tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30495549055878769642024-03-05T14:49:24.031-05:00Insane In the MombrainHello family and friends! See what our FOUR extremely intelligent, absolutely adorable, and, very likely, incredibly talented children are up to by cruising on over here.zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.comBlogger633125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-15490114127504470052017-12-07T12:59:00.002-05:002017-12-07T12:59:11.390-05:00G is for Giants<br />
It seems like I'm always buying someone new shoes or a pair of pants to replace the high waters they're shlubbing around in. I'm pretty sure they are going to be giants. Well, maybe they already are. Meet my kids, the BFGs.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-7003746018660624872017-11-23T01:52:00.000-05:002017-11-23T14:38:09.704-05:00Redhanded Homeschool High Fives ~ Our 2017 Crew Favorites<br />
It's time once again, as the Homeschool Review Crew year comes to a close, to choose our <b><span style="color: red;">Redhanded Homeschool's High Fives</span></b> for 2017. I can't believe another year is behind us. There were about 75 vendor "runs" this year. My family reviewed 47 products to share with you. Plus two single reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.<br />
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For the 2017 Homeschool Review Crew Blue Ribbon Awards, voting is very difficult in some categories. We must choose *just one* vendor or product in each of the Crew's categories. I've relaxed that rule for my blog. 'Cuz it's my blog, natch! So where the punks or I loved more than one thing, I'm giving them all High Fives.<br />
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As usual, there are old favorites, new treasures, and things I've "had my eye on" for someday. These favorites are all products that I would, actually have, or might again really pay money for it. I think it's important that you can trust that when I tell you we absolutely loved something, I really mean it was *that good*.<br />
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<b>Malachi's High Five</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/09/carole-p-roman-author-homeschool-crew.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carole P. Roman</a>. We really like her <i>If You Were Me and Lived In... </i>series, but Mal especially enjoyed our first fiction book from Carole, <i>Oh, Susannah: It's in the Bag.</i> Actually, they all did and we have since read the second book and they're hoping for more. The reading level is a bit below the older punks, but they love the stories, just for fun.<br />
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<b>Xavier's High Five</b><br />
First, Xav tried to choose Stopmotion Explosion again. I told him he had to stick to products we reviewed in 2017, so he voted for The Brinkman Adventures - season 4 (see Merrick's High Five below).<br />
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<b>Merrick's High Five</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/10/brinkman-adventures-season-4-homeschool.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Brinkman Adventures</a> - season 4. The Crew reviewed season 2 in 2014. Since then, I've purchased seasons 1 and 3. These fictionalized versions of real life missionary stories are always a hit. They have a curriculum out for season 1 that I want to check out at some point, too.<br />
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<b>My High Five for Moms</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/05/homeschool-rescue-schoolhouse-crew.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Rescue</a> from Only Passionate Curiosity. I only managed to get through part of the program during the review period. Now, I'll have a bit more time and I intend to finish it through once. Then I want to work through it once each year to update our homeschool plan.<br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-review-of-schoolhouseteacherscom.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SchoolhouseTeachers.com</a> is way more than just classes for the kids, though it certainly is that. We've used this off and on since, I think 2011, when it started. Back in those "olden days" if you had a subscription to the print Old Schoolhouse Magazine, you were given SchoolhouseTeachers.com access until your subscription ran out. I had over a year of it. About a year after it expired, I won another year in 2013. In 2014, 2016, and 2017 I received access as a reviewer for the Homeschool Review Crew. Hey, we're all family. :) I have decided to not return to the Crew in 2018 for various reasons, so I purchased two years during the BOGO sale last week.<br />
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These curriculum favorites are products we are still using, have completed this year, or will continue to use in 2018 and beyond.<br />
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<b>Language Arts High Fives</b><br />
Crafty Classroom's <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/07/learn-to-read-curriculum-homeschool.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn to R.E.A.D.</a> program - Merrick loves having his own school stuff that no one else does and the notebooking pages are so much fun for a Kinder.<br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/10/channies-handwriting-workbook.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Channie's Handwriting</a> and Math Workbooks - I only reviewed the one handwriting workbook for littles, but I liked it so much, I ordered handwriting journals for the bigger littles and several math workbooks.<br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/10/reading-eggs-homeschool-crew-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reading Eggs</a> - We've had Reading Eggs before. I liked it so much, I was willing to pay for it when the bigger punks were littler. Now Mal and Merrick are happily using it. Merrick also likes to dabble in MathSeeds, though it placed him lower than I thought he should be. I consider MathSeeds "just for fun" school.<br />
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<b>Math High Fives</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/10/ctcmath-2017-homeschool-crew-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CTCMath</a>. Always. And it's now a complete math curriculum for grades K-12. Another curriculum I have happily paid for and will again.<br />
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<b>Science High Fives</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/11/innovators-tribe-homeschool-crew-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Think Like an Engineer</a> from Innovators Tribe is so much fun with all the hands on challenges. I love that we are encouraged to include the whole family in this subscription.<br />
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<b>Social Studies High Fives</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/04/drive-thru-history-gospels-homeschool.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Drive Thru History</a> - The Gospels. The Drive Thru History series is fantastic. We're also using the American History videos for part of Xav and Mal's history this year.<br />
Heirloom Audio ~ <i><a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/08/heirloom-audios-in-reign-of-terror.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Reign of Terror</a></i> and <i><a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/09/heirloom-audio-captain-bayleys-heir.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Captain Bayley's Heir</a></i>. While I have reviewed other Heirloom Audio titles for the Crew, I have also purchased copies of other titles in the series. These audio dramas are crazy good.<br />
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<b>Extra-Curricular High Fives</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/03/creating-masterpiece-homeschool-crew.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Creating a Masterpiece</a>. I wish we had been able to fit more of Sharon's lessons in before our subscription expired, but we really enjoyed learning how to make real art while we had it.<br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/07/doctor-aviation-homeschool-crew-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Doctor Aviation</a> with Daryl Smith. This one expires pretty soon and we enjoyed it a lot, though we didn't get through as much as we would have liked.<br />
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<b>My Bonus High Fives</b><br />
<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/05/lamplighter-publishing-homeschool-crew.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lamplighter's <i>The Secret Bridge</i></a>. While this wasn't the best book I ever read, I enjoyed it and it opened up a whole new world of literature for us. Since this review, we <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/08/lamplighter-ministries-book-bindery.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">toured the Lamplighter Ministries Book Bindery</a> and purchased five or six more books and three audio dramas. I especially recommend <i>Sir Malcom and the Missing Prince</i> and <i>Teddy's Button</i>.<br />
Northern Speech Services' <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/04/color-my-conversation-homeschool-crew.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Color My Conversation</a> was one of those "didn't know I needed" kind of curriculum. We did set this aside, but will be picking it back up and starting over after the holidays.<br />
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Check out the <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/2017-homeschool-review-crew-blue-ribbon-awards/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">*Official* Homeschool Review Crew Blue Ribbon Award</a> winners and look in the Linky to read about my Crew Mates' family favorites.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-10736443705633447302017-11-17T20:56:00.000-05:002017-12-07T12:58:39.545-05:00F is for Family Christmas (Slugs & Bugs) ~ A #5things Post<div style="text-align: center;">
*Giveaway Has Ended*</div>
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We're listening to Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible Family Christmas. It was the first Christmas album I allowed this year because I was so excited when it finally arrived. I was on the Kickstarter this summer and I could not wait to get all my fantastic music! One copy of Sing the Bible, one copy of Sing the Bible vol2, two Sing the Bible vol3, and two Family Christmas. Since I already own the first volume, thanks to a blog giveaway just like this one, I will be sharing three of these albums with YOU, my readers. Check out the trailers below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-GoExYN03Ac" width="560"></iframe>
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Today's giveaway is for a copy of Sing the Bible Family Christmas. I haven't done a #5things post in a while, so I'm going to do that and tell you five things about Family Christmas.<br />
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<li>Randall Goodgame and Andrew Peterson are the brainiacs behind Slugs & Bugs, with the first CD released in 2007. Now, it's a family affair and all the Goodgames are involved.</li>
<li>Most Sing the Bible songs are *word for word* from scripture, using various Bible versions depending on singability (or the Slugs & Bugs MSV - most singable version).</li>
<li>Family Christmas intentionally has that A Charlie Brown Christmas feel, ala Vince Guaraldi, and also a Peanuts inspired cover.</li>
<li>Moms (and maybe Dads) will love the music as much as the kids. Seriously. </li>
<li>I think my favorite of the 12 tracks is Mary's Song, sweetly sung by Livi Goodgame and using the ESV of Luke 1:46-49.</li>
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So there you have it, #5things. Really there are tons more to tell, but I think you should just give them a listen. <br />
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You can read a bit more about how we use Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible to aid in <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/04/day-1-slugs-bugs-scripture-memorization.html" target="_blank">scripture memorization</a>.<br />
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Enter the giveaway rafflecopter below.<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="e26cad541" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e26cad541/" id="rcwidget_r4llqgau" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Also, I'm on another round of Blogging Through the Alphabet. Check it out.<br />
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zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-46882624011770152142017-11-13T21:40:00.002-05:002017-11-13T21:40:26.132-05:00E is for Evangelism ~ Operation Christmas Child<a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/" target="_blank">National Collection Week</a> for Operation Christmas Child starts on Monday. Not sure what Operation Christmas Child is? It's an arm of Samaritan's Purse.<br />
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From the Samaritan's Purse website:<br />
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<h4>
Mission Statement</h4>
<b><i> Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical
Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting
people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet
needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters,
disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His
Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the church worldwide to
promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.</i></b></blockquote>
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They provide assistance to people in need around the world. By responding to natural disaster sites, war torn environments, and more, they are able to share the Good News to hurting men, women, and children. They help people rebuild, give medical care, work with wounded US veterans and their spouses, train people to care for animals and plants to provide food and a livelihood to individuals and their neighbors, greatly improving their quality of life. And really, that's just a small sample of the many things Samaritan's Purse does.<br />
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Operation Christmas Child is a ministry that reaches kids ages 2-14 around the world. With the gift of a shoebox, the door is opened for the eternal gift of the gospel. Children receive a gift, prayerfully and lovingly packed by other children, families, and churches. Items packed generally include school supplies (paper, pencils, crayons, coloring books), hygiene items (soap, washcloths, tooth brushes), clothing (a shirt, socks, underpants, shoes), and toys (a slinky, whistle, cards, dolls, soccer ball with pump).<br />
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We've packed shoeboxes almost every year since the bigger littles were
baby punks. It's part of what we do each fall now and I think they
would be pretty disappointed if they didn't get to choose toys and games
to include in each box. We go through our stash of small toys, tools,
games, and gadgets and pack items in each box very intentionally. <br />
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Some items are more expensive than others, but there are often sales on most items you might want. I never imagined I could afford soccer balls and pumps for boxes, but I found a sale last year for $2.50 for real soccer balls. Then I shopped around for inexpensive, but sturdy, ball pumps. I've purchased small fleece blankets (originally $5, on sale for $2.50 or less) and with some creative folding, rolling, and packing, they are easy to fit in a shoebox without displacing other important items. Sometimes, a great toy assortment or small stuffed animals become reasonably priced. I don't get "cheap" toys, but rather items at a good price. I figure, if my punks would break a toy in ten minutes, a lot of other punks would break the toy in ten minutes. There's no fun in broken toys.<br />
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It's just as much fun to pack for older children as it is for the littles. I like getting to put a bit more thought into what a 13 year old might be interested in as opposed to a six year old. I've included small tool kits for boys and crochet hooks and yarn for girls. Somewhere, on the great wide interwebs, once upon a time, I found crochet instructions with NO WORDS, so no language barrier. In just pictures, girls can learn to crochet basic items. The source of that document is no longer on the internet, but it has me thinking of other things that can be taught in photos.<br />
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We make purchases year round. It makes it a lot easier to pack more boxes without a big expense all at once. I don't follow the Samaritan's Purse <a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/year-round-packing-ideas/" target="_blank">shopping schedule</a>; I just purchase whatever I see on sale (shoes, clothes, toys, and school supplies) at the end of the season, then add washcloths, soap, and toothbrushes. This year, I had so many little girls' shoes, and shirts for both boys and girls I was able to pass them on to a church to include in their boxes. I had thought about keeping some for next year, when I heard the Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible version of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A19-21&version=NIV" target="_blank">Matthew 6:19-21</a> and <a href="http://biblehub.com/luke/3-11.htm" target="_blank">Luke 3:11</a> decided to get them sent out this year. I know I'll find more bargains for next fall.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XYYd8H9z7NY" width="560"></iframe>
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Another great feature of the Operation Christmas Child ministry is that we can <a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/follow-your-box/?utm_source=OCCFacebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=m_YOCC-17SA&utm_content=FYB-FB-Ad-11-11-17" target="_blank">track our shoeboxes</a>. By paying the reasonable shipping fee online, we can print labels for our boxes which can be scanned and we are emailed the country of the box's final destination. Some years, all of our boxes go to the same country and other years we've had boxes head to as many as four different countries. Only once have we not found out where our box went and we learned it went to a "hard to reach" area. This means the final destination can't be revealed for safety reasons. I imagine that may be one of the places of greatest need for the gospel message.<br />
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Check out Samaritan's Purse to <a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/the-journey-of-a-shoebox/" target="_blank">see what happens</a> to a shoebox as it travels from your home to a child in need somewhere in the world.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z_fjp2UgbY8" width="560"></iframe>
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<a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/" target="_blank">Find drop off locations</a> and times for your area.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">#ipackedashoebox</span></div>
zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-75264319358641761952017-11-07T01:27:00.002-05:002017-11-07T08:02:26.040-05:00Innovators Tribe ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
When <span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.innovatorstribe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Innovators Tribe</a></span> showed up in the upcoming vendor list for the Crew, I sent Dad the link and asked if he thought Xav would be able to use the course in any meaningful way. Xav's my STEM guy. Well, minus the "M" - math. He loves experiments and hands on work. <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.innovatorstribe.com/engineer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thinking Like an Engineer</a> looked like something right up his alley. Dad said he <i>thought</i> Xav could do it, but he <i>knew</i> he would definitely LOVE the course. Wayne Kroeplin's (Mr. K) courses are for grades 6-12 with some wiggle room. My punks are in 5th and 6th grade, but math is a struggle. *So far* math hasn't been an issue at all. They haven't needed it for anything. Not even to succeed in the challenges. The best part about this class is that you are *encouraged* to invite everyone in the family to participate *together*. This has given us some fun memories of supporting and working alongside each other. (And believe me, those moments are few and far between. We seem to be in a very competitive stage.)<br />
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<a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.innovatorstribe.com/engineer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thinking Like an Engineer</a> is a pre-recorded online course. Pacing is decided by you and your family. We took a pretty leisurely pace and generally watched one lesson
or completed one challenge each week. Certainly, your students could
work at a faster pace. I think a video/slide show lesson plus a challenge (or
more!) in the same week is completely doable. At one lesson and one
challenge, you would spend about 2-3 hours on the course for the week. <br />
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Each unit has a "journal" to fill in with the information found in the videos, sort of a guided notetaking page. The lessons also have assignments. We've had various amounts of success with the journals and assignments. One assignment is learning about an engineer that is involved *somewhere* with a topic in which the students are interested. Well, Mal is only interested one kind of "engineer" and that's a *train* engineer. I have directed him to transportation engineers and we've looked up how engineering is used in the design of trains and railways. It isn't quite the same, but he was willing to learn a bit about it. Xav was interested in engineering as it applies to Lego toys. While we found listings for job openings in engineering for Lego, they were in a foreign language. Most of what we found was about designing Lego sets. So, the researching engineers part didn't go great for us, it was good practice at online researching and we did learn a bit.<br />
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<center>
<a href="https://www.innovatorstribe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Innovators Tribe What You Get" border="0" height="139" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/11%20-%20November/7%20-%20Inovators%20Tribe/Whats%20Included_zpstjuqgsmt.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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The units include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Intro to Engineering</li>
<li>Intro to 3D Design</li>
<li>Engineering Rollercoasters</li>
<li>Engineering Bridges</li>
<li>Nano Engineering</li>
<li>Thinking Like an Engineer - Course Conclusion</li>
</ul>
I thought I'd tell you about some of our favorite activities and challenges to give you a feel for the course. Lesson 3 is called Engineering Clean Water. While I watched the lesson and the associated outside videos, I remembered the PlayPump. Does anyone else recall the water pump that was run by children playing on a Merry-Go-Round? I always thought that was genius. Unfortunately, when I looked it up recently, I found out it didn't end very well, for the most part. Throughout the Thinking Like an Engineer course, we were encouraged to be innovators and try new things. Even though the PlayPump doesn't work well in all situations, it was definitely innovative.<br />
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In lesson 4, you receive the 3D Design software that you will use to create bridges and roller coasters. We aren't using this yet (so close), but I know Xav especially is going to love it. He eats that kind of thing right up!<br />
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The challenges have been a blast! Some times we don't handle failure very well, When we have worked on the challenges, there has been an "Oh, rats!" or three, but no one has been angry about starting over and rethinking the processes. We have had so much fun completing these tasks together.<br />
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Our first hands on challenge was to try to construct towers using regular copy paper. Well, the punks were a bit disappointed, because Mr. K said some students had built their towers a couple feet taller than they did.<br />
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His class also stacked more books than we did in the second challenge. We used one sheet of paper and had two feet of masking tape for this challenge. We tried fan folding, circles, and concentric circles.<br />
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This happened a lot.<br />
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And this.<br />
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But through all the challenges we faced, we brainstormed our way through to make the best of the assignment and to figure out what we could do differently or better to improve our results. Eventually, we got to this.<br />
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If I had made just three or maybe four rings, even though they were super tiny, I would have had more stability and been able to stack books higher. <br />
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Our third challenge was creating a crude water filter using information from an Environmental Protection Agency video. We didn't complete that challenge here at home, because a class in our co-op recently did this. (Hmmm... As co-op yearbook creator, I thought I had taken a picture of that lesson, but it appears I did not.) <br />
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The one thing I really wished for was the "solution" to the challenges. How did Mr. K's class get 200 POUNDS of books on the single sheet of paper? HOW? I need to know! Maybe gEEk Dad can tell me. The punks and I absolutely love the hands on quality of the coursework and they really like the videos. They've learned a lot of information seemingly unrelated to engineering. I think they especially liked the clean water challenge and we could tell that it was an important problem to Mr. K.<br />
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<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">I also enrolled in the free <a href="http://innovatorstribe.thinkific.com/courses/innovator" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Think Like an Innovator</a> course. I think the punks are going to like it, too! Mr. K offers another course, </span><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.innovatorstribe.com/architect" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thinking Like an Architect</a>, also for grades 6-12. Some of my CrewMates reviewed that as well. So please click below to read some of the other reviews.<br />
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<center>
<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/thinking-like-an-architect-or-engineer-innovators-tribe-reviews/" target="_blank"><img alt="Thinking Like an Architect or Engineer {Innovators Tribe Reviews}" border="0" height="193" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/0%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew%20Banners/2%20Click%20Here%20to%20Read%20More%20Reviews%202016_zpsmmmkbumm.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-36457210424554765472017-11-04T23:35:00.000-04:002017-11-06T23:36:00.023-05:00D is for Easy, Breezy... Dangerous<br />
We once lost 14 trees to a wind storm. That's just the trees in the yard. It doesn't count any in the woods. It was a terrifying day in which I hid in the basement with the bigger littles. Since then, we've had plenty of crazy wind storms, but I worry a *lot* less than I used to about trees smashing our house.<br />
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The other night, we had another storm and we lost one "smallish" tree, much shorter than those 80footers that were blown over before. And probably half the diameter. It didn't hit anything, but was a bit too close for my comfort to the van!<br />
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So thankful the treehouse trees remained intact. I'm pretty sure these geese were wishing they had flown south about 24 hours earlier.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-26156706929291619332017-10-31T13:17:00.000-04:002017-10-31T13:25:44.432-04:00Let The Little Children Come #2 ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
Today, I want to tell you about some evangelism tools for sharing the gospel with children. <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let the Little Children Come</a> has a <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/gospel-tracts-and-evangelism-tools-sampler-pack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gospel Tracts and Evangelism Tools Sampler Pack</a> that I really think you're going to like. Let the Little Children Come is not affiliated with any specific church. You can see their <a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/about-us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Statement of Faith</a> on the website. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQgSpl5aSg9MkSv9mhlDPc-4URYulNqX7tbvl8GZTSG9-GcVFYnGGN1s-23ydTteBDqoO-6zFWpL2OjcvCBto_a3nC4S9BkRt6VknqrKORaAe9Q3xTR_xAIfR30Jx9Rq91UXUwwEOFeI/s1600/review2+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="760" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQgSpl5aSg9MkSv9mhlDPc-4URYulNqX7tbvl8GZTSG9-GcVFYnGGN1s-23ydTteBDqoO-6zFWpL2OjcvCBto_a3nC4S9BkRt6VknqrKORaAe9Q3xTR_xAIfR30Jx9Rq91UXUwwEOFeI/s400/review2+cover.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs4E1xtC8iZYR7aK_oMhBNw8aUIZp-6wvekvRzZcsm7XjN3cR0JP2S3bRXvBZE5LzB_zubRbfp0ooLpGulBdXPHKOugfh5Gm8l5J2N26h13AMrXoqarKwfWcG42B4P6eBnGsZyDFJ44w/s1600/review+john+3+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="760" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs4E1xtC8iZYR7aK_oMhBNw8aUIZp-6wvekvRzZcsm7XjN3cR0JP2S3bRXvBZE5LzB_zubRbfp0ooLpGulBdXPHKOugfh5Gm8l5J2N26h13AMrXoqarKwfWcG42B4P6eBnGsZyDFJ44w/s320/review+john+3+16.JPG" width="320" /></a>Like the <i>Is There Anything Better Than Candy? <a href="https://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/09/is-there-anything-better-than-candy-box.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Box Tract</a></i> I reviewed last month, these tools can each be purchased separately and come in packs of either ten or twenty. Just check out the fun sampler pack and choose a favorite to share with your audience. I ended up sending the pumpkin boxes, filled with candy, to the community soup kitchen along with some yummy cookies made by our co-op kids.<br />
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Most of the individual tract packs come with one leader's instruction sheet for the whole kit. This sheet explains how to use the tract, what to say to the child, and lists verses for references. There's also often an example prayer for children to pray to accept God's gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. As with the pumpkin tract boxes, I found the messages to be full of love and not fear. Some of the tracts, like the Wordless Bracelet Kit, come with a small instruction card in each bracelet kit. Some of these tracts also are available in Spanish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQaoA7MqFlZKUVxNXjYfBeW6ESSsN8OSOahXqP6Usw0WWhST8IRcVJZs0eylHnp-z8pkUBITDZrFDFC72ByLdKhKei5STLGFC_B5MwESP2Gb8u7pF_jw8cEh60cyItMjtyXxil8FICpQ/s1600/review+instructions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1430" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQaoA7MqFlZKUVxNXjYfBeW6ESSsN8OSOahXqP6Usw0WWhST8IRcVJZs0eylHnp-z8pkUBITDZrFDFC72ByLdKhKei5STLGFC_B5MwESP2Gb8u7pF_jw8cEh60cyItMjtyXxil8FICpQ/s400/review+instructions.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Several types of tracts are included in this child evangelism tract sampler.<br />
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Three Animated Tracts. These nifty booklet tracts have several pictures that feature sections made up of vertical lines. They include an acetate sheet that alternates clear and black vertical stripes. When the acetate is laid over the picture and moved left or right the picture becomes clear and appears to move. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"It's like a little movie!" ~ Xav</i></blockquote>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nB_LMtldNmI" width="560"></iframe>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/the-true-story-of-christmas-animated-tract" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The True Story of Christmas</a> - Features six illustrated pages, five of which use the acetate overlay. The last page shares the gospel, including an example prayer.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/wheres-everybody-going-animated-tract" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Where's Everybody Going?</a> - Six pages which use the acetate overlay and a page inviting readers to spend "forever and ever" with God.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/john-316-animated-tract" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 3:16</a> - Four acetate overlay illustrations and the gospel message.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W0et6vrejgEYRH_mtuYm0bMHm1csl4PrR5KoIElCkJ96mRlH_OK3vUOTrAEl5_1_3a14GnvrMOjNjTxpsNvGRZ1bkyaNc8Dh9h58-uwTfo8uOBVqxGZoVGaUyWgktUidD99HWjnpNLU/s1600/review+flip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="761" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W0et6vrejgEYRH_mtuYm0bMHm1csl4PrR5KoIElCkJ96mRlH_OK3vUOTrAEl5_1_3a14GnvrMOjNjTxpsNvGRZ1bkyaNc8Dh9h58-uwTfo8uOBVqxGZoVGaUyWgktUidD99HWjnpNLU/s200/review+flip.JPG" width="200" /></a>Two FlipAbouts. I love these things. Once I figured out *how* they work! These little cards are so fun to play with.<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/john-316-flipabout-english" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 3:16</a> - Tells John 3:16 in four pictures.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/gospel-buttons-flipabout" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gospel Buttons</a> - Shares the gospel in a similar way as the other "wordless" products, using just gold, black, red, and green pictures. </li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WTNcrisipGE" width="560"></iframe>
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Two Pop-up Tracts.<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/the-lost-easter-egg-pop-up-tract" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Lost Easter Egg</a> - The hunt for a missing Easter egg leads to the parable of the Lost Sheep.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/the-most-amazing-house-pop-up-tract" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Most Amazing House</a> - All about Christ's sacrifice and the amazing home that is being built in Heaven. </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0GEiPX6xMePVSlWitNHqO2cVwqcRAIuzhEaxTlgQeAhqj0O5foJa9fQJcgvHwoPdHvWrJGtTXTahixYMI7MMIjPRWQQw7WyoAnEx5OuBnja0j6liN2LbD1KwM0bibs0Oj2Wc2hp1VPM/s1600/review+popups.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="1432" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0GEiPX6xMePVSlWitNHqO2cVwqcRAIuzhEaxTlgQeAhqj0O5foJa9fQJcgvHwoPdHvWrJGtTXTahixYMI7MMIjPRWQQw7WyoAnEx5OuBnja0j6liN2LbD1KwM0bibs0Oj2Wc2hp1VPM/s400/review+popups.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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Two Bracelets.<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/wordless-bracelet-kit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wordless Bracelet Kit</a> - Children create their own wordless bracelet with the black string and black, red. white, green, and yellow beads.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/silicone-salvation-bracelet-medium" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Salvation Bracelet</a> - This is one of those popular, rubbery bracelets, divided into the Wordless colors.</li>
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And a mini <a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/wordless-book" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wordless Book</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaOcOsDM0JoTmr-QbALzXcwjzDTnTdkPiyREhIXpy02xZxVhyphenhyphenNw9_I3k4s4JUQ0A5RoDnZY0G9S4mgDr6CGvJdF-rb2dt-1qjtCjAKUya4qgnd5FKkmpeH5-KZUoEwSRRC4N2fsF7XF4/s1600/review+wordless.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1431" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaOcOsDM0JoTmr-QbALzXcwjzDTnTdkPiyREhIXpy02xZxVhyphenhyphenNw9_I3k4s4JUQ0A5RoDnZY0G9S4mgDr6CGvJdF-rb2dt-1qjtCjAKUya4qgnd5FKkmpeH5-KZUoEwSRRC4N2fsF7XF4/s320/review+wordless.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Wordless items all start with Heaven, but we've always ended with Heaven. There was a bit of resistance with those, so when we made the Wordless Bracelet Kit, we put the yellow bead at the end. All the items in the <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/gospel-tracts-and-evangelism-tools-sampler-pack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gospel Tracts and Evangelism Tools Sampler Pack</a> are well made and I think will hold up to quite a bit of use. I'm not sure, but I imagine the FlipAbouts won't last as long as some of the others, simply because of the continuous folding that will be happening once you've figured out how to flip it. They are by far my favorite tools now that I've figured out exactly how they work. Once I get started, I just keep flipping and flipping and... The punks' favorites are the animated tracts. They're pretty neat. Xav also loves the bracelets. He is almost always wearing some rubber bracelet or wristband. He also loves crafting, so the Wordless Bracelet Kit is a must for kids who enjoy assembling things.<br />
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Each of these evangelism tools draws children in with a fun experience and allows them to hear the gospel message. They then take these home with them where they share the fun and the message with their families and friends. The more times they share the gospel, the more they are exposed to it themselves.<br />
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<a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/gospel-tracts-and-evangelism-tools-sampler-pack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt=" Let the Little Children Come Gospel Tracks" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/30%20-%20Gospel%20Tracks/gospel-tracts-A101-main-a_zpsw54glt7e.png" width="400" /></a></center>
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I think the best part about the <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let the Little Children Come</a> website is that you can go to the page of any of these tools and see so much about it before you decide to purchase one. Each one includes descriptions and usage instructions. Some of the information even shows a video of how the tracts work or are assembled.<br />
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Check out this <a href="https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-resources" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">resources page</a> for more neat evangelism ideas that you can use today! <br />
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<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Find Let the Little Children Come on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LetTheLittleChildrenCome/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</b></span> <br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-13868594089968983742017-10-29T21:27:00.003-04:002017-10-29T21:28:00.240-04:00C is for Cuddle<br />
Earlier this year, we celebrated five years with a member of the family. No, not Merrick. It was BooBear. Merrick loves his little friend that he got from Grandma of the Forest around his first Easter. We had a nice little birthday party with a balloon and presents for BooBear. He invited his friend Barnabas, too.<br />
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Sadly, as BooBear has gotten older, he has needed some repair. We've looked high and low for a replacement bear, but never could find one. I dread the day when BooBear can't be repaired again. But in the meantime, he is a great cuddler.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-35038478787795515772017-10-23T13:21:00.004-04:002017-10-23T13:21:57.314-04:00Kid Niche ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
I wanted to teach the punks The Lord's Prayer this year. I feel like I'm getting on this a little late, actually. But this is great timing for <a class="bbc_link" href="http://kidniche.com/shop/bible-and-prayer-curriculum-for-tweens-part-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Weave Your Word in Me -- Part 1</a> from <a class="bbc_link" href="http://kidniche.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kid Niche Christian Books</a>. Weave Your Word in Me is a two part Bible and prayer curriculum for tweens, using a reworked rhythmic version of The Lord's Prayer entitled <i>My Whole Self Before YOU</i> (which also happens to be the name of a book and Bible study for younger children, also from Susan Case Bonner). <br />
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<a href="http://kidniche.com/shop/bible-and-prayer-curriculum-for-tweens-part-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="*******" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/23%20-%20Kid%20Niche%20Christian%20Books/Weave%201%20Cover%20with%20Holes%20Part%201_zpsvfc5kjn5.png" width="309" /></a></center>
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<i>Weave Your Word in Me</i> is compatible with six Bible versions; KJV, ESV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, NABRE. The answer pages in the back of the book provide the correct answers to each of these versions. Many are already the same, so there may only be two or three correct options. Weave Your Word in Me - Part 1 consists of 36 Biblical lessons for children in grades 4-6. Part 2 has 44 more lessons, for a total of 80 lessons. Each child will need a book of his or her own, as the pages are consumable, not reproducible.<br />
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The booklet arrives in shrink wrapped plastic with heavy paperboard to prevent folds and tears in shipment. The weighty paper is three-hole punched and ready to be put into your 1/2" binder. There's even a cover page for binders that have a pocket on the front.<br />
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Many of the pages are covered with colorful illustrations that enhance the lessons. Each lesson is clearly numbered and is one or two pages in length. Students look up between one and four verses in each lesson. They then answer questions based on the reading. Much of that is a fill-in-the-blank format. There also are some underlining, true or false, open ended "think" type questions, as well as some other question and answer types.<br />
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Most of it was very straight forward, but personally, I needed a bit more direction with the My Prayer sections. I
like to know the "how" behind a lesson, not just the "what." I'm sure
it's quite simple for most people, but Mal and I struggled with this
part. We just discussed that part of the lessons and I led the
prayers. I think it will become easier for him as we continue through
the lessons. He has a tough time putting his thoughts into words and
talking about what he is learning.<br />
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I planned originally to use the curriculum with Xavier, but after receiving it and looking it over, I decided to start working through it with Malachi. He is doing well looking up verses on his own now and these prayer lessons require quite a bit of that. It's fun to watch him explore the Bible more on his own and discover the answers in there by himself.<br />
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Author Susan Case Bonner includes her email throughout the website and in her book. She seems very open to receiving questions about the lessons. She has written <i>Weave Your Word in Me</i> to help guide children to a relationship with God, not to just talk <b>to</b> God in our prayers, but to build a foundation of real listening and understanding. An open and teachable heart is required to develop that relationship, and that is the main purpose of this curriculum.<br />
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This prayer curriculum is not just the booklet lessons. I also found a complimentary list of <a href="http://kidniche.com/activities/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">activities</a> on the Kid Niche website. There is something for every lesson in Weave Your Word in Me - Part 1 and for much of Part 2. We enjoyed watching videos, coloring pages, and word puzzles through this activity section. I think this website definitely enhances the lessons for children who are more visual and hands on than the workbook crowd. As a child, I would have enjoyed the book on it's own very much. Well, my boys are not me and they definitely prefer the activity area. I did keep forgetting about the activities though and had to make myself a note to get in there and take a look at them. Also, this section can be used by the whole family.<br />
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When I first saw this curriculum come up on The Crew, I was unsure how I felt about The Lord's Prayer being rewritten for children. Well, I guess I am unsure about it still, as a <b>replacement</b> for learning The Lord's Prayer ("If it was good enough for Jesus..."), but it is a lovely prayer, though maybe a bit simplistic for upper elementary. The classes are a nice assortment of important lessons for tweens are included to help them understand the character of God and learn to understand and build that relationship. The page samples on the Kid Niche website are what really drew me in. I liked the content of the lessons, the variety, and the color illustrations.<br />
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Mal used his NIV Bible for teens and did a great job finding and reading the verses he was directed to look up. Some of his answers were incredibly short, but when we discussed the information he was more forthcoming than he was with writing. Through this curriculum, Mal is learning to pray more clearly for his relationships, with others and with God. I'm very thankful for that.<br />
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The lessons were fairly short, with the bulk of the time spent looking up the verses. He also is a slow writer. Though this curriculum would work well in a group setting; co-op or Sunday school, it probably wouldn't fill an hour for one lesson. The added activities on the website, though, would definitely add quality to the group lessons as well as to individual lessons at home.<br />
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<a href="http://kidniche.com/shop/bible-and-prayer-curriculum-for-tweens-part-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://kidniche.com/shop/bible-and-prayer-curriculum-for-tweens-part-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 2</a> of <i>Weave Your Word in Me</i> are $20 each, but if you purchase the complete package, you save 25%, receiving <a href="http://kidniche.com/shop/my-whole-self-before-you-new-release/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">all 80 lessons</a> for $30.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-74564374346730493952017-10-21T23:30:00.000-04:002017-10-21T23:30:25.291-04:00B is for Planting Bulbs<br />
After a busy afternoon at a tractor themed event at the library and an Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party (followed by a nap for me!), I planted bulbs tonight with the littlest two punks while Mal manned the "leaf burning station" AKA fire pit.<br />
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We have such a short growing season, I love to see flowers peeking up in the spring. Sometimes through the snow. We planted hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils, and tulips in several places around the yard.<br />
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gEEk Dad took a bulb planter and attached a metal fence post to it, so it sort of has a shovel handle rather than the little handheld type handle. He knows how to take care of me! Merrick wanted so much to use it, but really he is too light. Instead he was able to place the bulbs and fill in the holes.<br />
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Have you planted any spring bulbs yet?<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-36892031999053004792017-10-16T12:12:00.001-04:002017-10-16T12:35:56.125-04:00Reading Eggs ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
There are some programs that work so well for one or more of the punks, I am more than happy to pay for a year, or two, of access. <a class="bbc_link" href="https://readingeggs.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Reading Eggs</b></a> is one of those. Some years back, once upon a time, I signed up for a <a href="http://www.readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free trial of Reading Eggs</a> for the bigger littles. It was so incredibly loved by them and helpful for them, that I did purchase a subscription. I don't do that often, so that should tell you how much value I found in it.<br />
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Back then, I think it was just Reading Eggs that was available. MathSeeds was being introduced. I was sort of disappointed about MathSeeds, just because the punks tested out of that. I'm always hoping for a math miracle here, but the boys were beyond what was offered at that time. Now Reading Eggs is so much more, with three levels. We received a six months subscription to all levels of Reading Eggs, plus MathSeeds, for two punks. <br />
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<b>Reading Eggs Junior</b>, for the 2-4 year old crowd, has sections for learning the alphabet, hearing stories, watching videos, and learning concepts like "opposites." I'm afraid I am not terribly familiar with this toddler section since Merrick is reading a bit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Junior</td></tr>
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<b>Reading Eggs</b> is intended for children approximately 3-7. Reading Eggs teaches both phonics and sight word techniques. Each of these methods has a place in learning to read and spell. Merrick spent the last 4 weeks in Reading Eggs and is having a blast. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GAeuMxq_PzHeF1yUZ3t-nDLmcjy7XflVZAehH4wx7nzMLrl7IDhLLTtmhhyphenhyphen5TbojSCVoJKTixXU1Cpp4kxdMWqus_tDjAUvB0ScbEnPc_L4UfqOc6QeuvlgNrrXhUWnMpl_HICsN5PM/s1600/review+eggspress+dashboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1119" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GAeuMxq_PzHeF1yUZ3t-nDLmcjy7XflVZAehH4wx7nzMLrl7IDhLLTtmhhyphenhyphen5TbojSCVoJKTixXU1Cpp4kxdMWqus_tDjAUvB0ScbEnPc_L4UfqOc6QeuvlgNrrXhUWnMpl_HICsN5PM/s320/review+eggspress+dashboard.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggspress dashboard stats</td></tr>
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The last language arts section is <b>Reading Eggspress</b>. Eggspress is for ages 7-13 (approximately grades 1-6). I'm not sure when Reading Eggspress was added to the family, but I don't remember it being available when the bigger punks had Reading Eggs subscriptions previously. Mal and Xav enjoyed a trial subscription for two weeks, but when the review period started, I had to choose two boys to access. I thought Mal needed the program more, so he was selected by me to continue. Xavier was pretty disappointed, so I am debating adding him again myself. He's a good reader already, as is Mal, but Eggspress offers comprehension and spelling through grade six.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggspress Activity Sheets</td></tr>
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Merrick has barely used the <b>MathSeeds</b> program, but seems to have enjoyed what he did do last week. I have a feeling he will want to continue using it for the rest of the subscription period. I see on Facebook that Map 36 is now complete, but I didn't see activity sheets for that one yet. Map 36 covers third grade topics like multiplication tables, equivalent fractions, and angles. MathSeeds has had much content added to it since we last accessed it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mathseeds dashboard stats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzG0bT5OyjiLIX1eLhqpGoAO8tTwgXRJjhXsBYpVChiIx7VZ97T9kHjgb-XDxFGv4KTQ5k-L3phyhfkO54o8wSetijok5IEPYTAYq60YQCDY_nIEUMTfXKPmaZvVGg7B9HJoUOoKl2_wo/s1600/review+dashboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1428" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzG0bT5OyjiLIX1eLhqpGoAO8tTwgXRJjhXsBYpVChiIx7VZ97T9kHjgb-XDxFGv4KTQ5k-L3phyhfkO54o8wSetijok5IEPYTAYq60YQCDY_nIEUMTfXKPmaZvVGg7B9HJoUOoKl2_wo/s400/review+dashboard.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy to use tabs</td></tr>
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So, just *how* do you get started with <a class="bbc_link" href="https://readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Reading Eggs</b></a> anyway? After you open an account and add your child(ren), you'll see their little avatar tabs across the top of the Family Dashboard. Click the tab for the child you want to work with first. Below the child's tab, you see the program tabs. As the parent, you probably have a pretty good idea in which program to place your children, so select the appropriate reading program. Click the big, green START button, select "lessons" in the center of the page and you will be prompted to either take the placement test or to start at the beginning instead. I *highly* recommend using the placement test. Try to not be overly helpful while your child works, or they could be placed in a level that is too high and that could be frustrating for them.<br />
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<a href="https://readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Reading Eggs*" border="0" height="167" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/16%20-%20Reading%20Eggs/RE1701231000_FREE-4WEEK-TRIAL_zpsgbqg9sph.png" width="320" /></a><br />
While the placement activities are super helpful, there's always a chance you might need to adjust the level. You can do this right at the Parent Dashboard. By selecting "edit details" on the same first tab covered screen (it's opposite the green START button), you can adjust each child's progress. I attempted to do that for the sake of this review, but the computer warned me that his progress would be lost. So, not even for you would I risk sabotaging the 722 golden eggs my boy is hoarding. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddngTdUqHywVx1O_L1CKBTZKge_XUJ633a2ZSV9VlrlK-a_nH7hALh_u9GwEEtrf685o9_5MnclA8hO5Hgx0lvMANYlTqNEXZc5Llc1Mc9GJVU9fhWVqREIfwlO3yZXWdVGwSCZo-V14/s1600/review+merricks+dashboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1164" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddngTdUqHywVx1O_L1CKBTZKge_XUJ633a2ZSV9VlrlK-a_nH7hALh_u9GwEEtrf685o9_5MnclA8hO5Hgx0lvMANYlTqNEXZc5Llc1Mc9GJVU9fhWVqREIfwlO3yZXWdVGwSCZo-V14/s400/review+merricks+dashboard.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merrick's homepage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Using pictures and words makes it very easy for Merrick to navigate from his own dashboard to the different games and his lessons. Children move through a map of 10 lessons that ends with a quiz. A subtle bit of blinking or movement, as well as their avatar, help direct them to click the current section of the map. Once in a while an "annoying brother" makes too much noise and Merrick misses a bit of instruction or a word he is supposed to select. There doesn't seem to be a way to repeat the directions. Other than that, he is finding Reading Eggs easy to use and he really enjoys it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Im8B4JoLcjeWKHYaPNtyzjmSUItTveO1NJcUSEdpV-fcMgbgIasegi6KD-QkRQk6t-EhrW7JaB4Jrz8pFAsLoloumtlMK8Ayyjgv44iaxuq5Yf38Ju_cOzOKzY0aC1zhL2BGX51QlNQ/s1600/map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Im8B4JoLcjeWKHYaPNtyzjmSUItTveO1NJcUSEdpV-fcMgbgIasegi6KD-QkRQk6t-EhrW7JaB4Jrz8pFAsLoloumtlMK8Ayyjgv44iaxuq5Yf38Ju_cOzOKzY0aC1zhL2BGX51QlNQ/s400/map.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggspress Map 5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have to say that I'm sometimes confused by some of the stats on the parent dashboard. For instance, Merrick has read several stories, but books read shows 0. I think it may be that he hasn't read any of the books in the <a class="bbc_link" href="https://readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Reading Eggs</b></a> library. He has looked, but got a bit irritated with me because I directed him to books with a lower lexile reading level than he wanted, even though they were at his level. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDOkImca4lc9Gpr58BToRAaxYyZC0OBqhv91d4S86L1BWi1DgSx1TWhDjmOUjl6jmT8OjWVr5q1hz_YZ7qq4e2thFsuEt1YN32wmpJCbwlLYUAHV7-gnA6VJHNa5HmNW6y7Ufp2aLDYQ/s1600/re+merricks+program.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDOkImca4lc9Gpr58BToRAaxYyZC0OBqhv91d4S86L1BWi1DgSx1TWhDjmOUjl6jmT8OjWVr5q1hz_YZ7qq4e2thFsuEt1YN32wmpJCbwlLYUAHV7-gnA6VJHNa5HmNW6y7Ufp2aLDYQ/s400/re+merricks+program.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another level of Merrick's Reading Eggs access</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I also receive emails detailing Merrick's progress in Reading Eggs. These emails show me at a glance what he is accomplishing, learning, and earning. There's even a link to the place in Reading Eggs where I can print his certificates. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb2UreGtpbucvUKeep2KQiDHjL-YrvtgDhYc2W2XYie19O98EOKMqOgappZq8llD7EzbKu74BHmlH07P3_JFuSXLkulDTMJQK0x_ZjJnAxeFT9KWIF2QyuDY0fgWn7U9ChgcDCaXPBiE/s1600/review+email.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="754" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb2UreGtpbucvUKeep2KQiDHjL-YrvtgDhYc2W2XYie19O98EOKMqOgappZq8llD7EzbKu74BHmlH07P3_JFuSXLkulDTMJQK0x_ZjJnAxeFT9KWIF2QyuDY0fgWn7U9ChgcDCaXPBiE/s400/review+email.JPG" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Email information</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you have multiple users, be sure to log out each
kiddo before letting the next one start. There was one day that one of
the biggers worked briefly on his brother's account. Their names are
on the student dashboard, but who reads such things before they begin
working? sigh...<br />
<br />
Merrick loves Reading Eggs so much, it is always the first school he
wants to do. It's fun and engaging, they love most of the songs and
stories. I had to laugh when he got to a segment I remember from when
the older boys had Reading Eggs. The goat was singing and it's pretty
repetitive. Aaaaand goatlike. Mal covered his ears (because it's a
sound and that's what he does), but he smiled. "I remember that!"
Reading Eggs bonus - sometimes there's even a train.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPTilLppFa25xZiAle3Dxs4BieaoHfzkk1oi_hVoVDmMR6q8WvzneujZgXZnlL5VOmo4L33z60pvrouT5P2Ia7ClVO2MOKF6FBvOzH7wlUeP1hhxaYP1Z1vW8fSyAQ-j10yEPE9BVfLU/s1600/review+re+games.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="1435" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPTilLppFa25xZiAle3Dxs4BieaoHfzkk1oi_hVoVDmMR6q8WvzneujZgXZnlL5VOmo4L33z60pvrouT5P2Ia7ClVO2MOKF6FBvOzH7wlUeP1hhxaYP1Z1vW8fSyAQ-j10yEPE9BVfLU/s400/review+re+games.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Reading Eggs lessons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Xavier got a huge kick out of one story that had characters named Xavier and Javier. While I thought that was fun, I'm glad Mal hasn't seen his own name. He gets weird about stuff like that. There are comprehension questions built right into the online game, but parents can also print out the activity sheets with many more activities based on each lesson.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp66otdootvGWdX3RUk1dMiqfD9Hfw9hnLfEj4HaZ-dRP9iJCFOy5MtVWW9IA9tKpycNTstDDpWOPT_kHYqBFJFeGFDVj6v3LK-4qNJCLv0ga8EvBnlHBDFdk4rryWuigtLLcxkV_lBYU/s1600/review+eggspress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="851" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp66otdootvGWdX3RUk1dMiqfD9Hfw9hnLfEj4HaZ-dRP9iJCFOy5MtVWW9IA9tKpycNTstDDpWOPT_kHYqBFJFeGFDVj6v3LK-4qNJCLv0ga8EvBnlHBDFdk4rryWuigtLLcxkV_lBYU/s400/review+eggspress.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A page from Eggspress</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Skills in these sheets vary, just like the games increase in scope as a child moves through the program. The first lesson in the Reading Eggs activity sheets is all about the letter m; writing it, words that begin with the /m/ sound, identifying M written in various fonts, that kind of thing. By the end of Reading Eggs' 12 Maps (120 lessons) students are practicing ay, igh, and oa words, and reading short passages and answering easy questions about it. Each activity sheet begins with a page for the teacher/parent which explains the objectives of the lesson, the CCSS alignment, classroom games (often these can be played/completed by one child with no problem), extra assistance ideas, word families, etc.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7KsMLL8XRQP1KhqLiTPT7NnRvHX1Dyz0Lyl8WEwHwbUQKlCabaJx_t-T0kpN88g3AUshn2nZHKqvBbMcikRJZCKQzGLMWdYureifbbOQFnZna2OpPllTHhj-QHWGfJus0GbOupaGy5I/s1600/review+activity+sheets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="690" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7KsMLL8XRQP1KhqLiTPT7NnRvHX1Dyz0Lyl8WEwHwbUQKlCabaJx_t-T0kpN88g3AUshn2nZHKqvBbMcikRJZCKQzGLMWdYureifbbOQFnZna2OpPllTHhj-QHWGfJus0GbOupaGy5I/s400/review+activity+sheets.JPG" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bonus Tab and Activity Sheets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And now...<br />
<br />
The folks at Reading Eggs have introduced new program guides just for homeschoolers. These week by week overviews for grades K-2 use a colorful chart covering 36 weeks of education using Reading Eggs, MathSeeds, and some of the 2,500 books available in the Reading Eggs library to teach Language Arts, Math, Science, and History. While Merrick is not exactly at the same place in math and language arts right now, by the recommendation. I think it will be easy to use these guides to supplement, and possibly direct his science and history lessons for the year, though. The pace of 1-2 <a class="bbc_link" href="https://readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Reading Eggs</b></a> lessons in a week, looks just about right for what we've been covering without the guides. They were just released last week, so I'm still becoming familiar with them, but they look great and I plan to incorporate them starting this week.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GK0ggQjORQ_qr3709lNGdroJGWm7d1AVaOfXqo_htr9FNom0Et_wkEXsjXix08KmLLPPAd7wSbCJU8nXTQ7HxctigFQ2S6OErdrhi54SaHY86EQGYaaGdaB7Nd1GI15olp6DcYn_wW8/s1600/review+homeschool+guide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="651" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GK0ggQjORQ_qr3709lNGdroJGWm7d1AVaOfXqo_htr9FNom0Et_wkEXsjXix08KmLLPPAd7wSbCJU8nXTQ7HxctigFQ2S6OErdrhi54SaHY86EQGYaaGdaB7Nd1GI15olp6DcYn_wW8/s400/review+homeschool+guide.JPG" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW Homeschool Guides for K-2nd grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The reading games provide tons of fun online learning opportunities. Nearly every one of them is completely do-able at the skill levels the punks possess. There was one game that I had to complete for Merrick because there was no way he could operate the car quickly and accurately enough to move on. I remember having to do that with a different game for the bigger punks a few years ago. I seriously failed these poor kids. It took me multiple tries myself to finish it so he could move on! That was the day I tried to adjust his level, but you can't skip one game, only entire levels.<br />
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If you ever have trouble, support (including live chat) is just a click away. You'll also find plenty of sample lessons for each of the four programs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR27vXClt-iCCJzu3sXp1arOY6L48NxGCBiJFlfkDL8fA8SbyNPoQO7-YOtVUDW0tuFr6a8tE68waDEBh4htZIrANxe1XaqJ1hqDHWXJORJUhyphenhyphen-Y5rhpWzu6z4qw65s-HC5o6vKKrm7c/s1600/review+smaple+and+support.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="757" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR27vXClt-iCCJzu3sXp1arOY6L48NxGCBiJFlfkDL8fA8SbyNPoQO7-YOtVUDW0tuFr6a8tE68waDEBh4htZIrANxe1XaqJ1hqDHWXJORJUhyphenhyphen-Y5rhpWzu6z4qw65s-HC5o6vKKrm7c/s400/review+smaple+and+support.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Support and Samples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm even more impressed with Reading Eggs than I was before. The scope of the programs have really grown. The songs, stories, and games combine to make learning fun and engaging. The graphics are high quality. Everything is inviting and colorful. I've found the site to be quite easy to navigate. Best of all, the punks still enjoy it. That certainly makes it easy to motivate them to learn.<br />
<br />
<a class="bbc_link" href="https://readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Reading Eggs</b></a> has generously offered my readers a <a href="http://www.readingeggs.com/crew52" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">4 week FREE trial of the Reading Eggs and MathSeeds</a> programs to try for yourselves! Offer expires on <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_284898571" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">November 30, 2017</span></span>. I hope you will take the plunge and use this risk free trial.<br />
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<span class="bbc_u"><b>You can find Reading Eggs on social media.</b></span><br />
<br />
• <a href="https://www.facebook.com/readingeggsUSCA/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <br />
• <a href="https://twitter.com/readingeggs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
• <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readingeggs/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> <br />
• <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ABCReadingEggs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> <br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-8991421924955342142017-10-14T23:00:00.000-04:002017-10-15T13:00:47.494-04:00Funny Find - Creamsicle Milk<br />
I would totally try this if someone else bought it and offered me some or if it came in a smaller container. I can't bring myself to buy a half gallon of creamsicle milk!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjYqDCq5upf9kLNzkqdjAiqA2FuCa69-yGQRwhkZ_nAUIo0g4eXip6XM1gwI9koGXGLG4XTfeZTkDDc89Jm4POdVdPhCmTZ3Cwofg1na7PoL69Tp2O7Wxd756gutslmF5EWE3pMFD_Kk/s1600/creamsicle+milk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="541" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjYqDCq5upf9kLNzkqdjAiqA2FuCa69-yGQRwhkZ_nAUIo0g4eXip6XM1gwI9koGXGLG4XTfeZTkDDc89Jm4POdVdPhCmTZ3Cwofg1na7PoL69Tp2O7Wxd756gutslmF5EWE3pMFD_Kk/s320/creamsicle+milk.JPG" width="243" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Would *you* try it?<br />
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On a related note, I have been known to mix a bit of orange juice with egg nog, so I *think* I might like this milk.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-71527503077623213862017-10-11T00:33:00.001-04:002017-10-11T00:33:49.342-04:00Brinkman Adventures Season 4 ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
We are *huge* fans of the <a class="bbc_link" href="http://brinkmanadventures.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Brinkman Adventures</b></a> audio dramas. We like taking them on trips in the car. Long trips to the Grandmas' houses. The punks pay way better attention to audio dramas in the car than they do at home. I like them because, between the dialog, sound effects, and music score, they paint amazing pictures in my mind. Audio dramas (and read aloud books) are better than movies because of that. The <a class="bbc_link" href="http://brinkmanadventures.com/product/brinkman-adventures-season-4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brinkman Adventures Season 4</a> CDs did not disappoint.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVdTP3-25YHZIjrvPRnT3vMQ9930Wjcx1xrPAp81RvFetMx4ny8UiMLZ0-AIhhB1FapEYCOWGSuVUOaTeUYG_hBPmAdtp3vqejeqLNsJ0aw1L5oUBEzgA4IbL8i0kRrvHmxs-nCwVG-Q/s1600/review+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="790" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVdTP3-25YHZIjrvPRnT3vMQ9930Wjcx1xrPAp81RvFetMx4ny8UiMLZ0-AIhhB1FapEYCOWGSuVUOaTeUYG_hBPmAdtp3vqejeqLNsJ0aw1L5oUBEzgA4IbL8i0kRrvHmxs-nCwVG-Q/s400/review+cover.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Season 4 consists of twelve episodes, nearly half an hour each, on four CDs.<br />
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Episode 37: A Paradise Lost<br />
Episode 38: Remember Nhu<br />
Episode 39: Aisha's Fear<br />
Episode 40: Heart Song<br />
Episode 41: The Crashed Kitchen<br />
Episode 42: Crisis in the Congo<br />
Episode 43: The Mysterious Palm Feller<br />
Episode 44: War of the Raccoons<br />
Episode 45: The Five Guys<br />
Episode 46: Toughest Man<br />
Episode 47: Cambodian Quest<br />
Episode 48: What Brings Us Together <br />
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<center>
<a href="http://brinkmanadventures.com/product/brinkman-adventures-season-4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Brinkman Adventures" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/10%20-%20Brinkman%20Adventures%20Season%204/Brinkman%20Adventures%20Season%204_zpsbsquogkz.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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The punks were all excited to hear the new baby's name is Micah. Since that's Daddy's name, too, it was pretty neat to hear someone else with the same name. The Brinkmans, *and* the real-life Bultmans, have a large Christian family so it seemed almost inevitable that eventually they'd have a Micah or a Malachi...<br />
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Some of the adventure stories feature heart-stopping, nerve wracking moments. There are kidnappings, fires, car accidents, arrests, slavery, and witch doctors. Occasionally, a warning is given at the beginning of an episode that children under ten should listen with their parents. We always listen together the first time around anyway, but there are several episodes in the series that involve the slavery, the selling of a baby, abusive people, and more mature situations. I find myself pausing these same episodes frequently to explain some important plot point and to just break the tension. The Sapphire Slaves episodes from Season 2 come to mind. This involved an intense rescue scene as well as a few other moments that I felt the punks might need a moment to get a breath before we continued. I have never felt that any of the topics were not appropriate for them to hear. Some just needed a bit of explanation or a moment of reflection.<br />
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I'd like to tell you a bit about a few episodes. In #39 - Aisha's Fear, we learn the story of Aisha and Mahad, who are Muslims and shop owners. They are right next to a Christian hospital. Mahad was hateful toward the Christians and abusive of Aisha. She was a very fearful woman, worrying constantly about upsetting Mahad, but also fearing spiders, rats, and other things. One day, Mahad collapses and he finds out he is near death from cancer. While he awaits death, the locals will not stop at his shop any longer. Eventually, the Christian doctors and nurses begin to shop there, providing needed income for Aisha and Mahad. Soon Mahad agrees to see the Christian doctor and he wonders at the love shown to him by the very people he hated. He becomes a changed man and accepts Christ before his death. Moved by the change in her husband, Aisha also becomes a Christian. Despite a brief imprisonment (and worse possibilities) for her new beliefs, Aisha continues to spread the gospel among her own people. Aisha finds strength she never knew she had.<br />
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The punks laughed their heads off about the antics of a certain robot named R-D. "He" is a Mobile Raccoon Deterrent Device. In episode #44, War of the Raccoons, Mr. Pennington had problems with a raccoon eating his koi fish. Unfortunately, we could relate just a little too well with this problem. We had raccoons eating our chickens last year. Maybe R-D would have come in handy. Although, maybe R-D needs a bit more training before he might be considered safe around other people! R-D is a nifty little robot on wheels, using an arduino, server, and paintball gun. He is a "learning robot" which means that every time his programmer, Ian, blew off his chores or didn't follow his parents' instructions, R-D learned how to behave similarly. When he was told, "safety on," he would reply. "safety off." Let's just say the interaction the trio of R-D, Ian, and Mr. Pennington had with a policeman and his canine officer did not go well. Ian learned a painful, but valuable lesson about doing what he says he will.<br />
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<i><span class="text Matt-5-37" id="en-NKJV-23272"><span class="woj">But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37</span></span></i></blockquote>
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What Brings Us Together, episode #48, is a bit of a reunion episode with some of our favorite people from old episodes, Mr. Pennington, Mr. Staplerun, and Mr. Benti, joining the family to celebrate a wedding that might not even take place! Between an anonymous letter, a jail stay, a kidney stone, a sunny day turned rainy, a catering mix-up, and a fire, we begin to wonder if Michelle and Anthony will get to tie the knot at all. (Spoiler: they do!)<br />
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The anonymous letter from a "concerned brother" in Christ made me think of how people behave on social media, hiding their identities and treating others poorly. It made for a good conversation about mistreating people because we are confident about the anonymity the internet affords us. I told the punks, if you have something to say to someone and you really think it needs to be said, you must be man (or woman) enough to own your words. It reminded me to T.H.I.N.K.<br />
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T - Is it True?</div>
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H - Is it Helpful?</div>
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I - Is it Inspiring?</div>
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N - Is it Necessary?</div>
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K - Is it Kind?</div>
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Cambodian Quest was the first episode Dad had ever heard. I have to say, it just about drove him crazy to hear Kitri divulge somewhat secret information to a stranger in the market. Episode #47 was chock full of rash decisions and the wild emotions of a teenage girl. Dad was having none of it. While I appreciated the importance of the content, this one was very hard to listen to because of the foolish choices being made. I didn't really think that was addressed. It was more about loving people because Jesus wants us to rather than out of obligation. A great message, of course, but I felt that something needed to done about Kitri's bad attitude and refusal to receive counsel much sooner or at least discussed more at the end.<br />
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I love going to the website and reading the <a href="https://brinkmanadventures.com/real-stories-season-4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">true stories</a> on which the Brinkman Adventures are based. In Season 4, men like <a href="http://www.nikripken.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Nik Ripken</a>, author of <i>The Insanity of God,</i> and Carl Ralston, founder of <a href="https://remembernhu.org/our-founder/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Remember Nhu</a>, are featured. <br />
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We have reviewed <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-brinkman-adventures-exciting-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Season 2</a> with the Crew and purchased Season 1, besides Season 4 now. We absolutely love these real-life, exciting missionary adventures and we think you will, too. Xavier, who named Brinkman Adventures his Redhanded High Five from the entire 2014 Crew year, was especially excited when this new set arrived and has asked for more Brinkman Adventures for Christmas. Season 6 will be releasing right around that time. I have some catching up to do!<br />
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<center>
<a href="http://brinkmanadventures.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Brinkman Adventures" border="0" height="141" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/10%20-%20Brinkman%20Adventures%20Season%204/brinkman%20logo%20small_zpsgrkapopo.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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Brinkman Adventures now offers a <a href="https://brinkmanadventures.com/curriculum-store/homeschool" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">curriculum</a> to accompany Season 1. If you already own the Season 1 audios, the curriculum is discounted. It looks really interesting and now that they've reduced the cost for just the lessons, I'm seriously considering the purchase.<br />
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I encourage you to get the <a href="http://brinkmanadventures.com/product/brinkman-adventures-season-4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brinkman Adventures Season 4</a> audio dramas for your family. (And Season 1, 2, 3, and 5!)<br />
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<b>Find the Brinkman Adventures on </b><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Brinkman-Adventures-152895116079/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</b><br />
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<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/brinkman-adventures-season-4-reviews/" target="_blank"><img alt="Brinkman Adventures Season 4" border="0" height="193" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/0%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew%20Banners/2%20Click%20Here%20to%20Read%20More%20Reviews%202016_zpsmmmkbumm.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-88186612293812423202017-10-09T08:05:00.006-04:002017-10-09T11:23:16.868-04:00CTCMath 2017 ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
We've been using our <a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CTCMath</a> Family Membership for our main, and only, math during this review period. This program is and has been our favorite math for Malachi and Xavier since 2014, I think when I first reviewed it for the Crew. I even kept it in 2015 when I had to purchase it since I wasn't a Crew mate on that voyage. I've even gotten other mamas hooked on CTCMath for <a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool?tr_id=CREW23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">homeschoolers</a>. I'm happy to have it again this year, because this is definitely one full math curriculum that fits the punks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyR1bgCVMfj_WoZ91cg2iUDnSYfGQ6ZKDhDoGQRr0NnDYIPCS1f5YSc7B4NHea4JfZQSWc9CJp80lERXbYn6i6xAH8k4gf-8xrT_XFdssLG6XpGSjuGo25_kVHBz967ru2M6OD9G1z0I/s1600/review+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1515" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyR1bgCVMfj_WoZ91cg2iUDnSYfGQ6ZKDhDoGQRr0NnDYIPCS1f5YSc7B4NHea4JfZQSWc9CJp80lERXbYn6i6xAH8k4gf-8xrT_XFdssLG6XpGSjuGo25_kVHBz967ru2M6OD9G1z0I/s400/review+logo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pat Murray, a homeschool father of ten, originally created CTCMath as an online tutoring program for Australian students. The punks love his soothing and unique voice (probably way better than my frustrated sighs). No matter how many times they watch the same video, Mr. Murray never raises his voice or speaks through his teeth with an aggravated tone. *ahem*<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5S6BV4EN0Kk" width="560"></iframe>
I have to laugh, though, because recently some new video lessons have been added and are decidedly *not* voiced by Pat Murray. It only took a few seconds for me to notice the difference and the boys weren't long behind me. They have deemed the new guy to be acceptable, though, even though he didn't end his video with, "Good luck with your questions." They are so enthralled by the Australian accents, that Merrick even does his math the same. I get such a giggle listening to him count.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMBgpYMwpb_-WJIaW1AVN2qB82KMu4BdJ60E_D4ntuTu0OO8h6XjUK5ttUUxnWWpXLvvhXWyle9Z0Aq2teETLi8BmF8ZTyHBG04Chdp_RAu5czoBYy5UHx9Mh7So-UykDmvrLZ27D2Is/s1600/awards+xav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="753" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMBgpYMwpb_-WJIaW1AVN2qB82KMu4BdJ60E_D4ntuTu0OO8h6XjUK5ttUUxnWWpXLvvhXWyle9Z0Aq2teETLi8BmF8ZTyHBG04Chdp_RAu5czoBYy5UHx9Mh7So-UykDmvrLZ27D2Is/s320/awards+xav.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">awards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Each lesson is a short video. And I do mean quite short. It's generally just long enough to get the concept across, no over explaining. If they think they understand, they can move right on to the questions. Assuming they do well on them, they can move on to the next part of the topic. If they have *not* done well, they can go back to it in a day or so, view the video and give the questions another try. Once they've completed each component, the part they really like happens. They earn an award. They actually can watch the progress of the "medal" as they work through each topic. When it's complete, they can print a certificate.<br />
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I remember last year, Malachi was determined to get a gold medal in multiplication. His early scores were very low and he kept practicing and practicing until he went from a 30% to 100% in twelve attempts and earned a gold medal for multiplication with a 95%. He was so proud of himself and I was proud and impressed by the effort he made in a subject he does not love.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU6lIy9VYjUzqVyHFUGJUNn6CpWPMZhRTrtzrtai8GNc86spE3gRL8-SPt-PY5cpCsO_rdV7JaC11a70iEQItvTbiAuahEmN20u7nVmgEKY21JsJstDDH-Fix89nr-E7B8Wce-sanqMA/s1600/email+summary+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="865" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU6lIy9VYjUzqVyHFUGJUNn6CpWPMZhRTrtzrtai8GNc86spE3gRL8-SPt-PY5cpCsO_rdV7JaC11a70iEQItvTbiAuahEmN20u7nVmgEKY21JsJstDDH-Fix89nr-E7B8Wce-sanqMA/s320/email+summary+edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">email summary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every now and then, I find out from the reports that one of the boys is working in the wrong grade! Now, they aren't all exactly on the single grade across the board, but for the most part, I know where they belong! I'm using tasks to fill in gaps and, sometimes, they stay in the lower assigned grade for all of their work. The email report is pretty much a summary of the records kept for each student in the account. <br />
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Here are the many parts of the parent section.<br />
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First, at the Parent Login, I can access each student account as well as maintain and edit my own parent information. Tasks (active, recently expired, and upcoming tasks) can be see here. Activities, awards, and recent weekly reports (up to three months) are available on this page.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjOYmDWZQLUWdXP59kUL3en9J2ap0oCx4ODbdNAOn5EWSyrY-aGiUQTdd0GNqyaxurPwOQ9AENsNNx5SAthN_qc3nF9mn4m7V_k_2m8PdB1BasAa6fGWZO1oZWu-g5IYiDuYR30_gjag/s1600/detailed+report+Merrick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="1094" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjOYmDWZQLUWdXP59kUL3en9J2ap0oCx4ODbdNAOn5EWSyrY-aGiUQTdd0GNqyaxurPwOQ9AENsNNx5SAthN_qc3nF9mn4m7V_k_2m8PdB1BasAa6fGWZO1oZWu-g5IYiDuYR30_gjag/s320/detailed+report+Merrick.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">detailed report</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then I can hop over to any of the student accounts on the right. I can see everything those yahoos are doing on their math. BWA HA HA HA! *ahem* You can edit or delete your student, though I'm not sure why you'd want to delete your punks. Here are individual student's reports and more. Simply select the grade level or course you want to see the information for.<br />
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There are detailed reports. This area shows the sections that are complete, the grades and percentages, attempts, and dates complete.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGytDIG5ZUeXnwu5YKzdVYR0Yh7UHNEfhD3bAtF9qJylpt9go5WodTMJRK31dyv0czekwGtu5W6-U6xTdgpqv0Y6AlDEEFsjByqGdFuR20D9bstMlBovNtJGMifjCDPjw-dISX4NxVFM/s1600/summary+report+xav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1052" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGytDIG5ZUeXnwu5YKzdVYR0Yh7UHNEfhD3bAtF9qJylpt9go5WodTMJRK31dyv0czekwGtu5W6-U6xTdgpqv0Y6AlDEEFsjByqGdFuR20D9bstMlBovNtJGMifjCDPjw-dISX4NxVFM/s320/summary+report+xav.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">summary report</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The next tab is for the summary report. This report is sort of like a checklist in that it shows the segments, how much of each lesson is complete and left to do, average grade, and if you choose to use diagnostic tests, you'll see that there also.<br />
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Diagnostic tests also have a tab of their own with completion dates and scores.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGLDEz40T4bvzLg3uqIkgirjq5xqaC287hW9z2j5xOpK8duW8NSu1vKVz4TfmmPI7j9dHFT8uwBVVM_G7W3lKGFJgQOmKDMngVBgMXUaW0Px9tjFAvK3IHvmkCo2ZBOKOZGeRpdc4VZE/s1600/diagnostic+tests+xav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1173" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGLDEz40T4bvzLg3uqIkgirjq5xqaC287hW9z2j5xOpK8duW8NSu1vKVz4TfmmPI7j9dHFT8uwBVVM_G7W3lKGFJgQOmKDMngVBgMXUaW0Px9tjFAvK3IHvmkCo2ZBOKOZGeRpdc4VZE/s320/diagnostic+tests+xav.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">diagnostic tests</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcfFrMshkWyqZzn6-zxYXVuRmg9DFFHdq1Fs8MFpVDZH8HvCYUIZJZ27zsB_vwgaiTOAQb-_w-zG3MoCpoSxdDHl95-Nmbb3VrRgibIxCFORcINRczencJhd4M7ijjCaXc3dwVB92i7k/s1600/tasks+xav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1069" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcfFrMshkWyqZzn6-zxYXVuRmg9DFFHdq1Fs8MFpVDZH8HvCYUIZJZ27zsB_vwgaiTOAQb-_w-zG3MoCpoSxdDHl95-Nmbb3VrRgibIxCFORcINRczencJhd4M7ijjCaXc3dwVB92i7k/s320/tasks+xav.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tasks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The tasks tab is very similar to the detailed report, but only shows the tasks you've assigned your student. It also includes information about the completion and timeliness of the tasks. Below the section on the screen shot, all the "courses" (grades thru 6th and higher levels of math), all the "streams" (numbers, measurement, geometry, statistics, etc,.), and then each topic in that section. Each of these drop down menus is easy to use to assign the lessons.<br />
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The award tab shows all awards earned from platinum through gold, silver, and bronze. These are only awarded once the entire section has been completed. As Mal did last year, they can keep working to bring those award levels up, too! (This page is shown above.)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBIjyHtU2N-WGwTtNvg6A0G8mRKoaG5cF17e-kCWxA29zwp-xmrky46RN1rf7HWHnBHJaGo5Zuf1dkzHPfI1LfW8zmj8Jhtez0YTmd4dekwc-kOa6WYPSggt9uqi62UqJKAWjRJ2IRVw/s1600/history+quick+start+xav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1172" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBIjyHtU2N-WGwTtNvg6A0G8mRKoaG5cF17e-kCWxA29zwp-xmrky46RN1rf7HWHnBHJaGo5Zuf1dkzHPfI1LfW8zmj8Jhtez0YTmd4dekwc-kOa6WYPSggt9uqi62UqJKAWjRJ2IRVw/s320/history+quick+start+xav.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quick finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speed skill information is there, but we haven't used that. (There are four levels of speed skills as well as a couple of games.) And the last tab is history. There are two history reports. The Quick Finish report shows sections that are incomplete. The <a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CTCMath</a> program remembers where students leave off on an assignment and will keep their place for them. When they go to finish up, it takes off right at that spot.<br />
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The history timeline is just that. I can see who logged in and when, what lesson did they view, attempt, and what score they received. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmV9WxHX36Lw3s7AtDLp1CiwPGQz1FOoCEtIgIWnfvVBG8_tptv4AWXHhMnCFbKWiltzUMxwAH1V04n4paHPUepsJFEguoRvh9PH4xjHC62hMLI-JXg5B1ZLmdHPxYOmFElC0Ai0LFn0/s1600/history+timeline+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="905" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmV9WxHX36Lw3s7AtDLp1CiwPGQz1FOoCEtIgIWnfvVBG8_tptv4AWXHhMnCFbKWiltzUMxwAH1V04n4paHPUepsJFEguoRvh9PH4xjHC62hMLI-JXg5B1ZLmdHPxYOmFElC0Ai0LFn0/s320/history+timeline+edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">timeline</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxFoMhHSlUFiP6IEzu2O85QxBZG-qFOgWXsPK0sdgilVH_ljToPPvQgLi2ZpPF3KIpAu8H6ISgThHnSkKblZFqr1hb2iM2ytPL_bsLkInGL4rNjd6Swek9yjadyUyCdrjWNaIfH-RjWU/s1600/20171008_233422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxFoMhHSlUFiP6IEzu2O85QxBZG-qFOgWXsPK0sdgilVH_ljToPPvQgLi2ZpPF3KIpAu8H6ISgThHnSkKblZFqr1hb2iM2ytPL_bsLkInGL4rNjd6Swek9yjadyUyCdrjWNaIfH-RjWU/s320/20171008_233422.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kindergarten checklist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You can download a checklist of every single section by grade (thru sixth) or course at the middle/high school levels. This photo is page one of the three page kindergarten checklist. If you're a paper and pen kind of mama, you might prefer this printout to record your child's progress.<br />
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I can print out the actual lesson question pages when the boys first finish an assignment. I have to have paperwork to submit to the state in my portfolio, or to show the teacher who evaluates them at the end of the year. The reports are handy for my personal reference, but the assignments have to be turned in to show exactly what they're learning. If they score well, at or above grade level, I have them print it right then. The print out sheets are only available while you are still on the page.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWrnp32ZEgh8t-XgN4Iiw8SXpZ6rykixElj8B_28Ba1ZlVElIK5udNoKea-d1OpF-2HfXhFFkwUhEAxBTRQvklMXLnA3OGktuOdDxkndBnuT4GMgd55Gt-4IW7F74mhv6ar6cfCDS69g/s1600/printout+xav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWrnp32ZEgh8t-XgN4Iiw8SXpZ6rykixElj8B_28Ba1ZlVElIK5udNoKea-d1OpF-2HfXhFFkwUhEAxBTRQvklMXLnA3OGktuOdDxkndBnuT4GMgd55Gt-4IW7F74mhv6ar6cfCDS69g/s320/printout+xav.JPG" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">assignment printout</td></tr>
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I had to share so many pictures (which you can click on to see larger), because I just couldn't convey the amazing amount of feedback material available to you as a parent and teacher. But really, the best part of *all* of this, is the lessons. I have never found other math lessons that help the punks nearly as much as CTC. It's virtually painless for us all.<br />
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One of my favorite things about CTCMath is that *you* are in control of placement. You can access the entire website and place your child in a level that is not overwhelming or too easy for them. There's no need to test them, work through sections they already know, or ask administrators to move your child. You *can* have them complete a diagnostic test of each section though, choosing short, standard, or comprehensive tests of 20, 30, or 40 questions, respectively. If they do well, move them up a grade for that section, or viceversa.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZvmG5twUXJ7MtgASvFF7obqV_IJadSOyzmHY56uJMiewzTOtyDAhxEr-hc27qBMG72V3YY6ivxGZGjxfOlSI8PqMF0IZoO4_Ns9QVxwRvh4ymK_PJcj6ZGH72Y7wGImxyViwXZlWOi4/s1600/lesson+5th+gr+decimal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1460" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZvmG5twUXJ7MtgASvFF7obqV_IJadSOyzmHY56uJMiewzTOtyDAhxEr-hc27qBMG72V3YY6ivxGZGjxfOlSI8PqMF0IZoO4_Ns9QVxwRvh4ymK_PJcj6ZGH72Y7wGImxyViwXZlWOi4/s320/lesson+5th+gr+decimal.JPG" width="320" /></a>Through the years, we've tried using CTCMath on various devices with some successes and some failures. This year, we just stuck with the laptops and the three main browsers we had available. I rarely experience any trouble, but when I do I just hit the page refresh. When we go back to the questions, the system has remembered right where they left off.<br />
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Occasionally, a student may need a lesson explained differently than the video shows. If they don't understand the video lesson, there is no teacher's manual or second video option. Mom and Dad will need to come in then and explain it in a different way that maybe is more easily understood by that particular child. Sometimes, math manipulatives can be a helpful addition to the <a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CTCMath</a> program. It's also wise during some lessons to have a scrap of paper handy. One of the punks fought against using paper for figuring at first. When he finally took my advice, he found several sections much easier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIpRS2UC-scdDDA87Zzl9V5fMZsmm0pZLumLOGUsysyqcLfMfhKA4fljJYjHR-8TAbqIvIqTC-xwopbBfvxRZpOJ9GFxYni94v2ETBBecqRL2Fo4LcqBvTU8HAhmF6zgiC7VcLCARtcU/s1600/lesson+speaker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1455" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIpRS2UC-scdDDA87Zzl9V5fMZsmm0pZLumLOGUsysyqcLfMfhKA4fljJYjHR-8TAbqIvIqTC-xwopbBfvxRZpOJ9GFxYni94v2ETBBecqRL2Fo4LcqBvTU8HAhmF6zgiC7VcLCARtcU/s320/lesson+speaker.JPG" width="320" /></a>I love that the boys are getting some independent learning in. Even Merrick needs minimal help. I get him logged in, he watches the short lesson video, and goes to his questions. All of that can be on his own *except* some questions are sometimes not read to him. If there is no little speaker icon, I will read the questions to him. It seems a bit random which questions don't have a speaker, because he will have ten questions to answer and seven of them can be read to him and the rest can't. So, there will be times when Mom or Dad are needed and that's OK.<br />
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I've been so appreciative of this math in our homeschool. So many things have been improved over the years that we've used <a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CTCMath</a>. Tasks were added, additional lessons are being added. It really has just gotten better every year. If you think you might enjoy CTCMath for your family, you can get a <a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/free-trial?d=NCBXRUVL&campaign=CREW23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free trial</a> or purchase the homeschool version (homeschoolers get a discount on the full program!) for <b><a href="https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool?tr_id=CREW23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">60% off + 6 bonus months</a>.</b> The six bonus months offer expires on November 15, 2017<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-79678946726087872072017-10-07T17:57:00.000-04:002017-10-08T17:58:43.592-04:00A Visit to Jay Peak<br />
We all took a little ride up to Jay Peak to do a little leaf peeping. There were a lot of hikers in the pulloffs, but the traffic was very light. I have to admit, I'm partial to the deep, dark red leaves. There is more red in the lower elevations than the peaks right now. I will definitely get a few pictures this week of those. I do also like a tree that is flaming red on top, yellow in the middle, and still green on the lower branches. Makes for a nice balance. This year, peak is a bit late. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtx2gPH8Bqq9hHlDlI1vT3C3GfNYExoV4kFfbT73lC8e03YENYDH7FXEeSCsPNsmZQt7gzkqWWc5noYMwPkHLLhlxsNtKVKWDaGmHBuV-EvlA04aZp8fT-myPnolU0_g754m7Z5vo3YI/s1600/jay+peak+foliage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="1506" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtx2gPH8Bqq9hHlDlI1vT3C3GfNYExoV4kFfbT73lC8e03YENYDH7FXEeSCsPNsmZQt7gzkqWWc5noYMwPkHLLhlxsNtKVKWDaGmHBuV-EvlA04aZp8fT-myPnolU0_g754m7Z5vo3YI/s400/jay+peak+foliage.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is also a tram at one of the hotels on Jay. We got to watch a few loads of people make the trip. We've been up it once before, but we may need to ride up again sometime.<br />
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I never do get tired of the leaves changing in the fall. Every year it's beautiful. Are you somewhere that you can enjoy the changing seasons?<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-23600470370867493772017-10-05T11:58:00.001-04:002017-10-05T12:06:11.706-04:00Channie's Handwriting Workbook ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
<a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Channie’s Visual Handwriting & Math Workbooks</b></a> had actually been on my radar for a long time when this review with the Crew came up. I've been watching them since I first saw them on educents and now that I've tried the <span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-Quick-&-Neat-Alphabet-Pad-for-PreK-1st/p/57951872/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Quick & Neat Alphabet Pad</a></span>, I will be much more likely to pick up the other pads I was considering purchasing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBSEzinhbKS5YkxCL6QvGZ1yvcKJ3AeuPRKWEd_seeCw_OAE1m0UQlcz3WqyUgNz33WKIjTrwh1uKcQp8ETYkTs0qw2G12zofZmNntXN4U2ZLPfiW8SAUIPDmgROSq7p_cCQdeRQZ924/s1600/review+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1203" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBSEzinhbKS5YkxCL6QvGZ1yvcKJ3AeuPRKWEd_seeCw_OAE1m0UQlcz3WqyUgNz33WKIjTrwh1uKcQp8ETYkTs0qw2G12zofZmNntXN4U2ZLPfiW8SAUIPDmgROSq7p_cCQdeRQZ924/s400/review+cover.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chan Bohacheff</span>'s son struggled for several years to learn to form letters correctly, she began to develop the grid used in her handwriting products. Alex showed marked improvement in just a few months and soon, her son's teachers were asking about her technique for their other students. Since then, Channie has created many different pads for handwriting and math for the elementary grades.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fwHeUt9JC5k" width="560"></iframe>
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The Quick & Neat Alphabet Pad (PreK-1st) has 40 double-sided sheets of 11"x8.5" paper. With a paper board back, the pad could be used as it's own flat surface for writing. There are five rows of 1-1/8" writing guides. The pages are of a bit heavier weight and are smooth and easy to write on with pencil or pen. This is important, as there are some notepads we've used that weren't pencil friendly. That just makes my job and theirs more difficult. These sheets from Channie's were just fine. The heavy paper held up against all the erasing Merrick had to do one day when, instead of writing, he chose to scribble his row of letters.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlDzS-8blbkrBtjKNQp7sr382ip_jtZtXcAL17-_ESpzOynW053oVm_AIiU0s0V33IEh4vvbmALC20w2SAlXRwM0lNUB6hoT8wGrVcVxa5U389tszEnW8wy7lALFK_S5LrKYjl_eW0vo/s1600/merrick+before+and+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="1512" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlDzS-8blbkrBtjKNQp7sr382ip_jtZtXcAL17-_ESpzOynW053oVm_AIiU0s0V33IEh4vvbmALC20w2SAlXRwM0lNUB6hoT8wGrVcVxa5U389tszEnW8wy7lALFK_S5LrKYjl_eW0vo/s400/merrick+before+and+after.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merrick's Before and After Channnie's.</td></tr>
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The self-correcting, visual handwriting guide is easy to understand and
even Merrick caught on quickly to the spacing, sizing, and how-to of
writing his letters. There are three vertically stacked boxes, color
coded to show placement of not just letters, but numbers, too. Red
arrows guide your writer through each line and curve of every letter. The unique format of Channie's <span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-Quick-&-Neat-Alphabet-Pad-for-PreK-1st/p/57951872/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Quick & Neat Alphabet Pad</a></span> even shows correct spacing between letters and between words.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaK9b_mE3dEJtDJ7r49CIKsC-vKezNMXmmvjOTv4JgrLv57a1bojZUZDy3d61kbonprQEtbj8Xz4buzuJuBDkDoRzP1yBiECbmlCmjZU5LjVC_S-hvKCtl9f1oIQR5cMQx9Zj13zoXXrQ/s1600/20171005_021501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaK9b_mE3dEJtDJ7r49CIKsC-vKezNMXmmvjOTv4JgrLv57a1bojZUZDy3d61kbonprQEtbj8Xz4buzuJuBDkDoRzP1yBiECbmlCmjZU5LjVC_S-hvKCtl9f1oIQR5cMQx9Zj13zoXXrQ/s400/20171005_021501.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I
taught my bigger punks cursive so they would stop throwing capital letters all
throughout everything they write, but I still want them to be able to
print neatly. When we started using the pad, I had each punk write a sheet of the alphabet as a baseline. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mal can do an amazing job with these handwriting guides. Although, the first time he completed the assignment for me, I realized he still often pushes the pencil away from himself rather than draw it toward himself. Once I had the baseline sheets, I talked them through the use of the sheets and how to follow the instruction shown by the red arrows.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiTeIGV0IjEYds8Qvnx_o_ShxTE4WizQIQlMJXOaqEDirZy5-F_cfN1VP2m9IhsMfnghL1R_1-sjaDYpo9-ISN6LM7CBSbTrCh-1wl7y8Fedq8xwwlthI6n59DVXMoiWsHArPxL531D4/s1600/review+punks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiTeIGV0IjEYds8Qvnx_o_ShxTE4WizQIQlMJXOaqEDirZy5-F_cfN1VP2m9IhsMfnghL1R_1-sjaDYpo9-ISN6LM7CBSbTrCh-1wl7y8Fedq8xwwlthI6n59DVXMoiWsHArPxL531D4/s400/review+punks.JPG" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see that Mal and Xav can write decently in the grid, but their names on the line aren't as well written.</td></tr>
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That's when the real practice began. Merrick would write one row on a sheet each day we used Channie's. He practiced the same letters for a week. For instance, for a week, he wrote a row of A-F, over and over. Then he would write G-L to fill a page, and so on. He has really improved so much. I'm proud of the effort he is putting into having neater writing and he is proud of the progress he is making.<br />
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I was really wishing they had a smaller size writing guide for older kids. The
bigger punks still need a bit of help with spacing and sizing. Then I realized Channie's has a Quick & Neat Writing Pad for 1st-3rd grade. That pad has seven rows of 3/4" practice space per side. There is also a notebook for even older students. The Crew didn't review either of those, but after using the Quick & Neat Alphabet pad, I really think the writing pad or youth notebook would be perfect. Smaller boxes would be a *huge* help for guiding my
bigger littles to write in a more age appropriate size.<br />
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<a href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#!/Channies-Quick-&-Neat-Alphabet-Pad-for-PreK-1st/p/57951872/category=0" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Channie's Quick & Neat Alphabet Pad for PreK - 1st" border="0" height="308" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/03%20-%20Channies%20Visual%20Handwriting/Channies_PreK1st_Cover-01_zpsqiubkvuv.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Other Crew mates reviewed <span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-Quick-&-Neat-Alphabet-Pad-for-PreK-1st/p/57951872/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Quick & Neat Alphabet Pad</a></span> and a few other Channie's products. <br />
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<li><span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-My-First-Letter-for-Pre-K-1st/p/88199641/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My First Letters</a> </span></li>
<li><span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-Easy-Peasy-Alphabet-Workbook/p/76479075/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easy Peasy Alphabet</a> </span></li>
<li><span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-Easy-Peasy-Cursive-Workbook/p/81910630/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easy Peasy Cursive</a> </span></li>
<li><span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"><a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.channies.com/shop/#%21/Channies-One-Page-A-Day-Double-Digit-Math-Problem-Workbook/p/75186886/category=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">One Page a Day: Double Digit Math Problem Workbook</a></span></li>
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-74454383550754050352017-10-04T00:53:00.001-04:002017-10-04T09:19:07.347-04:00Super Teacher Worksheets ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
<a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Super Teacher Worksheets</b></a>' supplemental printables added a nice variety of activities to our school day and enabled me to shake things up a bit for boys who are bored of the same old thing. The <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/become-a-member.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Individual Membership</a>, which is valid for one year of access to the entire website, allows family use of thousands of worksheets, with new ones added weekly. I've used several of the free worksheets available on the Super Teacher website previously. I knew I would be able to find things to enhance learning for all three punks. There is just a little bit of everything to try on this site!<br />
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The section headings include<br />
<ul><a href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" Super Teacher Worksheets" border="0" height="320" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/10%20-%20October/02%20-%20Super%20Teacher%20Worksheets/stw-banner-square_zpsftqq6iqa.png" width="320" /></a>
<li>Math</li>
<li>Reading & Writing</li>
<li>Phonics & Early Literacy</li>
<li>Handwriting</li>
<li>Grammar</li>
<li>Spelling Lists</li>
<li>Chapter Books</li>
<li>Science</li>
<li>Social Studies</li>
<li>Holidays</li>
<li>Puzzles & Brain Teasers</li>
<li>Pre-K & Kindergarten</li>
<li>Teacher's Helpers</li>
<li>and Worksheet Generators</li>
</ul>
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Most of the available content is for Kindergarten to 5th or 6th grade. There are some sheets for older students as well. Many of the lessons cover a grade range rather than one specific grade (i.e., 2nd-4th or 5th-7th)<br />
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I had some fun finding ways to use the Super Teacher worksheets.<br />
<ul>
<li>Anything that fit in with our studies in some area.</li>
<li>Reading comprehension for books we had on hand or had recently read.</li>
<li>Finding activities to accompany songs from Schoolhouse Rock.</li>
<li>Using pages that dovetail with current events.</li>
</ul>
I worked with Merrick on CVC words and the D word wheel. This one was pretty easy for him and he didn't even need help cutting out these circles.<br />
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He also had some fun building sentences for Grandpa. This activity was a little difficult for him, but once he had figured out the bulk of the words, he seemed to really enjoy building sentences. At first, he was serious, but after a while he became quite silly. This one was definitely an enjoyable project. <br />
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Xav was excited to answer some questions I found on the book <i>Bunnicula</i>, which he has read several times. I also printed some assignments for comparing a book with its movie, and a comprehension file for <i>The Boxcar Children</i>.<br />
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We would watch an episode of Schoolhouse Rock, which takes only a few short minutes. After that, the boys would work on a printable which coincides with the song. There are grammar worksheets galore, for various ages. Merrick was excited to complete this fun activity. All through it, he sang, "A noun is a person, place, or thingamabob."<br />
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At the beginning of our time as Super Teacher Worksheets members, I found hurricane printables to help the punks understand exactly what was happening in Texas, then Florida and Puerto Rico.<br />
<ul>
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I used the calendar generator to create something I could use for morning time. I used to have that nearly every day with the bigger littles, but until this year, Merrick has been left out of that sort of thing. The generator offers a few different options. You can have small numbers in the upper right corner of each day's box. I did that, but I remembered after making them for September and October that I need to leave the boxes blank for Merrick to fill in himself each day. The dropdown selector allows for that. You can choose the full word for each day, or the abbreviated name. Weekends can be shaded or not, and you can list US or Canadian holidays, or no holidays. I entered US holidays, but there were a few that were not important to me. It is as simple to delete a marked holiday as it is to enter new content into the calendar. Even though while entering the data, it looked like the top line wouldn't fit, when I printed it I had three full rows of typing available in each square,. Unfortunately, the top and sides of the calendar are right at the edge of the print area and the tip top of the month/year were cut off. That might just be a setting issue, but I never did get to look into it.<br />
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Though I haven't used the Worksheet Generators yet, they look great. I will definitely be diving into those in the near future. The set up is similar to the calendar generator. Using dropdown menus, you answer questions to create the worksheet format, number of questions, and other things. The three types of worksheets are word search, fill in the blanks, and multiple choice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X_HsZzC61L7kvg1FXJYLqKvVltzfjSEZxynn32DN7iCMS9qaWd76ZmI0EZXKnaZXnBF2C8nQBom5CGyHk1NR5i2v7YdAmTQMy2dIK8btPj9QWbnOKQ_QbGCJaw0t9WY_djigKbOFzXw/s1600/review+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1513" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X_HsZzC61L7kvg1FXJYLqKvVltzfjSEZxynn32DN7iCMS9qaWd76ZmI0EZXKnaZXnBF2C8nQBom5CGyHk1NR5i2v7YdAmTQMy2dIK8btPj9QWbnOKQ_QbGCJaw0t9WY_djigKbOFzXw/s400/review+logo.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yIuIBx_6w3Jw5NgUzIl6ED9vmJDsrD-yp7vtnFfY4QaGkcZgpOZjScSxIyqPDwO9Owj-BuwPNWnjunmHbNsR09yhkaox3-Y3eigocCVImHMA8RoxNJJ0CqRzOELUNBK9Usj7CewDPOg/s1600/promethian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="603" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yIuIBx_6w3Jw5NgUzIl6ED9vmJDsrD-yp7vtnFfY4QaGkcZgpOZjScSxIyqPDwO9Owj-BuwPNWnjunmHbNsR09yhkaox3-Y3eigocCVImHMA8RoxNJJ0CqRzOELUNBK9Usj7CewDPOg/s400/promethian.JPG" width="247" /></a>I found a few things I couldn't use or didn't need that may be useful to some homeschoolers, but I'm guessing only public educators would have the required equipment or specific need. A Promethean Whiteboard isn't something you would typically find in a home. I admit to being curious *and* a bit disappointed that I couldn't access those files myself.<br />
<br />
I also found an elementary level gradebook which can be used in Excel
(or OpenOfficeCalc). All you need to do is enter students' names and
grades. The cells are formatted to average everything for you. Pretty
nifty, actually. A similar PDF gradebook is available in the Teaching
Tools section for those who would rather just track grades.<br />
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I have a virtual "file cabinet" on the website which I *really* like. If I find something I think I can use down the road while I'm looking for this week's worksheets, I simply put it in my file cabinet for later. I can also save any worksheets that I generate in the file cabinet. Each worksheet shows a blue bar under the description. That bar has an icon to see the common core connections, a preview of the file, and your file cabinet. Just one click files it away. <br />
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There is so very much available for a low yearly fee, especially if you have elementary children. I was pleasantly surprised (and maybe a bit overwhelmed at first) with the *many* options on Super Teacher Worksheets. I do wish that I could easily search for a specific grade, though. Be sure to take a look at the assignments the rest of The Crew handed out to their children, by clicking the banner below.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-64440514971680668082017-09-27T23:27:00.001-04:002017-09-27T23:27:12.419-04:00Worthy Publishing Secret of the Hidden Scrolls ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
New author M.J. Thomas has written two fantasy adventure novels for children. The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Beginning (Book #1) and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: Race to the Ark (Book #2) were just released by <a class="bbc_link" href="http://worthypublishing.com/product-category/kids/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>WorthyKids/Ideals.</b></a> These are the first books in the series, <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.secretofthehiddenscrolls.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls</a>.<br />
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In <i>The Beginning,</i> we meet nine year old Peter and his sister Mary, who is ten. They, and their dog Hank, have just said goodbye to their parents. They're spending a month with great-uncle Solomon. I am supposed to tell you now that the punks think he looks like Albert Einstein. Uncle Solomon doesn't know much about children, but he has a big, old house full of cool archaeological finds. He also has a locked library and a secret that involves a glowing earn full of sealed scrolls. He can't open them, only the chosen ones can. But a poem tells him there is great adventure for those who follow the lions roar.<br />
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<center>
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In the middle of their first night, the children are awoken by a lion's roar in the hallway! They find that the library door is now open and the hidden scrolls in a secret room. Maybe Uncle Solomon can't open the scrolls, but they accidentally do, and are immediately transported to... Where? They don't know. It's pitch dark and they are floating! Until a voice booms. "Let there be light!" Now brightness fills the... everywhere?<br />
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After another day and night of floating, the voice booms again, and they splash into the water! There's no land in sight! Now what do they do? Well, thankfully, the angel Michael has been dispatched with a little rowboat to rescue them. And that's when he lays out the rules.<br />
<ol>
<li>They have seven days to solve the secret of the scroll or they are stuck "there" forever.</li>
<li>You can't tell anyone you are from the future.</li>
<li>You can't try to change the past.</li>
</ol>
Here's the problem with the scroll. It's written in Hebrew. And they've already been "hanging" around for three days! Well, God creates dry land the next day, and trees and plants (which is *wonderful* because they are sooooo hungry!), then He hangs the lights in the sky, and still they don't know any of the three words on the scroll. Time is getting short.<br />
<br />
The children have adventures with dolphins and a shark, a charging (playful) rhino, a mischievous monkey, the loss of the scroll, and a snake. Thanks to Mary's book smarts, the kids' karate lessons, and a reappearance of Michael, the snake is defeated and the puzzle of the scroll is solved. They're whisked back to Uncle Solomon's house and find that they've only been gone a few moments. He is excited that the children are the chosen ones, then tells them how the story in the garden ends.<br />
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In Book #2, <i>Race to the Ark</i>, we find bored children several days after the first adventure, waiting for the lion to roar again. We don't have to wait too long, but this time Uncle Solomon has quickly packed a bag for them to take. Too bad he didn't send them any food.<span class="bbc_color" style="color: black;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.secretofthehiddenscrolls.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/09%20-%20September/26%20-%20Worthy%20Kids/The%20Secret%20of%20the%20Hidden%20Scrolls%20Race%20to%20the%20Ark_zps97v4mxoa.jpg" width="275" /></a></center>
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They end up in the woods and decide to walk north, using the compass in their bag o' stuff. They find a walled city full of angry people. When they mention God, they find out that the Dark Ruler who lives in the temple in the center of the city doesn't much like for people to talk about God. Jakar and Darfus, two child-thugs with a wolf, try to steal Hank and the bag the children are carrying (which now holds the scroll!). Using Uncle Solomon's hatchet, they are able to get away and God sends a strong wind to blow a gate closed, protecting them. The angel Michael, helps them find a safe place to sleep in their tent, also from the bag. The same three rules apply, but this time, they have to puzzle out SIX words. <br />
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That night, they hear a lot of loud noises and in the morning, their tent is surrounded by hundreds of footprints. They follow them to Noah's ark! Noah and his family all welcome them and the help they offer, and they are happy to feed these children, finally! The children learn that the earth has become covered with darkness and evil, and that God is going to wash it clean.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on
the earth, and that <b>every inclination</b> of the thoughts of the human heart
was <b>only evil all the time</b>.</i><span class="p"> Genesis 6:5 NIV</span></blockquote>
The children can't help but think about how beautiful and perfect Eden had been. As the ark is prepared and God tells Noah the time is near, they help the family load the animals into the ark and care for them. (There's a lot of poo scooping with that many animals.) But wait! The door has been broken by an elephant and Noah needs a new hinge. The children go to the city to get one and are captured by Jakar and Darfus and taken to the temple where the Dark Ruler rewards them and locks the children in his dungeon. He tells Peter he met them before. He had been a snake.<br />
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Michael frees the children, grabs the hinge, and they get to the ark only to have to battle the Dark Ruler and retrieve the scroll before the rain comes. As the water swirls around them, they struggle to figure out the last word in the scroll. As soon as they do, they return to Uncle Solomon's library, where he gets out his red Bible and tells them what happened during and after the flood.<br />
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The prologue in book two gives a brief synopsis of book one, so it can be read as a stand alone story and still be understood what is happening. Each of the books is a paperback, just over 100 pages long. After the stories, there are Bible references so your children can read the actual accounts in the Bible. M.J. Thomas wrote these books for his own son to learn about the Bible in a fun, exciting way. I would say the 6-10 year old range is a good age to enjoy these stories, but I don't know if a six year old could actually read these books.<br />
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The punks had a lot of fun trying to figure out the words in the secret messages. They would get so excited when they guessed right. I am teaching a spy training class at co-op and I bet the kids would enjoy solving puzzles like these.<br />
<br />
I think the stories would be a fun, safe way to explore about the Bible's exciting accounts. I would definitely recommend discussing the factual details against the fantasy aspect of these books. The stories are easy to understand, not scary for the littler listeners, and they get to see good overcome evil again and again.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-509737431920183732017-09-25T21:51:00.000-04:002017-09-25T22:13:02.001-04:00Heirloom Audio Captain Bayley's Heir ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
<a class="bbc_link" href="http://www.heirloomaudio.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Heirloom Audio Productions</b></a> has done it again! I love to say that. Their audio dramas are spectacular and we {bigfatpuffyheart} listening to them all. Again and again. This time, a young, British gentleman travels to America and experiences the gold rush and the old west. In <a class="bbc_link" href="http://www.captainbayleysheir.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Captain Bayley's Heir</a>, Frank is accused of a theft at school. He is about to be publicly expelled and humiliated. Unless he confesses. Well, you know how kids are. Be falsely accused of a crime and decide to go to America to clear your name! <br />
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This installment of The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A.Henty actually has a bit of a slow seeming start, as it isn't until track 8 when Frank finally heads to America. When I say "slow start" I don't mean the beginning is boring, only that it seems somewhat unrelated to the whole traveling to America thing. Only it wasn't unrelated. We have to meet all those important characters in Frank's life and understand their relationships with him and the kind of young man he is. And though the story is about Frank's coming of age in America, we never leave behind his British family and friends as they struggle to understand *why* Frank ran away and just *where* might he be. <br />
<br />
There seemed to be a lot of foreshadowing in this installment. Maybe there always is and I just never noticed it before. I kept thinking, "Ah-ha! I knew it!" It made me feel very smart. Although, I didn't tell the boys certain things, sometimes when we'd pause the CD I'd mention something and ask them why they thought it was included in the story and what they thought it could mean in the future. It was kind of fun to see them thinking through all those hints.<br />
<br />
Of course, in a series of amazing coincidences, we do find out just
*who* is Captain Bayley's heir. This is where there was a bit of that
foreshadowing, because you know all these seemingly unrelated incidents
have to tie into the story in some way. Once you figure it out, you just keep waiting for the players to finally piece it all together.<br />
<br />
All through the audio, Frank would interact with new people and my "stranger danger" alarms would be triggered. Someone had to be the antagonist, right? Thankfully, most of the people he happened across were good people, even some godly people, and were helpful in ways that it seemed they were put together by providence. At one point, Frank receives $200 for something helpful he did. The boys were shocked to know that was nearly a year's pay for the employment he had at that time. Aside from Frank, my favorite characters (and were they ever characters!), were the trio of Abe, Rube, and Dickens. Abe becomes a wonderful good friend to Frank after he and his friends take him under their wings. They teach him all he needs to know about survival in the west, and surviving the trip to get them there! Their colloquialisms had us rolling!<br />
<br />
Mal was very disappointed that they were in the old west, but there were no trains. The timing for that was just a wee bit off, but he quickly decided he could enjoy the amazing adventure even without a steam locomotive!<br />
<br />
There was relatively little death in Captain Bayley's Heir (mostly characters we don't actually know), which was a nice change after In the Reign of Terror! But near the end, someone important is said to be dead and the punks and I were all wracked with grief. I may have felt a flash of anger at Henty at that moment.<br />
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I promise it all turns out alright in the end!<br />
<br />
Brian Blessed, as GA Henty, has become the voice of Heirloom Audio Productions for me. Every time I read one of their Facebook posts, I "hear" it in that voice. The cast, as always, is phenomenal. There are always a few regulars in these Heirloom audio theater productions. Some of the voices, I recognize in each drama. Some actors portray more than one character and they are so incredibly talented, that I never confuse their characters by voice. <br />
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This particular Christian audio focuses very much on God's grace and forgiveness and we are treated to listening a bit to Amazing Grace a couple of times. It is hands down one of my favorite hymns. I always prefer it with bagpipes, but any singable version will do. Now that I've heard it on a solo violin, though, bagpipes might have some serious competition.<br />
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The bonus content for Captain Bayey's Heir includes<br />
<ul>
<li>A study guide</li>
<li><i>Captain Bayley's Heir</i> e-book</li>
<li>A printable cast poster</li>
<li>The official soundtrack</li>
<li>The quote poster, which this time features a line from the hymn "Amazing Grace."</li>
<li>Desktop wallpaper download</li>
<li>Access to the actual script on Live the Adventure Club.</li>
</ul>
The bonus material is part of the new <a href="https://www.livetheadventureclub.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live the Adventure Club</a>
that Heirloom Audio Productions now offers. While there is a fee to
join this community, it includes three physical CDs each year, shipped
to your home, as they are released. The club is much more than that,
though. My Library at the Live the Adventure Club includes access to
all the extras for each CD that I own, either through reviews or
personal purchases. I am also able to purchase access to the remaining
two audio dramas at a discount right through that library, if I decide
to do that. I also have the ability to listen to the Old Time Radio
Vault which houses hundreds of historical radio broadcasts.<br />
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A
Constitution course, a recipe for Hangtown Fry that miners ate (they
had me until oysters!), Kids' activities (coloring pages, crosswords,
and more, all related to the audio dramas), inspiring stories and
devotionals, and an active forum all round out the Live the Adventure
Club content.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend using the study guide as your children are able. There is so
much more to them than just the Listening Well comprehension segment for
each track. Some of the things we accomplished because of the study guide<br />
<ul>
<li>John
Newton and Amazing Grace (Newton was a slave trader for decades, who
many years after becoming a Christian, was greatly grieved by his
prior career.)</li>
<li>Important names from the Gold Rush era (These included John Sutter and Wells & Fargo.)</li>
<li>How the men lived on the gold fields (Miners staked claims and lived in tents or shanties</li>
<li>The
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Interestingly enough, it became federal
law under Vermont's own Chester A Arthur. Something we can all be proud
of. *eyeroll*) </li>
</ul>
Firstly, the study guide has a credits page, a bit about GA Henty for those who are unfamiliar, then the main study guide begins. Generally, we listen through the entire recording over several sittings. This usually happens in the car because the punks focus so much better than they do at home where there are so many distractions. The next time we listen, we employ much of the study guide. Each of the 20 tracks on Captain Bayley's Heir has a page or two spread.<br />
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The first section is <b>Listening Well</b>, which is the comprehension segment. While older kids might have no trouble pausing the CD after each track and answering the questions, we still have a bit of trouble with this. I often give the boys an idea of the topics they should be listening for before we listen to the track, then we pause it and answer the queries. The Listening Well segment, is fact based and is mostly not up to interpretation.<br />
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Next is <b>Thinking Further</b>. Here, some more abstract questions might be asked that require a deeper kind of thinking and making inferences. The <b>Vocabulary</b> includes words like "incorrigible," "oblige," and "affirmation." Normally, I have the punks put at least a couple words in their ongoing, personal dictionaries after looking them up. This time I was much too slacky for vocabulary. Nobody wants summer to end. The randomly placed boxes for <b>Expand Your Learning</b> have some great topics to research or discuss: such as manifest destiny, money in Victorian England, and mining camps There's also a great book list to learn more about Victorian England and the American West.<br />
<br />
Usually, there is a recipe in the
study guide, but there was none in Captain Bayley's Heir. It's just as
well, I guess. None of the punks would eat beans and I have not found a
cornbread recipe I really have liked, though I have eaten good
cornbread. I'm not sure campfire food would be a hit here! *smile* <br />
<br />
You can even read along with the script and complete the Listening Well section online as a graded quiz. <br />
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<br />
God's
Grace was a major theme throughout Captain Bayley's Heir. The first
Bible study in this study guide focused narrowly on the topic of grace.
The second study was about becoming a Christian and the third directs
children to honor their parents. An abundance of verses is at the heart of each study, making it very sound.<br />
<br />
The one thing about
the study guide I do not like, and I say this every time, is that the
pages are not black on white. You will use a considerable amount of ink
if you want to print it, because the pages are a dusty, kind of
brownish color this time. I prefer to have paper in hand, not try to
juggle the computer while pausing and starting the CDs. I might could
try to think up a better way to handle it, but the CD player is in a
different area from our school stuff.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.captainbayleysheir.com/" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Captain Bayley's Heir" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/09%20-%20September/25%20-%20Captain%20Baileys%20Heir/Henty%20Captain%20Bailey%20Approved%20Cvr%202400X2400_zps8zmpmdqj.jpg" width="400" /></a>The two compact disc set runs for about 2 hours and 40 minutes total. The actors, sound effects, and musical score complement each other so perfectly. Captain Bayley's Heir and the other Heirloom Audio Productions audio dramas are a super fun way to get in some history. Malachi recently told a friend that history is his favorite subject. I'm pretty sure that is, at least in part, due to Heirloom Audio Productions and the immersive style of audio dramas.<br />
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Find Heirloom Audio Productions on social media.<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span> <br />
<ul class="bbc_list"></ul>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google+</a><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/HeirloomAudioOfficial" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-19283839236255862442017-09-21T07:56:00.003-04:002017-09-21T07:56:39.742-04:00Let's Go Geography ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
I've always admired kids who participate in "bees" for spelling, Bible, or geography. In grade school, I was a decent speller, but I was not a spelling bee level speller. And Bible or geography? Not a chance! Our world is getting smaller and smaller all the time and geographic literacy is more important than ever. Unfortunately, most young Americans have very little knowledge of the world outside of their very small local area. Many do not even know the United States well.<br />
<br />
That's why a <a href="https://www.letsgogeography.com/find-out-more/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">homeschool geography curriculum</a> like <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.letsgogeography.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Let’s Go Geography</b></a> is such a valuable tool. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCvqHJMrfbccVqFujwK3tM6EEqZZ2mBMiaYqByNr6qi7kewKe39maEviAigTUuJyEYIai_ZGTykY-J7BJvxqrA88rxwF23csxuGVdiHcH-fbFaCwr28mntSptj4bk_St1CnghX2D_nP4/s1600/review.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="761" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCvqHJMrfbccVqFujwK3tM6EEqZZ2mBMiaYqByNr6qi7kewKe39maEviAigTUuJyEYIai_ZGTykY-J7BJvxqrA88rxwF23csxuGVdiHcH-fbFaCwr28mntSptj4bk_St1CnghX2D_nP4/s400/review.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I received a subscription to Year One of Let's Go Geography, created by Carol E. Henderson. It is all online, but it is easy to download the PDFs to save on your computer for use wherever and when ever you like. If you're worried about the space, you can just access the weekly curriculum right from the website by logging in and selecting Account from the navigation bar. From there, you can manage your log in information, payments, and subscriptions. A click on subscriptions takes you to a list of products available for use. In my case, that is the geography passport and the year one membership. The curriculum can be used by one teacher for an entire family or co-op classes.<br />
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This is year
one of a planned three year curriculum for grades K-4th. Each year will cover two US regions and 26 foreign countries, visiting each continent. Obviously, there are more countries than that, but this curriculum will provide an excellent overview of the entire world. This year, at least, the bigger punks are joining Merrick and me. They haven't complained once in five weeks! It's a great jumping off point for the older two (grades 5 and 6).<br />
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Year one can also be purchased in a two semester option. This would work great for a semester of a co-op or year of a co-op that meets every other week. You could even use this option to study geography in the summers. <br />
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With about an hour each week, the lessons consist of the following sections:<br />
<ul>
<li>Are You Ready? ~ This is a sort of cover page with the capital, largest city, language spoken, population, and area in miles. The next page lists all the things you may need to complete the assignments (books to read, a craft, and a travel journal). One nice thing is that the author lists the Dewey Decimal call number for books that would be appropriate for the country or region you are studying. There are definitely books available in other sections, but these will get you off to a very good start. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Map It! ~ There is a link to a map (or maps) to print, instructions for coloring and labeling, and especially learning to read ("Explore") the map. The punks did things like label oceans, identify neighboring countries, and marking capitals.</li>
<li>The Flag ~ Several flags are on a page to print. You will be directed to color (although the flags are actually outlined in color), cut out, and attach the flags either to the included continent's flag page or to the available "passport."</li>
<li>The Music ~ This lists the lyrics of the national anthem and has a link to listen to it on youtube.</li>
<li>Let's Explore ~ Trivia! A few facts about the country or region, photos, and links to videos to "tour" the area. Some links are especially for kids a bit older. You'll find those on these pages, along with a reminder to check the printables section for notebooking pages.</li>
<li>Create ~ Here's the craft! Some kids, especially those in early elementary, live for this section (actually, Xav loved this part, too!). There is also a coloring page of the area (also in the printables section).</li>
<li>and Printables ~ Yippee! The part mom likes. *grin* The notebooking pages, the coloring pages, and the extra flags.</li>
</ul>
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The 36 weeks of lessons include four break weeks: weeks 9, 18, 27, and 36 (which actually doesn't count because the program finishes up on week 35, but if you schedule your school out into 36 weeks, you might need to know that). There are three regional review weeks for North and South America (week 12), Europe and Africa (week 24), and Asia and Oceania (week 34). Week 35 is a<br />
Final Review week which includes games and the end of year project, which is a "memory suitcase."<br />
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We were going to take a look at week 12's review lesson this week, even
though we're actually only on week six, but I have some miserable
sickies right now and so I'll just tell you about it from looking at the
lesson. The sections are the same as the regular lesson, minus the music. First, the map is for North and South America together. A list of the countries that have been taught to that point are on the next page and students are advised to color and/or label each country as best they can from memory.<br />
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Better than that, though, they are now learning about maps. This review section has activities about the compass rose, cardinal directions, and latitude and longitude. There is a flag matching activity for each of the eight countries, some more trivia, and a match the country to a picture. The answers are included for all the questions. The printables section contains a coloring sheet of animals and a notebooking page for each *continent*.<br />
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I really appreciate the weekly email reminder which arrives in my inbox to tell me HEY! Go download your pages, print the maps, and gather your supplies. It doesn't actually say that, but it's a nice reminder, so in the every day hoopla, you don't let the geography go by the wayside.<br />
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The "color the flag" sections are outlined in color. I'd rather they
were black ink only so children can compare the actual flag and figure
out how to color it. Children in this age group are generally capable
of doing that and I don't have a color printer, so that would be a great option. I'd love to see
all the flags for the year on one or two pages with the black line only
or color options. This would make it so easy to print the number of copies needed for each student. Stickers would be a great alternate option, if you have someone who wouldn't want to color more than the maps.<br />
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<a href="https://www.letsgogeography.com/find-out-more/" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Let's Go Geography" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/09%20-%20September/19%20-%20Lets%20Go%20Geography/Lets%20Go%20Geography_zpsuqiawr2i.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
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Merrick is so excited to be doing school more often with the bigger punks this year. He loves having his own pages to do the same things they are doing. He's almost offended when I print him a coloring page and they get a notebooking page! <br />
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Let's Go Geography has been a really fun way to study our world. I'm looking forward to continuing this curriculum with all three punks.<br />
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<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Find Let's Go Geography on social media.</b> </span> <br />
<ul class="bbc_list">
<li><a href="https://business.facebook.com/letsgogeography" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.pinterest.ie/letsgogeography/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> </li>
</ul>
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-73114620741437824482017-09-18T17:45:00.002-04:002017-09-18T17:45:52.904-04:00Barbour Publishing ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
Today, Xavier and I are writing to tell you about <a class="bbc_link" href="http://www.barbourbooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Barbour Publishing</b></a>'s new Imagine Series for the middle grades. We were given Imagine. . .The Great Flood for review. You can read an excerpt from <a class="bbc_link" href="http://www.barbourbooks.com/product/IMAGINE-The-Great-Flood,14756.aspx?Tab=Books&sj=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Imagine. . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich</a> at the Barbour Publishing website if you'd like to get a feel for the story.<br />
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This 112 page paperback takes place at the time of the Flood of the Bible. This chapter book is fiction for ages 8-12. I found that to be an accurate range for readability and content, though there are a few short, intense sections for younger readers.<br />
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Normally, I would read a book like this aloud to all of my punks, but this is how it came down in our house this time. I read the excerpt ("read a chapter," which is linked on the <a href="http://www.barbourbooks.com/product/IMAGINE-The-Great-Flood,14756.aspx?Tab=Books&sj=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">book page</a>), which is actually about 2.5 chapters. I let Xavier (age 10) read the download as well, to gauge his interest. The sample ends just as the book is getting exciting (clever), so he certainly did want to finish reading it. When the book arrived, he took off with it and finished it in about a day. He is turning into a voracious reader. Then I never saw it again until a week ago when I told him I also needed to finish reading it for this review! I then finished it up in an afternoon of several interruptions. All that to say, it is not a long or difficult read, but you may need to help a bit with some names and words.<br />
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The book begins in modern day Texas with Corey, his mom, and their dog Molly. Corey is unhappy about his family's impending move to Florida for his dad's employer. Corey's mom wisely tells him, "... sometimes things change, but God never changes." Shortly after their conversation, Corey falls in the woods and hits his head. He wakes up in Mesopotamia 2400BC. He is quickly joined by Noah's son Shem who immediately welcomes him into his family and the ark, then enlists his help guiding the animals to Noah.<br />
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Shem and Corey are attacked several times by the nephilim (giants) and later also by Elizar, some sort of sorcerer. They even face betrayal! When it begins to rain, all of the local people also want to enter the ark. Obviously, that isn't going to happen! Corey is drowning and the story allows us to think it is Noah pulling him out of the water, but in the end, he is waking up in the forest where he was first injured. We immediately are whisked to Florida three months later, with no further information.<br />
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Corey's adventures help him to see many parallels between his real life and what he was experiencing both during the adventure and after, in his new home in Florida. He learns to rely on God and he often prays in times of trouble, throughout the book. His reliance on God is definitely a main feature in the story.<br />
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I was left wondering what exactly was the point, though. Many questions were left unanswered. Here are a few:<br />
<ul>
<li>Who did Corey see and hear in the woods when he blacked out? He sees a man near Molly and hears someone say, "Open his eyes," and yet, the book takes us, not really back to the woods, but to a beach in Florida three months later.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why did Elizar, the bad guy, want Shem's staff so badly? Shem mentions that as long as he holds the staff the animals will obey him, but that staff is broken. I'm assuming the replacement staff has the same quality, but by this point in the story, it is obvious to *everyone* that the world is going to be completely flooded, just as Noah said. (I'm *pretty* sure Noah and his family did not need a staff to control the animals.)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>*Why* did this whole thing even happen? I get that the story is meant to show Corey relying on God even when it seemed it would do no good. Several times parallels are drawn between his modern situation and the Mesopotamian adventure. I didn't think it really exposed a solid reason for the events Corey experienced.</li>
</ul>
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All in all, it was a decent "kid adventure." I had to reread the Biblical account due to the amount of embellishment, but any time you are sent to read the Bible isn't really a bad thing. I<span class="text Gen-7-11" id="en-KJV-171">n Genesis 7:11, we can read that "...all the fountains of the
great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." So while the nephilim's fight with Noah's family is fictitious, the broken earth with water gushing from it seems to be factual. Elizar was made up, but he mentions his master, presumably Satan, and multiple gods which were certainly a terrible influence on people of that time.</span><br />
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What did Xav think? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It was a good book. It was easy to read. It was about how hard it was for Noah's family to build the ark even though other people made fun of them and wanted to destroy it. I liked it when the giant got bit on the leg by the lions protecting Corey. It was exciting when Corey went down the rapid river. I think the giants died on the river bank when they tried to catch him. I think Corey got sent back to the flood time so he would think about moving and that other people sometimes have to move, too. But Noah's family relied on God.</i></blockquote>
I'm not exactly in agreement with all of his points, but I can understand where he picked them up.<br />
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About the Author<br />
Matt Koceich is a public educator, living with his family in Texas.<br />
<br />
<a class="bbc_link" href="http://www.barbourbooks.com/product/IMAGINE-The-Great-Flood,14756.aspx?Tab=Books&sj=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Imagine. . .The Great Flood</a> is not as much Biblical fiction as fiction that just happens to be set at a Biblical event. And, yes, there is a fine line between the two. *smile* If that detail is "no big whoop" to you and you are looking for some clean, wholesome reading, there are more books planned for the Imagine Series. The second release in this Bible adventure series for kids, <a href="http://www.barbourbooks.com/product/Imagine-The-Ten-Plagues,14894.aspx?Tab=Books" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Imagine...The Ten Plagues</i></a>, will be available in March 2018.<br />
<br />
<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Find Barbour Publishing on social media.</b> </span> <br />
<ul class="bbc_list">
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarbourPublishing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/barbourbuzz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BarbourPublishing1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> </li>
</ul>
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-6423453426751424702017-09-18T12:19:00.000-04:002017-09-19T12:20:58.385-04:00Steamtown Part 1 ~ Field Trip Friday {AKA V is for Vacation}<br />
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A couple of weeks ago (or way more now!), I told you about the trip we took to <a href="https://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2017/07/animal-adventure-park-field-trip-friday.html" target="_blank">Animal Adventure Park</a> in Harpursville, NY. While we really enjoyed seeing April the Giraffe, Oliver, and Tajiri, and the other animals, the main vacation destination was <a href="https://www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm" target="_blank">Steamtown</a> in Scranton, PA. I may have mentioned a time or two that the punks [warning: understatement ahead] like trains. Dad planned the whole trip as a surprise. And happily, Xav is a fourth grader and Steamtown is managed by the National Park Service. That means we all received FREE admission through the <a href="https://everykidinapark.gov/" target="_blank">Every Kid in a Park</a> program. Truthfully, admission isn't that high anyway. The entrance fee was, surprisingly, only $7 per person for ages 16+. Extra charges applied only to the Scranton Limited train ride which was $5 each, ages 6+.<br />
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Today, I'm just sharing the basics for this destination. There was FAR too much to cover in one post.<br />
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First, we drove to Scranton on the 4th of July. It was not as terrible as you might imagine and that was probably due to the fact it was a Tuesday. We stayed at a hotel with a pool and that is basically enough to keep the boys happy. HOWEVER, we were able to see multiple firework shows throughout the town from both the pool and our room.<br />
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The punks didn't actually know in advance where we would be going. We told them before bed that night and, let's just say the response left a lot to be desired. They were so "meh" about the whole thing. All I did was hope they would be way more excited when they actually got it. Merrick also got a little surprise that night. He got a cute little indoor tent in which to spend the night. Three boys in a queen size bed is a no go. Two in the same bed leads to plenty of kicking, pushing, and growling until sleep is finally reached. <br />
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In the morning, we had breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts just down the road, then we headed straight to Steamtown. I wish I had a video of the punks' reactions! My preteen boys, literally, squee-ed when they got the first glimpse in the parking lot. "It's the Big Boy, the Union Pacific Big Boy!" Sadly, I thought the Big Boy was in pretty rough shape. The boys thought it was the most incredible thing they'd ever seen. Maybe it was... so far!<br />
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We didn't stay outside for long, though. We had a train to catch! Xav got his official "every kid in a park" card, we paid for our train tickets and headed inside. We didn't have long to wait for our train ride and since that was almost the first thing we did there, I'm including it here. Everything else we did will be in next week's Steamtown Part 2 post.<br />
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First, let me tell you, I was *shocked* to learn that, until the 1980s, Steamtown was located in Vermont! Then the funniest thing happened. Our guide turned out to be from Vermont and, until a few years ago, worked for the same company Daddy did. Small world.<br />
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This is what happens when you wait too long to write up your post, you forget details. I could research these details, but since I'm not finding them quickly, I'm just going to have to let them go. *tries not to sing* You can thank me later. Anyway, we learned about the family who ran the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. This was one of the earliest rail lines in northeastern Pennsylvania.<br />
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This Ramada Inn used to be the Train Station. We didn't go inside, but did see some pictures online. The family certainly believed in doing things up lavish-like.<br />
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We need a Part 2 post because I took so many pictures of our day, it wasn't even funny, but I knew I'd need them for the Train class at our co-op. *justifies*<br />
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Homeschool <a href="http://theanimaladventurepark.com/schools-groups/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Discount</a> -Discount for 4th graders and their families, but not for homeschoolers specifically. Reasonably priced, either way.<br />
Educational - History, Science, Technology, Art, Math (in the gift shop!)<br />
Family Oriented - Yes.<br />
Duration of Visit - 6 hours+.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-90095317226445950142017-09-15T12:28:00.000-04:002017-09-20T12:28:42.320-04:00Autumn Fun at the Apple Orchard ~ Field Trip Friday<br />
We had a rainy Field Trip Friday to the apple orchard. And I left my umbrellas in the car, even though it had already sprinkled on the way there. sigh...<br />
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I also left Malachi in the car. It was easier than dealing with his grumping about the sprinkles and he's old enough to read a book and vegetate in the dry, warm vehicle. When I got back to the car and placed the apples in the back, he had turned the heat up and it was nice and toasty. It's only September, so it will be a while before he will relent and start wearing warm clothes.<br />
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We all got together for a group photo. We *may* have been running late because a sign told us the road ahead was closed, but when we took the detour, we realized the road *south* of where we needed to be and we would have been fine had we just kept going. sigh... Yes. It was one of those sigh filled mornings.<br />
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Next we hopped on a wooden wagon and headed off to the orchard. The pickers are men from Jamaica who have been coming to the orchard for 25 years now! On the way to the lovely red beauties, we learned a bit of apple trivia.<br />
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I will post the answers to these questions at the end of this post.<br />
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1. Why can't you bob for pears like we do for apples in the fall?<br />
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2. Which countries produce the most apples?<br />
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3. What is the only apple native to this country?<br />
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4. How many apple varieties have been here in the USA?<br />
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Think it over and see how well you know the answers.<br />
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The punks *loved* the apple train where the pickers would unload their precious cargo. The bags they carry have a fabric bottom that can be released, lowering the apples gently into the carts. No dumping happens here. We wouldn't want bruised apples in the store! They also thought the shape of the ladder was interesting. It's very narrow at the top.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happy apple pickers.</td></tr>
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We didn't let the sprinkles stop us from enjoying the orchard, but our seats were wet when we climbed back aboard the wagon. A few clever souls remembered umbrellas and rain ponchos. But we are hearty, hear us roar. Also, I don't think Mrs. E and Mrs. C are properly using this *plastic* poncho. Kids, don't try this at home!<br />
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At the store, we shopped for a few yummy items and Merrick and his friend got to pet the chicks. Then we said goodbyes and headed home. If it hadn't been raining, there were donkeys to pet and a picnic planned, but why stir the pot when it had been a very fine day? <br />
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I hope you get out this fall and enjoy apple picking, pumpkin harvesting, or even a fun corn maze!<br />
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Now, like I promised, here are the answers to the trivia questions.<br />
1. Apples are as much as 25% air, which allows them to float. There is almost no air in pears, so they would sink. (I actually have not tested this, but I think it would be a fun experiment to do with your kids.)<br />
2. We were told the largest apple producers (in order) are China, USA, Turkey, Poland, and Italy. A quick internet search suggests that India may have bumped Italy from fifth place.<br />
3. Crabapples are the only apples native to North America. Other types were brought from Europe in the 1700s.<br />
4. At one time, there were over 16,000 (that's THOUSANDS) varieties of apple in the US. There are now only 7,000 varieties here.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-186310850947913572017-09-12T22:54:00.000-04:002017-09-12T22:54:19.063-04:00Progeny Press, The Silver Chair ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
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<a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Progeny Press</b></a> is a company which produces quality literature study guides written from a Christian perspective. The Gilleland family homeschools and operates Progeny Press. Some guides are written by the Gillelands and some by others. Each unit study is peer reviewed by pastors and teachers before release. <br />
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My punks are getting older, and the literature they read should also be aging with them. We enjoy the Narnia series and were happy to read one book of C.S. Lewis' famous saga for this unit. <a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/silver-chair-e-guide/" target="_blank">The Silver Chair E-Guide</a> (Grades 5-7) by Carol Clark, is an interactive guide, as are all the electronic titles in grades 4-12. This means that the 52 page file can be opened in Adobe Acrobat or other PDF reader and filled out on the computer. The student can then use the Save As feature to save the e-guide with their work in the document. A parent or teacher then can use the included answer key to check the students answers. Many of the answers are in a short essay style and could not be automatically graded, regardless.<br />
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It was simple to download the interactive e-guide and answer key. A copy of <i>The Silver Chair</i> by C.S. Lewis is required to complete the e-guide. You can <a href="http://stores.progenypress.com/silver-chair-book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">order a copy</a> of the book from Progeny Press or elsewhere, check the library, or look on your shelf at home. I have learned the hard way to check my bookshelf first! Though you may want to save the money by borrowing from the library, due to the time commitment it would make more sense to borrow from a friend or purchase a copy. You'll also need a Bible, a dictionary, and a thesaurus.<br />
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The Silver Chair Study Guide is available as the instant interactive e-guide, on CD, and as a printed workbook. Each version has different aspects that you might want to consider before making your purchase. The e-guide provides instant access and is reproducible within a family or classroom. It cannot be resold like a book, nor can it be returned for refund. I really appreciate the instant access of the e-guide and that I can use this again when Merrick is older.<br />
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The length of time required to complete a Progeny Press Study Guide is approximately two months or more. The earlier grades do take less time than the upper grades, though. In The Silver Chair E-Guide, you cover two to four chapters at a time. If you are new to Progeny Press, I do suggest you read over the short Note to Instructor. It's only a page or so, and will give you a rough outline of how the guide is intended to be used and how to use them for high school credits, as well as a bit of other information about usage.<br />
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The first few pages also include a brief synopsis of the book and an author biography. Prereading Activities are suggested for the first week. In this particular middle school level e-guide, reading <i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> is recommended as one of the main characters in <i>The Silver Chair</i> happens to have already visited Narnia in that installment. Other ideas include learning about caves and researching "allusion" and related places/things from the novel.<br />
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Then the lit guide really begins with five pages covering chapters 1-2, with "Vocabulary" written in context, "Questions" about the actual text of the story (#5 List the four things Jill is to remember.), "Thinking about the Story" (foreshadowing, simile, etc), "Dig Deeper" (which requires a bit more thought to answer and also brings in Bible ties), and two Optional Activities. Each week is similar, sometimes requiring Bible readings, dictionary searches, or suggesting discussion or writing topics.<br />
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The e-guide ends with some after reading activities which include writing, drawing, and designing activities. This is followed by a list of related book titles. Some are other of C.S. Lewis books and others are just books that readers of <i>The Silver Chair</i> might enjoy. Several of the books in the list also have corresponding guides available from Progeny Press.<br />
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The nine page answer key arrives as a separate file. It is just the answers. While some of the answers can only be right or wrong, some of the answers are a bit more essay style and will be up to a bit of interpretation. To grade the subjective answers, a parent or teacher would be required to also be familiar with the book. I always enjoy these questions with Xavier. He (ALWAYS) has a lot to say, but it's nice to chat with him about how he felt about an event that happened or how a person behaved, rather than Lego or Minecraft!<br />
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We did not use <a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/silver-chair-e-guide/" target="_blank">The Silver Chair E-Guide</a> every day. It was summer after all, and though we school year round, the punks definitely deserve some short days or even days off in this very abbreviated Vermont season. We do sometimes do more than one page in a day, though, so having finished reading chapter nine and completed the corresponding section of the guide, we are more than half way through the study guide in about 6 weeks. We discuss different parts of the book as well as completing the work in the guide, but we don't really do much with the Optional Activities section. The activities look great and I'd love to do them, but the punks are on the low end of the range for this e-guide and I opted to keep us moving through the book (which keeps them attentive) rather than have them spend a considerable amount of time on the extra things. You know your family best and I'm sure many fifth graders would enjoy that part. I know *I* would have, once upon a time.<br />
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I read the book out loud, completing the chapters for the section before we started the Q&A parts. Many of the questions, we answered orally as we sat together. Sometimes, this works great for us and other times, Xavier monopolizes the question and answer session and I have to be very intentional about giving Malachi the opportunity to give his answers. He tends to automatically answer, "I don't know," without giving it any real thought, while Xav is chomping at the bit to respond. I have to back one up and just sit and wait while the other thinks it through. Do you have that one kiddo who just wants to answer everything like it's a race? Having them write answers is more time consuming, but often gives my "reluctant to answer" child a chance to shine.<br />
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Another thing we do a bit differently with the literature study e-guides from <a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Progeny Press</b></a> is *not* using them on the computer. With two of them working on the computer, it would take forever as they are not good typists yet. But Mal has a real issue with writing spaces and oversized letters. Last time I reviewed a Progeny Press study guide (<a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2016/06/progeny-press-tos-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Sword in the Tree</i></a>), I realized I could add lines in the editable section of the file. Then I save it that way and now when I print the pages, lines are already there for him to write on and guide him to consistently size his letters.<br />
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We're enjoying <i>The Silver Chair</i> and the Study Guide for Literature. The punks are improving thinking, vocabulary, and writing skills. I was surprised how attentive they are becoming as they get older. As soon as I mentioned that the woman with the knight wore a green dress, Xav shouted, "Wait a minute, a green dress?" and the wheels were turning.<br />
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Others in The Crew are also reviewing <a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/silver-chair-e-guide/" target="_blank">The Silver Chair E-Guide</a> as well as several other <a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Progeny Press</b></a> literature study guides. Click the banner below to see what they thought about these guides.<br />
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<li><a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/bears-on-hemlock-mountain-the-e-guide/" target="_blank">The Bears on Hemlock Mountain E-Guide</a> (Grades 1-3)</li>
<li><a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/charlottes-web-e-guide/" target="_blank">Charlotte’s Web E-Guide</a> (Grades 4-6)</li>
<li><a class="bbc_link" href="http://stores.progenypress.com/macbeth-e-guide/" target="_blank">Macbeth E-Guide</a> (Grades 9-12)</li>
</ul>
I previously reviewed an upper elementary e-guide written for <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2016/06/progeny-press-tos-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Sword in the Tree</i></a> by Clyde Robert Bulla. While the guides are very similar, there is a marked difference in the reading and comprehension level required for the middle school level e-guide and book, <i>The Silver Chair</i>.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049554905587876964.post-70367549203136867682017-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:002017-09-12T08:00:36.903-04:00Carole P. Roman, Author ~ A Homeschool Crew Review<br />
It's fun when a vendor I enjoyed comes back to The Crew another time. <a class="bbc_link" href="http://caroleproman.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Carole P. Roman</b></a><br />
is one of those well loved authors in this house and the punks were happy to read more of her <i>If You Were Me and Lived In...</i> Historical series. They received two surprise books as well and one of them has also been added to the "well loved" bookshelf.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1H24iKvnLQNHbbivVWEqqr1fcoMFX-XQ1L5UxhgAu6HRP2kIdWLE2NTv-gUjzm1_WD0V5giIcpfJZzp40BkWpun1VLii82gAOoe4PgH9l59ReBwbOfESjAIU8gKbaT9w0unnbumts_4/s1600/review+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="779" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1H24iKvnLQNHbbivVWEqqr1fcoMFX-XQ1L5UxhgAu6HRP2kIdWLE2NTv-gUjzm1_WD0V5giIcpfJZzp40BkWpun1VLii82gAOoe4PgH9l59ReBwbOfESjAIU8gKbaT9w0unnbumts_4/s320/review+logo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The four paperback books we received are:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Susannah-Its-Bag-Story/dp/1947118196/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504584370&sr=1-1&keywords=oh+susannah+it%27s+in+the+bag" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Can-Princess-Firefighter-Carole-Roman/dp/1530361842/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504584335&sr=1-1&keywords=can+a+princess+be+a+firefighter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Can a Princess Be a Firefighter?</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Were-Lived-Elizabethan-England-Civilizations-ebook/dp/B01DLE0X0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504584132&sr=8-1&keywords=if+you+were+me+and+lived+in+elizabethan+england" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Were-Lived-Viking-Europe-Civilizations-ebook/dp/B01LNXP2H8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1504584277&sr=1-1&keywords=if+you+were+me+and+lived+in+viking+europe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>If You Were Me and Lived in... Viking Europe</i></a></li>
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<i>Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag</i><br />
7-12 years old, 34 pages, illustrated by Mateya Arkova.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=carole+p+roman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Books by Carole P Roman" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/09%20-%20September/12%20-%20Carol%20P%20Roman/Oh%20Susannah%20cover%20Jpg_zps5vx1cw4k.jpg" width="261" /></a></center>
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Poor Susannah has an awful day. It starts with *oatmeal* for breakfast and ends with a terrible nightmare about a giant, stinky backpack. When Susannah's parents comfort her and give her practical help getting through all that *stuff,* she finds out that taking care of the small things when they are small saves us from a stressful mess later.<br />
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The punks really enjoyed this story. I read it aloud, even though it's a very short book (a nice change of pace for a read aloud). I felt so bad for Susannah, as I read about her day, especially her interactions with her parents. I self-consciously worried that the boys were comparing our sometimes busy days to Susannah's. Just when I was feeling terribly guilty, one of the punks mentioned how lucky he was that our family isn't like that. *whews*<br />
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Don't worry. They work it all out in the end. And there is a sequel. Xav was very disappointed that the book ended in somewhat of a cliffhanger. "That," she explained to her mother with a sleepy yawn, "is another story." I guess I'll be getting part two, <i>Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump</i>, soon.<br />
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Winner of:<br />
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NABE Pinnacle Award 2017 - Best Book in the category of Children's Chapter Book</div>
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2017 Reader's Favorite Children's 4th-6th Grade Bronze</div>
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<i>Can a Princess Be a Firefighter?</i><br />
5-8 years old, 36 pages, illustrated by Mateya Arkova.<br />
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I didn't expect much interest in this very girly tale, what with a houseful of punks. Mal picked it up, after I placed it strategically on top of a book pile. He glanced through it. Xav asked where it came from. Then they said, "Please finish reading <i>It's in the Bag.</i>"<br />
Winner of:<br />
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Back to Homeschool Resource Award winner<br />
2017 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorites - Children's Inspirational<br />
2017 International Book Awards Finalist - Children's Picture Book: Hardcover Fiction<br />
2017 Gold Medal Reader's Favorite Children Concept <b><i></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Now, a few things about the <i>If You Were Me and Lived in... </i>series. The illustrations are by various artists throughout the series. We really get a lot out of the books. The books answer pretty much every question you might have about each time period: how families lived, what people wore, what they ate, and how they made a living. Each book has a sort of main character, who is a young boy or girl. Unfamiliar words are shown somewhat phonetically. "Your name might have been Knut (Kah-noot) or Ulf (Ul-uff) if you were a boy, and Sigrid (Seeg-freed) or Hilde (Hill-da) if you were a girl." The book after that is specifically about this boy or girl and their family.<br />
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This series is suggested for ages 8-15. I don't think that children much over 12 will really get a lot out of them, if the time or place is at all familiar to them. The writing is large and covers, at most, 1/2 of a two page spread. These are *great* books for the younger end of the range, though, and are packed with a ton of topics.<br />
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<i>If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England</i><br />
8-15 years old, 50 pages, illustrated by Paula Tabor.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=carole+p+roman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Books by Carole P Roman" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/09%20-%20September/12%20-%20Carol%20P%20Roman/616J0F2P6L._SY498_BO1204203200__zpsn2gjpkn5.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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I was really excited to receive this edition of the <i>If You Were Me...</i> series. We attend a renaissance faire every summer and I share a birthday with Good Queen Bess. Not the same year, obviously! Suffice it to say, this specific book was high on my list last year as well as this year.<br />
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In this installment of the <i>If You Were Me and Lived In...</i> series, we meet the child of a busy baker. You learn how she lives in the city, how her grandmama lives in the country, and how the wealthy sometimes built their houses into an E shape in the queen's honor. She attend a St. Bartholomew's Fair (which really reminds me of the Sterling festival), you learn about the currency of Elizabethan England, and there's a certain scandal about her brother! Shakespeare's Globe Theater gets a brief mention as does the changeability of religious denomination, depending on the current ruler of England's beliefs.<br />
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At the end of the book there is a brief biography of eight important people of the time, including Francis Bacon, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh. It finishes with a glossary with over six pages of important people, events, places, and items of import mentioned in the book and pertaining to the Elizabethan Era of 1588-1603.<br />
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Winner of:<br />
Back to Homeschool Resource Award winner
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<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/2016-homeschool-review-crew-blue-ribbon-awards/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2016 Homeschool Review Crew</a> Blue Ribbon Awards - Favorite History Supplement<br />
Shelf Unbound 2016 Contest winner for Best Series<br />
2016 Foreword INDIES Finalist<br />
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<i>If You Were Me and Lived in... Viking Europe</i> <br />
8-15 years old, 76 pages, illustrated by Mateya Arkova<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=carole+p+roman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Books by Carole P Roman" border="0" height="400" src="https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2017%20Homeschool%20Review%20Crew/09%20-%20September/12%20-%20Carol%20P%20Roman/If%20you%20were%20me%20and%20lived%20in%20Viking%20Europe_zpszmg1hbx8.jpg" width="400" /></a></center>
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You've heard of vikings having a surname after their father (Ericson - son of Eric), apparently, daughters were also similarly named (Ericdottir - daughter of Eric). I had no idea. In this book, Carole talks about the travels of Vikings, to start new settlements, to trade with other civilizations, and to conquer new areas. There are three classes in Viking Europe, you'd really not want to be a thrall. The boy in this book can't wait to be old enough to go on an adventure on the seas upon his father's ship.<br />
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The foods were *very* different from anything I am used to eating, especially the meats. Men and boys hunted and fished, and girls gathered and grew some food. Then the women would put up the food for the very long winter. Looms and spinning wheels were an important part of every household. Older boys were fostered out to other families to create bonds with allies. Girls married in their teens, and though they had no say in the matter, it seems they could divorce their husbands if he was abusive. Six of the Norse gods are mentioned, and a grandmother who makes potions and casts spells. It's all very matter of fact and limited to a few sentences, so didn't bother me, but I did want to give a heads up about it.<br />
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The book finishes up with a bit about eight important Viking men and women, followed by the nearly seven page glossary. <br />
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<br />
Winner of:<br />
2016 Homeschool Review Crew Blue Ribbon Awards - Favorite History Supplement<br />
Back to Homeschool Resource Award winner<br />
Shelf Unbound 2016 Contest winner for Best Series<br />
NABE Fall 2016 Pinnacle Book Achievement Best Books in the Category of Writing Winner<br />
2016 Foreword INDIES Finalist<br />
2017 Reader's Favorite Silver Medal Nonfiction Historical<br />
<br />
I <a href="http://insaneinthemombrain-zekesmom10.blogspot.com/2016/10/if-you-were-me-and-lived-in-history.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">previously reviewed</a> <i>If You Were Me and Lived in Ancient Greece</i> and three other If You Were Me... books.<br />
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A nice bonus for these books is included on <a href="http://caroleproman.blogspot.com/p/printables-worksheets-and-resources.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carole's blog</a>. Some of the books in this series have a set of questions for discussion
and even writing prompts for deeper thinking. I found these very
helpful on the second read through of the books. I don't consider them worksheets, per se, but you could use them in that way, if you wanted to. I LOVE this book series. I think it is a fun way to pack a lot of
information into a small package and could be used for a jumping off
point for many, many rabbit trails for curious learners.<br />
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Carole P. Roman has authored more than 35 children's books and series. Carole's books have, collectively, won over 100 awards. She started writing on a dare and began the <i>Captain No Beard</i> series, in which the captain and his crew learn to navigate relationship issues like patience and bullying. <br />
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You can find Carole P. Roman on social media.<i><b> </b></i><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarolePRomanAwardWinningAuthorAndBooks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/caroleproman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5854108.Carole_P_Roman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Good Reads</a> <br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/caroleproman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <br />
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The rest of the Crew read some of Carole's other books. You can check them out through the banner below.<br />
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<br />zekesmom10http://www.blogger.com/profile/18306663360882200853noreply@blogger.com0