

Has it REALLY been nearly four months since I promised to give you all my best Disney tips! Wow! Time sure does fly when you're a busy momma.

I truly am so sorry. I do still intend to type up everything I can to help you have a wonderful Disney vacation. When we got back from Florida I had two weeks as the VBS Director at our church to finalize everything for this summer's VBS fun. Then it was on to getting our home back in order (because as anyone who has ever directed a VBS knows, it's either VBS or a clean house, but it's impossible to have both at the same time!), buying and setting up a new swimming pool, planning for a yard sale, and all the million other things summertime brings. Thus, the Disney blog posts got put on the back burner.

However! With one of our dear friends planning a trip for her family in November and excitedly telling me all about it, I am really, REALLY wanting to start planning our next trip as well! So all the pictures and memories are flooding back into my mind lately and I desperately want to document everything, so I promise, it's coming.

Walt Disney World!

2011-06-05T16:48:00.002-05:00

Our family recently returned from a long-overdue vacation. I'm talking EIGHT LONG YEARS overdue! And our vacation destination was the same place we went eight years ago... Walt Disney World! It's our absolute favorite place on earth to go. At least, it is right now, since we've not been anywhere else as a family! LOL! (We plan on taking them to Washington D.C. and New York over the next few years as those are my other favorite places to visit!)

If you have never been to Disney World I encourage you with all my heart to try to go, whether you have small children, older children, or no children at home at all. It's such a magical place and everyone becomes a kid again when visiting the Magic Kingdom! Or at least, they should. But sadly, while there I saw far too many tired, whiney kids getting on the nerves of their tired, grouchy parents, and that is no fun for anyone. Why get all the way to Disney World only to ruin everyone's vacation by not being prepared BEFORE you arrive?!

Over the next few weeks I'll be blogging all about our trip and sharing all the best tips I learned to help make anyone's trip to Disney World the best it possibly can be. Please trust me when I say Disney World is NOT a trip you can just take with no prior planning. For some, a trip to Walt Disney World is a once in a lifetime vacation. For others, it's simply too magical of a place to only visit once. Regardless, if you will take the time to plan and organize your Disney vacation you will come home with a lifetime of wonderful memories, and hopefully lots and lots of pictures to help preserve those memories!

Amanda, Light of My Life

2011-06-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl my stepdad was in a couple different country music bands. That's all I knew growing up, hearing him singing and playing with his band buddies. One song I remember fondly was 'Amanda' by Waylon Jennings. I always loved that song becuase of the way the end of the word 'Amanda' ( followed by 'light of my life') was sung higher and higher and higher. I loved singing those notes along with the drummer!

When I was nine my mom and I moved from Illinois to Kentucky with my stepdad. Being so young and moving from an hour south of Chicago to a small town in Kentucky was not easy for me. I was very sad about leaving my friends. I felt lost. This was a whole different way of life for me. I was used to neighbors being just a few feet away. Now they were quite a walk away, if not a good DRIVE away. A new school, a new home, a whole new way of life. With no siblings to commiserate with I was really lost.

But God saw my little broken heart and sent me an angel, my new Aunt Mandy. We moved in with Mandy, my stepdad's sister, while our house was being built. Aunt Mandy took me right in and treated me like one of her own. She loved on me and cooked for me and talked with me, she even tried to snatch my birthday present while I was opening it once (picture above)! She always had a hug ready and waiting for everyone, whether she hadn't seen them in a while or if she had just seen them the day before. It didn't matter to Mandy. She loved everyone.

During this time of living with her I began transforming from a little girl into a young woman, if you know what I mean. I was quite young for this and I was freaked out. But I remember Aunt Mandy coming into my room, sitting down beside me on my bed, and talking to me about 'things'. Her words comforted me and I was so thankful for her.

Once, I woke her up while I was sleepwalking. She heard me and came to see what I was doing. She caught me at the front door putting on my coat and asked me where I was going. "I'm going home", I told her. "Ok, here, let me help you". She took my coat off and led me back to bed and tucked me in. Thank God, literally, for her! Who knows where I may have ended up!

Once our new home was built I still saw Mandy every day since we lived right across the road from her. Even after I was married and had children of my own one of my favorite things to do was to go to Mandy's and just sit outside with her, enjoying the breeze and talking about whatever was going on at the time. Just look at all that family sitting out under Mandy's carport and in the yard enjoying family time and some good music!

We weren't the only ones Mandy opened her home up to. After we moved out and into our own home Mandy took in an older gentleman named Norwood. I'm not even sure who exactly he was but I believe he was some relation to her late husband. I'm sure this wasn't always an easy task. The one thing I remember about Norwood is that he DRANK linament! Oh, and smelled like it as well. LOL! But Mandy opened her heart and home and took care of him until his death. What an amazing woman.

And oh what a cook she was! I loved Mandy's potato salad. To this day I can't stand to eat any other potato salad, except Mandy's. She knew this and any time we had a family reunion she was sure to make some. I think it made her feel good to know that hers was the only one I would eat. Oh, and her potato cakes! Oh my goodness. Those were heavenly, and she used to make them often for me. I'm going to have to make sure to get those recipes now I guess. I didn't want them before because those foods were special any time I had them because that meant that Aunt Mandy had made them for me. I'm crying, again, knowing I'll never again taste the love that went into everything Mandy made.

Due to other's situations and allowing life to get in the way I hadn't seen or talked to Mandy in a couple years, although we lived only 15 minutes apart. It broke my heart and I thought of her often, missing her hugs and our talks and of course, her yummy food. The saddest part for me, the thing that has my heart hurting more than anything, is that for the past few months I have had Mandy on my mind and wanted to call her just to hear her voice again. I missed her. I missed her laugh, her hugs. She truly, genuinely cared about others and I missed her greatly. But I would call, soon. Aunt Mandy would always be there. She was the rock of the family. She was hardly sick. She was the youngest of her siblings. I never dreamed I would never get the chance to talk to her again.

Aunt Mandy went to be with the Lord yesterday after successfully coming through a heart cath where three stints were placed to open up blockages. I was so very thankful to hear she would be coming home today. No more putting off seeing or talking to her. I was going to visit her this week! I couldn't wait! Sadly, God had other plans and He is now the One that gets to receive those hugs of hers, the One that gets to sit and talk with her and laugh with her. What a glorious reunion they are having right now, with all her siblings that have gone on before her, her parents, and her beloved husband she has been without for so very, very long. I'm so happy for her, but so very sad for those of us who are left behind to miss her every single day for the rest of our lives.

Yet, I find comfort in knowing that one day I will see her again. I can't wait to get to Heaven and feel those arms around me one more time, to hear her precious laugh, and just to sit and enjoy the breeze and talk about everything that's been going on.

I love you Aunt Mandy and I truly thank God for sending you into my life when I needed you the most. Thank you for always loving me, as well as my own little family, no matter what. Thank you for the hugs, the talks, the smiles, the home when we didn't have one, the potato salad, the potato cakes, the apple crisp recipe you gave me a few years ago, all the sweet corn, for letting my kids come pick apples out of your trees. Thank you for the memories, and thank you for giving your life to the Lord so those of us left here mourning your passing can have the hope and the comfort of knowing that we can indeed see you again if we simply make the same decision you did to give our hearts over to the Lord and serve Him.

Thank you Aunt Mandy. I miss you greatly, and I will see you soon. I promise!

Review: Institute for Excellence in Writing

2011-05-13T00:00:00.002-05:00

As a member of the TOS Crew my children and I were given the opportunity to review the Student Writing Intensive, Level C from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

I had heard about IEW many times over our nine years of homeschooling, but I had assumed it was simply too intensive for our style of learning as well as being too expensive. Granted, I never took the time to thoroughly research it. I simply passed it off as 'not for us'. Boy was I wrong! Having a freshman in high school with no thorough, formal writing instruction up to this point, the opportunity to review this curriculum was most definitely a blessing.

First of all, the creator of the Institute for Excellence in Writing, Andrew Pudewa, is a homeschooling father of seven, a grandfather of three, and a teacher. His primary profession is teaching music. However, he was put into the position of being a history and an english teacher without any previous experience at either. He was encouraged by another teacher to attend a teacher-training course on 'structure and style in composition' by a gentleman named Dr. James Webster. Mr Pudewa was so impressed and learned so much and saw such amazing results in his students that he returned to the training course for the next two years! Mr. Pudewa continued teaching what he learned to children which led to the opportunity to do some seminars and classes. The interest from parents and other teachers was so great that those seminars and classes eventually evolved into writing the curriculum and doing the videos that became the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

IEW has products for every age level, beginning with the Primary Arts of Language for K-2 and continuing on with their Student Writing Intensives, Level A for grades 3-5, Level B for grades 6-8, and Level C (which is what we reviewed) for grades 9-12. Each of these 'Intensives' cost $99.00 and come with a binder with dividers, a packet with teacher's notes, student handouts, and checklists, as well as the writing sessions recorded live on four DVDs. Extra binders can also be purchased for $18.00 if you're working with more than one student on the same level. However, when that becomes the case for me I plan on simply making multiple copies of the handouts that come with the Intensive and putting them in a binder myself. One more thing that's important to know is that once your student has completed all the lessons in their Intensive it is possible to continue on through the rest of the writing units with an additional 32 lessons if you so choose, however, this is optional. By using the Continuation Course you can use this writing curriculum for 1-2 years of writing instruction per Intensive.

Another IEW product I plan on using next year is Fix It! Grmmar and Editing Made Easy With the Classics. While learning how to write is of upmost importance I also don't want to let my daughter's grammar fall by the way-side while she's learning to write and this looks like just the right fit for us. Not too much, not too little. Hopefully it will help her learn to critique her own writing even better!

Oh, and that teacher-training I mentioned above that Mr. Pudewa learned so much from? Well he has kindly put together our own teacher-training seminar! Now, I only have experience with the Structure and Style Overview DVD so I can't speak on the other teaching DVD's but I was very impressed with what I watched on the S&SO DVD. Mr. Pudewa's voice is very enjoyable to listen to and he's very easy to understand as well as being funny. I felt like I was right there in the room with him. Here's what the website has to say about this DVD:

"In this 2 hour and 20 minute DVD and accompanying handouts, Andrew Pudewa introduces you to the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style method of teaching writing. Briefly covering the nine units of structure and introducing several stylistic techniques, Andrew gives the audience insight into why this method is so effective in teaching even the most reluctant writer."

Of course, if you'd simply like to purchase the whole kit and kaboodle for a certain level you can do so in one easy click here.

We were also sent a portable wall which is "a single-pocket folder with an extra page, creating a tri-fold wall packed with all the Unit Models, several word lists including prepositions, substitutes for "said," and more." I really appreciate whoever came up with this idea as we are one family that has absolutely no room to hang posters, at least not anywhere where my daughter could actually see it easily in order to help her. With the portable wall she can simply keep it in her binder and pull it out any time she needs to. Two big mom thumbs up for this one!

As I've said before, writing is one of the most dificult things to evaluate. You want to teach and encourage the student in their writing yet receiving a paper back full of red marks is not going to help your child want to write very much. But when they have complete, thorough, easy-to-understand instructions it is so much easier, on the student as well as the mom/teacher!

Overall I am VERY pleased with the products we reviewed and plan on continuing to use them throughout our homeschooling years. To watch your child go from not understanding that there is a right and a wrong way to write to someone who is developing into a wonderful writer of beautiful papers is such a thrill! And it's all thanks to IEW and Mr. Pudewa's teaching that our daughter now enjoys writing and actually looks forward to it each day! All this mom can say is thank you, thank you, thank you. We are now life-long IEW users!

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Review: Latin's Not So Tough

2011-04-29T00:00:00.005-05:00

As a reviewer for The Old Shoolhouse I was given the opportunity to review Latin's Not So Tough! by Greek 'N' Stuff. Now, you may be asking yourself, "Latin? From GREEK 'N' Stuff?" Well, yes. LOL. I couldn't find it anywhere on their website but I'm guessing that their curriculum Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! was written first, before their other 'stuff', hence the name Greek 'N' Stuff.

Ok ok, on to the important stuff.

Latin's Not So Tough!, as a whole, is intended for use with young children. With six levels currently available it would have been nice to be able to start with Level One (which can be completed in less than one year) with my children when they were much younger than what they are now. I would be interested to see how going through all six levels would help them in their early study of Latin.

However, while Level One concentrates on the alphabet, diphthongs, and special consonant sounds, older elementary students (and beyond) can start with Level Three, which is the level we received to review. (You can go here and scroll down just a little to find Placement Quizzes to see which level your student needs to start with. Personally, I found I would need to start somewhere LOWER than Level One! LOL!)

Level Three covers the following:

*Alphabet and vocabulary review

*Latin grammar:
   ~First declension nouns
   ~Second declension (-us and -ius) nouns
   ~Three special case uses
   ~First conjugation verbs, present active indicative

*Read and write simple Latin sentences

*Matching, fill in the blank, fun activities, puzzles

Also, each level includes flashcard pages at the back of the workbook. These need to be cut out and I highly recommend using poster board-type paper and/or laminating them so they will last longer.

Level Three is for students who have completed Level Two, or older students. Regardless of which level you start with, each one has the following available (along with a few other things you can find here):

~Student Workbook (21.95)
~"Answers Only" Answer Key (4.00)
~"Full Text Answer Key" (21.95)
~Quizzes/Exams (5.50)
~Pronounciation CD (for Levels 1-3) (10.00)

Latin's Not So Tough! teaches classical pronunciation and is written to be very student-friendly. The workbooks are designed in such a way that the student simply progresses through each level on a page-by-page basis, rather than on a weekly lesson structure. The first three levels are laid out as such:
   ~Level One: 104 student pages; 28 lessons
   ~Level Two: 144 student pages; 30 lessons
   ~Level Three and above: 170 student pages; 36 lessons

The Student Workbook is laid out in such a way that they can pretty much pick it up and work through it at their own pace with little teacher involvement. Depending on what day it is around here, that can be a very good thing but sometimes it also makes me a little sad. However, independent learning has always been one of my goals for my children in homeschooling them so it actually works out very well. Seeing as how I have NO knowledge of Latin, it's probably better this way anyway. LOL!

Actually, NONE of us have any prior Latin knowledge and this made it near impossible for us to just pick up and start learning with Latin's Not So Tough. Right from the very first page it instructed the student to do things that we had no clue about! They couldn't do it and I couldn't help them. There is no instruction, just an expectation that you know what you're doing for both the student and the teacher.

Maybe I just don't understand how to use it the right way, but my frustration eventually won out and I hate to say that we did not use this curriculum. Maybe starting at a lower level would have helped us? I just don't know.

However, if this is something you are interested in, let's move on to pricing. Considering the prices are different depending on what Level you are purchasing I will simply refer you to this page to see all of Level Three's prices.

Along with Latin and Greek curriculums, a few Bible Studies are also offered by this same company.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Sample pages.

Review: Zeezok Guide to the Movies

2011-04-03T21:17:00.004-05:00

Finally, someone has come up with our family's kind of curriculum! Watch a movie, learn from it. How much better could it get?

Zeezok Publishing has created these wonderful little things called "Z-Guides to the Movies" to go along with select movies that are full of wonderful learning opportunities. When presented with the opportunity to review the guide that corresponds to the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington I jumped at the chance! Mr. Smith... is one of our 14-year-old daughter's favorite movies so I knew this review would be a perfect fit for us.

We received the e-book, however you may also purchase the guide on CD if you wish. This CD contains a printable pdf file of the complete study guide. Regardless of which option you choose, each cost $12.99. If you don't already own the movie for which you are studying you may also purchase them on DVD from Zeezok, rent them, purchase them from the store, borrow them from the library, or, my very favorite, get them through Netflix.

The study guide starts out with a Topic Overview. In this particular guide a brief explanation of Congress, Senators, and filibusters as they pertain to the movie. Next comes a movie synopsis giving a brief description of the movie for those who may not have already seen the movie.

Following this are ten different activities to help study different aspects of the movie more in depth. For this particular title we started with 25 movie review questions. Even though we had already seen the movie, a few times in fact, we still chose to watch it again so it would be fresh in our minds. But before watching the movie for this study my daughter and I read over the review questions first so we would be aware of what to listen and watch for. I had her answer the questions as she recognized them while watching the movie. Gotta love that Pause button!

Then we moved on to learning all about the filibuster. Having never had the opportunity to take a US Governement class in school and having been busy raising kiddo's the past 15 years, this study was as much for me as it was my daughter! American history is FASCINATING to me and I thoroughly enjoyed working on this and look forward to more of these studies.

Some of the other activities we worked on were learning how a bill becomes a law, comparing our views on our US Senators (are they representatives, trustees, or both?), becoming a reporter as well as an interveiwer covering this story, trying to get inside the mind of the director of the movie, as well as several other fun and thought-provoking activities.

Both my daughter and I learned so much through the guidance of this study and we look forward to using more z-guides to dig further into other movies. What an awesome and fun way to study history! Even my younger kids joined in watching the movie (again) as well as some of the activities. That's what I love so much about homeschooling. Even though this study is labeled as being for high school students, younger children can learn so much just by joining in on the fun!

There are 28 different Z-Guides to the Movies, all of which look to be just as fun and interesting as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and each costing just $12.99. Each title focuses on a specific time in history and in my honest opinion is just simply a fun way to help understand what life was like during a specific historical period of time. History shouldn't be dry and boring, but exciting and interesting and if possible, fun! With these Z-guides from Zeezok Publishing I really do think we're going to enjoy our history time a whole lot more.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Review: Artistic Pursuits

2011-03-23T00:01:00.008-05:00

Having an avid artist in the family who loves to draw and would do so all day, every day if he was allowed, I was thrilled to receive Artistic Pursuits to review as a member of the TOS Crew.

Artistic Pursuits is an award-winning art curriculum for homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. There are a total of ten books for students ranging in age from as young as 3-5 all the way up to a senior in high school! If you choose, you may also purchase art supply packs that go along with each book. These packs include all the art materials needed for each book and range in price from $45 to $92. If you're interested in saving a little money or if you'd like to buy individual art supplies rather than the whole supply pack, Artistic Pursuits has also linked to on-line discount art supply stores you may also purchase your supplies from (scroll down to the bottom of the page to find these).

There are several things I really like about this art curriculum, one of the biggest being that the books are written conversation-style directly to the student so my son can simply pick up the book and do it on his own. This makes is easy on mom while also helping my son feel independent in his art.

Another thing I really appreciate about Artistic Pursuits is how the student is encouraged to look at the world around them, taking it all in and seeing it in a different way than they've ever looked at it before and then drawing from that. They are not kept inside the box, being shown exactly what to draw and how to draw it within a tiny little box. They are encouraged to draw things as THEY see them, at their own age-appropriate level, and then praised for doing so.

Within each book is a full school year's worth of lessons, done at two lessons per week. There are four unique projects in each unit that include creative exercises, art history and appreciation, techniques, and exploration of various subject matter.

The book we reviewed is Book One of the Grade 4-6 level as seen here:

This book is broken down into 16 units, each unit containing four lessons. Lesson 1 of each new unit is titled, Explore Your World! A Creative Exercise Using Real-World Experience. This is exactly as it sounds, a brief reading of what real artists out in the real world do in different situations along with a 'Try It' activity for the student to do. The objective for each unit is given at the bottom of this page making it easy for the teacher to see.

"Unit 2, Lesson 1: VOCABULARY AND CREATIVE EXERCISE PAGE Each unit explores one or two elements of art or a compositional arrangement. ILLUSTRATED VOCABULARY: A definition is given in both words and pictures at the top of the page. EXPLORE YOUR WORLD! Students get their hands on art materials the first day in a project designed to explore the subject of art and creativity. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the Explore your World! section are listed and color coded to clarify the purpose of the creative assignment and for easy grading using a grading system on page 87."

Lesson 2 of each unit shows a master work and helps them apply what they are learning into their own creation. One of my favorite parts of Artistic Pursuits that I am so glad the creaters included comes in lesson 2 as well, learning about famous (and sometimes not-so-famous) artists and the times they lived in.

"Unit 2, Lesson 2: ART APPRECIATION PAGE Students see how the topic of the unit is used in a work by a master artist. When they see a concept in artists' works, they are more able to use it in their own work. Illustrations accompany the work, helping students see what is being discussed in the text. Arrows point to the places in the artwork that are discussed in the text so students can't miss seeing it."

"ART HISTORY PAGE: Students gain a larger context to view art in as they learn about the artists and the times in which the art was made. ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: A biography of the master artist familiarizes students with major artists and their works. Students learn about painters of the American Revolution, the first painters of the Native Americans, Wilderness Explorers, Cowboy Painters, Quakers, miniatures, American Impressionists, Realists, and Regionalists. THE TIMES: Students learn about American history. They will see what Americans were doing, thinking, and discovering during the artist's lifetime. MAKE AN OBSERVATION DRAWING: Students gain skill in working from observation, memory, or imagination."

The third lesson of each unit focuses on learning how to use the different medias, materials and tools of art and having them put that knowledge to use in their own art.

"Unit 2, Lesson 3: TECHNIQUES PAGE HOW TO: Students learn technical information. How to use a medium such as pencil or pen and a variety of ways for using each medium are introduced. Techniques for drawing and exploring certain subject matter are shown. This page introduces some basic ideas about seeing to help the student begin to observe more closely. SOMETHING TO TRY: Students practice with the techniques shown, completing a project."

Finally, in Lesson 4 the student is given a project to do that incorporates the new things they have learned. They use a variety of references such as still life objects, landscapes, portraiture, photographs, and more.

"Unit 2, Lesson 4: FINAL PROJECT PAGE Instructions are given for a final project in which students assimilate the information from the unit and do a work reflecting their interests or particular interpretations. YOU WILL NEED: A materials list is given in the right column. REFER TO THE FOLLOWING WHEN DRAWING: Suggestions for what to use as a reference is given in the right column. Once students go through the book they will have used all the references available: photographs, direct observation, their imagination, etc. STUDENT GALLERY: Students see how others their own age interpreted and successfully used the element of art. A range of skill levels is shown to encourage different approaches to art. LOOK BACK: Students evaluate the success of the finished work by answering the questions. Parents can use the color-coded stated objective for easy grading."

Each of the ten Artistic Pursuits books sell for $42.95. In my honest opinion they are worth the price. However, it can get a bit pricey when you have several children that you would like to purchase books for. I would like to see perhaps a discount when buying multiple books. But that aside, I do really like this curriculum and look forward to continuing to use it in our homeschooling adventure.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Great Expectations

2011-02-14T08:20:00.001-05:00

So, today is Valentine's Day. How do I know? Because the calendar says so. And since the calendar says so then that means we need to do something, right? I mean, just take one peek at any store you walk into today. Red hearts, beautiful roses, balloons, teddy bears, and candy are everwhere, SCREAMING "buy me to prove your love to someone!"

Listen, I personally don't have a problem with Valentine's Day but I know many people do. But the reason I don't have a problem with it is not for the reason you might think. It's not because I HAVE a Valentine, my wonderful husband of nearly 16 years. Nope. I don't have a problem with Valentine's Day because a long time ago I learned to let go of my expectations of other human beings. In fact, I believe I blogged about this very same topic almost five years ago...

The Problem With Expectations

A Sad Kind of Happy

2011-01-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

So my babysitting came to an end a week sooner than I expected since Chloe's mommy found a replacement sitter who was ready to go ahead and start. We are so sad not having little Chloe here with us, giving us slobbery kisses and making us laugh. But she's doing good at her new sitters and my focus is turned back to my home and family and homeschooling and these things make me happy.

My husband's grandmother passed away last week. She lived a rich, full life of 94 years. The past eight years however were spent in bondage to a body that simply wouldn't do what her mind told it to do. In addition to 7 children, 19 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren she also left behind a legacy of taking her children and grandchildren to church and asking everyone she came in contact with, even in the nursing home, if they went to church. While we were sad to see her go, we know where Granny is and for that we are happy.

We had a car accident over two years ago and our case was just settled a couple weeks ago. Sadly, our family business had a large bill that we had to take care of and that money is now gone. However, I'm so thankful for God's perfect timing and that we WERE able to take care of the bill. AND, learning that had we continued paying the minimum monthly payment on this bill it would have taken us 31 YEARS to pay it off and would have cost us an additional $15,000 makes me VERY happy it is now paid in full!

Life is not always easy, but how we CHOOSE to view each situation that comes our way goes a long way in determining who we are. Are we going to choose to be overcomers who have joy even in the midst of hard times or are we going to let life get us down and depressed and steal our joy.

I CHOOSE to see that Chloe is happy and well taken care of and that my children and their education is now getting my full attention instead of being sad and second-guessing letting her go and giving up the extra monthly income. I CHOOSE to see that Granny is now running with her new glorified body down streets of gold with her Saviour as well as her husband she had to say good-bye to several years ago instead of being sad over not still having her here with us. I CHOOSE to thank God for providing the way before YEARS of financial bondage overtook us instead of pouting over not being able to spend the money on other things.

Priorities

2011-01-19T19:16:00.005-05:00

When we started homeschooling nine years ago I was simply a mommy and a wife. Granted, I was a mommy to a 5-year-old, a 2-year-old, a 1-year-old, and a 2-month-old and was very busy, but it was a different kind of busy than what I am today. My busyness came from taking care of my babies and our home and that was enough.

Today I am still a wife and still a mommy, the only difference being that I am a mommy to a 14-year old, an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 9-year-old. But in addition to my duties as a wife and mother, and of course a homeschooler, over the years I have also become the leader of a girl's group at church, a Sunday School teacher, the VBS director at our church, a babysitter, a homeschool product reviewer, and the 'upkeeper' of my hubby's at-home business while he works his full-time job.

But lately I have felt an unsettleing inside. It didn't take me long to realize that it was the Lord nudging me to get my priorities back in order, to get back to what HE wants me to do. First, I am a wife. Secondly, a mother. Those two things have to be a priority and to be honest, they have both taken a back seat to everything else. I look around and see that my house is not a home. It's not a haven for my husband to come home to after a long day at work. I am not setting a good example to my children, especially my two daughters, in how to keep an orderly and comfortable home nor how to be a helpmeet.

God has also called me to homeschool our children, this I know for sure. Our days used to center around learning, reading, and discovering together! But as I've added more and more hats over the years I'm sad to say that we have evolved into a workbook, little-hands-on, independent-work type of homeschool. This is the very opposite of what we loved about homeschooling in the first place. While there's nothing wrong with homeschooling with workbooks and certainly, developing our children into independent learners is always the goal of homeschool families, for our family the unit study, hands-on approach much more fit our lifestyle and it's something I miss very much. My children are growing up right before my eyes and I'm tired of letting other things get in the way of enjoying every single second of watching them do so.

I am simply doing too many things, and only doing a so-so job at each of them. And because of this the very things I love the most have suffered. Taking on too much has also taken it's toll on my health as well, and that is not good for anyone. I have put my own health on the back burner and as a result I have put on a considerable amount of weight and my blood pressure is at an unhealthy level. There once was a day when I rose early and exercised (and spent time with the Lord!) before anyone else in my family woke up. That hasn't happened in a very long time and I miss it. I am so thankful the Lord loves me and my family enough to gently show me that I need to realign my priorities to His.

As of a few months ago I am no longer over the girl's group at church. In His perfect timing God made a way for this by replacing the group with another opportunity for our girls to be together and learn about the Lord.

After next week I will no longer be babysitting. This was a very difficult and heart-wrenching decision for me. The little ones I watch have been with us for a year and have become like my own. We all love them very, very much and will miss them greatly. However, after much prayer I know that this is something I must do. Doing the right thing is not always the easy thing. Often times it requires sacrifice.

I am still praying and believe there will be even more changes to come in the near future. When one makes decisions such as these it doesn't always sit well with others and that is sometimes a very hard thing. Saying 'no' is not very popular these days. However, as long as I know I am doing exactly what God wants me to do then I can go forward in confidence and peace, knowing that He will work out all the details and more importantly, I know He will be pleased with my obedience. After all, obedience IS better than sacrifice and I'd rather obey Him than make others happy and sacrifice His blessings any day!

How about you? Are you doing too much and thus sacrificing these most important years in your children's lives? Years you can never get back? What things can you put aside or say 'no' to (or maybe just 'not right now') in order to put God and your family back in first priority where they belong? Are you willing to sacrifice the good for the better?

Review: The Life of Christ from the Gospel of John

2011-01-14T17:07:00.000-05:00

Positive Action for Christ is a publishing house that has been offering Bible curriculum for churches and Christian schools since 1969. Our family had the opportunity to review The Life of Christ from the Gospel of John, one of their many high school studies.

The Life of Christ study can be used independently by the student, taught by the parent, or a combination of both, which is how we have chose to use it. It can also be used in a co-op or group setting or as a family devotional. The student book is divided into seven units, each unit containing between three and seven chapter lessons for a total of 35 lessons, one for each week of a typical school year.

Each chapter/lesson begins with a short reading to help the student connect their world today with the lesson and the truths found in the Bible. This leads into the Student Work, the questions in their textbook. These questions are designed to help the student imagine themselves as part of the story of Christ. They will "help you to put yourself in the place of the disciples, the Pharisees, or the multitudes as you investigate for yourself just who this Jesus is." I am really impressed with the intent of the Student Work:

"Since the objective of this study is not just to fill students' minds with facts, but even more importantly to help them grow in the knowledge of their Saviour, we have designed this section to help their minds ponder Him and His teaching. Our intent is not to use these questions to provide definitive answers, but rather to get the students thinking about the personalities and their character qualities as well as the meaning of the text and the spiritual truths it teaches."

The Student Work in the student textbook leads into the teacher's lesson, which, depending on how you schedule your school week, may very well come in the middle of the week. The reason for this is because it is recommended that you discuss their answers to the student work as an introduction to the teacher lesson. In doing so the student will already know many of the questions you will be discussing in the teacher lesson before you even begin. Each chapter in the student textbook has space for the student to take notes during the teacher's lesson.

The Teacher's manual contains the teacher's lessons, copies of the student textbook along with answers to the student's fill-in-the-blank sections, as well as masters of chapter quizzes and unit tests. Also included is a CD-rom of overhead transparencies to use with each lesson. I'm not sure how many homeschool families will actually use these in this way since it requires an overhead projector or video equipment. However, each 'transparency' can also be printed out, but duplicates of each are also in the student textbook so I'm not sure that this is really necessary. Personally, I choose to not use the transparencies CD since it is just duplicating what is already in the student book. If I were using this study in a group or classroom setting then I would most likely use the transparencies to teach the lessons since I would be teaching several students at one time instead of just my daughter.

A list of recommended scriptures for the student to memorize is also included in this study, all taken from the book of John. While not mandatory, I choose to have my daughter memorize each lesson's corresponding scripture and have her write the verse from memory on her weekly quiz paper.

Having a daughter in high school it is my plan for her to earn a Bible credit as one of her required electives. However, finding just the right study for her to complete in order to earn that credit is not as easy as it may seem. The original plan was to have her earn this credit while completing the Bible study that corresponds with her American history book. This turned out to be nearly impossible since her history is very in depth and requires most of her time during the school day. To also complete all that is required for the Bible section was simply too much for her. Besides, while the intent of tying history and the Bible together is a good idea, in my opinion it simply teaches facts more than helps her grow in her relationship with her Saviour. That is what I like the most about The Life of Christ study, that the emphasis of the lessons is to challenge the student and help them apply the lessons to their own lives.

Since it is my standard to give my complete and honest opinion of anything I review, I feel I must add that while researching the Positive Action for Christ website I came across their Doctrinal Statement and I do not agree with a few of their positions. However, this is not a discussion on differing beliefs but I felt it important to inform you of this fact. Despite our differing beliefs, I have yet to read anything in The Life of Christ study that teaches differently than what we teach our children, which I am very happy about since the study fits our needs so well.

To check out this study or other products from Positive Action for Christ simply click here. They offer products for churches and Christian schools, which can also easily be adapted for homeschool families as well. I have been considering purchasing their Bible curriculum for my other children who are in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades since I am so impressed with The Life of Christ study for our 9th grader. If you'd like to see what each study covers you can download (or order for free) a Scope & Sequence here.

If you are interested in the Life of Christ study for your high schooler here is what it will cost you:
*Student Manual- $17.95
*Teacher's Manual- $41.95 (this is also available on DVD for $29.95)
*Deluxe Presentation DVD (which looks SUPER COOL!)- $79.95
*Overhead Transparencies (full color printed acetate transparencies)- $99.95

Review: Virtual Nerd

2011-01-12T07:06:00.000-05:00

Did you know that according to the U.S. Department of Education 29% of eighth grade students tested at a "Below Basic" level in math in 2009? At least 27% (and up to 67%) of student families in grades K-12 pay for tutoring services. Typical hourly rates for private tutoring range from $30/hour to over $200/hour. The private tutoring industry in the U.S. is estimated at over $5 billion annually.

If you are one of these families with a student in grades 7-12 who could use a little extra help in either math or science I am happy to tell you about Virtual Nerd. Virtual Nerd is an award-winning subscription website that offers tutorial videos 24/7 in different areas of math and science.

Currently students can view these video tutorials and receive top-notch help in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Intro. to Physics with much more scheduled to be available later this year, including Geometry, Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, and Biology! At only $49/month, that is like wrapping up SEVERAL tutors into one for a very affordable monthly price! And if you're like me, when it comes to most of the subjects listed above, I'm MORE than happy to pay someone else to do the teaching and tutoring, someone who actually knows what they're doing! LOL!

What I like most about Virtual Nerd is that as opposed to a physical-person tutor your student may see once a week for an hour at a time (if even that long), with Virtual Nerd they have 24/7 access to a tutor so the help is right there at their fingertips any time, any where. And the amount of help available is so vast! For example, the number of Algebra I tutorials is over 450 with over 15,000 step-by-step graphics created for just for Algebra I. It would take a student over 18 hours to watch all the tutorial videos that go along with JUST Algebra I! Now multiply that 18 hours by the typical hourly rate for tutors these days and I think you'll agree that Virtual Nerd is well worth looking into!

If you'd like to give Virtual Nerd a try you can do so here. They have several subscription options, including a two-hour free trial if you'd just like to get a feel for how it all works. One word of warning however. On their pricing page it has an orange button that says: Educators click here, which takes you to a free educator sign up page. This free service IS NOT available to homeschoolers.

And Mom & Dad Can Hardly Wait...

2011-01-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

Need I say more?

Marcy's Thoughts About Fran

2010-12-22T09:58:00.001-05:00

Remember Kaity and I picked up Marcy on our way to deliver the quilts to Fran's family? I encourage you to read her thoughts on Fran and the day. It was a blessing to me to read it as I'm sure it will be for you as well.

Delivering Fran's Quilts

2010-12-19T18:42:00.002-05:00

I feel as though I lived a Hallmark Christmas movie yesterday. It was quite possibly the most perfect day I have ever lived, and it could only have been orchestrated by God himself.

When Fran passed away from breast cancer back in June her friends and fellow homeschool moms from the Five in a Row message boards decided to make quilts for her husband and two daughters as a way to show our love and support for them. I had no idea at the time just what a blessing God had in store for me.

I am truly humbled and honored that I was able to help in the creating of these special quilts, although I never sewed the first stitch on any of them. To be used by God as a vessel to get these quilts into the hands of Fran's grieving family is beyond the shadow of a doubt the most precious thing I have ever had the privilege of being involved in.

Yesterday started early for my oldest daughter, Kaity, and I as we jumped in our van and headed north-then-west to Louisville to pick up friend and fellow Five in a Row mom, Marcy. It was a cold and beautiful Christmas-y feeling kind of day. We tuned into a 24-hour Christmas music radio station and enjoyed the beautiful scenery on our 2 1/2 hour drive.

We picked up Marcy (and promptly gave her the KENTUCKY BLUE-hatted penguin in a BLUE bag tied with a BLUE Kentucky lanyard we had brought her for Christmas- she's a Louisville Cardinals fan, who's color is red, BLECH!) but before we headed north to Fran's house in Indiana we had to stop for a bit of nourishment at Lynn's Paradise Cafe, the place Marcy takes all her special friends who come to visit!

What a fun and quirky place Lynn's is! (Oh, and the food is de-LICIOUS!)

While there we just had to try on some of Lynn's crazy hats!

As we left and began to drive out of Louisville Kaity and I were amazed at the completely ice-covered sidewalks throughout the city...

Before long we arrived at Fran's house to meet her precious family.

Here's what her front yard looked like, completely ice-covered...

As we walked into Fran's home we were welcomed with big, real hugs from Ed, Fran's husband, the aroma of fresh coffee brewing in the coffee pot and a warm, cozy fire in the fireplace. And it was a REAL, wood-burning fire, not one of those fake ones stores try to convince us are just as good today! With the snow-covered ground and forest of trees outside the windows, a woodpecker that had landed on a bird feeder and that fire crackling while we sat near the Christmas tree... ahhh... it was a scene straight out of a movie.

We met Emma, Fran and Ed's 7-year-old daughter, Eden, their adopted 5-year-old daughter, and Elliott, one of Ed's three grown sons. And let me just stop right here and say what an obvious blessing Elliott is to Ed and the girls. He has helped take care of Emma and Eden since Fran passed away and his love for them was so evident in the way he scooped Eden up and held her, rubbing her little arm, then taking her to give her her feeding and laying her down for a nap. What a fine, Godly young man! I know Ed is proud.

Marcy began by sitting down and explaining to Emma in a way she could understand who we were, how we knew her and her mommy, and the reason we had come. Then we showed her her quilt...

Much to our excitement, Emma and her daddy recognized what books many of the quilt squares represented! They told us they own several of the books and plan on purchasing those they don't already own so they can always have them to go along with the quilt. Emma told us that one of her two favorite colors is red, just like her quilt.

Next, we showed them Eden's quilt...

Once again we listened as Ed and Emma commented on several of the squares. And guess what color Emma told us is Eden's favorite? Purple. I am constantly amazed how much God is in even the smallest of details.

Then, we opened up Ed's quilt. I don't have a picture like the ones above because it got a little more emotional and I wanted to be sensitive to that. But I have a picture of his quilt I had taken earlier that I'll share with you.

He noticed one block in particular right away. He said, "Oh, it's Fran's Thanksgiving tree." Then he saw the one in the top right-hand corner with the three hearts that says 'Amazing Grace' and said, "Fran's favorite song." That's when the tears gently rolled down his cheeks and I couldn't hold mine back any longer either. We pointed out the breast cancer awareness symbol in the body of the butterfly and the hidden stitching in one of the blocks that spells out Fran and Ed's names. It was obvious he was very touched and that these quilts are already a priceless treasure to him. Ed even said, "We'll have to find a very special place to put these, won't we Emma?" For a minute or two there was just silence as he took it all in. It was a very humbling moment and one I'm honored to have been witness to.

I then handed Ed a zip-lock bag of all the notes and cards and letters several FIAR ladies had sent along with their quilt squares. Whenever I received one in the mail with a square I simply put it in this zip-lock bag, unopened, for only Ed's eyes to see. (Except for one that was addressed to Emma. She found that one and as Marcy, Ed, and I talked I noticed she opened it and was reading it.)

After that we all sat and talked for a while and even laughed some, listening to what all was happening with Eden and Emma and the things Emma's involved in, what's on her Christmas list, and how she will soon be 'Aunt Emma' when her big brother gets married in January! She will also be going to school for the first time in January after continuing to be homeschooled by Ed and Elliott throughout this past fall. "Fran already had the whole school year laid out. All we had to do was pull each week's sheet out and we knew what to do." What a momma. Emma will be attending a small Christian school very close to home with only 13 in her class, including a couple friends she already knows. She's a very excited little girl!

We decided we had taken up enough of their time so we said we would go, but Ed said, "Let's have a word of prayer first." Words can not describe the feeling in that room as Ed prayed. The spirit of the Lord was there in a very real way and once again the tears fell, this time by all. When I looked up little Emma had her head buried in her daddy's shoulder, crying. He said, "Would you like to give these ladies a hug too?" and I got down on my knees as she melted into my arms, still crying. I tried not to, but my heart was broken and I cried with her. As I squeezed her tiny little body and caressed her hair I thanked her for such a wonderful hug, told her that her mommy loved her so very much, and then pulled her back to look at me as I told her, "I sure hope I get to see you again some day, but even if I don't, I want you to always remember that as you grow into a young lady, and one day a young woman, you will always have lots and lots of mommies all over the world who love you and are praying for you!" That made her smile.

Our visit was over all too soon. Pictures and hugs ended our time together, along with Ed offering to sell me his camper! LOL! (We may just take you up on that one of these days Mr. Konick!)

(Marcy and Emma)

(Kaity and Emma)

I didn't get any pictures of Eden, although I wish I would have. But again, I wanted to be sensitive to her needs and didn't want to appear pushy, so I'll just share with you my very favorite picture of her from Fran's blog...

(Isn't this the most precious picture? At one point during our visit Ed reached down and got Eden's hand and the biggest smile spread across her face! It was precious to witness.)

Elliott had shoveled all the ice off of the sidewalk while we were visiting (I told you that boy was a fine young man!) and we drove back to Louisville to drop Marcy off at home, but not before we stopped off for some yummy Starbucks treats and a bit more visiting.

(What's up with teenage girls making duck-lips in all their pictures these days? LOL)

After leaving Marcy (and her precious family whom we got to talk to for a few minutes), Kaity and I headed back to Lexington where we stopped off at a Target, grabbed some taco's and Mt. Dew (for the drive home, it was getting late you know), and snapped these pictures...

I have replayed the day over and over in my mind and each time I do, or each time I tell someone about it, I cry all over again. But you know, it's funny. While my heart obviously breaks for those Fran left behind, my tears are not all sad tears. I can't exactly explain it, but it's more of a humbled, amazed-at-God, thankful, cup-running-over cry. I am simply honored that God chose to allow me to be His vessel to bless this wonderful family. I am nothing. Without Him I can do nothing. I don't deserve the blessing He has given me through this, but oh I am so very, very thankful and humbled because of it.

I have just had my very first REAL Christmas, and I need nor want anything else. I found Jesus in the tears of a beautiful, blond-headed little girl and through the prayer of her daddy. No other gift could begin to compare. THIS is what Christmas really is.

Merry Christmas my friends. Merry Christmas.

Review: ALEKS

2010-12-13T00:01:00.004-05:00

I had heard of ALEKS before, but to be completely honest, I really had no idea what it was when this review was presented to me.

So what is ALEKS you ask? Well, ALEKS stands for Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces. If you'd like a quick and easy answer, it's a math-learning website. But that doesn't really give it the credit it's due. So the 'official' description of ALEKS is this:

"...a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system that uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS offers truly individualized instruction that meets the student at her learning level and instructs her on the exact topics that she is most ready to learn."

ALEKS can provide you with the instruction and support that you need to homeschool your children in mathematics for grades 3-12. With a comprehensive course library ranging from elementary school math to complex subjects such as PreCalculus (as well as higher education science), ALEKS acts much like a human tutor to help take the stress off of homeschooling parents. ALEKS is accessible from virtually any computer with Internet access, making it a flexible and mobile educational solution for your children.

-Complete Curriculum Solution for Math with Access to Full Course Library
-No Textbook Required
-Artificial Intelligence Targets Gaps in Student Knowledge
-Assessment and Individualized Learning for Grades 3-12
-Master Account - Monitor and Direct Learning Progress
-Unlimited Online Access - PC & Mac Compatible

Since our oldest son, who's 11, has struggled just a bit with fractions I felt he might get the best use out of this site so he helped me with my review. The first step, once you purchase a subscription to ALEKS, is that your student(s) will begin by taking an individualized, adaptive assessment to determine what they already know and what they are ready to learn next.

Once they have finished that they will be shown their 'pie'. The ALEKS Pie summarizes a student's current knowledge and offers topics that the student is ready to learn next. The darkened portion of each pie slice represents the topics that the student has mastered and the lighter portion represents what the student has yet to learn.

While ALEKS appears to be a wonderful tool, my only real issue with it is that our family has always focused on the mastery way of learning math as opposed to the spiral method and the ALEKS assessment includes questions on several topics that my son has not learned yet. This made his pie look like he knew very little, which was a bit discouraging for him. However, students can work on one particular concept at a time until mastery is acheived, so if we had a paid subscription that we could use over an extended period of time I can see my children really liking and doing well with ALEKS.

Subscription prices are as follows:

*$19.95 per student, per month, or
*only $99.95 every 6 months, or
*only $179.95 every 12 months.

They also have a family discount plan. And just for my readers, ALEKS has graciously extended a one-month FREE trial!

While I really like ALEKS and belive it would be a great help in our homeschooling, our family simply can not justify spending this amount of money on something that isn't crucial. Would it help? Yes. Would my children enjoy it? No doubt. But is it a neccesary purchase for us? No, it is not. While we would use ALEKS every day in our homeschooling, we do have our wonderful math books that we have used for years that are also getting the job done for a lot less. For our family, four student accounts, even with the family discount plan, would cost us $300 for six months. That's just not in our budget and I'm afraid that it's not going to be in a lot of homeschool family's budgets, the majority of whom are one-income families.

However, if you have a struggling math student and would be willing to pay for a personal tutor who is available 24/7, then ALEKS may just be what you're looking for. Here's some more information to help you see just how many great things ALEKS has to offer...

ALEKS provides a free response environment and sophisticated input tools that avoid multiple-choice and require students to demonstrate content mastery.

The Learning Mode provides students with practice problems, and offers explanations of topics and procedures as needed. Once a student has demonstrated mastery in the Learning Mode, the topic is added to the ALEKS Pie, and new material that the student is now ready to learn becomes available.

When a student is working on a particular problem, she can access an explanation of that problem by clicking on the "Explain" button. The explanation typically provides a step-by-step solution, with commentary. In some cases, an alternative or more detailed explanation is also available.

Students receive immediate feedback and, in some cases, suggestions for correcting mistakes.

Students have the ability to print out 16-question worksheets for additional practice or review. These worksheets are uniquely generated based on the student's current knowledge.

QuickTables is a research-based, math fact mastery program for multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.

Interactive games provide additional review and built-in rewards.

Master Account Homepage: Easily manage all student accounts, monitor student progress, view customized resources, and more.

Attendance Report: Track student time spent in ALEKS per day, the topics attempted, and the topics mastered and added to the ALEKS Pie.

Student Progress Report: Track student progress made throughout the course. The blue bar represents the percent of course material that the student has mastered during an ALEKS assessment; the green bar represents the percent of new topics the student has mastered in Learning Mode since the last assessment; and the yellow bar represents the percent of topics the student has yet to learn in order to complete the course.

Quizzes are automatically graded and the results are available to both the parent and student immediately.

So, overall I would give ALEKS an A-. The 'A' for how well it is laid out and the numerous amount of help and options it offers. Their customer service response time and the friendliness of their staff also contributes to that 'A'. I had some issues setting up a second student account for our other son and while the issue still hasn't been completely resolved, I can't complain about the helpful emails I received regarding this issue.

The 'minus' comes after that 'A' simply because of the cost. If a subscription were half the cost it currently is, then I would seriously considering purchasing a subscription for our family.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

The Greatest Gift

2010-12-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

Isn't this beautiful? I found this framed picture, of all places, at a yard sale! For $1.00! Underneath the picture, within the mat around it, it says "The Greatest Gift" and has the scripture John 3:16.

I LOVE it. It will never find it's way into one of our yard sales.

Fran's Quilts are Almost Done!

2010-12-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

There are no words. They are just absolutely the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen. I know Fran would be so proud of her FIAR sisters for the love they have shown for her precious family.

They are almost finished, only lacking the binding around the edges, which should be finished within the next few days. But I couldn't wait to show you how amazing they look! The precious lady, Sharon, who did the actual quilting went far above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. What a blessing God sent us when He sent us her! Between her and Mary Lou, who pieced all the squares together to make the beautiful design of the quilts (and whom I know God sent to us also... remember those 700+ books I bought this summer? They were from Mary Lou, whom I had never met before, and before Fran even passed away), I have decided that I want to learn how to quilt. Not someday. Today. What a beautiful thing to be able to do.

So, without further ado, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Look closely and notice all the details in the quilting. Even though I tried to help you see how beautiful they are I realize it's nothing like being able to actual touch them. I just hope you can 'feel' them through these pictures. I took a lot, so enjoy. As soon as the bindings are on I will post more pictures of the final results.

Ed's quilt

Emma's quilt

Eden's quilt

Love the stars she quilted. Very fitting.

Notice the hearts?

Waves quilted in the water.

Again, the hearts just make this square.

Love this!

Hearts for Madeline.

Love the 'fern' pattern she did here.

I love the backs of the quilts almost as much as I do the fronts!

She did something very special to this square. Can you see it?

Hearts again. Love it.

Mary Lou added this square because we were short one. I LOVE it. The colors are amazing!

Love the swirls!

Precious.

Notice the 'LOVE'?

See the cross in between the two hearts?

The back of the 'special' square I mentioned above. Can you see it?

Isn't this gorgeous?!

Butterfly

The back of the bee hive (The Bee Tree).

Review: The Master Ruler

2010-12-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew my family and I have reviewed several products lately, most of which had good qualities to them, some great, some not so much, but I have to say that for our family personally, the Master Ruler has opened up a whole new world to us.

We have a couple of children who love math and who have very little problem learning new concepts, we have one that cried every day when it came to math time until we found just the right curriculum for them, and then we have one that used to be our biggest math whiz, figuring out the answers to problems in a way I couldn't wrap my mind around... until it came to fractions.

When you start getting into all that's involved with fractions it can often times be a bit overwhelming. So we are just taking our time and doing lots and lots of review until I KNOW he's got it. (And isn't that one of the best things about homeschooling? Spending all the time needed to learn and understand a concept before moving on to something new.)

The Master Ruler is not only perfect for learning measuring but also learning the very beginning of fractions and how one thing can be broken down into several equal parts. These rulers (we reviewed both the standard ruler as well as the metric ruler) are actually several rulers in one. The standard ruler is like having five rulers in one: one to measure whole inches, one for halves, one for fourths, one for eighths, and one for sixteenths. The metric ruler is broken down into three rulers in one: one for decimeters, one for centimeters, and one for millimeters.

The back layer of each ruler is white to provide an easily visible background for each of the other layers of the ruler. On top of this white base ruler you flip over clear, see-through layers that represent different measurements (as stated above). Each of these layer's have it's own colored tab for easy flipping and each set of measurements are marked in different colors so each can be easily seen as more layers are flipped over on top. All ruler layers are bound together with small, hard, plastic tubing-like pieces, sort of like a comb-binding but broken into several pieces.

My children have really enjoyed using these rulers to measure everything they can find to measure. And even those who have not moved into fractions yet easily understood how one inch can be broken down into two, four, eight, and sixteen equal parts. I am so thankful for this easy introduction into fractions and know that we will use these rulers over and over throughout our homeschool years. (Who am I kidding? I know I'LL be using them for years and years to come! I mean, really, how many of us never got a thorough education on the metric system and remember how to convert perfectly? Now I can learn right along, again, with the kiddo's!)

Each of these rulers are $9.95 and can be purchased at the Master Innovations website. To go along with the rulers they also offer The Master Ruler Workbook for $15.95. While I would have loved to review the workbook along with the ruler, I was not sent that. However, I think it would make a wonderful addition and would help make using the ruler the way it was intended a lot more fun. As a side note, this workbook is also available in an English/Spanish version.

But wait! (LOL, I love using that line.) The awesome math helps don't end with the Master Ruler. The geniuses at Master Innovations also offer the Master Clock for learning to tell time, Master Fractions (YAY for us... I plan on purchasing this for my little fraction-struggling student), and Master Angles (which I also plan on purchasing next year when our oldest starts geometry). Each of these manipulatives also have coordinating workbooks you may wish to purchase as well. A Marvels of Measures poster is available and several new learning products will be available soon. I can't wait to see what they come out with next!

If you'd like, take a look at what other Crew Members thought of these products. Each of the products I mentioned here were reviewed so if you're interested in any of them you will be able to find reviews on each!

As a last note, I personally love buying from and supporting fellow Christians with their businesses. I was thrilled to read this on the back of the packaging my rulers came in...

"For many years a teacher was not happy that the lines on the ruler confused her students. She believed in prayer. She asked the LORD to show her a tool that would help her teach the children. One night she had a dream in which she saw herself teaching the children with the help of "The Master Ruler". The LORD had answered her prayer. Now "The Master Ruler" is available to everyone."

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

For Sale

2010-11-22T13:33:00.001-05:00

I have updated my previous For Sale post with the items I still have left for sale. As I sit decluttering our schoolroom I have come upon several more items that I simply can't take pictures of nor look up prices for right now but I wanted to list them here for anyone who might be interested in anything. If you see anything you'd like a price on just let me know and I'll get back with you ASAP. (At some point I plan on coming back and editing this post with prices, descriptions, links, etc. but for now just a quick list will have to do.

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-Easy Grammar, Grade 4
-Easy Grammar, Grade 6
-Time Travelers, New World Explorers
-The Mystery of History, Vol. 1
-Christian Kids Explore Physics
-Abeka Western Hemisphere Geography Studies & Projects, Grade 8, Student Text and Teacher Key
-Abeka Phonics, Reading, & Spelling Lesson Plans, Grade 2

Review: Ben Franklin Download -N- Go

2010-11-21T02:13:00.002-05:00

One of our family's favorite people in American history is Ben Franklin. What a fascinating and complex man he was!

As a homeschooling family we have always loved doing unit studies to learn a vast array of things about a particular subject.

So when I saw that The Old Schoolhouse had a Download N Go on Ben Franklin I was anxious to use it with my children, not only for them but for me as well! If you haven't used a DNG before I really encourage you to take the plunge and try one. (Personally speaking I think Ben Franklin is an excellent choice to start with!)

What exactly is a Download N Go, you ask? Well, they're only just about the coolest thing in the homeschooling world! Talk about easy... and fun!

Download N Go's are a creation of Amanda Bennett, the queen of unit studies! When you purchase a DNG it is instantly accessible on your computer. Each DNG includes five days worth of lessons surrounding one particular topic (and boy do they have the topics to choose from!). These five days worth of lessons can be done within a week's setting or could even be spread out over the course of a couple of weeks if you so choose. Throw in a bunch of good books to go along with your DNG (which, of course, Amanda has listed a ton of great ones to choose from) and you've got yourself enough material to last as long or as short as you need it to.

Throughout the five days of lessons your student will be doing hands on projects that, when finished with all the lessons, he or she will put together and make a fun, fact-filled lapbook with all the different things they have learned throughout the week.

The five days worth of lessons for the Ben Franklin study are:

•Day 1: Who Was Ben Franklin?

•Day 2: People and Places in Ben Franklin’s Life

•Day 3: The Accomplishments of Ben Franklin

•Day 4: Lessons to Learn From Ben Franklin

•Day 5: Remembering Ben Franklin

While we were familiar with some basic knowledge of Mr. Franklin our eyes were really opened to some fascinating facts we didn't know. One of my favorite parts of Ben Franklin was reading over pages of his famous quotes from Poor Richard's Almanac. What a wise man that Ben was! My children didn't realize that a lot of the popular sayings they hear today originally came from Ben Franklin.

What I loved about this study is that it showed my children that you can follow your dreams and do the things you love and that you can stand up for what you believe in and that you can make a difference in this world! Ben Franklin did all of those things, and usually all at the same time!

I wish I could show you pictures of our lapbooks and all the fun we had with this study but unfortunately we've had issues with our camera as well as our internet this week and I am currently unable to add personal pictures. However, you can view a sample of the Ben Franklin DNG for yourself here! Want to read what others have to say about this DNG? Visit the Blog Tour and see what other think.

All Download N Go studies usually sell for $7.95, but right now you can purchase Ben Franklin for only $6.25!

*As a member of the DNG review team I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews are honest and contain only my own true opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Update on Fran's Quilts

2010-11-12T17:02:00.003-05:00

I find myself thinking of Fran quite a bit these days. It's fast approaching the holidays, my very favorite time of year. It was also Fran's favorite. She loved Christmas. I mean she really, really loved it!

Like Fran, in my book once November gets here it IS the holiday season. (Of course, the season of celebrating officially begins in October for me because my birthday is in October-is there any better month to have a birthday? I think not!- and we have our annual Harvest party in our back yard with all our family and friends).

This will be the first Christmas of our married life that we have not had a real tree. It was a hard decision, but for the past couple of years hubby has burned our live tree after Christmas and as soon as a spark hit the tree it went up instantly, nearly disintegrating right before his eyes. Not much scares him, but that did. He said it was the fastest, biggest, hottest fire he had ever seen and if that ever happened inside our house that there wouldn't be any time to save our house. So, an artificial one it is, and we're good with that!

But because we have to do our decorating in spurts this year so daddy can get in on the fun (his job is keeping him working crazy hours) we have already set up the tree but we haven't gotten any other decorations out yet. So here we sit, pre-lit Christmas tree sitting up in our living room along with all our fall/harvest decorations all over the house. That's what has me thinking of Fran.

A couple of years ago Fran couldn't wait any longer to get her Christmas tree out, so since it was before Thanksgiving she turned it into a Thankful Tree. I LOVE the idea, and as I sit here looking at my new, bare (except for the white lighes that came on it) Christmas tree surrounded by fall colors and decorations I keep thinking of Fran's tree. I want to do this, in honor of Fran, with my children and our new tree! Sadly, I should have done it a few days ago when we actually set the tree up because when daddy gets home tonight he's getting the rest of the decorations out and the tree will be bare no more. Oh wait! I just remembered! We have an extra tree that will be coming out tonight that we usually put our Five in a Row ornaments on each year! We can use that until thanksgiving! YES!

Here's one of my very favorite quilt squares I received for one of Fran's quilts. It represents her Thankful Tree. This one ~~made~~ makes me cry. It was made by Christi in Virginia for Ed's quilt. Isn't it a beautiful representation?

Which brings me to the main reason for this blog entry. Fran's quilts.

Mary Lou has finished putting together all three quilt tops! Now they are ready to head to the lady who will do the actual quilting, and she says she will get them done before Christmas! I can't WAIT to hand deliver them to Ed, Emma, and Eden. What a Christmas this will be, for Ed and the girls, but also for Marcy and I who will have the honor of presenting them to the family.

For all those who contributed, and for all those who are coming along on this precious journey with us through this blog, here are the three quilt tops.

They are, in order, Ed's, Emma's, and Eden's...

For anyone who would still like to contribute to the quilts, now is the time when we will need to have the funds for the quilting so any monetary donation is greatly needed and appreciated. We have had some FIAR sisters contribute but I'm afraid more will be needed. Any extra money left over, along with a note with the names of all who participated in one way or another, will be given to Ed when we deliver the quilts.

If you are interested in contributing just leave a comment here and I will get in touch with you. (Please leave your contact info, whether that be email, blog, whatever.)

Review: The Write Foundation

2010-11-10T00:53:00.005-05:00

The Write Foundation was developed by Rebecca Celsor, a former public school teacher and homeschooling mother who sought to develop a writing curriculum that teaches children how to quickly organize and write an essay "with excellence". Mrs. Celsor's statement summons up the whole reason for The Write Foundation and is very true to what I have found throughout our homeschooling years...

"Many writing curricula focus on the different types of writing, such as creative writing, story writing, poetry writing, persuasive writing, argumentative writing, informative writing, descriptive writing, book writing, fiction writing, novel writing, but the basic foundation of writing is assumed. The Write Foundation begins with the writing process, how a student formulates a topic, then a thesis, then supporting points, and by incremental teaching drills in the basics. In most grammatical subjects, we have found that failure is almost totally because the basics have not been learned."

I'm so glad to have finally found something I can use with my younger children to help them learn how to write before they reach the age of their older sister who didn't have the priviledge of using The Write Foundation. We are still struggling in 9th grade because of her not having the basics of writing down pat.

The Write Foundation is set up into the three following levels and suggested age range:

Level 1: Sentence to Paragraph Writing Ages 11 – 13
Start at the Sentence to Paragraph Writing Level 1:
•If your student has any run ons or incomplete sentences when he writes on his own.
•If your student hates writing.
•If your student primarily writes simple sentences.

Level 2: Paragraph Writing Ages 12 – 15
Start at the Paragraph Writing Level 2:
•If your student understands the writing process of basic brainstorm, outline, rough draft, edit, final copy.
•If your student usually writes descriptive sentences, which includes adjectives, adverbs and participles.
•If your student can follow directions.

Level 3: Essay Writing Ages 14 – 17
Start at the Essay Writing Level 3:
•If your student understands and knows how to effectively use the writing process of brainstorm, outline, rough draft, edit, final copy.
•If your student knows how to write a proper, standard outline for a 3-4 paragraph paper.
•If your student uses a variety of words and minimizes repetition.
•If your student has been introduced to transitions.
•If your student is familiar with basic figures of speech.
•If your student is familiar with writing in third person only.

Each level consists of 30 lessons which can be completed over one or two years. (You can read more about what level to place your student in here).

Although we reviewed the first 15 lessons of Level 1 for ages 11-13 I actually used it with all three of my younger children, ages 11, 10, and almost-9 and they all did really well with it. The lessons are well laid out and easy to understand and require little to no preperation time for the teacher. My children are well on their way to having a strong foundation in writing and I'm considering going back and using The Write Foundation to reteach the basics to our oldest daughter as well.

If you are interested in learning more about The Write Foundation or would like to purchase one or more levels, you can do so here.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Why We Don't Celebrate Halloween

2010-10-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me preface this by saying that this is ONLY what our family chooses to do, NOT what we think everybody else should do. That's between you and your Heavenly Father and is nobody else's business. I honestly don't think any differently of anyone for whatever they choose to do this time of year. I promise.

But we have been asked our feelings on Halloween a few times so I thought it was a good time to type up a blog post about it.

In today's society it is normal to celebrate Halloween. Most of the time it's not even given a second thought. All through my childhood years I dressed up and went trick-or-treating and absolutely LOVED it! We had Halloween parties at school and carved pumpkins at home and it was a lot of fun. I don't remember us ever taking part in anything extremely scary or gory and even though we had witch and monster and ghost decorations I knew none of them were real and therefore wasn't scared.

So why the sudden change once I became an adult? Well, to be honest with you it's actually very simple and requires very little explanation. I simply love my Lord and Saviour so very, very much and I am SO thankful for what He did for me on that cross that I don't want to take even the slightest chance of offending him.

Philippians 4:8 says, "...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" while 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says to, "Abstain from all appearance of evil". That's all I need! Halloween simply isn't worth it to me.

I know there's always the debate over the actual origins of Halloween, trying to justify celebrating it. All Saints Day, All Hallows Eve. I've heard it, I've read it, I've watched it. Regardless of it all, I'm living today. And what I see Halloween is today, I don't see things that are true, honest, just, pure, and lovely or worthy of any praise. In fact, a lot of what I see represents nothing but pure evil. Just walk down the Halloween isle of any Wal-Mart and tell me which you see more of, pure and lovely or evil?

I know for little kids dressing up can be cute and fun and innocent, and that's fine. I'm not against dressing up, having fun, or eating candy. But as one that is supposed to be a light in a dark world why would I want to participate in a holiday that, for the most part, brings images of dark, scary, and ungodly things?

Having said all that, I'm also very careful to not appear 'holier-than-thou' about it either. If we get trick-or-treaters (which we never have) I would gladly hand out candy. They're kids. They don't know any different and will have to make their own decisions about Halloween when they're older. But if they show up at my door doing what they know Halloween to be about then I'm going to smile, comment on their costumes, and lovingly give them some candy.

We love to decorate our home for the fall with pumpkins and gourds, fodder shocks, mums, scarecrows, cornucopias, pilgrims, orange and yellow leaves, etc. We also have our own little 'Harvest Party' here in our back yard every year where we get together with friends and family and eat, have a fire and make S'mores, play age-old fallish games (bobbing for apples, sack races, etc.) and this year we even had a special devotion using a pumpkin. But it is completely focused on Autumn and the harvest season.

In short, it's simple. My Father, who died the cruelest of deaths and saved me from eternity in hell, is so much more important to me than celebrating some silly man-made holiday. Is it wrong? I honestly don't know. Does it offend God and break His heart to see His children participating in a holiday that the very name brings images of darkness and evil. I can't say that He has ever told me that exactly. However, I love Him too much to take the chance.

My husband has always said something I thought was very wise and I think it applies perfectly here...

"When you don't know, don't." And that's what we choose to do.

For Sale

2010-10-29T11:22:00.001-05:00

Well, it's the time again. Time to purge and declutter the bookshelves.

This is List 1 of the things I HAVE to get rid of. I have four big boxes of curriculum and books sitting in my den and they have to be gone by the third week of November when we get our Christmas decorations out! If you are interested in anything just send me a message here. Pictures, further descriptions and shipping cost provided upon request. (Didn't have time to do that. Just trying to move the stuff as quickly as possilble and still have 3 boxes to list.)

Thanks for looking!
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-Abeka Grammar & Composition II, Grade 8, Work Text (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=69264) (first 13 pages of nearly 400 were done) and Teacher's Key (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=138266) - $23.00 for both

-Abeka Land That I Love text, Grade 8, brand new! (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=97578) - $18.00

-Abeka Exploring God's World, Grade 3 (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=104612), Text and Tests/Quizzes/Worksheets book (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=104647) (First 2 chapters done), Teacher Key (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=104655) - $22.00

-Abeka Our America, Grade 2 History/Geography (some answers have been written in book but have been erased) - $8.00

-Abeka Heatlh, Safety, & Manners 2 (like new) - $9.00

-Abeka Enjoying God's World 2 (very minimal writing that has been erased) - $9.00

-Abeka Developing Good Health, Grade 4, like new - $9.00

-Abeka Science Order & Reality, Grade 7, like new (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=25909), set of 13 tests from Christian Liberty along with Answer Key (all unused) - $23.00 for all)

-Set of 25 Abeka readers, ranging from reading level 1.6 to 4.4 – These books average $10.75 each if you purchased them from Abeka. I am asking $2.50 each or $50.00 for all 25 books. Titles and/or pictures available upon request.

-Reading Made Easy. ( http://www.valeriebendt.com/) Cover shows wear, but pages are in great shape. Slight dog-earing on a few of the pages. Retails for $50. I'm asking $25.00.

-“Dearer Than Life”, a Salem Ridge Press book (http://www.salemridgepress.com/dearerthanlife.html) Brand new. $10.00

Review: Buckets-O-Fun

2010-10-29T07:38:00.001-05:00

As soon as I saw that I would be reviewing 'Yuck' I knew this would be one for my boys! It sounded right up their alley. When it came in the mail and I saw the Sticky Yuck was 'just like snot' (no kidding, that's exactly what it said!) I thought, "Oh great! This should be fun." Ewww!

Well, evidentally 'Ewww' for mom means 'Awesome!' for boys! Yuck was a big hit at our house! What is Yuck, you ask? Well, to be honest with you, I don't really know. By that I mean I honestly don't know what it's made out of, but considering you can use Snowy Yuck on a Slip & Slide, wrestle in Chunky Yuck, and shoot Saucy Yuck out of a YuckZooka at people, I'm confident that whatever it's made out of, it's safe!

The company that sells Yuck, among other really fun-looking things like the X-Force Eliminator and Belly Bumpers (both perfect for our brood of four kiddos!), is Buckets-O-Fun. Sheri Elmont started Buckets-O-Fun to provide unique and fun products to families, schools, clubs, church groups, and anyone else who wants to enhance the fun at parties and functions. She says, "My experiences remind me that the fun and meaningful memories from an event bond people and help build relationships." Being a family who enjoys entertaining and who has several get-togethers with friends and family throughout the year, I couldn't agree more with Sheri's statement! Can you imagine how much more fun that family reunion would be gathering everyone and taking pictures in the World's Largest Underpants?!

Being a homeschool family I felt it was important to teach the kids what a polymer was before we started using Yuck. Yeah, they weren't going for it! LOL. They just wanted to get to the fun! And fun it was. We actually all really enjoyed watching what each Yuck did when we added water to them. And yes, we all had to get our hands into each one, even mom! From feeling like gummy worms to applesauce, foam, and yes, even snot (never thought I'd be using that word on my blog!), each Yuck was unique and fun to play with. I can't imagine the fun to be had with a whole bucket of Yuck!

Our favorites? Well mine was by far the Snowy Yuck! Being excited about the upcoming Christmas season I just loved seeing and feeling the pretty,almost glittery, snow-looking Yuck. If this Christmas morning is like most around here we may have to get a whole bucket of Snowy Yuck and put it outside our windows to make it feel more festive!

Running a close second for me is most definitely Chunky Yuck. It felt really good in my hands and I enjoyed playing with it. The kids? Well, for our boys as well as our neighbor boy who joined in the fun, it's a no-brainer that their favorite was the Sticky Yuk. They even had to get out the magnifying glasses to check it out more closely!

Yuck can be purchased in 1-, 5-, and 50-pound buckets and range in price from $16 for one pound of Chunky Yuck all the way up to $600 for 50 pounds of Sticky Yuck. Want to try it before you purchase? Ask for your free sample! You can also watch a short YouTube video on the Sticky Yuk here!

*As a member of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews are honest and contain only my own true opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Review: PG Key

2010-10-27T22:22:00.003-05:00

Several years ago one of our children had a gut-wrenching experience on the Internet. She was young and independent and chose to do something she knew not to. She typed in words she wanted to find websites about in the address bar and hit 'Enter'. BIG mistake! At that time our computer was in our den, which is right off of our kitchen but obviously not close enough to monitor every second. Let's just say that she got way more than an eye full! It was horrible. I won't get into what it did to her or to us as her parents, but just suffice it to say that it completely stole her innocence and caused issues for years.

What I wouldn't have given to have a PG Key back then! What does a PG Key do? Well, it does just exactly what it's name suggests. It keeps your computer viewing 'PG'! (Actually, by today's movie standards it's much more like keeping your computer viewing 'G'!) And it couldn't be easier to use. All you do is plug it in to the USB port on your computer and it's ready to go!

With the PG Key you can be sure anyone using the computer will have safe viewing because all inappropriate content is blocked. You can set certain websites to be blocked as well if there are ones you don't want your children visiting. One of my favorite things about PG Key is that you can easily control when the computer is used and for how long. With four kids in the house it becomes nearly impossible to keep track of who's using the computer and for how long so I love this feature!

One of the best parts about PG Key, in my opinion, is that it records up to 60 hours of computer useage so parents can see EVERYTHING that goes on on the computer, including both sides to a chat conversation! It plays back all activity just like a movie. How cool is that? No more trying to wiggle your way out of something you know you did. The camera doesn't lie baby! LOL!

You can also set a feature to send you text and/or email alerts when questionable content viewing or activity has occured.

My husband's only concern was, "Well all they have to do is pull the thing out." I'm happy to report that the creators of PG Key were smart enough to think about that too. If the key is pulled out the computer simply won't work until it is plugged back in! That gets two thumbs up from this mom!

How much is this ingenious little device? Well, honestly? In my opinion, after experiencing what we did with our daughter, no price is too much to protect our children. But when you learn that it's only $49.99 I think you'll agree that that's a very small price to pay to make sure your children are safe online. (Learn about their Free Trial here.) There are no annual fees. The only thing you ever pay is the $49.99 when you purchase it.

If I have peaked your interest you can learn more about PG Key here. This is one device we will most DEFINITELY be using for years to come!

You can also see what other TOS Crew members think of PG Key here.

*As a member of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews are honest and contain only my own true opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Tag! You're It!

2010-10-15T17:11:00.002-05:00

I was tagged by the very sweet Jen Unsell (whom I want to be like when I grow up!) and since I LOVE Jen and am hardly ever tagged in these kinds of things I thought I would join the fun and let you into a little of who I am.

For this MeMe I am to answer 8 questions that Jennifer has asked me and then I am to tag 8 people and ask them different questions than I was asked, but I don't really know right off the top of my head who to tag or who would actually like to participate, so I'm just going to leave you with my answers and the 8 questions I would really like to hear different answers to. If you have a few minutes and would like to participate I would love to hear your answers! So if you are reading this consider yourself tagged and either answer here in a comment or on your blog (but please be sure to come back and leave me a link so I can read your answers).

Here are the questions Jen asked...

1) What is the most interesting thing about where you live?

It would have to be the amount of interesting things that go on here. We are such a small town yet we are the home of the original KFC, we are one of only a few places in the world that has moonbows, we've had an earthquake back in 2002, we had a plant explosion in 2005 that killed 7 people and was the feature of a TV show, the Blue's Clues show (including Steve!) came to one of our local elementary schools back in the show's highlight years, a Lifetime TV show came here this summer to film an episode, a movie is being made (and partially filmed here) about a former blind high school football player at our local high school... I know there's more that's escaping my memory, but it just fascinates me that we're so small yet so many things seem to go on here.

2) If you could go anywhere in the world and money didn't matter, where would you chose to go?

You know, it would be so awesome to visit places such as Paris and Rome and the beautiful countryside of England, but even more than that I would love to travel the U.S. and see all the fascinating and amazing places we have right here in our own country!

3) What is a food that you cook for your family a lot?

Well, I used to do it until my oldest daughter learned and has taken over the task (and is quite good I might add!), but I would have to say homemade pizza.

4) What is your favorite subject to teach in your homeschool?

American history. It is so fascinating and opens up so many different discussions in our family.

5) What is your favorite movie that you have seen this year?

The Blind Side, hands down.

6) What is your favorite book that you have read this year?

The Shack

7) What is the most interesting place that you have ever traveled to?

New York City. It's a whole different world than our little quiet country town! LOL.

8) What is your favorite book on homeschooling that you have read?

"Help! I'm Married to a Homeschool Mom" (LOL!)

And here are my questions for you!

1. When do you decorate for Christmas?

2. What are your families favorite Christmas traditions?

3. What's your favorite or most 'famous' holiday recipe, either Thanksgiving or Christmas?

4. Are you a homeschooling family and if so, what's your favorite thing about homeschooling?

5. What are your top 3-5 homeschooling curriculums you've ever used?

6. What are some of your best homeschooling memories?

7. What are some fun, inexpensive things to do at a fall party? (this one is a bit selfish on my part as I am needing some quick ideas! lol)

8. Are you saved and on your way to Heaven?! (If not or you're not sure and would like to talk more please feel free to email me any time... christymitchell at eastkytelecom dot com)

The Best Way to Learn History...

2010-10-13T22:18:00.000-05:00

...is to experience it for yourselves!

What an awesome, amazing, wonderful day in history today turned out to be! I am so thankful my children have the opportunity to be home all day. There is no better way to learn something than to experience it for yourself, to get your hands on it, or in today's case, to watch it unfold live right before your eyes.

In cases such as today's rescue of 33 Chilean miners after being trapped underground for 69 days I am so thankful for the technology we have that allows us to be eyewitnesses to history being made! Had my children been in public school they would have been stuck behind a desk all day only hearing about the rescue once they got home, if at all. This is the kind of stuff that will be in their children's history books!

Instead they watched each and every miner come up out of the ground, hug their families, pray and thank God, and we engaged in several really good talks throughout the day... things related to mining, how and where the collapse was, where Chile is, the desert, how much we all want to speak Spanish fluently, and more. Just as important was hearing all the personal stories of the different miners and seeing that even though we may look a little different and speak a different language, we're all human... feeling, experiencing, and thinking the same things. Nurturing compassion for others in our children is one of the most important things we can do for them, and today was a perfect opportunity to do so. (As a side note we also learned the truth of the scripture about how our sins will 'find us out' as we watched the miner emerge whose wife had met his long-time secret mistress while he was trapped underground!)

Welcome home miners, and thank you for letting us be 5 of the 1.2 BILLION people who witnessed your miracle today! God bless you all!

Review: Rocking Robots Download N Go

2010-10-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

Amanda Bennett has created some really awesome unit studies over the years, many of which we have used in our homeschooling journey. Her latest adventure, Download N Go, is a series of weekly unit studies for children between Kindergarten and fourth grade, although children from the ages of around 4 through 12 or so would easily benefit from and enjoy them. Each DNG has a central theme, the Constitution, Ben Franklin, or Autumn Treasures for example, and contains daily lesson plans while also incorporating lapbooking activities.

We were given the opportunity to review Rocking Robots as our first experience with Download N Go's, however, we came in very late in the review time frame so we weren't able to use it to it's full intent. BUT! Let me tell you, that has only added to the excitement in my children! They want to do more and dig deeper than what we have been able to do! I'm going to be honest. My first initial thought was that my kids were too old for DNG's and that they would think they were too 'babyish'. Boy was I proven wrong! Here's what your week with Rocking Robots will look like:

Day 1: What Is a Robot?
Day 2: The History of Robots

Day 3: People and Places of Robots

Day 4: Science Secrets of Robots

Day 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Robots

Because of the time constraint, we more or less just read through Rocking Robots, visited the links provided, discussed so many different things (all sparked by the information in the DNG), and watched some REALLY COOL videos all pertaining to robots! Even I was amazed at the things we watched robots do! I had no idea they were used to perform such awesome acts. It truly was fascinating.

As I was scrolling down through the DNG (and that's the best part about them, you just download them and you're ready to go!) a couple of the kids were watching over my shoulder. I kept hearing things like, "Oh! That's cool!", or "What's that?", and even a few, "I want to do THAT!" So much for my thinking they were too old for DNG's!

So, even though my time is up for the official review, it's safe to say that our time with Rocking Robots is far from over. This Download N Go has sparked such an excitement with robots that my 10-year-old son has now added a robot of his own to his Christmas list and as I sit here typing this he and his brother and younger sister are watching the movie 'Robots' as they go to bed. Does that tell you anything?

Each Download N Go is priced at only $7.95 and can be purchased here. If you're interested in Rocking Robots you can read more about it, including other reviews, as well as download a sample of it here.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-10-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. My very favorite month of the year. October! I LOVE having a fall birthday. So, to include all of you in my celebration today I thought I would share my favorite fall recipe, which I just so happen to have made for myself today!

Enjoy!

Awesome Tool, Especially for Bloggers!

2010-09-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

I've been blogging for several years and now that I am also doing homeschool product reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew...

...I tend to use several pictures in my blog posts. It's really not a big deal to find a picture to use, right click on it, click 'Save Picture As...', title the picture, save it, then go find it when I'm ready to use it. It's what I've been doing for years.

However, there have been so many times over the years when I would want to show a portion of a particular website that wasn't actually a picture that I could save to my computer...

(This is what my home page header looks like.)

...or when I was giving instructions about a website or trying to explain something regarding a product but had to simply try to express what I was trying to say with words when it would have been so much easier if I could simply show my readers a picture. For example...

("Look dad, it's easy. You simply go to the website and where you see this, fill in your information and click 'Sign Up'")

Talk about frustrating. Many times I remember saying, "If I could just take a picture of this screen and then show it to my readers (or my dad whom I've helped learn his way around a computer via long-distance telephone calls) it would be a lot easier!"

Well friends, I am happy to tell you that someone finally got smart and figured out how to do just that! A few weeks ago I was contacted by someone at Digeus Software asking me to review their product, SnapIt Screen Capture. Now, to be completely honest with you I was a little leery at first. I have received these offers before but have not been interested in reviewing any of the products. Oh I'll check them out to see exactly what it is they have to offer, but so far I've actually been more afraid of my computer contracting some kind of virus from these unknown websites than what they are offering me!

When I was asked to review SnapIt I asked my husband, my super intelligent computer tech, to check it out to see if he thought it was legit. He did and gave me the go-ahead. So for the past two weeks I have been using SnapIt every chance I get and I have to say I LOVE it! I have used it here on my blog while doing reviews as well as on some of my Facebook posts. It is so fun to be able to capture whatever I want from any website, or even from my desktop, and share it with my friends.

And, one of the very best things about SnapIt Screen Capture is that it is very easy to use. Once you download the software to your computer you simply turn it on and when you see something you want to capture you press your 'PrtSc' button and SnapIt is activated. You will see a big + on your screen and you simply use that to place a box around whatever it is you want to capture. Not only can you capture images from websites, but this was captured from the email I received from Digeus...

You can even turn on an 'auto save' option and each image you capture will be automatically saved wherever you told it to save it! How easy is that? Simply turn on SnapIt, tap 'PrtSc', put the box around the image you want to capture, and that's it! Now it's ready for you to use wherever you need it!

But don't take just my word for it, just look at the awards and certificates of quality SnapIt has received! In my honest-to-goodness opinion I wouldn't think twice about paying $17.99 for this software. It has made my blogging and reviews so much more fun and easy, not to mention more professional looking!

Interested? I bet all my fellow Homeschool Crew reviewers are! Well here's the best news of all. If you would like to try SnapIt Screen Capture for yourself you can download a free 14-day trial here and if you type up your own review via your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. you can receive the full version for FREE! Simply contact Julia Taylor at Digeus with the link to your review and she will take care of the rest! Be sure to tell her you learned about SnapIt from me, Christy Mitchell, at Training Hearts at Home.

Salem Ridge Press

2010-09-22T00:01:00.009-05:00

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8)."

That is the underlying philosophy of Salem Ridge Press, a publishing company who strives to find and bring back the best and most wholesome children's living books that the whole family can enjoy. The creator of Salem Ridge, Daniel Mills, believes that what we read matters and I wholeheartedly agree with him!

Our family loves history (especially American history!), however, we have never really used one set curriculum for our history studies. Instead, our favorite way to learn about what happened in history is to read good, "living" books, historical fiction, and biographies so we can get a real feel for what life was like through the eyes of those who actually lived then instead of boring facts, that are possibly more 'politically correct' than accurate, from a dry textbook.

Preferring to study history this way, I was thrilled to read these words from Mr. Mills...

"I have always loved historical fiction and believe that it is one of the best ways to study history. While textbooks can cover everything in a thorough and complete manner, historical fiction can bring the textbook to life. It is so easy to forget that history is really made up of the stories of individuals with the same hopes, dreams and fears as we have. Historical fiction can bring these people to life and help us care about history. The very best historical fiction will do even more. It will help us understand what led to the events of history, what effect those events had, and what we can learn from them."

Salem Ridge has books that cover Church History, American History, and World History. They also have Adventure books as well as Younger Reader books.

How many of us have heard the saying, "Garbage in, garbage out"? Well, in the case of Salem Ridge Press books, you don't have to worry for one second about any garbage going in while reading one of their books. Those at Salem Ridge Press seek out and review books (mostly from the 1800's and early 1900's) that are only of the utmost quality and that teach Godly character and high moral values. Occasionally they may tweak a passage which may have included a brief kiss or embrace or maybe a word that seemed a bit derogatory or even possibly an illustration that didn't uphold to Salem Ridge Press's high standards. As a parent this means so much to me and gives me the confidence that my children could read any of these books and it be perfectly safe to do so without my previewing it first or having to read it to them so I can edit it as I read.

As a member of TOS's Review Crew, I was able to review three books by Salem Ridge Press. Between the three of them the time period settings of the stories range from 1500 B.C. to 1384 A.D. Two were written in the mid- to late 1800's while the third was written in 1912. The reason I tell you this is to emphasize that the wording is a bit different than we are used to reading today. Sadly, I feel we, as a people, have drastically strayed from the intelligent conversation enjoyed by our forefathers who came from England and elsewhere. The language then seemed, in my opinion, to flow so elegantly and was so classy and upstanding. So be prepared to be challenged in your reading and perhaps your student's comprehension if they are not used to such a different way of speaking. As I read to my children I would stop periodically and explain what was happening, or at least what I thought was happening, since it was sometimes difficult for me to read and understand what was going on myself. But what better challenge for us as well as our children than to read classic literature in it's original language and try to gain understanding and learn what it was like during different peiods of time throughout history.

All of Salem Ridge Press's books can be found here. You can search them according to the time period and location each story takes place, by title, by the author's name or even by age ranges. Prices for their books range, from what I have seen, from $12.95-$24.95.

Would I recommend Salem Ridge Press books to other homeschooling families? Sure. They're pure, wholesome, and trustworthy stories. Are they going to be easy reads? No. But don't let that scare you away. Try one for yourself! (You can purchase them here.)

Besides, doesn't the picture at the beginning of this review (taken straight from the Salem Ridge Press website) and the thought of reading wholesome, living books by the fire just make you all warm and fuzzy inside? Like you were back in the Little House days?

Happy sigh...

See what other Crew members thought about Salem Ridge Press!

*As a member of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews are honest and contain only my own true opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

The Best Way to Increase Their Vocabulary

2010-09-17T00:00:00.004-05:00

All four of our children know the U.S. presidents, in order, simply because of a book we have that uses mnemonics. (A mnemonic is a device that helps you remember something by associating what you are trying to remember with something you already know.) This presidents book has silly little cartoon pictures that incorporates the president's names to help the reader remember them in order. After using this book to learn their presidents, they can each recite them to you in an impressive amount of time even though it's been several years since we used the book!

So when, as a member of the TOS Review Crew, I was asked to review the book Vocabulary Cartoons- SAT Word Power by New Monic Books I knew, before the book even arrived, that this was most likely one that we would not only use on a regular basis but would also probably thoroughly enjoy.

So, how does this book work? How does it help students "learn hundreds of SAT level words faster and easier"? Well, it's simple really. 290 SAT words are each presented with a silly cartoon along with a linking word or words that help the student remember the meaning of the words.

Here is an example from the book using the word 'Fathom'...

Although the target age for this book is 7th-12th graders, I like to include as many of our children as possible in the reviews we do just to see what they're capable of. For this book I chose to give the kids (and myself!) a new 'word-of-the-day' each day throughout the school week.

Each day, after going over the new word and the cartoon associated with it, I would write the new word along with it's definition on a sheet of paper and hang it on our refrigerator where we could all see it each time we passed by. The kids enjoyed reading over them, using them in sentences when talking to each other, and telling daddy about their new word when he got home from work each day! Several times I even caught them trying to use more than one of our new words in one sentence! This to me is all the proof I need that Vocabulary Cartoons works!

If you'd like to check out Vocabulary Cartoons SAT Word Power for yourself you can see examples here. New Monic Books also offers a vocabulary cartoons book for elementary students, a second edition of SAT Word Power, as well as a Picture Speller for Young Writers. Each of the vocabulary cartoon books are priced at only $12.95 with the spelling book being $19.95. To see more information on these books or to purchase one or more of them, please visit the New Monic web site.

As for me and my family, we give Vocabulary Cartoons two big thumbs up!

Read what other Crew members think about New Monic Vocabulary Cartoons!

Need Extra Math Help?

2010-09-09T23:44:00.003-05:00

I used to love math, until I had to teach it!

Honestly, I would have to say that out of our 8+ years of homeschooling, math has been the one consistent thing that has caused the most tears, and not only for me! Just ask my oldest.

We have only used two different curriculums for math over the years, one having it's own instructional DVD that helps teach each new lesson. It's wonderful! I don't have to rely on just my knowledge of what they are learning in order to teach them.

That's what I like the most about America's Math Teacher. I was asked to review their site as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew and while it isn't a complete math curriculum, it is like having a math tutor right in your home any time you need it.

With America's Math Teacher your student can listen to and watch videos as Rick Fisher, a math instructor with a B.A. in mathematics, teaches a number of different math lessons on a white board. There are four different course levels of lessons, Basic Math for fourth and fifth graders, Advanced Math for middle grade students, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra I with Algebra II coming soon. The Basic level includes 85 different lessons, the Advanced level has 67 lessons, Pre-Algebra has 44 lessons, and Algebra I has a whopping 95 different video lessons. So as you can see, there is plenty to help your students have the extra teaching and support they may need for many different math levels.

Along with the teaching videos, America's Math Teacher also has timed speed drills that students can do to practice answering simple addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems quickly. This was Handsome's (11) favorite part of the website. He enjoyed seeing how fast he could complete the problems and then trying to beat his previous time. I can see this part of the website being very helpful for a certain student of mine who doesn't quite know their multiplication tables as well as they should. There's just something about having that little timer ticking that makes all of us push ourselves to go faster and do better.

In addition to the teaching videos and the speed drills America's Math Teacher also has worksheets that coincide with each of the video lessons that can be printed out for the student to do on their own. Also, online quizzes and exams help students and parents know when they're ready to move on to the next level as well as provide extra practice and review.

Overall, I am impressed with America's Math Teacher. For my son, who keeps getting confused with fractions, it has provided some extra practice and some different ways to look at fractions than just what his math book provides. But while the extra review and practice has been nice, I don't believe I would willing to spend $195 for a year of America's Math Teacher, especially considering we're very pleased with our current math program and don't have any major issues that would justify the expense. However, there may be those out there that could use the extra instruction and practice that would make using America's Math Teacher worth the price.

The only thing that disappointed me with AMT is that we found several of the video lessons were mixed up, meaning when we tried to view one video it actually wound up being a different video than what it was titled. And others were duplicates of ones we had already watched. However, when I emailed the company to bring this to their attention I received a response right away that thanked me and promised to look into the matter, which I am sure they did because we noticed later that some of the videos had already been changed. This website was just recently launched and bugs and glitches are inevitable. However, I do believe those at America's Math Teacher are determined and dedicated to fixing the glitches and continually improving the site as issues arise.

If you are interested in seeing if America's Math Teacher is right for your family you can try it for free here. Interested in purchasing a subscription? The cost is $195 for one year and can be purchased here. (I'm not sure what the 30-trial coupon is).

Read what other Crew members think of America's Math Teacher!

If You've Wanted to Subscribe, Now's the Time!

2010-08-31T23:19:00.001-05:00

I recently shared how much The Old Schoolhouse has been a part of our homeschooling years as well as how much I love their various products. Now I'm excited to tell you about how you can start receiving their AMAZING magazine for an unbelievable price. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm receiving their Expo-to-Go MP3's for telling you about this deal. I really, really LOVE this magazine and have been a subscriber for a while now!)

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is extending an extraordinary subscription offer to homeschool families. Receive a one-year print subscription for just $7.95 or a one-year plus current issue subscription for $12.95. One-year subscriptions start with the winter issue. The one-year plus current issue starts with the fall issue. Only 5000 of these special subscriptions are available from August 31 through midnight on September 15. Once the 5000 are gone, they'’re gone! Hurry and grab this crazy price today!

Reveiw of 'My Access Writing'

2010-08-31T23:01:00.002-05:00

Having a new high schooler in our home, writing is an important subject for our family to really start putting emphasis on. I earned straight A's all through high school and graduated as Valedictorian of my high school class.

However, I received a huge slap of reality when I entered my first college English class and had to write a paper about the influence the media has on our culture. Easy peasy. Or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when my paper was handed back to me with a big, fat, red 'D' on it! Um, obviously I had no idea how to properly write a paper and even more obvious was that this professor obviously had not read the reports that said using red ink to grade student's papers makes the student feel intimidated and unintelligent! That 'D' was a hard reality for me. (I'm sure I would have felt better about it had it been a big, fat PURPLE 'D'.) I thought, "Now what? This professor isn't going to teach me how to write, I'm supposed to already know!" How was I going to learn all there was to know about proper writing with no teacher and in enough time to not fail my class?! The Internet, a.k.a. where you can learn anything(!), was not available then. Why hadn't we been taught this in high school. Wasn't that why we were there?

I don't know how I did it, but I did pass that class. Although I don't believe I came out of it with an 'A'.

I want better for my children. I want them to leave their high school years knowing, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they can confidentially write any kind of paper that may be required of them whether it be a college paper, something required at their job, or just a simple thank you note. I still struggle every new school year when it comes time to send in our Letter of Intent to our local public school superintendent. Don't want them thinking this homeschool mom is a total ditz because she doesn't even know how to type up a simple letter!

Yet, even with the best of writing curriculums, here's the kicker. How does one actually 'grade' a student's writing, especially when the one doing the grading may not have the best eye for spotting writing errors? This is one area where it's really more subjective grading than actual right and wrong. Sure, spelling and punctuation errors are easy to recognize, but other areas, such as language use, content, and mechanics are much harder to 'grade'.

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew I had the opportunity to review My Access! (home edition) and I must say, I am super excited about it! This is going to make writing more fun for my children and much more easy on me!

My Access! Writing is a complete on-line writing application that works perfectly with any curriculum. Purchasing a subscription to My Access! is like getting your very own personal writing instructor who not only teaches your student the proper writing process but who also scores and gives instant feedback on what they write. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a complete writing curriculum but rather a tool to help evaluate your student's writing and give feedback on where they might need some work. (You can see how this is done here.)

How does it work? In a nutshell, you set up accounts for each of your students ages 8-18. There are 96 pre-loaded writing topics for the three different age levels (8-10, 11-14, and 15-18) or, you as the teacher may input your own topic you would like your student to write about. You assign what topic(s) the student is to work on. (You can also set up goals and reward incentives if you like as well as view, print out, or even email the student's progress reports weekly or monthly to whomever you would like.)

The student types in their assignment and it is instantly reviewed and scored while helpful feedback is given to help improve their writing. At any time you can instantly look and see the student's overall progress with their writing. They will either be listed as proficient, below proficient, or adv. proficient.

I truly am impressed with My Access! Writing by Vantage Learning and plan on using it throughout this school year, possibly longer, to help make sure Baby Girl is progressing in her writing. Writing has always been hard for me to critique and grade, but not any more! But instead of using the pre-listed writing topics I plan on putting in and assigning my own topics based on the things she is required to write for her English lessons. I love that I can do this and it will still critique her work!

If you are interested in My Access! you can learn more about it here. A 12-month subscription is $99.95, which I was put off by at first but the more I think about it and the more I use it the more I believe it might just be worth it if it frees me up to do other teaching while also subjectively critiquing my children's writing. I'm sure I have spent at least that much over the years on different writing curriculum, not having found anything yet that can do what My Access! can do for me.

Find out what other Crew members think of My Access!

*As a member of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews are honest and contain only my own true opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

What We're Using This School Year

2010-08-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

Even though we are now in our ninth year of homeschooling I am still always interested to read about what other homeschooling families are using in their homes to teach their children. So I thought I would share what we will be using this year with you!

For our 9th grader:

*Math- Life of Fred Pre-Algebra with Biology, Pre-Algebra with Economics, and Beginning Algebra (she should be able to finish all 3 of these books within this school year, if not, no big deal).

*Science- Apologia's Exploring Creation with Physical Science

*History/English/Bible- Exploring America by Notgrass along with Queen's Language Lessons for extra grammar review.

*Latin- Getting Started with Latin, Latin from the Roots Up (with her younger siblings), possibly Rosetta Stone the 2nd semester.

*Health & P.E.- What Every Girl Should Know, daily walking with mom or some other form of exercise, sitting in on weekly Weight Watcher meetings (and taking notes) to learn about healthy living, getting her CPR and First Aid Certification, and possibly some other health-type reading book for the second semester(haven't found just the right one yet).

*Piano- Learn & Master Piano

*Typing- Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (yes, I'm embarrassed to say that we've had this for years but I haven't made her do it. Unfortunately, she has now taught herself how to type her own way and will have to re-learn the correct way. Because of this, all four children will be learning to type this year. LOL)

For our 5th, 4th, and 3rd graders:

*Math- (5th grader) finish up Life of Fred fractions and move on to Life of Fred Decimals & Percents; (4th grader) finish up Math U See Delta and move on to Life of Fred fractions; (3rd grader) finish up Math U See Beta and move on to Math U See Gamma.

*Queen's Language Lessons

*Sequential Spelling

*History- we simply read from a variety of different books, use Time Travelers (LOVE these!), and make timeline notebooks.

*Science- again, we have so many different science resources that we use a variety to read from and do fun experiments, as well as our weekly nature walks/observations/journaling.

*Geography- Around the World in 180 Days as well as other books, maps, and globes.

*Latin- Getting Started with Latin, English from the Roots Up

*Handwriting practice (Handwriting Without Tears is what we have always used) will be in the form of copywork/copying scriptures to memorize.

*Other misc. things we'll be doing together as a family over the school year are weekly nature walks/journaling/picture taking, famous composer and artist studies, reading poetry, and at some point I want to find a Shakespeare play to take them to. Before we attend the play we will read about it (so we can understand what we'll be watching) from Tales from Shakespeare. Each child will also be reading a list of classic children's literature books. I'm using the lists from the Simply Charlotte Mason site.

I'd love to hear what you are using this year! Leave a comment telling us, or, if you have a blog post about it, please share the link to it.

Celebrate Homeschooling at the Schoolhouse Expo!

2010-08-17T16:47:00.001-05:00

It's back to homeschool time and registration is open for the online Schoolhouse Expo, October 4-8. It's five days of top homeschool speakers, fellowship, and fun door prizes.

Save $5 per ticket! Register between August 16 and midnight August 22, and you'll pay only $19.99. Plus you'll receive over $200 in free E-Books.

You'll be inspired by speakers including: Zan Tyler, Dr. Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright,Carol Barnier, Diana Waring, Todd Wilson, Davis Carman, Kim Kautzer, Lee Binz, and many more!

A special teen track is planned--the entire family will definitely want to listen to these special sessions. We've also planned a special focus on a topic that touches every homeschool--writing. Plus, an array of other topics that will inform and inspire you throughout your homeschooling years.

Don't forget, MP3 copies of each session comes with your LIVE event ticket.

Two special preconference shows on August 24 and September 21 with Dr. Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright, and Kim Kautzer!

The theme this fall is "Celebrate Homeschooling!" We're going to celebrate the unique blessings of homeschooling, the beginning of another school year, our families, and the freedom to tailor our children's education to best meet their needs.

If you cannot make the Live event, then the October Expo To Go is just your ticket! You'll reserve MP3s from all of the workshops. This week only, pay just $14.95!

You can visit here or here to get more information.

(Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew and am receiving free Expo-To-Go tickets in exchange for this blog post.)

The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Planner Review

2010-08-15T23:57:00.014-05:00

I started out blogging over at HomeschoolBlogger several years ago. (You can start your own blog there as well). For a while, I worked for TOS in advertising under the now famous MoneySavingMom, Crystal Paine (she's awesome!). I have ordered from the Old Schoolhouse Store, enjoying their always-free-shipping, and am now enjoying my first look at their new Download & Go products with their free Expedition Mexico unit download. (We will most definitely be purchasing more of these weekly units!)

In addition, I recently joined the TOS Homeschool Crew as a product reviewer and am thoroughly enjoying my time getting to know new friends as well as share this adventure with 'old' friends whom I have discovered are on the crew as well. I have had the privilege to begin using and reviewing several different homeschool products for free and am thinking this is a pretty cool gig! LOL.

My latest product I have had the honor of reviewing is the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner from TOS. I have looked at this planner since I first saw the 2009 edition last year. (The planner actually first came out in 2008 but I wasn't aware of it then). I was very intrigued by it, but always found something else to spend my school money on. You know how us moms are. Nobody can talk us out of buying something for ourselves like we can! The kids (or our hubbys) always need something more than we need whatever it is we're looking at for ourselves. That's why homeschool moms always have the most interesting Christmas wish lists... books, curriculum, microscope, ~~blue-jean jumper~~. If others buy these things for us we can't talk ourselves out of them!

But I am a planner at heart. I love, love, LOVE making out plans for the new school year. I have to have a calender hanging up at all times. I never go to the grocery store without a menu for the week along with a grocery list made directly from that menu. So I found myself going back to the TOS planner over and over, looking it over, reading the description about it, pondering over other's reviews of it (all of which were good). Yet I still wouldn't allow myself to spend the money on something for me. I could make up some kind of scheduling form on my own, right? I could print out my own calendars, couldn't I? The kids could use some more notebooks and cute little boxes to hold all their stuff in more than I needed that planner. If I had extra money to spend maybe we should do a unit study on clouds instead of me buying something for myself. I've always wanted to do a study on clouds.

You see, this is how I always talk myself out of spending any money on myself. I keep at it until I've talked myself right out of everything! (Maybe that's why I now have no clothes that I actually feel good in. But THAT'S a whole 'nother post!)

Can you imagine my excitement when I found out I was actually going to get to REVIEW the TOS 2010 Schoolhouse Planner for FREE?! (In exchange for my honest opinion of it of course. LOL!) I was SO excited! I emailed my hubby at work and he was happy for me (for what, he had no idea!). I told my mom and the kids... all of which thought I had finally lost it completely.

As soon as the planner was downloaded I dove into it with eager anticipation... until I discovered it was 614 pages long!! WHAT? Are you KIDDING me? I didn't know whether to be ecstatic or scared. I never ever expected to see that many pages in a planner! What in the world was included in this thing? I knew right then that I could have NEVER come up with anything even close to this on my own. Not in the remaining 10 years I have left of homeschooling! Who has the time?!

Moms, let me tell you, this thing is LOADED with information that would take you MONTHS, possibly even YEARS to find and put together. Obviously there are planners and calendars, and forms (oh my!) out the wazoo, but did you know there are also articles, and stories, and resource lists, and recipes, and so much more that I can't even begin to tell you about? You can either choose to print out the forms/calendars/planners you want to use OR simply type in your information right into the form and keep everything right on your computer or print it all out nice and neat. I tell ya', those TOS people are so smart!

Each month, July 2010-June 2011, is laid out with articles, charts, tips, activity ideas, links, and resource lists all related to a common theme. These themes range from Bible study tips, creative writing, and reading the classics to 'super' foods, computer literacy, and critical thinking. Interspersed are also articles on avoiding homeschool burn-out, making your own gluten- and dairy-free foods as well as non-toxic cleaners, and nature walks! Writers of these articles include people like Heidi St. John, Amy Pack, Molly Green, Jeannie Fulbright, Amanda Bennett, Karen Andreola, and my all-time favorite, Jane Lambert! It's really not fair to think of this as a planner because it is SO much more! Not only can you plan anything and everything regarding your homeschooling but you can also sit and enjoy reading some really great articles, be encouraged by fellow homeschoolers, cook up something new, learn some new things yourself, and because there is so much information included (science, history, geograhpy, Bible, math), you can use this 'planner' to teach your children many different topics!

Listen, I know it may sound like I'm going overboard on the praise here because I'm trying to convince you to buy one but I promise you that's not how I work. If I don't like something I'll tell you. I'm all for saving pennies and not wasting time, money, nor energy on things that aren't going to make our lives better or easier. So if I tell you something is amazing and well worth your money, you can take it to the bank! (Or, take it FROM the bank, however you choose to look at it.)

One change we are making to our homeschool this year is we will be attempting to follow a more Charlotte Mason approach. I was so thrilled to see the section devoted to different types of homeschooling, which included CM, along with lots of helpful information and links. I would have never known about several of these places had it not been for this planner.

Following Miss Mason's approach, we will be doing artist and composer studies this year. Guess what is included in the 2010 TOS Schoolhouse Planner? Yep. You guessed it. Information lists on famous composers, artists, and time periods concerning both throughout history! And guess who hasn't had time to gather that kind of pertinent information yet? Yep, right again. ME! Can you say 'divine intervention'? You truly don't know what a blessing being able to review this planner has been to me. I honestly mean that with all my heart. Oh, and remember how I mentioned above that I've always wanted to do a study on clouds? You're never going to believe this, but I just discovered that there is also a 'Cloud Types' article included in the planner! That was totally unplanned on my part. I really HAVE wanted the kids and I to learn about all the different types of clouds and what they mean. Me and this planner? Meant to be.

My oldest daughter will be starting high school this fall and I wasn't exactly sure how to keep track of all the different things she'll be doing. Now I don't have to worry about it because there is a high school transcript in the planner as well as forms to track grades, books read, activities participated in, volunteer time, and everything else that I'll need to keep track of but hadn't thought of or come up with a way to do so yet. (And what perfect timing considering we'll be starting our new school year next Monday! Nothing like procrastination.)

Then I have three younger children whom I don't record grades for yet (however, if you do there are plenty of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly records for this as well as standardized testing forms) but I do like to keep track of the unit studies we do, the field trips we go on, projects we do, movies we watch and books we read. Guess what? All of this is covered in the 2010 planner as well! I'll never have to try to come up with another form as long as I homeschool!

In addition to all the ~~helpful~~ life-saving homeschool helps, forms, planners, and calendars, the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner also has an abundance of household forms and planners as well. From menu planners to medical information forms, babysitting info sheets, cleaning checklists, chore charts, household and vehicle maintenance checklists, gardening planners and checklists, personal property inventory sheets for insurance purposes, and so much more. I simply can't tell you the wealth of information that is included in this planner. (But surely knowing that it's 614 pages long should give you some idea!)

One of my favorite parts of the 2010 Planner are the recipes. I have been stuck in a menu-planning rut for quite some time and couldn't seem to come up with any new, yet easy and yummy, recipes that I thought my family would enjoy. Not a problem now. There are so many included in this planner, seven per month which comes to a total of 84 recipes(!), that I can't wait to try out on the fam! I really think they're going to love them. (For those who may be interested, there are also gluten-free recipes. How awesome is that?)

I so desperately wanted to include personal pictures in this review, showing you just how I am using the planner in our home, but there was so much to take in that I simply didn't have time... YET! Oh yes my friends. You can count on there being updates to this review, complete with plenty of pictures and testimonies of how this planner is saving my life! Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme. But I know it's at least going to help save my sanity and for that I thank you TOS.

Anyway, I'm telling you friends. Take my word for it and seriously consider taking the plunge and purchasing one of these 2010 Planners for yourself. I wish I would have a long time ago. If you have been looking at it, thinking about it, contemplating it... trust me. Just do it! I promise, you WON'T be sorry! For a mere $39.00 you will save so much time and energy using what the great people at TOS have already put together for you.

Do this for yourself. You deserve it and so does your family. Think of it this way, you're really spending that $39 not only on yourself but on your family as well. Having a calmer, more organized mom with more time to spend on the important things rather than trying to come up with all of this on her own is truly such a blessing to all members of the family. You'd spend $39 (or more) taking them out to eat wouldn't you? (Ok, so maybe on a special occasion you would. A trip to McDonald's for our family is around $28-$30!) Just think how much longer this will actually last and bless you and your family. I plan on using this and reading through the articles and information over the course of the whole school year. That averages out to a mere $3.25 a month! Now seriously, who can't afford to spend $3.25 on themselves?!

Go here to read more about what all is included in the 2010 TOS Schoolhouse Planner, including information on some of the monthly articles which I think are one of the best parts. It lists so much more of what's included than what I have here. I guarantee you're going to be surprised!

You can purchase the downloadable version of the planner for $39 here or, if you prefer, you can purchase the 2010 TOS Homeschool Planner on CD here for $44. And have you seen the monthly modules that compliment the TOS planner? Here's a good look at the set that goes along with last year's planner. (I recently reviewed the June 2010 module.) You can learn more about and purchase them here.

My First... GREEN Shake?

2010-08-10T12:07:00.001-05:00

I've been reading about these 'green shakes' people have been concocting and drinking for about a year or so now and while my interest was peaked, I must admit, I wasn't too excited to jump on this bandwagon. You see, I'm not a very big veggie lover. Oh, I do like some... potatoes (mashed and swimming in butter), corn (on the cob and also swimming in butter), peas (ever ate those cooked in butter?), carrots (cooked only!), iceberg lettuce (along with lots of other things in my salad to cover up the taste)... you get the point.

The thing that intrigued me about these shakes is that these people were getting in their green veggies and claiming they couldn't even taste them! I was very skeptical about that part. When you've made up your mind that you don't like something you will swear to the death that you can taste that particular item in a recipe! Yet, the more I read, and the more I kept asking, "Are you SURE you can't taste those green veggies?!" and getting the same overwhelming response, the more I began to think that this just might be THE way for me to get those all-important green veggies in that I've been avoiding for the past 34 years of my life!

So I scoured the internet to find a recipe that I thought I could handle and decided to go with this one. I mean, come on. She's a fellow homeschool mom. I have to support her, right? Besides, when I read that her number one reason for drinking these green shakes was for ENERGY I knew I had to try them!

So I dug out my blender and got to work, tweaking Crystal's recipe above just a little. I threw in a banana, some frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, a peeled Granny Smith apple, half of a peeled ornage, and some organic spinach (!) <---- I'm still shocked at myself over that.

When I turned on the blender... nothing happened. It all just sat there. Now, I'm sure that has to be due to using my 1972 mustard-yellow blender instead of one of the newer 'heavy duty' ones (which is now going on my Christmas list!), but after I added a little splash of orange juice everything blended up nicely.

Except...

Umm, my 'green' shake turned out pink! My favorite color! Oh well. I'm sure that will change as I get brave and up the greens to fruit ratio.

And the result? It tasted like...

...

Strawberries! No yucky spinach taste what-so-EVER! I even verified this result by having 3 of my 4 kiddo's taste it (the fourth doesn't like strawberries) and they agreed!

Now, I'm not a big strawberry fan (unless they're dipped in chocolate!), so I'm going to have to play around with the ingredients, but overall I'm very proud of myself! Never in my life have I eaten spinach, nor that many servings of fruit in one day! I think this could make getting healthier MUCH easier! (Believe it or not, I DO really like V-8, so I'd like to find a recipe that would mimic that also.)

So, if you're like me and not a big veggie lover but know you really need to find a way to get them into your diet you just might want to try your own pink, er, I mean, GREEN shake. I promise, you CAN'T taste the veggies!

(Here's another website that has some good, basic info on green shakes.)

More Quilt Squares, Again

2010-08-10T11:21:00.004-05:00

Here are the lastest quilt squares for Fran's family's quilts. We're so close to being able to start piecing them together! I can't wait!

This first one is from Robin in Colorado and represents the FIAR book, Storm in the Night, one of my favorite books.

These next three are from Rachel. This first one represents the FIAR book, Miss Rumphius, which has always been one of our favorites to read!

Isn't this creative?! Can you tell that the flowers are seperate material, shaped into flowers and then added to the square? Very cute!

Awww... sniff sniff. Fran & Ed forever.

And the next three are from Anjie in PA. This one is for Ed's quilt. I love the pink and brown together, and the breast cancer ribbon is such a gentle touch. Love it.

And this one is for Emma's. I've got to learn how to piece material together like this!

And this one is for Eden's quilt. (Pink is my absolute FAVORITE color, so I'm really loving this one!)

And these last three were made by Rachelmn. This picture simply doesn't do this square justice. It is so much prettier in real-life. This one is for Ed's quilt.

This one, for Emma's quilt, represents the FIAR book, The Rag Coat, which, coincidentally, has a little girl who loses a parent. Sadly, a very fitting story for this quilt square. I wish you could feel the different textures of the dress. Awesome job Rachel!

And for Eden's quilt. This one also has different textures to it as well. And pink!

Escape From the Island!

2010-08-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

My Thoughts EXACTLY!

2010-07-20T19:19:00.001-05:00

I want to share with you something I read today. It is the speech given by Valedictorian Erica Goldson from Athens, NY at her high school graduation. Not only do I give Erica a standing ovation for her wisdom-beyond-her-years and courage to speak the truth, but you see, Erica and I have something in common.

I also graduated as Valedictorian of my high school. I was voted 'Most Likely to Succeed' by my fellow classmates as well. Over the years I have gotten compliments about how smart I was in school (along with how I was a 'brown-noser' and a 'goody-goody'). Regarding the brown-noser comments, that's easy to explain. Many of the kids my age irritated me with their immaturity and I simply got along really well with all of my teachers.

Anyway, I have made the comment over and over to my husband through the years that I really wasn't as smart as everyone thinks I was. I simply did what I was told and actually turned in my assignments. Sure I was pretty good at some things, like Algebra and Home Ec and singing because I actually ENJOYED those things. But when it came to English and Geometry and actually reading music... forget it! I didn't understand it, I didn't like it... but, I tried really hard to get the right answers and usually succeeded, eventually, whether that meant asking someone else for help, finding a near-exact duplicate problem already worked in my book and guessing on how to get the right answer, or cheating off my best friend, who, by the way, graduated as Salutatorian. (Doesn't she have the prettiest red hair?)

Smart? Me? Maybe in some things, but smart enough to earn that spot as Valedictorian? No way. Not even close.

But I never really could put my thoughts on this into words... until now. Thank you Erica, for saying EXACTLY what I've been trying to say for the past 17 years! This is a long read, but I promise you, it is well worth it. (I have highlighted the areas I feel like Erica is speaking my exact thoughts.)

(The following was read as the valedictorian's speech at Coxsackie-Athens High School in recent weeks, creating quite a stir among administrators, to great applause from students and many of their parents)

There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master: "If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen?" The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years . ." (The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast - How long then?" Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." "But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?" asked the student. "Thirty years," replied the Master. "But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?" (Replied the Master, "When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."

This is the dilemma I've faced within the American education system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.

Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contest that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning.

John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, "We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that." Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt.

H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States. (Gatto)

To illustrate this idea, doesn't it perturb you to learn about the idea of "critical thinking." Is there really such a thing as "uncritically thinking?" To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?

This was happening to me, and if it wasn't for the rare occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane place really is.

And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.

We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.

The saddest part is that the majority of students don't have the opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these 18 years. I can't run away to another country with an education system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation.

For those of you out there that must continue to sit in desks and yield to the authoritarian ideologies of instructors, do not be disheartened. You still have the opportunity to stand up, ask questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse, "You have to learn this for the test" is not good enough for you. Education is an excellent tool, if used properly, but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades.

For those of you that work within the system that I am condemning, I do not mean to insult; I intend to motivate. You have the power to change the incompetencies of this system. I know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see your students bored. You cannot accept the authority of the governing bodies that tell you what to teach, how to teach it, and that you will be punished if you do not comply. Our potential is at stake.

For those of you that are now leaving this establishment, I say, do not forget what went on in these classrooms. Do not abandon those that come after you. We are the new future and we are not going to let tradition stand. We will break down the walls of corruption to let a garden of knowledge grow throughout America. Once educated properly, we will have the power to do anything, and best of all, we will only use that power for good, for we will be cultivated and wise. We will not accept anything at face value. We will ask questions, and we will demand truth.

So, here I stand. I am not standing here as valedictorian by myself. I was molded by my environment, by all of my peers who are sitting here watching me. I couldn't have accomplished this without all of you. It was all of you who truly made me the person I am today. It was all of you who were my competition, yet my backbone. In that way, we are all valedictorians.

I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I hope this farewell is more of a "see you later" when we are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first, let's go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we're smart enough to do so!

Erica Goldson

Athens, NY

I completely and totally, 100% agree with everything Erica says here and this is the EXACT reason we homeschool our children!

Erica has also encouraged me that when I allow myself to get nervous and worried about whether our children are doing 'enough' or are 'on level' with their public schooled peers, all I need to do is remember these words:

"We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation?"

Oh, and about that 'Most Likely to Succeed' thing... I look at my home and my family and I know I most definitely lived up to that one! I LOVE my life!

Showin' Off My Babies!

2010-07-19T16:21:00.000-05:00

Quilt Squares: The Latest

2010-07-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

Here are the latest quilt squares I've received. With only a few left to arrive, we're nearly ready to start working on peicing them together! I'm excited to see them all start coming together.

This butterfly heart is from Shay Christie. The picture doesn't show it, but the material is all sparkly! What little girl doesn't love all things sparkly?! I love it.

This unique square was made by Ami. I have never seen a square made like this but I like it! It's different and fun, and I love the color combination. Nice job Ami!

Isn't this precious? This one was made by Marsha, who was also the recipient of a FIAR quilt full of love a couple of years ago. She said, "I thought any little girl would love her initial on a blanket." I agree Marsha. I love this, it's so pretty!

Lisalyn made this square and it AMAZINGLY represents the book, Very Last First Time, her very favorite FIAR book. Have you seen this book? I can't believe how much this square looks like the illustrations! Awesome job Lisalyn!

Isn't this one pretty? Lis in MA made this one. What creativity to make the heart like that. The colors are so pretty. Nice job Lis!

These next three squares will be the center squares for each of the quilts. Barb Cash has become our center-square gal for any quilts we make and I think these pictures will make it obvious why. Thank you for putting your heart into them and making them so special and personal Barb.

And these last three AWESOME squares were made by Kendra AU. The first two represent the FIAR books Grandfather's Journey and The Bee Tree, while the third one is for Fran's husband Ed's quilt. See the breast cancer symbol in the middle of the butterfly? I can't get over how beautiful each of these squares are! I don't know how she did it, but I want to quilt like Kendra when I grow up!

My Review of TOS's June 2010 Module

2010-07-19T04:00:00.003-05:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given the opportunity* to review their June 2010 Module, Travel the World. (If you're wondering just what a module is, it's simply an optional, downloadable add-on for The Homeschool Planner, which you can read about here. You do not have to own the planner in order to use the modules.)

Having read about but never laying eyes on a TOS module I was interested to see just what all the hub-bub was about. It seems every time I get on-line I read something, somewhere about these modules (which says a lot about TOS's advertising!). To be completely honest, my initial thoughts were that it was going to be either just another e-book I didn't have time to read or a bunch of 'twaddle' geared toward kids younger than mine that I really didn't have the time nor desire to fool with.

Well! I am very happy to report that it was nothing of the sort!

This module is FULL of information on the geography of the earth! From lines of latitude and longitude to information on each individual continent, from puzzles, coloring pages, and internet links and games to lapbooking, recipes, and copywork, there's more than enough here to easily use this for, dare I say it, a whole semester of geography! Possibly even an entire school year if you take your time and expand on each individual continent. (You must remember, we are an eclectic, unit-study, follow-the-rabbit-trail kind of homeschooling family, so for us this module could last us anywhere from a week to the entire school year depending on how deep we choose to go with it). There are so many opportunities to expand the lessons and build upon what's already there, and with geography being one of those subjects most students won't be doing 5 days a week, this one module could easily be all you need to teach your young students all about the world around them.

I had planned on finding something to teach geography to our 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th graders this fall. I believe I may have found it! TOS has even included high school expansion ideas and while I plan on supplementing with other books here and there, especially for our 9th grader, this June 2010 Module will be the spine of our geographical learning this next school year.

For only $7.95 you simply can't go wrong with this awesome resource. Now that I know what a treasure these TOS modules are I most definitely plan on looking into what else I've been missing with these modules! You can find the June 2010 Travel the World! module along with all of TOS's Schoolhouse Planners and modules here.

(*I received this product free of charge as a crew member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. In exchange, I agreed to give my most honest opinion of the product.)

For Sale!

2010-07-13T10:53:00.003-05:00

Ok ladies, I am cleaning off our shelves to make room for the new school year's books! Not only does this help make room for the new stuff but also helps buy next year's curriculum.

So, here's what I have for sale. Let me know if you see anything you are interested in and I will give you the total cost with shipping. Everything is in like new condition unless otherwise noted.

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Complete How-to's, Project Ideas, and Reproducible Templates to Help Kids Showcase Their Research in a Dazzling Way

Includes Reproducible Templates!

Following the step-by-step instructions students can create dazzling three-dimensional, pop-up reports that display what they've learning in a fresh and engaging way. Includes complete instructions, report planners, and reproducible templates as well as project ideas for American history topics, including Colonial America, immigration, pioneers, the Civil War, and more.

$4.00 (plus shipping)

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Everything you need to connect reading assessment to instruction. Loaded with scoring rubrics, skills checklists, spelling inventories, and much more. Includes easy-to-use reproducible survey forms and record sheets.

$4.00 (plus shipping)

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Inspire your students with the beautiful award-winning art and timeless, powerful stories found in Caldecott books. This rich resource uses Caldecott winners as springboards to provide lively, literature-based learning experiences across the curriculum.

$4.00 (plus shipping)

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Everything you need to teach the research process in a way that's fun and engaging. Mini-lessons are designed to take students from selecting manageable, meaningful topics, to navigating references, effective note-taking, learning to paraphrase, organizing materials, and writing research reports that really show what they've learned. Includes a chapter on 10 creative projects.

$4.00 (plus shipping)

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$4.00 (plus shipping)

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$4.00 (plus shipping)

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3 pages done in Book A, 2 pages done in Book D.

$3.00 each or $5.00 for both (plus shipping)

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The interesting stories and poems included in this volume, most of which are by well-known writers and poets, have been selected for their emphasis on character. Many selections deal with seasons and holidays--especially Christmas. Others are about family life, great men and women, young people who have accepted a challenge, and legendary heroes.

Victor Hugo, O. Henry, Charles Lamb, Louisa May Alcott, and Stephen Vincent Benet are among the prominent authors represented. Some of the selections are excerpts of longer works--Don Quixote, A Christmas Carol, Robinson Crusoe, and Pilgrim's Progress.

Mine has a different cover, but was just bought last year and is in excellent, like new condition. Retails for $23.50 plus shipping from Abeka website.

$15.00 (plus shipping)

(will include Answer Key that goes along with the book for free!)

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Rod and Staff English 6 student text, teacher's manual, and will add in worksheets book. It's been used some, but has most of the worksheets remaining.

Retails for $41.30 (not including worksheets) from R&S website.

$28.00 (plus shipping)

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Rod & Staff English 2, student text only. In new condition. Retails for $12.90 on R&S website.

$8.00 (plus shipping)

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Rod & Staff English 3~ student text, teacher's edition, and two worksheets books (both only worked through worksheet 4). All books in like new condition.

Retails for $33.15 (including two worksheets books) from R&S website.

$24.00 (plus shipping)

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Abeka Health 7th Grade. Retails for $14.00 (plus shipping).

$8.00 (plus shipping)

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Beautiful Feet~ Early American History primary study guide. Like new. Retails for $13.95 on BF website.

$7.00 (plus shipping)

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Writing Strands Level 3~ three pages have erasing, the rest is like new.

$7.00 (plus shipping)

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Explode the Code 2 ~ like new!

$5.00 (plus shipping)

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*A Child's Geography~ Explore His Earth

Adventures Around His Globe for the Inquisitive Child.

This is the first edition, copyright 2005. I printed it all out and put it in a 3-ring binder with the front and back covers of the book in the slips on the front and back of the binder. It's in very nice, new condition.

$10.00 (plus shipping)

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From Answers in Genesis. In new condition. Retails for $18-$22 on different websites.

$12.00 (plus shipping)

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$8.00 (plus shipping)

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*Abeka Exploring God's World (Science) for grade 3

Student book and Test/Quiz/Worksheet book (only first 3 quizes done)

Retails for $18.75

$13.00 for both (plus shipping)

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Abeka American history for grade 8, student text, quiz book, and quiz key. All in brand new condition. Retails for $38.00.

$25.00 (plus shipping)

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*Abeka United Sates history for 4th grade. Student text and two Tests and Quizzes books.

Cover of student text has slight wear to it. Test/Quiz books are brand new.

$18.00 (plus shipping) for all.

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The Latest Quilt Squares

2010-07-11T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here are the latest of Fran's family's quilt squares I have received...

This one is from JavaJackie. One of my favorite hymns! Yes Jackie, His grace IS amazing and I believe Fran would agree.

This next one is from Michele. It represents The Story of Ping. I love the chinese-writing background and find it amazing just how much the duck looks exactly like Ping himself!

LynnDinKY made these squares. The first one represents the book, Peter Rabbit. Pink being my favorite color, I love the second square and think it represents Fran's efforts to raise awareness of breast cancer beautifully.

And lastly, this square was made by Leslie Nelson. It is for the book, The Clown of God. We love it! What a fun way to represent this much-loved Five in a Row book!

Free US History 17th Century Lapbook Unit with Study Guide!

2010-07-09T21:32:00.001-05:00

This free US History Lapbook unit is a wonderful resource for any home with children entering into the 2nd - 8th grades. Published by A Journey Through Learning, this 78 page download includes the following U.S. History topics:

Native Americans-The First Americans

Who was King James

Who were the Puritans

Who were the Separatists

The Pilgrims Come to America-Jamestown

Capt. John Smith Saves Jamestown

Pocahontas-Indian Princess

The Puritans Come to America-Mayflower Journey

The First Laws-Mayflower Compact

Squanto Helps the New Settlers

First Thanksgiving-Celebrating the First Year

Pequot War-Settlers and Indians Fighting

King Phillip’s War-More Settlers and Indians Fighting

The Quakers Come to America

William Penn Settles Pennsylvania

The Tragedy of Salem Witch Trials

Colonial Families

Colonial Housing

Colonial Clothing

Colonial Trades

Colonial Money

Colonial Crime and Punishment

The Thirteen Colonies

Blog Walking: Weeks 4 & 5

2010-07-09T10:17:00.001-05:00

Busy, busy, busy. What homeschool momma doesn't always have ~~something~~ a million things to do?

Once again I am a bit behind on taking my weekly blog walk through my fellow crew members blogs. But, in my defense, I am currently sitting outside ROASTING in the heat and humidity hoping and praying someone, ANYONE(!) will come along and ~~buy~~ take away everything we have sitting here in our yard sale! Seriously, I feel like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy throws the water on her. "I'm M-E-L-T-I-N-G!" Except someone throwing a bucket of water on me right now would actually be just fine!

Here are some more blogs of those on the Homeschool Crew this year. And guess what? I'm one of the featured blogs this week! Yay me!

Blog Walk, Week 4:
-King Alfred Academy
-Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom
-Curriculum Reviews from Oak Creek Farmhouse
-I Can't Decide
-My Life on a Taffy Pull
-Losing My Tale
-Made in His Image
-Serenades and Solace
-Our Village is a Little Different
-SisterTipster's Tell'n It!

Blog Walk, Week 5:
-Buckaroo Days
-Our Homeschool Reviews
-Reed, Party of 6
-Training Hearts at Home (*YaY*)
-Along the Way
-I Love Science!
-Through the Calm and Through the Storm
-Created for Home
-Tractors and Tire Swings
-Guiding Light Homeschool

More Quilt Squares

2010-07-07T19:13:00.002-05:00

The kids and I look so forward to seeing the mail lady drive up each morning, hoping we receive another quilt square to 'ooh' and 'awww' over. Yesterday we had FOUR waiting in our mailbox for us! Here are the latest ones we have received...

This square is from Ginger in OH. I love the smaller hearts inside the bigger hearts. Very fitting for this whole situation I think. It feels all homey and comfy. Just what Ed and the girls need!

This square is from Paige Poland. It represents the book Follow the Drinking Gourd. Such an awesome job Paige! This is one of our family's favorite Five in a Row books!

And isn't this one just so precious? Rachel Jane made this one for Ed's quilt. Sniff. I love it and I know Ed will as well. Beautiful RJ. Simply beautiful.

These two are from Katie and her daughter Lydia. In fact, I believe Lydia has a very special quilt made with this same fabric, so it is very much straight from the heart. I think they are beautiful!

And this one is from Holly Jean. You can't see it in this picture but scattered throughout are the words believe, sing, wish, play, create, and imagine. How very fitting for this quilt. I absolutely love this fabric. I may just have to find some for my girls and find something to make them with it! Perfect choice Holly!

Homeschooling Through High School

2010-07-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

Naturally we only desire God's perfect will for each of our children's lives, but, if He allows, it is our desire to continue homeschooling our children throughout their high school years. Here, TheHomeschoolMom sums up our thoughts and reasons perfectly!