Weekly Review

In our homeschool this week…we had four full days and one "fun day". During our "fun day" we just did Bigger (the left side), some reading, and TJ did a session of Reading Eggs on the computer.

The rest of the week- 4 math lessons - drawing and basic geometry lessons, a week of writing lessons, two steps in spelling, two grammar lessons, and a bit of handwriting practice. We did a bit of French - working on a few verbs.

We only accomplished two days of Bigger this week but it was lots of fun! TJ isn't having any difficulty with the amount of writing. I wasn't sure if it would be too much but she is exceeding my expectations in that regard. Her favorite part of the week was making her own balloon "globe."

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… We had our weekly co-op this week. The kids learned about Richard the Lionhearted, John Lackland and the Magna Carta, and Robin Hood. They loved the reading this week and enjoyed sharing what they already knew about Robin Hood. We used brown paper lunch bags to make our "parchment" style paper and the kids made Room Rules like the Magna Carta.

For art, we discussed how artists in that time couldn't just go to the store and buy their paints - they had to make them by hand. So I gave each of the kids a small bowl with some pieces of colored chalk (each bowl had a different primary color) and an old stamp with a large top they used to crush the chalk. When each color was crushed to powder they added a few spoonfuls of water and egg yolk to each to make the paint. Then they combined the different colors to make more colors. Finally, after their hard work, they got to paint!

What’s not working for us…A Child's Geography is not working for us. I like it but parts of it are just too technical for TJ. She tolerates it and just asks to skip it and get to the projects and experiments. So, we're setting it aside for now. We discussed our options and during our once a week science sessions she'll be using the Sonlight science DVDs (we already own these and she's watched them a lot!) and the Usborne Science Activity books that go along with the videos. She'll continue reading a few science books each week as well.

She also likes the science in Bigger so we'll integrate that when time allows (thankfully, many of the books are at the library!).

I’m reading…I just finished reading Mr. Pettigrew's Last Stand - such a good book! I haven't done any "serious" reading this week. TJ is reading Pedro's Journal, a Phineas and Ferb book and Exploring the New World - An Interactive History Adventure (thanks for the recommendation, Daisy!). I'll be looking for more of those - they are like the "choose your own adventure" books I read as a kid, only history themed. TJ loved this one and wants to read more. She also read a few science-themed picture books. I'm reading aloud Matha Washington: America's First Lady (our Storytime biography selection for Bigger). Ginger Pye was on the schedule for our evening read aloud but we just didn't get to it. We've also been listening to the second audio book in the Peter and the Starcatchers series.

I’m cooking…something chocolate... not sure what yet, but I want chocolate!

I'm linking to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Weekly Wrap-Up and The Homeschool Chick's Homeschool Mother's Journal

Book Review: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

Regency Romance and Mystery from 

Bestselling Author Julie Klassen

To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch--both former suitors.

As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding?
Brimming with romance and danger, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall takes readers inside the fascinating belowstairs world of a 19th-century English manor, where appearances can be deceiving.

About the Author: Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.


My Thoughts: I've read all of Julie Klassen's books and enjoyed each of them. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall is another enjoyable novel.  We're introduced to Margaret, a spoiled girl, who must find a way to escape the nefarious plans of her stepfather. She runs away and, through various circumstances, ends up working as a housemaid in the home of the man who once proposed to her (and she rejected!).

I always have a hard time finding fun, clean, romance novels but Julie Klassen delivers. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall is a fun, light read - perfect for curling up on a cold winter's day with a cup of hot cocoa.

Now for the fine print… I received this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Week in Review

In my life this week… I have a confession to make. I live in Canada and I hate winter. I want warm sun. I need warm sunny days. Winter days make me feel cranky and blah (see, I can't even think of an appropriate word, all this snow and freezing weather has me in a funk). At least it's sunny outside today so I can lie on the couch and soak up some afternoon rays. Is anyone else more cranky in the winter?

In our homeschool this week…Schoolwise we had a very productive week, more-or-less. Pretty much everything that was on my list got checked off. It's a grocery shopping week so some things ended up unfinished, but overall it went well.

 Playing Short-chain Subtraction Solitaire

In math we worked on some subtraction strategies. TJ understood them while we worked on the individual lessons but during the review lesson today she had totally forgotten about them. The next section of lessons focuses on geometry and the drawing board so I'm going to make a list of the strategies she's learned so far and have some mini-review sessions before each lesson. Between those and the practice sheets, I'm hoping that the strategies will become ingrained.

Language arts was simple and easy - a weeks lessons in writing, three grammar lessons, a step and a half in spelling, and some handwriting practice. Our language work went well too - we practiced our Greek alphabet a bit. Next week we'll work on writing the letters. French is going well - learning some new vocabulary, TJ wrote out a story in French, and we practiced a few phonograms.

We started using Bigger Hearts from Heart of Dakota this week. We'll be using it two or three days a week, spreading it out over this year and next (with plans to start Preparing in 4th grade). We did the first two days of unit 1 this week and TJ thought it was great. We read about Columbus, she worked on a painting, read a bit, discussed persistence and the weekly Bible verses, and wrote out part of the poem for copywork, among other things.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…our history co-op lesson focused on the Crusades and the Moors in Spain. The kids had a great time coloring their own version of Spanish tiles and painting over them with a mixture of glue, water, and glitter to make them sparkle.

My favorite thing this week was…starting Bigger! I can already tell we're going to enjoy this program! I love, love, love the way the different boxes all work together.

I’m reading…a few different books. I'm still working through The History of the Medieval World and The Scarlet Letter. I've been flipping through some gardening books (probably because I'm looking forward to winter being over!) and some chemistry books (for lessons next year).

TJ is reading Pedro's Journal and finished another Neverland chapter book - Escape from Carnivale. I haven't done much reading aloud this week - just assigned reading from Bigger, a few sections in My First History of Canada, and a few chapters of Meet Martha Washington (our Bigger Storytime selection).

I’m cooking…shepherd's pie. I need comfort food. ;-)

I’m grateful for…the sunshine. A husband that is very understanding.

I'm linking to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Weekly Wrap-Up and The Homeschool Chick's Homeschool Mother's Journal

Weekly Review - first week back after Christmas break

In my life this week…is it hard for everyone else to get back to their normal routine after a long break? I knew that it would probably be like that for us so I scheduled a light week.

In our homeschool this week…We focused on reviewing the basics instead of adding anything new. We'll be adding Bigger Hearts next week.

Math - we reviewed subtraction and TJ learned some new strategies for subtracting 9s & 8s and subtracting one-digit numbers from teens.

Language Arts - one step in spelling, a week's writing lessons, three grammar lessons, and a bit of cursive handwriting practice.

Languages - TJ finished a few pages in Code Cracker and we reviewed the Greek alphabet. We did a lot of French work - a few lessons, some flashcard practice, bingo, etc.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…we had history co-op this week. We just let the kids play while we planned out the next few months. We won't be able to finish Story of the World 2 before the summer so we discussed our options. It was decided that we'd just continue in the fall wherever we leave off instead of trying to cram in the book and possibly having the same difficulty with Story of the World 3.

My favorite thing this week was…getting my Kobo! After scouring the stores and coming up empty-handed I ordered it online. Love it!

Questions/thoughts I have… trying to make a decision regarding Greek. TJ is just about finished with the Greek Code Cracker but I don't think I want to start Song School Greek yet. I think I might save it until next year and we'll just periodically review the Greek alphabet this year.

I’m NOT reading…didn't get to our evening read-aloud at all this week. Thinking of moving that to afternoon or breakfast. Still trying to decide. I am reading a little - just finished a sisterchicks book (fun, light read) and a math book (not so fun). Math is one of my weakest subjects so I ordered a pile of books from the library and I'm working through them. Fun, fun. ;-) Reading Susan Bauer's History of the Medieval World as well.

TJ has been reading quite a bit - a few science picture books from the library, a Neverland chapter book - Cave of the Dark Wind, and is currently working through an American Girl book.

I'm linking to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Weekly Wrap-Up and The Homeschool Chick's Homeschool Mother's Journal

Reading Lists for Bigger Hearts

I've been busy organizing for our time with Bigger Hearts and thought I would share what we'll be reading this year. Bigger has a few different scheduled reading times - they recommend using a literature program (Drawn into the Heart of Reading or another program of your choice) if the child is old enough, there is a scheduled Storytime read-aloud each day that covers the various genres of reading, and they also recommend an extension pack of reading material for older children.

Right now TJ has reading time twice a day (30 minutes each). One reading time is for "free" reading - she can choose books that are already on our shelves or she can choose from a science/history picture book basket of library books. Her other scheduled reading time is for chapter books that are at or slightly above her reading level. These books are generally historical fiction or other literature.

We don't do a reading program. I think it's enough to discuss the books she's reading at this point. After she reads a science or history picture book I'll ask her to share two facts or interesting things she read about. For literature or historical fiction I'll ask about specific events or about the basic plot. She's learning to summarize in Writing with Ease so I try to apply what she is learning in that program to her other reading.

I'm only slightly changing our current format - we'll keep the science/history reading basket and I'll throw in any extra chapter books that I think she'll like. She'll still be free to choose whichever books she wants to read during this time. Her other reading time will be our own modified version of the Bigger Hearts extension list. She'll read these books that correspond with the units we'll be covering. Beyond our usual simple discussion I won't assign any extra work with this reading.

Here's our modified extension list:

Pedro's Journal
Pocahontas and the Strangers
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims
Ben and Me
Madeleine Takes Command
Phoebe the Spy
The Cabin Faced West
A Lion to Guard Us
Understood Betsy
By the Great Horn Spoon
Freedom Train
Turn Homeward, Hannalee
Helen Keller
All-of-a-Kind Family


We'll also incorporate the daily Storytime reading scheduled in Bigger Hearts. We do a read-aloud at bedtime but I'd like to add in more read-aloud time during the day. And I like the way that Bigger introduces the various genres and simple book discussions in the guide. Here's our list of storytime books:

Martha Washington: America's First First Lady
Toliver's Secret
Justin Morgan had a Horse
The Cricket in Times Square
The Railway Children
If you lived.... series (we have a bunch of these on the shelf, I'll let TJ choose one that interests her)
Emily's Runaway Imagination
A Little Princess
The Children's Book of Virtues

Crew Review: Maestro Classics

Maestro Classics Classical Music CDs for kids combine music played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with well-known children's stories including Casey at the Bat, The Story of Swan Lake, Peter and the Wolf, and The Tortoise and the Hare. We reviewed The Tortoise and the Hare two years ago and were very excited to find ourselves on the list again this year! TJ was excited to find out we'd be reviewing The Story of Swan Lake.

What's included: The Story of Swan Lake (suitable for ages 6-12, especially those interested in ballet) includes 7 tracks with almost an hour of playing time. The tracks include:

• The Story of Swan Lake
• Tchaikovsky's Life
• Speed Metal Swan
• About the Music
• "Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet"
• Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform
• "Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet" Sing-Along

It also includes a 24-page booklet that includes background information on Tchaikovsky as well as information on the composer, producer and narrator of the CD. Kids will also have fun with the included activities - connect-the-dot, a maze, and a crossword puzzle. There's also a section about guitars, chords, and a short biography of Joe Stump, the arranger and guitarist on Speed Metal Swan.

From the CD:  The Story of Swan Lake is the tale of a prince who falls in love with a beautiful princess. The princess, however, has been turned into a swan by an evil magician, and only the prince's love can break the spell. Additional tracks about Tchaikovsky's life, what to listen for in the music, "Speed Metal Swan," a heavy metal version of the main theme, and the "Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet" sing-along, transform this into a modern classic.

Our thoughts: We love the products from Maestro Classics and The Story of Swan Lake joins the list of our favorites! I love that they make it so simple to add music appreciation to our day. The "About the Music" track shares just enough information to really appreciate the music but not enough to overwhelm young listeners. Maestro Classics even has a section on their website for incorporating music into your homeschool with many ideas for each of their CDs. They include ideas for all subjects - history, science, geography, language arts, art, music, and even math. It would be very simple to make up a unit study based on one of these CDs!

We enjoy listening to Tchaikovsky so this CD is a nice addition to our music library. I will give a slight caution here, though, for the Speed Metal Swan track. If you're not a fan of rock or heavy metal you might not like this track. But I would encourage you to listen anyway because it's a clever arrangement and I think it's possible to have an appreciation for all kinds of musical talent and abilities. Joe Stump, the guitarist on this track, has such an amazing talent. I'd encourage you to give this CD a try.


The selections available from Maestro Classics are offered on CD ($16.98) or as downloadable MP3s ($9.98). Take some time to visit Maestro Classics and listen to some of the music samples! If you'd like to read more reviews about Maestro Classics products be sure to check out the Crew blog!

Now for the fine print… I received this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Beginning with Bigger Hearts

We had a wonderful restful Christmas break but we're ready to get back to our routine. We'll start school again next week. Most subjects will remain the same but I'm adding in Bigger Hearts for His Glory from Heart of Dakota. I have my manual and I just have to wait for the rest of our books to arrive. We're both pretty excited about this new addition!

Our basics will remain the same (math, spelling, grammar, etc.). We cover those subjects in the morning in about 1 1/2 hours. One afternoon a week we have friends come over and cover history and art. Another afternoon we do our science study. That leaves 3 afternoons free for Bigger Hearts. By working just three days a week we'll take the rest of this year and all of next year to complete the manual before starting Preparing Hearts in 4th grade.

One of the fun parts of starting a new program is getting organized! I'm trying to keep things fairly easy this year so I'm simplifying as much as possible. We'll be using the weekly poetry and Scripture for copywork so I'll get a composition notebook for TJ to write them in - sort of a common-place book for the year. Weekly vocabulary words will go in a binder - I made a simple grid with places to write the word, definition, and a sentence. I decided against having TJ write things on index cards and keep in a file box because I think it would be too difficult for her to write well on a small index card. So, it will be a plain old notebook instead! History and science notebooking pages will be kept in separate folders and at the end of the year they'll be coil bound and put in TJ's portfolio. For the timeline, I really like Daisy's idea of making a mini-office style timeline, so we'll  be using that. I think that covers everything!

I'm also planning to include Canadian history content using Donalda Dickie's My First History of Canada. I spread the reading out over each unit (there are 21 chapters in the book, each divided into smaller sections) covering about a chapter a week. Some chapters are longer so we'll take two weeks to read through them. Sometimes the timeline/dates don't exactly match what's happening in Bigger but I didn't want to read three chapters one week and not read anything another week just to match up dates. The edition I have also includes some simple notebooking and project ideas in the appendix so I'm adding a Canadian notebooking idea for each unit and adding some extra dates to our timeline.

It's hard to say at this point how smoothly this will go. I'm hopeful that it will be just enough. I'll be sure to update through the year!