unWeekly Report

TJ's been enjoying her week off. There's been lots of playing, projects, days spent in pjs, and a bit too much tv. I think she'd call it a perfect week! :)

Booking Through Thursday

What’s the lightest, most “fluff” kind of book you’ve read recently?

I gave in to the peer pressure and read the Twilight series. :)

Read what other people had to say at Booking Through Thursday.

The Quarter Mile Math

UPDATE! Special deal for my readers! Use code "7E7C7" to save $5 on the purchase of the standard or deluxe program. This code is valid until September 30th.

TJ is still too young for regular pencil and paper math drills (she’s still working on forming her numbers properly!) but I received a copy of The Quarter Mile Math program to review for the Homeschool Crew so I loaded it onto the computer to give it a try. TJ heard the sound effects from the game and came to see what I was playing. After I played a game or two, she begged for a turn to play. Once I showed her how to hit the “start race” button she was off and running. She loves trying to beat her score and I’m impressed that she’s working on her math skills in such a fun way.

The Quarter Mile Math program from Barnum Software is a computer-based math drill program that allows students to compete against themselves – each race is designed so the student plays against their own previous best scores. From basic keyboarding to integers and equations, this software program covers it all.

Topics include:

• Numbers and Letters
• Whole Numbers
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Percents
• Estimation
• Math Strategies
• Integers
• Equations

For each race the student is given the choice of either racing as a horse or a car. Questions are read from the bottom of the screen and the student uses the keyboard to type their answers. Quick answers speed up the horse/car with the goal of trying to beat their previous high scores.

This program is suitable for students from Kindergarten to 9th grade and is perfect for kids who are dislike pencil and paper math drills. The Quarter Mile Math is sold in a few different formats. You can purchase the standard version in three different levels, each at the price of $39.95 or you can purchase the complete standard edition for $89.95. There is also a deluxe version available at a monthly subscription rate of $2.95 a month, $19.95 a year, or $34.95 for 2 years. You can see a product comparison chart of the standard and deluxe versions here.

If you want to see what other homeschooling families thought of this program visit the Homeschool Crew blog.

Weekly Report

TJ and I had a great week with school!

Math: TJ loves math but she's been asking about starting RightStart again - I think I'll be pulling that out this week and checking it out. I had planned to start RightStart B in January when TJ starts first grade but we might pull it out a bit earlier.

Reading: We are still working through the r-changed vowels section of OPG. Easy-peasy.

Language Arts: This week TJ took her spelling test on a white board. I'm trying to come up with a few variations so she's not having to just write out lists of words on paper. Handwriting is going very well - I've seen a big improvement since I started expecting better work from her. Funny how that works! :)

Enrichment subjects: We got to our study of Indonesia last weekend. We finished up our study with an Indonesian feast of satay, rice and vegetables with peanut sauce. TJ made an Indonesian shadow puppet and put on a bit of a show. Music lessons are going well - we listened to the Nutcracker Suite this week.

Next week is our week off but we'll be doing a bit of work - there are a few things we didn't get to finish up so we'll work on them next week.

Booking Through Thursday

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

(Tell me you didn’t see this one coming?)

That would definitely have to be Mere Christianity. There is so much deep thought in that little book! It's now on my short list of very favorite books.

Read what other people had to say at Booking Through Thursday.

Even More Books for Beginning Readers

I've posted two lists (so far!) of books for beginning readers and here comes another one! This list is the largest yet - those books that fit that in-between category where a child has learned many vowel combinations but isn't quite ready to delve into the world of beginning chapter books. Some books still have just a few sentences per page and others have paragraphs or are longer books. There is so much variation in this group of books you'll have to find the books that are on target for your child's ability. For more books that fall into this reading category take a trip to your local library.

• Step into Reading, Level 2

Bookstore Cat
Two Find Ladies have a Tiff
I can do it!
Pizza Pat
Quick, Quack, Quick!
Bones
Smarty Sara
The Berenstain Bears Catch the Bus
Counting Sheep
Pie Rats Ahoy!
Wake up, Sun!
Sir Small and the Dragonfly
Bears are Curious
Richard Scarry’s the Early Bird
My New Boy
David and the Giant
Mole in a Hole
Noah’s Ark
P. J. Funnybunny Camps Out

• Bright & Early Books

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
Hooper Humperdink - ? Not Him!
Bears on Wheels
There’s a wocket in my pocket!
Great Day for UP!
The Tooth Book
The Eye Book
Wings on Things
The Nose Book
The Ear Book
He Bear, She Bear
Inside, Outside, Upside Down
Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you?
The Knee Book

• Real Kids Readers, Level 2

Did you hear about Jake?
I’ll do it later
Let me help!
My Brother, the Pest
Rainy day grump
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes
Show and Tell
Surprise!
That Cat!
That’s hard, that’s easy
The best pet yet
The Big Sale
The Lunch Bunch
Time for Bed?
What’s Going On?

• Ready-to-Read, Level 1

A Tooth Story
Brave Norman
Clouds
Happy Christmas, Honey
Lucky Duck
Mount Rushmore
Niagara Falls
Picnic!
Puppy Mudge wants to Play
Rain
Snow
The Grand Canyon
The Mighty Mississippi
The Pumpkin Patch
The Rocky Mountains
The Sky is Falling
The Statue of Liberty
The Three Little Pigs
The Tortoise and the Hare
Wind

• I can Read it all by Myself

A Fish out of Water
A Fly Went By
Are you my Mother?
Big Dog . . . Little Dog
Green Eggs and Ham
I want to be Somebody New!
I wish that I had Duck Feet
Put Me in the Zoo
Ten Apples up on Top!
The Best Nest
The Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back

Web Design for Kids (...and Curious Grown-ups!)

Have you ever tried to figure out how to add something to your blog and ended up very frustrated because you couldn’t figure out all those weird codes? What exactly is an HTML code anyway? I was fortunate enough to discover a DVD that lays out the basics of HTML. Web Design for Kids is perfect for kids age 8 or higher, but adults who are learning the basics of HTML will find useful material as well.

The 90 minute program includes the following sections:

1. Ten basic lines of code


2. Sandwiches and colors


3. Make the subject stand out


4. Stand alone tags


5. Designing backgrounds


6. Fonts and paragraphs


7. Pictures

The instructor, Brian Richardson, is a middle school computer literacy teacher who breaks down the confusing world of HTML into bite-sized pieces that makes it easy for kids (and adults!) to understand. He starts off by teaching the basic lines of code before progressing to harder material such as adding a scrolling title, a background, and a picture.

This DVD is completely hands on – I sat at my computer desk and had the DVD playing on a portable DVD player so I could follow the instructions as the lessons were presented. By the end of the DVD I had created a very simple web page with a title, some text, a background and a picture.

Web Design for Kids, at the summer sale price of $19.99, is perfect for kids or adults with little HTML experience – especially visual learners. It only teaches the very basics but it’s a great starting point!

If you’re interested in reading what other people thought of the program, check out the Homeschool Crew blog.

Weekly Report

We are back into full swing with the basics but it's been a bit of a struggle to get read alouds and extra stuff fit in this week. I've been working with our travel agent because we are planning our first trip to Disney for the first week of December.

Math: Plugging right along with this - TJ doesn't have any problems with this program. It's been a great review after RightStart A.

Reading: We're working our way through the r-changed vowels section of OPG. No problems with the material - TJ is doing great.

Language Arts: TJ has come to her first real "spelling" section in Spelling Workout A. Instead of writing out the answers to her spelling test I had her use magnet letters. She loved it and said spelling is her favorite subject (we'll see how long that lasts :) )! I've been cracking down in the handwriting department and it's starting to show - she writes much more carefully now.

Enrichment subjects: - TJ and Nick are studying the sun this week - "Jesus is the Light of the world." They've been going out every hour to mark time on a sundial and they've got plans to make sun tea and attempt to make grapes into raisins.

We didn't get to geography this week so I'm a bit behind in that department. Indonesia will have to wait until next week (unless I can squeeze it in this afternoon).

Overall it's been a good week!

Booking Through Thursday

What’s the worst book you’ve read recently?
(I figure it’s easier than asking your all-time worst, because, well, it’s recent!)

That would have to be The Gift of the Jews by Thomas Cahill. I’ve read a few of his other books but I gave up on this one after reading 3/4 of it. It’s very rare that I don’t actually finish a book!

Read what other people had to say at Booking Through Thursday.

Favorite Things

This month's finds in totally random order:

Our garden is starting to produce – which is a miracle because we were so late getting things put in. I’ve been looking for ways to cook green beans and this gem from Sherry at Lamp unto my Feet happened to be sitting in my Google Reader box. Now to convince myself that bacon, butter and brown sugar are good for me. :)

I’m gearing up for our 1st grade year and gathering some ideas for picture and composer study a la Charlotte Mason. I love this idea from Harmony Art Mom for using a viewfinder.

I’ve been looking for a simple wall-mounted coat rack and haven’t discovered exactly what I want yet. But this idea for an easy hand-made coat rack is pretty cute.

I was recently introduced to Windows Live Writer – a downloadable blogging program – that is soooo easy to use (believe me, that is saying a lot – I am very technologically challenged!) You can save drafts, view your blog post in preview mode (which is an actual preview of how it will look on your blog page), insert pictures quickly and easily, and lots more good stuff. Give it a try – I bet you’ll love it!

A Typical Day with a Homeschooled K’er

I received a question last week about how TJ and I could complete so much in such a short amount of time. I figured I would blog about it just in case anyone else was wondering how we fit school into our day.

Our average morning consists of TJ watching an hour of PBS while I take a shower, start laundry, swipe the bathroom, unload the dishwasher and get breakfast. While she eats breakfast, I check my email and a message board or two.

We start school around 9 am with a Bible study using Grapevine Studies. After we finish that we do a reading lesson (Ordinary Parent’s Guide), a math lesson (at the moment this is Horizons K, workbook 1 – we’ll be going back to RightStart B in January), spelling (Spelling Workout A), and handwriting (simple sentences from some of TJ’s books). I also try to squeeze in a few minutes of French. This usually takes less than an hour a day. After we finish our work TJ is free to play for awhile.

After lunch we cover our “enrichment” subjects (or “fun work” as TJ calls it) – music (God Made Music), geography (Countries and Cultures), a science experiment, or activities from My Father’s World K. Then we’ll read some books - TJ reads aloud to me and I read a few picture books to her. Then I’ll read from a longer book while she draws or colors. After we finish reading, it’s time for quiet time – TJ plays or reads quietly in room.

This is our schedule from Monday – Thursday. Fridays are a free day to catch up on things we didn’t get to, an art project, or whatever else we feel like doing.

So, that’s a typical school day at our house. :)

Booking Through Thursday

What’s the most serious book you’ve read recently?
(I figure it’s easier than asking your most serious boook ever, because, well, it’s recent!)

I've been reading lots of frivolous things because it's summer and I don't want to think too much! The one book that comes to mind for the "serious" category is The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Very good book and a wonderful read for anyone who has felt like they can't make a difference in the world.

Interested in joining the meme? Find out more at Booking Through Thursday.

Grapevine Studies

***Discount available!! Please see below***

I’ve been looking for a simple Bible study program to use with TJ – one that is more than just a “fill-in-the-blank” workbook. Up to this point we’ve been reading a story Bible and a simple devotional but Nick thought it was time to look for something a bit more in-depth. After spending time on a few message boards and looking at some products, I wasn’t much closer to finding a program I thought we’d all enjoy. Thankfully, the perfect program came to me through the Homeschool Crew!

Grapevine Studies is the perfect fit for our family – it includes all the elements that I was a looking for: an overview of Bible stories, memory work, timeline, and hands-on work. The feature that sets Grapevine apart from every other program I’ve seen is this: instead of your typical “filling in the blanks” questions, kids are supposed to draw their answers using stick figures. Another of my favourite features is the stick figure timeline that is reviewed with each lesson. At the beginning of each new section, the child is asked to review the timeline from the last three lessons – creating a constant review of previously learned material.

Each lesson includes the following: timeline and memory verse review, 2 pages of lesson material, review questions, a memory verse, character and event cards, and other memory work. You can see sample lessons at the Grapevine website to get a better idea of what is included in each lesson. The author offers a suggested schedule but the lessons are very easy to personalize to your own needs.

Lessons in our home generally look like this (we used Old Testament Overview, level 1): The first day we review the timeline and I’ll help TJ fill in the captions. I write the memory verse on her page and she reads it aloud to me. Then we do the first page of the lesson – I read the Bible story aloud to her and draw the corresponding pictures on our white board (thankfully the teacher’s manual gives suggested stick figure pictures!) while she asks questions and draws her own pictures in her book. The next day we complete the second page of the lesson and review the timeline once more before I write out the new memory verse and we read it together. I don’t cover everything in the lesson pages because of TJ’s age but there is so much more material that would fit with an older child!

This program is easy to use and fun to boot! There was really only one difficulty – because it doesn’t lay flat when it is open, it is very hard to write or draw in the student book. I solved this problem by having the spine removed and keeping the book in a binder instead. Another solution would be to purchase the ebook.

Grapevine Studies offers materials for kids from K – high school (and adults) in prices ranging from $7.95 to $45.95. For each level you will need a teacher’s manual (which covers two levels – a real money saver) and the corresponding student book. You’ll also need a white board, various dry-erase markers, and colored pencils. The manuals are available in black and white or color and all the books are available as downloadable ebooks as well as soft-cover editions.

Grapevine Studies is offering a 30% discount on their materials – just use this code – acrew – when ordering. Please note that this offer expires on Aug. 30.

If you’re interested in reading more reviews about Grapevine Studies, visit the Homeschool Crew blog.

Weekly Report

We took more of a break than I had planned this summer but we are back at the school work - finishing up our K program by December so we can get started on first grade in January.

Last week's work -

Math: TJ is working through book 1 of Horizons K before we start RightStart B in January. She's completed up to lesson 40 at this point and is not finding any of the material difficult.

Reading: Lessons in reading are going well - we're up to lesson 150 in OPG and TJ is just flying through the material at this point. I've also been having her read aloud to me daily. I slacked off with this over our break but TJ spent a lot of time with her books on her own.

Language Arts: I had TJ start Spelling Workout A and so far it's very easy. Handwriting is mostly review right now but we'll get back to copywork as soon as TJ has reviewed her alphabet.

In other news - TJ and Nick have almost finished their activities with MFW. Last week they studied rocks. We're also having fun with our Countries and Cultures study. We studied Australia last week.

All other subjects - French, music, science - all our extras are going well too. I've been timing our daily session and (not including read alouds) we spend about an hour a day on school activities - which seems to be just enough for TJ right now.