American Heritage Education Foundation

The American Heritage Education Foundation is a non-profit organization “dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America's factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.”  To further this goal, they provide free educational material focusing on America’s historical legacy. The lesson plans they offer are divided by age levels – elementary, middle school, and high school.

Since my daughter is 5 years old I focused on the elementary lesson plans. The first unit, American Heritage Themes, discusses the ideas of freedom, progress, responsibility, and unity. Each of the following units spotlights one or two of those themes. The units include: 

• Colonial America
• The Declaration of Independence
• A Famous Signature
• George Washington
• The U. S. Presidents
• The Great Seal
• The History of Thanksgiving Day
• The United States Flag
• The Star-Spangled Banner
• The National Motto
• Statue of Liberty
• The Pledge of Allegiance and Creed
• America the Beautiful
• What is an American?

Each unit begins with an overview page highlighting the lesson’s purpose, objective, and theme, as well as listing materials needed and preparation required. The pages following the overview include a list of classroom activities ranging from making a Statue of Liberty puppet to playing a game about independence. Some lessons also include worksheets or puzzles for the children to complete, though I find the quality of many of the worksheets lacking.

The lesson plans are geared to a classroom setting so homeschooler’s will have to sift through the 184 pages of teacher’s materials to find things suitable for use on a smaller scale. I found some interesting activities but since I only have one child many of them wouldn’t work well in our situation. I do think it could make an interesting unit study if you added interesting books to each unit and it’s something I’m considering when TJ is a bit older.

This material is provided for free (CD or PDF download) from the American Heritage Education Foundation. If you’re interested in reading how other homeschool families used this product you can check out the homeschool crew blog.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge to review as a member of the Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation for my review. All views expressed are my opinions only.

Weekly Report

We had a good week – it seems we are finding our groove again since Thanksgiving break a few weeks ago.

Math: We did some more work with place value this week. TJ even asked to me if we could take her math workbook to church Wednesday night so she could work on a few more pages. :)

Language Arts: We’ve finished up with the compound words section of OPG and have moved on to section 18. Copywork is going very well. TJ very rarely needs a reminder to add a capital letter or punctuation. I’m planning to start Writing with Ease after March break next year and after looking over the first few lessons, I don’t think she’ll have much difficulty with the copywork material. I’m just not sure how she’ll do with narrations since I’ve never attempted them. Maybe we’ll practice with some picture books. We’ve worked our way through a few more steps in All About Spelling. She is really enjoying the program.

Additional subjects: TJ learned the names of various body parts in her French class this week (using the French version of “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes”). Nick and TJ are still working their way through Science with Air and this week they made a parachute. I love that Nick is so involved and willing to pitch in and work with her and TJ loves her time with him. We did a bit more work on the Autumn Treasures unit study and will wrap it up next week. This week’s geography lesson was about Saudi Arabia and next week after we study Turkey we’ll wrap up this section with a Middle Eastern feast.

What’s on your Nightstand

I haven’t done a “What’s on your Nightstand” post all summer so I thought I’d jump back in with one. This month the stack of books on my coffee table is fairly small. We’re getting ready to leave for Disney World in about a month so I’m not reading as much as usual.

At the top of the stack the Disney World Passporter :) which isn’t exactly heavy reading but I’m studying it like I'm being tested on the material!

I’m also reading a C. S. Lewis biography – Surprised by Joy – which I’ve been enjoying immensely. He has such an engaging writing style.

I’ve also got The Iliad sitting there (it’s been sitting there a loooong time – I keep putting off reading it). But I plan to have it finished by December.

How to Read a Book is also in the pile. Anyone else find it interesting that there is actually a book out there that tells you how to read books?

Other books in the stack include: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett (I want to try my hand at baking some bread), and Lighting their Fires by Rafe Esquith.

Workin’ with Workboxes

I've seen many posts on message boards and blogs about workboxes and ignored them for a time. We had a system that worked for us and I didn't see the need to change anything. Then I had the chance to review Sue Patrick's Workbox System and, after modifying to fit our needs, we haven't looked back. TJ loves the new system and looks forward to peeking into her boxes to see what we've got planned. Here's how we've tweaked it to fit our home:

On the weekend I'll sit down and fill out what we'll be doing for the week, using a simple 5-column chart with 12 boxes for each day. I flip through my teacher’s manuals or TJ’s workbooks to make sure I know what is coming up for the week and I pull out the other worksheets, copywork pages, etc. that we’ll need. TJ goes through our index card file box (more about this later) and picks out the "fun" stuff she wants to include during the week. I fit them into the chart along with our regular schoolwork and then we start getting things ready. All of TJ's daily skill subjects - math, spelling, writing, Bible, grammar, French, and morning drill and recitation go into separate magazine holder's on a narrow bookshelf in our dining room. I don’t refill these boxes each day – we just leave all teacher’s manuals, workbooks, and worksheets inside. If something doesn’t fit (binders, etc.), they sit on the shelf beside the appropriate box and are pulled out when they are needed.

All the other work – geography, science, music, reading, etc. and all the “fun”  things, go in a plastic six-drawer rolling cart (well, it used to roll, then I took the wheels off :) ). The items in these drawers vary. The top drawer is used to hold our phonics primer and never gets switched out for anything else. The same goes for the bottom drawers. The last box holds our weekly science experiment (I get everything put in there on the weekend so it’s ready to go), and the drawer above that holds our geography supplies (books, maps, and project stuff), and is only used once a week. The remaining three drawers are the only three that I have to refill each evening.

On the top of the plastic tower I keep an index card box with our activity cards, a timer, and TJ’s schedule strip.

Each morning, when school starts for the day, TJ grabs her schedule strip, a caddy of supplies (holds flashcards, pens, pencils, crayons, glue stick, scissors, etc.) and gets her first box of the day which is always the Bible study box. After we complete Bible study, she takes the number off the front of the magazine holder and puts it on the grid attached to the side of the bookshelf. Then she checks her schedule strip and gets out the next thing. Any work that she completes without me is put in a designated spot on our dining room table. Our morning continues like this, with a few fun activities so TJ has a chance to get the wiggles out. Then each afternoon after school is complete for the day, I use my weekly chart to re-do the schedule strip for the next day, TJ puts the numbers on the magazine holders (she likes the independence of deciding when to do each subject), and I make sure that all the boxes are ready to go. It takes less than 10 minutes since the magazine holders and most of the boxes never need to be refilled.

The index card box holds all our activity cards and the numbers for the schedule strip. I also use it to hold ideas for the workboxes. When I come across a new idea I write it on an index card and file it in the box under the specific subject the idea fits under. The activity cards are also filed according to subject.

 

All of the “fun stuff” that I find – file folder games, fun worksheets, etc. I keep in a hanging file folder box near the bookshelf and the regular stuff (copywork pages, French worksheets, math drill pages, and the like) are in the hanging file folder section of a desk apprentice, filed according to subject.

This system works for us and makes things easy to set up on a weekly basis. I love the fact that I’m fitting in the fun things that always seemed to get pushed aside and I’m not fishing to find stuff at the last minute for experiments or projects because it’s already in the box!

Activity Cards for Workboxes

Our Activity Cards

Weekly Report

This was our first week back after our Thanksgiving break and I had a hard time getting back into the swing of things. It was one of those weeks where I seemed to slack off in many areas (cleaning the house included!)

Math: TJ did a few more lessons in Horizons. She’s getting a bit sloppy in writing her numbers so I’ve got to keep a closer eye on that. She keeps asking about starting RightStart again so I better get level B out and start looking that over.

Language Arts: Reading lessons are progressing – TJ is working on compound words with no difficulty. Spelling and copywork are both going well. I received All About Spelling in the mail this week and TJ wanted to jump right in so we sailed right through the first four steps. She really likes this program because it’s so hands-on. I’m reserving judgment until I’ve used it for a few more weeks. :)

Additional subjects: There was no French class this week so Nick took TJ to the museum while I had a quiet morning all to myself. They also attempted to make a wind winch this week but it didn’t work out very well. TJ wanted more science stuff to do so I filled a muffin tin with objects that may or may not be magnetic and had TJ use a magnet to sort them. She thought that was great fun. We’re also working on the Autumn Treasures unit study that I mentioned here last week. We’ll probably get that finished up next week. We studied Israel this week for geography and TJ learned about pitch in her music lesson. My mother-in-law has been teaching her to play the piano. She’s really enjoying that and doing very well.

Overall things were fine, I just have a hard time getting back into the groove after a week off. Hopefully next week will be better.

abcteach

At one point or another, most homeschoolers have heard of abcteach. If you’ve done an online search for worksheets or printables for a specific subject, abcteach is often at the top of the listed results. With over 5,000 free printables, many homeschoolers find something that will enhance their lesson planning.

Membership to abcteach carries many more benefits. As a member you have the opportunity to browse more than 30,000 printables including worksheets, coloring pages, craft projects, science experiments, clip art, games, and unit studies. Even better is the access to abctools – a specialized worksheet generator that allows you to make customized worksheets. There are even video tutorials to walk you through the steps of making your own worksheets. You’ll also receive a weekly email alerting you to new items that are available, which is a great asset because there is just so much to look through on the website.

To give you a better idea of just a few of the things available on abcteach, here are a few items I printed off:

• “Create your own” art projects using various artists and an example of their work to make your own
• Blast Off! game – suitable for teaching kids how to count down from 100.
• Music Notes game
• color-by-number worksheets
• color addition worksheets – similar to color-by-number but students must solve an addition problem first
• French color-by-number worksheets
• dot-to-dot worksheets – counting by 5s
• Basketball addition game
• grid coloring pages
• Plant Parts file folder game
• Animal Groups file folder game

I really like abcteach, especially abctools, but at this point in time, it’s not something I would utilize very much. After finishing all of our regular work, there isn’t much time for extra worksheets. But the one-month membership did allow me to explore the site and find many useful items that I will gladly incorporate into our homeschool. Obviously, each homeschooling family is unique and others would find this website a great tool and I’d encourage them to give it a try.

A year-long membership to abcteach is $40. You can check out the Homeschool Crew Blog if you’re interested in reading what other homeschooling families thought of abcteach.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge to review as a member of the Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation for my review. All views expressed are my opinions only.

Virginia Soaps & Scents

Over the past few years I’ve slowly been cutting down on the chemical-filled products we have in our home. I started making my own laundry soap a few years ago and haven’t bought laundry soap from the store in ages. I quit using fabric softener at the same time and just added some vinegar to the dispenser on my washer. This year I decided to jump on the “no-‘poo” bandwagon and stopped using shampoo. Instead I’d wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with vinegar (not together, of course!). Since I started that routine I can go three or four days before my hair needs to be washed again (before this routine I had to wash daily because my hair was so greasy). So, I was very excited to hear that we’d be reviewing some handmade soaps, shampoo bars and laundry kits for the crew this year.

Virginia Soaps & Scents is run by a homeschooling family who tried their hand at soap-making as part of a project for their history lessons. Their small project that began as a history assignment turned into a family run business. Using all-natural ingredients, they expanded their soap-making venture to include other items such as shampoo bars, laundry soap, body butters, scrubs, powders, shaving soaps, and lip balms. We were given the opportunity to try a sampler kit that included three bars of soap (Fresh Orange soap, Oatmeal, Milk & Honey soap, and Coconut Lemongrass soap), a shampoo bar, and the laundry soap kit.

Soaps: We really love the scented soaps. TJ prefers her new “pretty orange soap” to the foaming pump I’ve got beside the bathroom sink. She says it makes her hands smell pretty. I loved all the scents, especially the Oatmeal, Milk & Honey, which I’ve been using as an exfoliant in the shower. The soaps sell for $4.50 per 4.5 oz bar or less if you order three or more.

Shampoo bar: I really like this bar! It’s so easy to use – get it wet, rub it on your wet hair, lather up and rinse. Now, I will say that it doesn’t have that “squeaky clean” feel you get from using shampoo. But since I haven’t used shampoo for about six months now I don’t miss that feeling. My hair has more body and is much shinier since I stopped using regular shampoo. They do offer an oily hair shampoo bar that I’d like to try. The shampoo bars are $5.50 for a 5.5 oz bar.

Laundry soap kit: I’ve been making my own laundry soap for a few years now, using a recipe that I found online. I’d alternate between the cooked, gelled version or just a mixture of the dry ingredients. I do prefer the cooked version because it seems to dissolve in the washer a bit easier than the dry but mine never gelled up very much – it was always very watery. I received a cute little bag of soap ingredients from Virginia Soaps & Scents with the instructions printed on a little card. It was easy to mix up and the mixture set quickly. I was happy to see that it gelled better than the version I was using. But, just a note, you can mix up the dry ingredients and use a tablespoon or two for each load, if you don’t want to dig out a pot and melt soap on the stove! You can purchase the laundry soap kits for $4.95 or just the bar of laundry soap and make your own mixture (they even have instructions on their website).

I was very impressed with the products we received from this company and we loved all the things we got to try. I do want to mention that we don’t suffer from any skin sensitivities, so if your family does, use your discretion and contact them. They’ll be more than happy to answer your questions about their products. If you’d like to hear what other homeschooling families thought of these products, you can check out the Homeschool Crew blog.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge to review as a member of the Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation for my review. All views expressed are my opinions only.

What's happening 'round here

Last week was our week off from school (hence no weekly report) but we are back in the swing of things this week. We're doing our regular work but I've added in a small unit study on autumn. We'll be collecting leaves, making applesauce, and roasting pumpkin seeds, among other things. All About Spelling just arrived in the mail today too, so we'll probably add that into the mix next week. I've been separating flashcards and cutting out letter tiles to get ready. I'm reviewing it for the crew, and so far, I like what I see. TJ is really a hands-on kinda girl, so I think she'll really enjoy this program.

I've been reading a few books and still avoiding The Iliad, though it's creeping higher up in my "to read" pile. I just finished reading Orson Scott Card's Enchantment - a grown-up version of Sleeping Beauty. I've never read anything by him before and I really enjoyed his writing. It was a good read - I love finding new versions of fairy tales and his didn't disappoint. Surprised by Joy is the next book in my stack - I've read the first chapter and I'm looking forward to the rest.

In a little more than a month we'll be heading to Florida and Disney World for an early Christmas vacation. TJ has never been on a plane before and she's very excited. She's crossing off the days until the trip. I'm not sure the in-laws are as excited - they are dog-sitting for us while we're away. :)

Product Review: Amazing Bible Timeline

When I initially discovered that I would be receiving the Amazing Bible Timeline to review I was very excited. I thought it would be a great addition to our Bible study time and next year’s study of ancient history. After it arrived, we unrolled it and laid it out on our dining room table to take a quick look. It was neat to see what was happening in one country at a given time and comparing it to events in other countries during the same time period. It wasn’t until a few days later that I really had a moment to sit down and read over the timeline. While looking it over I found a reference to the Book of Mormon (which was not listed in the Bibliography of the chart). I also found a reference to Brigham Young in the 1800-1900 section of the timeline. Considering the space to fit in the happenings of America during that time period is less than 2 inches long and only includes 13 items, I find it odd that a reference to Young would rate so highly. I discovered (through the work of a few others on the Homeschool Crew) that the publishers also offer an LDS version of the timeline, which is not noted on their website (it seems a bit misleading to not mention that fact on their website). The references I found made me question other excerpts on the timeline and I find it hard to use something when I am questioning whether it is accurate or not. Because of these issues I cannot recommend this product. I mean no offense to members of the LDS, I just prefer not to use a product that conflicts with my own views. Others might feel differently and this product could be appropriate for their situation. I just don’t find it suitable for our family.

The timeline is large (37”x45”) and sells for $29.97. If you are interested in reading what other homeschooling parents had to say, check out the Homeschool Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge to review as a member of the Homeschool Crew. I received no compensation for my review. All views expressed are my opinions only.