L. M. Montgomery Reading Challenge Complete!

My challenge this year was to read a few of Montgomery’s books that I hadn’t read before and I completed the four books I planned to read – yay me! I loved Jane of Lantern Hill and The Story Girl, enjoyed Kilmeny of the Orchard and disliked A Tangled Web. There is a Montgomery book I didn’t like! This was surprising since I’ve always enjoyed any book I’ve read by her. I tried to like it (and I did finish it) but I think there were just too many characters and I had a hard time keeping track of everyone. The Story Girl was my favorite, probably because I love the tv series ‘Road to Avonlea’. The biggest surprise I received when reading the book is that there is no Aunt Hetty! Other characters are slightly different and have different relationships as well but I found the tone of the book to be similar to the earlier years of the television series. I liked the book so well I reserved the sequel from the library.

Check out how everyone else fared with this challenge at Reading to Know.

Barchowsky

When TJ first started a handwriting program I chose an italic handwriting workbook. It wasn’t very long before I chucked the workbook in favor of doing copywork. Neither TJ nor I were sad to see that workbook go. So when I received my package from Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting I was very pleased.  This is exactly the type of program I like – there aren’t a bunch of workbooks that a child has to work through. Instead you have a manual that walks you through the steps of teaching italic-style handwriting.

The first thing I noticed when I received the package from Barchowsky were these large sheets of paper for beginning handwriting practice.  Beginners’ Handwriting includes 28 11x17 inch reusable sheets (use dry erase or washable markers) for little hands to practice writing their letters as well as a 27 page teacher’s guide. These large sheets are perfect for young children who are just learning to write. The practice sheets are a little young for TJ but she loved practicing her letters on the large pages. Beginners’ Handwriting with Teacher’s Guide is $29.95.

After a child is ready to move on from the Beginners’ Handwriting practice sheets to written work you can use the Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting Manual with CD-ROM (two CD-ROMs actually, one for PCs and one for Macs). The 82 page, spiral-bound manual says in the introduction that the “program can be used by individuals or schools, for beginners, or for older students and adults who need to improve their handwriting. For this reason there is no set scope and sequence, no set procedure.” Instead you can proceed through the levels on the included CD-ROM at your own pace, using the worksheets or making your own handwriting and copywork pages.

The manual is split into ten sections:

• How to use this program
• Posture, pen hold, and paper positions
• Exercise patterns, related letters, and practice words
• Reference for lowercase alphabet
• Reference for numerals
• Joining letters
• Missteps and myths
• Practice words and sentences
• Glossary

The manual is a useful tool for the parent to use in teaching the letter formations.  Each letter is taught separately by groups that follow the same pattern, with simple chants and words to practice. After children are writing easily you will find information on how to teach the joining of the letters and sentences to practice this new skill.

The included CD-ROM contains demonstrations, lesson ideas, handwriting sheets, and guideline pages that you can use to create your own handwriting and copywork pages.  The index is split into five levels of worksheets that you can print and use as often as you need. The ‘Getting Started’ section is especially helpful for understanding the program, how to teach handwriting, and how to use the materials.

I really love the set-up of this program. I prefer coming up with my own handwriting sheets and that is very easily done with this program. The manual can be overwhelming at first as you figure out what you need to do, but the beauty of the program is that you can individualize it to your own children’s needs. I especially like the fact that the move from print to cursive is so easy. Instead of having to learn a whole new way to write the alphabet you just learn the simple steps of joining letters. The CD-ROM makes everything complete with the included handwriting pages and templates for your own ideas. BFH Fluent Handwriting with CD-ROM is $65.95.

There was one more product included in the package I received - Fix It . . . Write, a program designed to improve handwriting skills. This 96 page book comes in a loose-leaf, three-hole punched format, making it very easy to use the exercise pages as there is no binding to hold flat or coils to get in the way while you write.  The program is split into two sections. The first section focuses on italic-style writing improvement over an 18-day period. The second section focuses on conventional cursive writing improvement over a 15-day period. Each section is split into daily 10-15 minute exercises making it ideal for an older child, teen, or adult who doesn’t need a full handwriting program but wants to improve their handwriting. Fix It . . . Write is $19.95.

Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting, designed by Nan Jay Barchowsky, is based on the early 20th century revival of italic handwriting. She believes it’s important for each child to develop their own writing style so the focus isn’t on writing the letters exactly as shown but on speed and legibility. If you’re interested in reading what other homeschooling families thought of these products 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 really good week here – dawdling was at a minimum. I started setting the timer for some of our lessons and told TJ  that any time she had left after finishing up her work would be time to play. This really motivated her to complete her work! Hopefully she’ll stay motivated by our “positive reinforcement” plan.

I posted our workbox plans on Monday (mostly to keep myself accountable to get the work done) but many things got changed around. I decided we would take a short break from RightStart for a little bit to use Math Mammoth. (I haven’t ordered manipulatives for level B so I’m trying to slow TJ down since we won’t have the extras we need until March. Oh the joys of living in Canada and our crazy expensive shipping!) I also changed her copywork assignments for the week to work on things we are reviewing. And I finally decided on a spelling program – All About Spelling. I’m holding on to Spelling Workout, though, just in case!

I like the idea of reviewing by day (sort of a daily journal) instead of by subject so I thought I’d give it a whirl this week! :) 

Monday: Monday went really well. Nick had a schedule change this week and worked days. We seem to get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time when he isn’t home in the morning to distract us. We finished school by lunch with plenty of play time thrown in.

Tuesday: We completed our work in small batches today. The computer started acting up Monday night and I spent a lot of time today trying to fix it. I also spent a lot time trying to back things up just in case. Thankfully I worked out the problem and the computer is normal again! Even with all the interruptions we were still able to get school completed.

Wednesday: This was our “lazy day” this week. Nick and I had a date night on Tuesday and TJ stayed up a bit later than usual so she slept in and had breakfast in bed (my bed!) while she watched The Magic School Bus and Martha Speaks.

Since our morning was more relaxed I decided to do things a bit differently today. I pulled out all of TJ’s work for the day and put the stack on the table and then let her decide which order she wanted to do things. She loved the change of routine. Even though our day was lazy we still completed everything I had written on the schedule so Thursday could still be a fun day.

Thursday: Went well – much like Wednesday. The winter has been mild but has suddenly turned freezing cold so I’m feeling a bit stir crazy (and I think TJ is too). Since this was our easy day I didn’t have much on the schedule. TJ did an art project and we read books. Nice relaxing day.

Friday: TJ was up bright and early today but I wasn’t. I stayed up way to late Thursday night (and into Friday morning!) reading a book so it took me awhile to get with it this morning. I asked TJ if she wanted workboxes today or if she wanted me to pile everything on the table again and she could choose from there. She chose the second option.

In all she completed 6 pages of math, 3 pages of handwriting work, a lesson in spelling, 2 grammar lessons, 4 reading lessons, a French lesson, a music lesson, and 2 countries for geography. We didn’t get to science this week but I’ve got the stuff piled on the dining room table so we will probably do that tomorrow!

Favorite Things, January Edition

It dawned on me that I haven’t done a post of my favorite things in awhile, so here goes:

When I’m researching a topic for homeschooling (some of my recent searches – science and ideas for learning French) I like to check out homeschooling blogs because homeschooling moms are creative people. I generally find what I’m looking for but sometimes it can take more time than I’d like. I recently found a new Google search engine – Google blogs – and I LOVE it! It makes searching for homeschooling blogs much easier.

My two favorite blogs for art/craft projects – Art Projects for Kids and The Crafty Crow. With Valentine’s day coming up I’ve been on the lookout for some new projects to do with TJ and The Crafty Crow has shared some really cute ideas.

I like to prepare freezer meals and I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to add to the rotation. I recently found The Freezer Chicks, a group of women who decided to form a freezer-cooking co-op, where each person makes four of each dish and then they swap them all and end up with four new dinners to stash in their freezers. I’ll be trying out some of their recipes and hopefully will find some that we love.

I almost forgot to add something else I found! Someone on the Well-Trained Mind message boards kindly posted these websites for old children's records - Children's Vinyl Record Series and Kiddie Records Weekly. I'm excited to share some of my old favorites with my daughter.

That’s it for this month!

Book Review: The Silent Governess

I’d never heard of Julie Klassen but when I read that she writes Regency era novels I quickly ordered her newest book, The Silent Governess.

The story revolves around a young woman named Olivia Keene, who has been forced to abruptly leave her home when she believes she’s committed a terrible crime. During her flight from home she finds herself in the awkward position of overhearing someone else’s well-kept secret. Lord Bradley, who wishes his secret to remain that way, discovers her sneaking around his property and forces her to remain at his estate until he decides what is to be done with her.

Julie Klassen has a real knack for telling a story. Her characters are interesting and the plot was well-developed. There are a few plot twists and many of the characters have secrets that are slowly revealed. She’s a great writer and after finishing this novel I reserved copies of her two other novels.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I was so involved in the story that I kept ignoring things that needed to be done around the house so I could read. That doesn’t happen very often. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good (and clean!) romance novel. If you’re interested in the book you can read an excerpt.

Available January 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for review purposes. I received no other compensation for my review. All views expressed are my opinions only.

Math Tutor DVD

I have to be honest and tell you that I was not exactly jumping for joy when I found out I’d be reviewing another math product. I am not a math person and wasn’t very excited about the prospect of trying to figure out more math stuff. But Math Tutor isn’t a normal math program - Jason Gibson, the DVD tutor, makes math concepts accessible and easy to understand.

One of the products I received was Young Minds: Numbers and Counting – perfect for toddlers and preschool children who are just learning their numbers. This 35 minute video covers numbers 1-10 with colourful pictures and videos and beautiful classical music. The movie will teach your child to identify and count numbers 1-10 and relate those numbers to objects. It’s split into chapters so if you want to focus on one number you can skip ahead to that chapter on the DVD. Bonus features include puzzles (short videos of 2-10 piece puzzles, with a child counting as puzzle pieces are added to form a picture) and connect the dot pictures (short video similar to the puzzles with a child counting as the picture is formed) as well as a guess the animal feature. If I had to compare it to another video series, I would say that this DVD is similar to the Baby Einstein videos. I enjoyed the video and thought it was beautifully done, though it’s too young for my daughter. The Young Minds DVD is $19.99. If you’d like to see a sample you can click on the video below to see a 5 minute clip.

The other DVD I received is The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor DVD - an 8 hour video course that covers the following:

• Adding Whole Numbers
• Subtracting Whole Numbers
• Multiplying Whole Numbers
• Dividing Whole Numbers
• Adding Decimals
• Subtracting Decimals
• Multiplying Decimals
• Dividing Decimals
• Adding Fractions
• Subtracting Fractions
• Multiplying Fractions
• Dividing Fractions
• Percents
• Ratio and Proportion

Each concept is set up as a separate chapter (you don’t need to sit and watch the whole 8 hr DVD at once, just the part or parts that your child needs help with). Mr. Gibson takes the time at the beginning to discuss the various word clues to look for when doing word problems, which is a tremendous help to kids who have a difficult time with figuring out how to solve them. He begins each session with a simple word problem and breaks it down into small steps while demonstrating how to solve it. After he finishes one problem he moves on to progressively harder problems following the same format – breaking it down into smaller steps.

I’ll admit that this is the DVD that caused me to break out in a cold-sweat. I do not have fond memories of math word problems from my own school days (especially anything dealing with fractions and percents – lets just not discuss those) but Mr. Gibson explains things in such simple terms that you can’t help but actually understand it. My only issue with this DVD is that Mr. Gibson uses the “counting on the fingers” technique – something I discourage TJ from doing. But overall I think it's a great product and I plan on using it in the future. TJ is still too young for this to be of much use to us but I'm sure it will come in handy when she's older. The Basic Math World Problem Tutor DVD set is $26.99. If you’d like to see a clip then check out the video samples here and here.

At the Math Tutor website you’ll find lots of different DVD sets – from basic math to calculus and physics. If your child is struggling with a certain math concept then Mr. Gibson probably has a DVD that would help. In Mr. Gibson’s own words - “I personally get a thrill out of making seemingly complex topics suddenly easy to students. I have found over the years that the easy way to do this is to learn by working example problems, beginning with the easier ones and gradually progressing to the harder ones.”

If you’re interested in reading how other homeschooling families used these products 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.

Studying the Human Body: Brain and Nervous System

TJ and I learned about the brain and nervous system this week. It was a lighter science week – we didn’t have any big projects planned but we still had fun.

I read a few pages from The First Encyclopedia of the Human Body (pages 6-7) while TJ looked at the pictures. We discussed some of the pictures and she was ready for narration time. After I wrote down her narration she illustrated it with a picture of a face with a brain. Then she added some curly hair and said, “it’s daddy!” :)

One of the things we discussed was how our brain causes our body to react without time for conscious thought. To test this we did a simple experiment - we used a ruler to test our reaction time. We took turns dropping the ruler while the other person had to catch it. (One person holds an end of the ruler while the other person keeps their hand slightly below the other end. The person holding the ruler lets go and the other person tries to catch it.) She thought it was lots of fun and we even got Nick to try it a few times. I filled out an experiment form while TJ dictated to me. (I did find another project but I'm planning to save it for a future project since TJ's still too young to get much from it.)

Then it was time for reading. I read a library book, My Brain, while TJ coloured a picture of a brain for her body poster. (Please disregard the pj’s – we often have pyjama day at our house!) We also looked at the pictures in Seymour Simon’s book, The Brain. The writing is too technical for TJ to understand but the pictures are great.

After she finished colouring her picture I cut it out and she attached it to her body poster. Next week we’ll start learning about two of our senses – hearing and seeing.

90 Day Reading Challenge Update

I reached the first book of Kings today in my Bible reading. I didn’t get to yesterday’s reading until this morning but I’m caught up now (except for today’s reading – which I’ll do this evening).

I’ve been able to stay on track each weekday but seem to derail slightly on the weekends. I figure it’s because my routine changes on the weekend.

I am enjoying this challenge and realizing that it’s not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. 25 days in and loving it!

What’s in the Workbox

Here’s the plan for this week:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Morning Devotions	Morning Devotions	Morning Devotions	Morning Devotions	Morning Devotions
Drill and Recitation	Drill and Recitation	Drill and Recitation	Math Game	Drill and Recitation
Copywork	Copywork	Copywork	Read Aloud	Copywork
Spelling	Grammar	Spelling	Crew Review	Grammar/ Spelling test
Play with Dad	Play with Dad	Play with Dad	Board game	Play with Dad
Math	Math	Math	Science	Math
Phonics	Phonics	Phonics	/	Phonics
French	Music	Geography	/	Geography
Read Aloud	Read Aloud	Read Aloud	/	Read Aloud
Bible Study	Bible Study	Bible Study	/	Bible Study
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
Crew Review	Crew Review	Crew Review	/	Crew Review
Drawing	Art Project	Spelling City	/	/

Morning Devotions: The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories, The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers

Drill and Recitation: Working through Unit 4 of Oral Language Lessons; memorizing the third verse of Psalm 23. TJ’s memorized the poem ‘The Caterpillar’ but we’ll spend another week polishing it.

Copywork: We are taking a break from our Beatrix Potter copywork and doing a few weeks of Presidential Penmanship.

Spelling: All About Spelling, step 11 and Spelling Workout, lesson 20

Math: RightStart, lessons 14-17

Phonics: Ordinary Parent’s Guide, lessons 199-202

Bible Study: Grapevine Bible Study, Old Testament, lessons 25-26

French: The Easy French Junior, lesson 31

Music: God Made Kindermusic, lesson 25

Geography: Two countries this week – Austria and Switzerland

Science: Human Body Study – seeing and hearing

Read Aloud: Picture books, Favourite Fairy Tales Told Around the World

Crew Review: Specific time in our schedule to try out programs and materials that we need to review for the Homeschool Crew.

What about Socialization?

The Homeschool Crew is hosting a Tuesday “Question of the Week” series on Facebook. So if you’d like to read some varied viewpoints on different homeschooling topics make sure you head to the Crew page on Tuesday. The first question is probably one that every homeschooler hears the moment they tell anyone that they are homeschooling - “what about socialization?”

Well, first, let’s actually define the “S” word that gets tossed around so easily. According to dictionary.com, socialization is “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behaviour, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.”

Huh… do they teach that in brick and mortar schools? My own memories from my public school days don’t lead me to believe that the school had such a great influence on the teaching of values and social skills and I’m certain it hasn’t improved in that regard.

I’d say that it’s MY JOB to help my child acquire a personal identity, learn about values, appropriate behaviour, and social skills. And, really, isn’t it every parent’s job to teach those things? It isn’t something that should be quickly handed over to some other authority.

I think when people start asking about socialization they really mean to ask about socializing. Interestingly enough, the first definition listed under socialize is “to place under government or group ownership or control.” I find that slightly ironic in a conversation about homeschool versus brick and mortar schools. :)

So, when people start tossing around the question, “what about socialization?” what they are really asking is “what about time to socialize?”, which is a completely different animal.

Okay, now that we’ve cleared up what people are really asking, here’s my answer. Unless your child never leaves the house then they are socializing with other people. This isn’t a skill that needs be covered in school, it’s something that happens with everyday life. So, if you need to socialize your child, take them with you when you run errands, take them to the park to play, take them to church, or have them join a sports team. You know, things you probably do in your everyday life anyway.

Apologia Press: The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling

If you’ve been homeschooling for any length of time then you’ve probably heard about Apologia and their elementary and upper level science programs. But maybe you aren’t aware that they have branched out and now supply products beyond the realm of science. I certainly wasn’t until I found out that I’d be receiving a book about homeschooling that they’ve re-published under the banner of Apologia Press.

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell has been updated and released by Apologia and it’s perfect for a new homeschooling family or for a veteran who has a bit more experience under their belt. I’m still fairly new to this homeschooling thing but I’ve read as many books on the topic that I could get my hands on. But even though I’ve read lots of books there are only a few that have a permanent home on my bookshelf. Debra Bell’s book has found a place among those few.

It is obvious right from the beginning that Debra writes from her heart. She shares her personal experiences – even the things that didn’t work out quite as she expected. She is honest and real – something that many homeschooling moms want to read about. We’ve all had bad days and sometimes it helps to know that we aren’t alone – even the experts have rough days!

So what will you find in this 500 page book? It’s split into ten sections (34 chapters):

• Homeschooling: Is it for You?
• Choosing a Curriculum
• Organization and Planning
• Preventing Burnout
• What to Teach – When and How
• Homeschooling Teens
• Computers in the Homeschool
• Creative Solutions
• Measuring Your Success
• Resource Guide

Each section is broken down into chapters with advice and inspiration from Debra, practical ideas, stories from other homeschooling families, and book and website suggestions. The resource guide is fully updated with many helpful websites and book recommendations.

I like practical advice and Debra shares lots of it. I found her advice about raising an independent learner especially helpful. TJ is still very young but I want to nurture her love of learning and continue to see it flourish as she becomes more independent. Debra shares many ideas for keeping that feeling alive – from leaning to give them control of their schedule to giving them choices about what to study – she offers many useful tips on fostering independence.

Another great chapter deals with the elements of a successful homeschool. One of those elements? A happy mom. “Probably the key factor in those homes that have happy, motivated children who are achieving at the level of their potential is mom’s attitude. Is she happy? Are we having fun yet? Does she enjoy homeschooling and maintain relatively consistent enthusiasm? Or does she have a pinched look on her face most of the time?” Ouch, that one hit home. So many times I find myself trudging through the material I want to cover, just trying to get things done so I can send TJ to her quiet time and I can have a break. And she’s only six! My attitude needs to change if I want a happy, enthusiastic homeschool environment.

I love this book and I’ll be referring to it again and again. I’m sure this will be one of those books that I’ll re-read at the beginning of each homeschool year. It’s also the book that I’ll be recommending to friends who ask about homeschooling. 

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling is $20 and you can see a sample chapter and Table of Contents at the Apologia website.  If you’re interested in reading what other homeschooling families thought about this book 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

The week went fairly well, overall. We’ve been dealing with a dawdling issue but I’m hopeful that we’ve found a working solution. I was getting very frustrated – TJ was taking forever to finish her morning routine before school. I had to follow her around to make sure she was completing things, which kind of defeats the purpose of trying to give her more independence. Nick talked to her and told her if she could accomplish things within a certain time frame that she’d get extra ‘play with dad’ time (a specific time each day where Nick will wrestle, play with playmobil, or do anything else she wants to do). On the flip side, if she doesn’t do things in a timely manner then she would start losing some of that extra time. So far it’s working well and I’m hoping we’ve found our solution. Other than that issue our week went well.

Math: Completed lessons 10-13 - partitioning numbers; working with nickels and pennies.

Language Arts: OPG lessons 195-198 – reviewing two-syllable words; possessive words and contractions.  Spelling Workout lesson 19 – review. All About Spelling step 10. Writing – copywork from a Beatrix Potter book. First Language Lessons 5-6.

Geography: We read about the Scandinavian countries this week, looked at them on a map, and TJ colored a map while I read a few stories from the Scandinavian countries.

Science: We studied the brain and nervous system this week. Reading, narration, experiment, and added the brain to TJ’s body poster.

Other Subjects: French lesson 30 and music lesson 24.

TJ and Nick met some friends to go sledding on Monday morning so we had to shift a few things around. Even with that scheduling interruption we got everything finished, so I’d say our week was very successful.

KinderBach

KinderBach is a video piano curriculum for young children ages 3-7, available in two formats – DVD or online video. Using colorful and interesting characters, these short, engaging lessons are a wonderful way to introduce young children to pianos and musical notation.

TJ and I received a membership to the online video program for our review. Before we set up our account we tried the first two lessons, which are offered for free as online videos. After printing out the pages for each lesson TJ sat down and watched the lessons. She absolutely loved the colorful videos and engaging music and was excited to try out more lessons.

KinderBach includes six levels of video material, with 10 weekly lessons in each level (for a total of 60 lessons). Each lesson is broken down into an introductory video and 4 shorter sessions. Each of these short sessions introduces or reviews a concept through the use of music, the accompanying workbook pages, stories, or games. For very young children you could do one part of a lesson each day and cover a full lesson in four days. Older children can easily complete a week’s worth of material in one session. Each level also includes a downloadable activity book to augment the video lessons. You can see the scope and sequence for the six levels at this page.

The material presented in the lessons is broken down into incremental steps. When a child first learns the word ‘piano’ it is followed by many activities where a child listens to various sounds and decides if they are loud and quiet. After awhile the opposite term,‘forte’, is introduced and reinforced. The incremental steps and constant review are perfect for young children with shorter attention spans.

Lesson time at our house is very simple. I open the webpage, make sure the piano is turned on, hand TJ the activity pages for the lesson and she sits at the desk and watches the lessons, pausing when necessary to complete one of the activity pages. She does her work with complete independence while I sit in the room (usually reading a book!) just to make sure she stays on task. She loves the lessons and enjoys the feeling of independence she receives from doing them completely on her own. I happen to love that to!

During our review period TJ completed the first two levels. Here are a few of the things she learned about in that time:

• quarter and half notes
• the following keys on the piano – D, C, E
• musical terms piano and forte and lots of practice in discerning one from the other
• telling the difference between high, middle and low sounds
• fingering for the piano
• keeping a steady beat with rhythm instruments

TJ and I both really enjoyed our time with this program. We both appreciate that it gives her a bit of independence. She loves the hands-on activities and the workbook pages and she is always happy when I say it’s time for another music lesson.

KinderBach is available online at a monthly subscription rate of $19.99 or for a one time payment of $95.88 for a 12 month subscription. Either membership gives you full access to all six levels and all the accompanying activity books. DVD packages are also available at the website if you prefer the convenience of having the materials available for future children.

If you’re interested in reading what other homeschooling families thought of this program 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.

Science: Studying the Human Body

We started our 12-week human body study and I figured it would be fun to take a few pictures and document our way through the journey. So here’s our first week:

We began by tracing an outline of TJ’s body onto a large piece of brown paper and taping it to the wall. I accidentally ripped the foot off but a bit of scotch tape and it’s almost as good as new! (And please don’t make fun of my tracing job! I know she looks a little lop-sided!) :)

After that we read a few sections from the Usborne First Encyclopedia of the Human Body (pgs 4-5 and 42-43). I asked TJ to tell me about one thing she learned from our reading. She dictated her sentences to me (with a bit of prompting and reminding to tell me in complete sentences) and I copied down her narration and had her read it back to me.

It was time for an activity to reinforce our reading. I found an idea to make DNA models from liquorice, marshmallows, and toothpicks (you can see the original, more advanced idea here).

I adapted it for a younger child by skipping the colored marshmallows and just talking about the shape of the DNA and it’s job in our bodies.

After we finished our project TJ dictated to me while I filled out a science experiment page. After that I had to start lunch so Nick took over and read The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body to her (while she ate her DNA model). :)

What’s in the Workbox

I thought I’d start posting a list of what will be in TJ’s workbox or on her schedule strip (for those things that don’t have a workbox) at the beginning of each week. At the end of the week we’ll see how much actually got accomplished! :) (And I want to add a small note – we don’t necessarily do everything straight through. If TJ is very wiggly I will give her a 10-20 minute break between subjects so she can work off some of her energy. Making her chase the dog around the house is very good for this!)

Thursday is our shopping and errand day so we use that for fun things and to catch up on any work that we didn’t complete earlier in the week.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Drill and Recitation	Drill and Recitation	Drill and Recitation	Math Game	Drill and Recitation
Copywork	Copywork	Copywork	Read Aloud	Copywork
Spelling	Grammar	Spelling	Crew Review	Grammar/ Spelling test
Play with Dad	Play with Dad	Play with Dad	Board game	Play with Dad
Math	Math	Math	/	Math
Phonics	Phonics	Phonics	/	Phonics
French	Music	Geography	/	Science
Read Aloud	Read Aloud	Read Aloud	/	Read Aloud
Bible Study	Bible Study	Bible Study	/	Bible Study
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	/	Lunch
Crew Review	Crew Review	Crew Review	/	Crew Review
Drawing	Play with bubbles	Paint a rock	/	Cook with Mom

Drill and Recitation: This is a fairly new thing that we’ve added so for now I’m keeping it very simple. This week we’re working through unit 3 of Oral Language Lessons, memorizing Psalm 23 and The Caterpillar (for First Language Lessons), and working on skip counting by 2s.

Copywork: TJ copies one sentence from a Beatrix Potter book each day.

Spelling: All About Spelling, lesson 10 and Spelling Workout, lesson 19

Math: RightStart, lessons 10-12

Phonics: Ordinary Parent’s Guide, lessons 195-198

Bible Study: Grapevine Bible Study, Old Testament, lessons 24-26

French: The Easy French Junior, lesson 30

Music: God Made Kindermusic, lesson 24

Geography: Scandinavia

Science: Human Body Study – the brain and nervous system

Read Aloud: Picture books, Children’s Book of Virtues, James Herriot’s Treasury for Children

Crew Review: Specific time in our schedule to try out programs and materials that we need to review for the Homeschool Crew.

MathScore

MathScore, developed by MIT graduates, is an online math drill program for children in first through ninth grades. The program uses a basic, no-frills approach to math drill. Topics are divided by grade level and the drill worksheets are kept simple with black lettering on white background. There are no bright colors or graphics to distract from the work at hand. As students complete the worksheets they learn to work quickly through the problems and improve their time.

When you set up your child’s account you can quickly get them started by doing some simple drill exercises that will get them used to using the number pad on the keyboard. After they are proficient with the number pad they are ready to move on to the timed drills applicable to their grade level. You can even change the time setting on the drills if you find that your child needs a bit more time to complete a worksheet. MathScore also offers a free worksheet generator (covering addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) if you have specific problem areas that your child needs to work on. One nice benefit is the daily or weekly activity summary you can have sent to your email address (which is perfect if you need to keep track of more than one child). It includes the topics they worked on, their overall accuracy for the worksheets, the number of worksheets completed per topic, and how long each worksheet took to complete.

Since TJ just turned six we focused our attention on the list of exercises for 1st grade. Here are a few of these topics:

• Copy Cat – drill exercises that teach the child how to quickly type numbers using the number pad on the keyboard
• Addition and Subtraction
• Skip Counting
• Basic Word Problems
• Inverse Equations
• Odd or Even
• Number Comparison
• Counting Money
• Bar Graphs

After I set up my account I set up a student account for TJ and had her give it a try. She started with the Copy Cat exercises, which introduce the student to the number pad on a keyboard. After she practiced those for a bit she tried a few of the other drills. It didn’t hold her attention very long and she soon asked to do something else. The plain black and white format was not very interesting to her.

Even though it wasn’t right for us at this point in our homeschool journey, I think this program is still well done for what it’s supposed to do. Math drill is an essential component of a well-rounded math education even if it isn’t lots of fun. It’s like flossing your teeth - not something you actually look forward to but something that’s good for you! MathScore makes math drill simple and straightforward. A few minutes each day can make a world of difference.

If you’d like to learn more about MathScore there are video demos you can check out and they also offer a free two-week trial membership so you can determine if the program is right for your homeschool. MathScore is $14.95 a month for the first student and all other students can be added to the account at a discounted rate (there are also other long-term options that reduce the per-month cost). If you’d like to read what other homeschooling families thought of this program 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

The week didn’t start out very well – TJ started vomiting Sunday evening and was very tired all day Monday because she didn’t sleep well (neither did I since I let her sleep with me so I could keep an eye on her). So Monday turned into a rest day with very little accomplished. Tuesday morning TJ felt much better so we started our school week. We also started week two of no screen time until school is finished for the day. TJ doesn’t mind and I breathe a sigh of relief when I can finally check my email at 1:30. :) On to our week’s accomplishments:

Math: RightStart is going very well. We breezed right through quite a few of the first lessons but I’m slowing things down a bit so TJ can work on partitioning numbers. After we practiced splitting five and six into its parts I let her do a few numbers on her own. She did really well with this and had no problems completing the worksheet with the lesson without using the abacus or tally sticks.

Language Arts: Reading lessons are progressing well – we’ve almost finished with the multi-syllable words section. We finished two more lessons in First Language Lessons and a lesson in All About Spelling. TJ is enjoying both subjects.

Geography: This week we studied Russia. TJ colored her map, found Russia on the map, and got a new paper doll to play with while I read a few books.

Science: My plans for science got pushed back a week so we started our human body study this week. This week was just the introduction – we talked about cells and DNA and a quick overview of what a few of our organs do. Nick and I traced a pattern of TJ’s body (for an ongoing body poster project) and TJ and I made DNA models from marshmallows and liquorice. They didn’t last long since TJ decided it must be snack time. :) She also did her very first narration (she dictated her narration to me while I wrote it down for her).

Other Subjects: French is going well. TJ’s grandfather is trying to spend a half hour or so each afternoon speaking only in French. Music – this week TJ learned about flutes and we listened to the Dance of the Flutes from the Nutcracker Suite.

Christian Keyboarding

One of the necessities of life in the digital age is the ability to type and there are many different programs available to learn. But Leanne Beitel, working in the private school sector, couldn’t find a program that used Scripture in a touch-typing format. She decided to produce her own program and Keyboarding for the Christian School was born. Christian Keyboarding offers two simple, no-frills programs that will get your kids (or you!) typing with ease. One book is geared to 6th graders and up and the other book is for elementary aged students.

Each of the books begin with pages of drill exercises that will familiarize the student with the keys of the home row. The lessons that follow introduce the remaining letters, numbers, and symbols of the keyboard. Each lesson introduces two new keys with some exercises for each. Then the lesson concludes with a review of the previously learned keys. Both programs also include timed typing drills. The upper level program introduces the appropriate structure for MLA and APA reports, cover pages, works cited, bibliographies, business letters and envelopes.

After downloading the elementary version of the manual, I printed the lessons and supervised TJ as she tried them out. Starting with the home row, she learned the location of each letter by typing a line of each separately, then alternating (each lesson covered two letters). After practicing the new letters she reviewed the letters from previous lessons. She really enjoyed her “computer lessons” and had fun typing the letters (I’d also recommend printing a copy of the keyboard for the child to look at so they don’t need to look down at their hands while typing). Even though she had fun, I think she’s still a bit young for typing lessons, so we’ll wait a few more years before introducing a typing program.

I think the program would work especially well for kids who are easily distracted by the bells and whistles of computerized typing games. The books do ensure that a child really knows the letters on the keyboard, but I think it would be more beneficial if it included more lessons with sentences and paragraphs for practice. If we use this program when TJ is older I will be sure to include more practice sentences and paragraphs. It’s a good program if you are looking for something basic with no bells and whistles.

The books (see samples here), available in e-book format, are a simple way to introduce kids to proper typing technique. The elementary version of Keyboarding for the Christian School is $12.95 and the regular version is $15.95. If you’re interested in learning how other homeschooling families used this product 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.

90 Day Challenge Update

I'm eleven days into the challenge and doing very well. I had a bit of catching up to do this weekend - I've been recovering from a bad cold and then TJ was very ill last night (she's spending the day laying on the couch, hopefully this bug has passed completely). I caught up this morning and I have five more chapters to read today. Nick has a few days to catch up on - between TJ and I he's been taking over many household duties around here and hasn't had the time for the extra reading. His plan is to get caught up this week.

I have to say that I'm in a difficult area of reading - Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It's harder for me to stay focused while reading many of these chapters (I do better when I have no distractions but it's difficult to find a time when there aren't any of those!) but I'm praying that God will show me something in these chapters that I haven't noticed before.

Weekly Report

This was our first week back after a very long Christmas break and it went really well! I was actually a bit surprised because we always seem to have a bit of difficulty getting back into the swing of things after a break. I think it might have to do with the fact that we have a new rule – no screen time until school is finished for the day (for both of us). It’s helped us stay motivated to get everything accomplished.

Math: This subject is sort of all over the place at the moment. I’ve gotten quite a few things I need to review so we’ve been using a mix of all of them. We did start using RightStart again. Level B has quite a bit of review at the beginning of it so we are doing about three lessons at once right now.

Language Arts: We’ve started First Language Lessons this week. No problems so far! We’re still doing two spelling programs as well. I wish I could just make up my mind about which one to stick with! But TJ likes both and gladly does them so I can’t complain. She’s moving quickly through the remainder of our phonics program. She groans whenever the book comes out but she’s excited to see how much she’s accomplished.

Other subjects: Nick pitched in a lot this week and helped with lots of things. He takes care of Bible study times and reads aloud when I need a break. We studied Turkey this week in our geography lessons. Next week we’ll start our “tour” of Europe and then we’ll be finished. We’ve had lots of fun studying different countries but I’m ready to move on to our next thing. I was planning to start science this week but forgot to order our library books early enough so we’re waiting until next week to start. She’s been doing KinderBach every day too (which she really likes). I like that she can sit there and do it all herself with no help from me. I sit in the living room and keep an eye on her while she does her work. It makes her feel very independent.

Hopefully next week will be just as good!

Starting school after a long break

Things went very well on our first day. We started the morning with our new rule of no screen time until school is finished. Surprisingly, TJ didn’t seem to mind at all (I think it was harder for me! I’m so used to checking my email and a few blogs first thing in the morning). We ate our breakfast and started the morning with drill and recitation. I’m keeping it simple this week but I’ll add more a bit at a time. We read five sentences from Oral Language Exercises (very painless) and then I showed TJ the first lesson of a typing program (review coming shortly!) and she learned how to keep her fingers on the home row.  I’m not planning on continuing the program because I think TJ is too young for typing.

We moved on to our “skill subjects” (math, writing, spelling) after that. I like to start the day with those because we can get them completed before TJ gets to wiggly. Now that the work is getting a bit harder I realized that I need to schedule in a short break between language arts and math. I didn’t for the first day and by the time we got to math TJ was getting impatient and ready for a break.

After the basic subjects were out of the way I let TJ have a 15 minute break before her reading lesson. She groaned when I pulled out the phonics primer but cheered up after I showed her how many pages she had left. Then we worked on French and Nick took over read aloud time so I could start lunch (we eat our larger meal at noon before Nick goes to work). After they finished with their read aloud they moved onto Bible study time. After lunch TJ worked in a drawing book and then watched a Kinderbach lesson before her afternoon quiet time.

Overall our first day went well. I made note of things I need to reschedule and hopefully I’ll remember to schedule in a few more short breaks. I’m very happy with the way things are progressing. Just give me a week and I’ll feel the need to change something again! :)

Reading my way to a Well-Educated Mind

I love to read. That's probably not a huge surprise since I often mention books that I'm reading. The one thing I've noticed though, is that even with a huge stack of books to read I don't take the time to really think about a book after I've finished it or put any thought into the author's intent in writing the book. As a matter of fact, I'm not really sure I'd know how to figure that out anyway. I picked up Susan W. Bauer's The Well-Educated Mind again (don't ask how long I've had this book) and I'm going to start at the beginning. My first thought was, "Great, I can read the novel list this year, and start on the next section next year." Then I looked at the list. Yeah, right. Instead I've set a goal to read 10 of the novels this year and after looking at a list of those 10 novels I'm not sure I'll actually finish them all. But I like lofty goals! The plan:

1. Start at the beginning of The Well-Educated Mind and work my way through the reading lists, following the order laid out in the book.
2. Read for 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week (more if I want to).
3. Write a monthly blog post about my progress (to keep myself accountable).

If anyone else is interested in challenging themselves, I suggest you grab a copy of Bauer's book and start reading. Leave a comment and we can encourage each other on the journey.

If you're interested in reading about my progress you can read about it in these blog posts.



<a href="http://thesunnypatch.blogspot.com/2010/01/reading-my-way-to-well-educated-mind.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="The Sunny Patch" src="http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd179/mama_scraps/images2.jpg"/></a>

10/10/10 for 2010

It's only the 4th of January and I've already changed my reading goals for the year! I realized after looking at my list for the 20/20/20 reading challenge that I wasn't even going to come close to finishing the books I'd chosen. After much debate, I've decided to narrow down my list to a 10/10/10 challenge (cutting the original challenge in half).

So after cutting the challenge in half, this is what I've come up with:
Read 2 books from 5 different authors (for a total of 10 books)
Read 10 books on 2 specific subjects (5 books for each subject)
Read 10 books that can fit into any sort of category you choose

At the end of the list I'm going to keep a running list of any other books I read this year.

10 Books by 5 Authors
1. L. M. Montgomery - A Tangled Web
2. L. M. Montgomery - Jane of Lantern Hill
3. Sophie Kinsella - Twenties Girl
4. Sophie Kinsella - The Undomestic Goddess
5. Julie Klassen - The Silent Governess
6. Julie Klassen - Lady of Milkweed Manor
7. C. S. Lewis - Till We have Faces
8. C. S. Lewis - The Great Divorce
9. Speaker for the Dead
10.Xenocide

10 Books on 2 Subjects
Science Fiction Novels
1. Ender's Game
2. Mockingjay
3. Out of the Silent Planet
4. Perelandra
5. That Hideous Strength

Books about Education
1. Character's and Viewpoint
2. On Writing
3. The Death and Life of the Great American School System
4. Teaching What Really Happened
5. Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics

10 Books in any Category
The Well-Educated Mind - Novels
1. Don Quixote
2. The Pilgrim's Progress
3. Gulliver's Travels
4. Pride and Prejudice
5. Oliver Twist
6. Jane Eyre
7. The Scarlet Letter
8. Moby-Dick
9. Uncle Tom's Cabin
10. Madame Bovary

Other Books (miscellaneous books that I've read throughout the year)
The Story Girl - L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge
Kilmeny of the Orchard - L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge
The Last Ember
The 5 Love Languages
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
Mr. Darcy Broke my Heart
The Chestnut King
A Hopeful Heart
A Tailor Made Bride
The Apothecary's Daughter
Children of the Mind
Cleopatra by Rice
Art History for Dummies
All Creatures Great and Small
This Momentary Marriage
Have a New Kid by Friday
Writing Jane Austen
All Things Bright and Beautiful
All Things Wise and Wonderful
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen

Changes

We're starting school again this week so I've been spending the last few days getting things ready. Our break was very long and we're ready to get back to work. I've had time to think and meditate and I'm ready to go. TJ's not so sure since I've decided to implement a few changes

• We've got a new rule that there will be no screen time (unless I've scheduled in specific videos or computer math drill) until school is finished for the day. It was getting much too easy for me to let TJ watch more television than I had intended (usually one show while she eats breakfast) while I whiled away my time on the computer.
  
• I'm still working out the kinks in our workbox routine. It's not going as smoothly as I would like - I often schedule too much before lunch and then I'm scrambling to get things finished so I can get our meal on the table. I also can't seem to fit in the fun stuff that I'd like to do. I'm working on solutions but for now it's a work in progress.

It's also time to add in some new work. TJ is ready for a bit more and I'd like to slowly fold in new subjects instead of starting a bunch of new things all at once. So, over the next few months we'll be adding in some new programs:

• Morning drill - For now this consists of Oral Language Exercises from A Beka. I like this little book and it will only take a few minutes each morning. I want to add in some French language exercises as well but I'm still working out how to do those. In a few months I'll add in practice sheets for RightStart math.

• Morning recitation - Also known as memory work :) We'll keep an index card box with dividers filled with things I want TJ to memorize (Bible verses, French vocabulary, poetry, etc.) and review daily.

• I'm ready to jump back into RightStart math and TJ is very excited about that. The first few weeks will be spent reviewing material before the real work begins. I'm contemplating getting a BJU math worktext for those times when TJ will need a break from the rigor of RightStart. We've been using Horizons but I'm not loving it.
  

• TJ is rapidly finishing phonics lessons so we're adding in First Language Lessons. I'm still struggling with spelling. We were using Spelling Workout but received All About Spelling to review and I really love that program. TJ likes them both so we haven't reached a decision on which program to focus on. We'll also be using Writing with Ease after TJ has finished with our phonics program.
  

• We've almost reached the end of The Easy French Junior so we'll be starting at the beginning again. The first time we went through it we just listened to the vocabulary and conversations and practiced a few phrases. This time we'll be taking two weeks to go through each lesson, make a French lapbook, and really work on memorizing vocabulary and practicing our conversational French.

• We are behind schedule in our geography study but I'm not too concerned. I've already purchased Story of the World volume 1 but I'm not rushing to get into it. After pre-reading I've decided to skip a few chapters since I don't think TJ is ready to read about the religious beliefs of the ancient cultures. We'll have plenty of time to discuss those in the future so instead we'll focus on cultures, customs, and famous historical figures. We do have a separate Bible time but my plan is to fold in as much Bible history into the mix as possible.

• Science is our last big change. Using The Well-Trained Mind as a guide, I've made our plans for science. We are starting with a study of the human body followed by a plant study (in the spring).

Those are the changes we are facing right now. I'm learning that sometimes my plans, though they look great on paper, don't materialize exactly the way I'd like them to in a real life setting. At times this is frustrating but I'm praying that God will use these situations to teach me patience. :)

Favorite First Grade Read Alouds

We also still enjoy many books from the lists for 3,4, & 5 year olds.

Picture Books:
Fat Cat
The Magic Flute
The Three Princes
The Man who kept House
The Princess Mouse
I Dreamed I was a Ballerina
The Happy Lion
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
Madame LaGrande and her so high, to the sky, uproarious pompadour
The Firebird
Three Perfect Peaches
Barker's Crime
Nine for California
The Big Snow
Stellaluna
Rotten Teeth
Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk
Jaime O'Rourke and the Big Potato
The Ballymara Flood
The Four Gallant Sisters
Mr. Semolina-Semolinus
Croco'Nile
Bill and Pete go down the Nile
Martha books by Susan Meddaugh
Whales Passing
One Grain of Rice
Anansi and the Magic Stick
Zomo the Rabbit
Rimonah of the Flashing Sword
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
A House is a House for Me
The Tale of Custard the Dragon
Exodus
The Legend of the Persian Carpet
Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight

Short Stories and Chapter Books:
The Children's Book of Virtues
James Herriot's Treasury of Inspirational Stories for Children
Favorite Fairy Tales told Around the World
In Grandma's Attic
More Stories from Grandma's Attic
Five True Dog Stories
Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories
Betsy-Tacy
Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Betsy and Tacy go over the Big Hill
All-of-a-Kind Family
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

Audio Books:
Charlotte's Web
Stuart Little
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Trumpet of the Swan
Beezus and Ramona (and other Ramona books)
The Light Princess
Peter Pan
101 Dalmations
Gooney Bird Greene (and other Gooney Bird books)
Mr. Popper's Penguins

Poetry:
Never take a Pig to Lunch
Sing a Song of Popcorn
Favorite Poems of Childhood
A Child's Garden of Verses
Random House Book of Poetry for Children
Now we are Six
When we were very Young

Bible Time:
The Children's Bible in 365 Stories
The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers
Leading Little Ones to God
Beginning with God

L. M. Montgomery Reading Challenge

Carrie at Reading to Know is hosting the annual L. M. Montgomery Reading Challenge.

The rules:
1. Pick the Montgomery book (or books!) that you most want to read and then read them during the first few weeks of January.

2. Come back on Sunday, January 31, 2009 and link up however many Montgomery related reviews/posts you like.

3. Visit around and get to know the other people who are participating in the challenge and read about what books they've involved themselves with. Be friendly! =)

I've read many of Montgomery's books (books about Anne and her family, the Emily series, and my favorite, The Blue Castle) so I'm going to read four books that are new to me:

Kilmeny of the Orchard
A Tangled Web
Jane of Lantern Hill
The Story Girl