Summer Has Officially Begun

It always seems like the busiest week we have every year is the first week after public school gets out.  Summer is starting and there are summer things to do.  This year was no exception.  It rained a lot this week.  Probably at least a bit every. single. day.  sigh...

Public school didn't officially end until noon time on Tuesday this week, I'm guessing because of snow days.  Because of this, Xav did not have PE on Tuesday like usual.  Instead, he was invited to participate in field day with the whole school.  He was even given a mascot T-shirt in school colors, just like everyone else.

Monday night is also the night our first VBS of the summer began.  Yep, the first VBS is in the evening.  There are lessons for ages 2-adult.  So, while I was sorely tempted to nap in the car every night (because exhaustion), I stayed for Bible study.  Some other Friday School families were present, too, so it was nice to visit in our off time.  I also met a few other very sweet ladies.  The theme was Over the Moat: Drawbridge to the King and the study was about King David. 

Since school was in session for two days, gymnastics camp was only three mornings.  The charge this year was higher, the time and number of days shorter, but I still felt it was reasonable.  Honestly, the first time it was $10/kid/session (NOT *day*) and I thought that was crazy cheap, so I'm not complaining.  I do wish it had been all week though.  Xav and Merrick absolutely love it!  Mal chose not to participate this year again.  He didn't change his mind mid-way through, like he did last year.  When it didn't rain, Xav, Mal, and I walked and went to the playground while Merrick was in his lesson.  When it was Xav's turn, I took Merrick and Mal home because his session was longer than Merrick's.

Wednesday or Thursday afternoon (because we're kind of kooky), we went to a resort where we have a Daycation pass.  We spent a few hours getting familiar with the layout and at one of the pool areas.  Caught a shuttle bus, which Merrick and Mal thought was amazing.  We'll be going up again this week and probably head to one of the other pool areas, since they are all different.  We don't just have access to the pools.  There is hiking, a game zone, and a ton of events we can participate in, oh, and lagoons.  Because we want to be sure to get our money's worth out of this pass, I want to get up there fairly often.  I've told the punks we are switching to school in the morning.  It won't be easy for any of us, as we're all creatures of habit, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

So, that wasn't nearly enough to do and we didn't need any rest on Saturday.  So, our week finished out with a VBS closing carnival (and banana splits) on Saturday and the rain stayed away the entire time.  I picked up Greek food from the lady at the Farmer's Market for lunch.  Then we headed to a new (2nd year) Renn Faire.  We didn't stay long.  Then it was off to our favorite cider mill for our first visit of the year.  No, they weren't pressing, since it's summer, but they have samples and we bought cider and cider donuts.  Outside we were surprised by the most adorable little bunny litter.  I saw seven babies around the picnic tables and gazebo.  The most intriguing part was their appearance.  They didn't look like wild rabbits.  There were two albinos and five in various shades of tan or brown.  I have *never* seen wild rabbits like that.  I have myself convinced they were from an escaped pet.

This young lady worked a while to get close enough to pet this cutie.  She said it was the highlight of her whole day.

Things We Do For PE in Our Homeschool - Hiking

First, there's hiking and then there's *hiking*.  I prefer the former, though the boys often do the latter.  Usually with Dad.  Natch.

Now that Xav is attending PE classes at the public school, we go for a walk together after we pick him up.  Sometimes, that is on a nice, open trail.  These pictures are from our journey a week ago.

Xav found some milkweed, which after getting the fluff all over us (not to be removed until we returned home and got a lint roller out), we decided to save the seeds and find a spot in our yard to grow milkweed.  We hope to see some monarchs.  Xav also picked a tasty corn dog.  Or cattail. 

It was a nice fall day, not too hot, not cold.  We explored the trail, dropped a stick in a stream and ran across the bridge to see it come out the other side.

Definitely a good day.  I'm hoping for a few more days like it before winter settles in for six whole months.

Enlivenze TOS Review

 Shake.Stir.Solve.

I am a puzzle fan.  I admit it.  I love puzzlers.  Sadly, I am not great at some of the trickier ones, but give me a few minutes of peace and quiet and I'd either choose to read or do something puzzling.  Enlivenze LLC has really unique puzzles.  My family received the Tyrannosaurus Rex FlipStir Puzzle.

FlipStir Puzzles are completely different from any I've ever seen before.  It is basically a ten piece jigsaw puzzle.  That sounds deceptively simple.  Don't be fooled!  The puzzle comes sealed in a jar with only a special stir stick to manipulate the pieces.  Because the pieces can't be removed, they travel very well.  These puzzles are perfect for in the car, camping, or while waiting for your brother at Tae Kwon Do.

The plastic jar holds the ten 3D puzzle pieces and the wand comes in through a hole in the lid.  You use only the wand, gravity, smarts, and coordination to maneuver each segment of the puzzle into place.  With the sealed jar, you can never lose any of the pieces.  There is very little wiggle room inside the jar.  The pieces are "slices" of a half cylinder.  You must turn them this way and that to not only get them all facing the right direction, but also in the right order.

FlipStir Puzzles are challenging, but doable.  I've completed our puzzle multiple times now.  It usually takes me just under five minutes.  It can take much longer for others and I've seen several people admit defeat and give up.  Unless you're very young or have muscle control issues, I'd say anyone who perseveres *will* complete it.

I've learned a few puzzling tricks which help me complete it so quickly.

1. The Shelf - As I get nearer to the end and it is difficult to manipulate the last few pieces, I will set a couple of slices on the "shelf" made by the completed segments.  Usually, I put slices 7 and 8 up on 1-6 while I maneuver 9 and 10 at the top of the jar.  Then I slide the last couple pieces in between.  Sometimes, I put 9 and 10 on the shelf and complete it all in order.
2. All In a Row - I've also tried just getting them all going in the right direction and *then* rearranged them into the right order.

The latter is definitely the more difficult of the two.

The puzzles come in several designs and levels.  Our Tyrannosaurus is a level one.  This means that the pieces have a straight edge on the side they stack.  Level two puzzles have a wavy edge, making some of the manipulation a bit more challenging.  Both levels are intended for ages 7 and up.  They are made right here in the USA.

Some of the other Crew reviewers have puzzled over the Statue of Liberty, Rainbow Pencils, and the Solar System.  Be sure to click the green box at the bottom of this post to see some of the other puzzles in action.  They would make great gifts.  I have my eye on the Periodic Table of Elements.  Maybe for my birthday.  *hint*

This is the most fun puzzle I've seen in a long time.  I like that it doesn't take me that long to complete.  The designs are varied and interesting.  Enlivenze's customer service was fantastic.  They were very quick to respond and super helpful.


You can find FlipStir and Enlivenze LLC on social media.

FlipStir Accounts
Facebook
Twitter

Enlivenze LLC Accounts
Facebook
Twitter

Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids TOS Review

¿Hablas español?  We are learning Spanish right now with the award winning Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids Spanish Starter Set 1.  This is an immersion method of learning Spanish.  Videos are taught completely in Spanish by a fun, lively family of three boys, Eli, Andy, and Parker.

This 20 week curriculum includes a DVD, the student books, the corresponding Guide for Teachers and Parents, label stickers, and cards for the first three lessons.

• Basketballs Aren't for Breakfast
• The Little Magic House
• The Little Magic House Part 2
• and Go Squish game instructions for use with the cards.

There is a flight theme throughout the homeschool Spanish curriculum.  The student books are in-flight magazines to read as we fly off to a country in South or Central America. The lesson is introduced as we prepare to take off in our plane.  It's super cute, but I do want to mention the whine of the jet engine in the background plays havoc with my tinnitus, so I don't actually watch those segments.

The lessons follow the boys through a morning beginning with a hearty desayuno (breakfast).  You are introduced to the children as they come to the kitchen.  It's important to keep track of the boys' names as the workbook exercises will sometimes ask specifically what one or another of the boys enjoys doing with his time.  We learn that Andy likes to read, Parker likes to play basketball, and Eli *really* likes to eat!  I confess that we all had an awful time figuring out Parker's name when we first heard it.  To our untrained ear, it sounded like Pockets!  We are such New Englanders!  The boys also have two dogs, aptly named Grande and Pequeño, who join their adventures.  Mamá is rarely heard and never seen.

The engaging video stories can be viewed by all the kids together.  Merrick loves being involved and he went around for weeks saying "may gooska" whenever he liked anything.  It was one of those times that it's just so cute, you don't want to correct it.  We watched the lessons multiple times, even sometimes watching ahead, because the more they see it, the more they will remember it. They caught on to individual words quickly.

The workbooks included practice and review with typical workbook questions, as well as word puzzles, games, geography lessons, fast facts, and idioms.  One interesting idiom was "the last Coca-Cola in the desert" which means someone thinks they are "all that and a bag of chips."  (See what I did there?)

The colorful books are made of sturdy, thick paper, but the pages do have a glossy or waxy finish.  This does make writing with a pencil a bit tricky.

The Guide for Teachers and Parents walks you through the lessons and even gives a time frame for the daily objectives.  Some lessons at the beginning only schedule a portion of the video.  Later, lessons include longer video segments, certain assignments from the workbook, applying stickers, or playing a game.  The first few pages of the first TM are particularly important as they explain the teaching philosophy of Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids.  Everything is planned out for you.


The included stickers are intended to be used to label objects around the home.  There are three sheets of stickers for each lesson.  This is great practice for translating.  The boys needed to remember what each word meant and then find something suitable on which to apply the stickers from the set, reinforcing the vocabulary being taught.  There are multiple copies of many of the words.

The Go Squish game is played similarly to a Spanish speaking version of Go Fish, with the vocabulary flash cards included for each lesson.  The more players you have, the more lesson sets you need to use.  You can also play with the cards like a memory game, matching the written word with a picture from the video stories.

Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids is a fun, relatable Spanish curriculum that the whole family will enjoy.  I might actually learn some Spanish!

Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids can be purchase as lessons on DVDs or as online access (a free 48 hour trial is available).  The back to school sale continues through August 31, 2016 and includes $5 domestic shipping.

Find Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids on social media.
Facebook

ABeCeDarian Company TOS Review

ABeCeDarian Company starts teaching spelling and reading by introducing the phonemes, or sounds, of consonants and short vowels into easy to decode CVC words.  Lesson one jumps right in spelling (by reading the phonemes) mop, sat, and tap.  Students use word puzzles, such as unscrambling letters, to spell the words correctly.  They are taught how to break words into sounds and how to rebuild the individual sounds into words.  ABeCeDarian Interactive A Workbook is for beginners approximately 4-6 years old (K to mid-first grade).  Handwriting practice is integrated into each lesson.  The Teacher's Manual is available both as a printed book or a free digital download.

The workbook takes about two minutes to load on the laptop, and five minutes on the Kindle.  While it is loading, the first screen you see is just black.  There is nothing to show it is loading.  Just be patient.  It's referred to as an "app" but you use it in your browser.  It is an online workbook.  There are no sounds or flashing lights or music.  So don't expect many app-like features, which can be distracting for some students.  App instructions are separate from the Teacher's Manual download.  Read it carefully or you might miss important information about seeing the full pages.  Two features the Interactive A Workbook does have, are showing one line of words on a sheet at a time. By clicking on the words in the lower right corner, you toggle through each row of words on the "page."

Here you click the words in the lower right corner to rearrange the words on the screen.  Each click causes the three words being learned to slide across the screen, changing location.

"Handwriting" can be completed on the computer pages with a mouse, touch pad, or stylus, depending on which device you choose to use.  I ended up printing most of them, which kind of defeats the purpose of the interactive online workbook.

Printing with Kindle, paper, and the laptop.

Unscrambling letters, Merrick is learning which letters are vowels and for the time being, I'm guiding him to place vowels in the center spot on the screen as we're building CVC words.  After he makes the attempt to unscramble the words, I tell him what word we are trying to spell.  When he unscrambled pat to spell tap, I let him because, hello! he spelled a word and sounded it out!  Then we redid it to spell pat.  After he unscrambled the letters and moved them to the line near the bottom of the screen, we would "tap and say" each sound.  

Using "tap and say' to enlarge each tile as he practices its sound.

When he had no trouble or hesitation, we added a little action.  He holds his hands out in front of himself, then uses a clapping motion (the louder, the better) to imagine smacking the letters together to make the word, which he then reads in its entirety. 

Clapping /c/ /a/ /t/ into cat.

The TM contains guides for writing the letters, pronouncing the sounds used in the Interactive A Workbook, and correcting errors productively.  Each lesson is fully scripted.  Reading is taught as segmenting words and blending the sounds.

ABeCeDarian avoids non-reading busy work.  There are no pictures to match, nor circling objects.  It is 100% decoding and writing words.  Even "sight words" can be decoded and are taught that way.  You will be repeating lessons to fluency.  Which makes the reusable nature of the handwriting screens nice.

We are only on lesson five, but by the end of the Interactive A Workbook, students are decoding sentences like these.

• I sat in the back of the van.
• Mom went on a quick trip.
• Tom kept a pen on his desk.

Merrick is four.  He would generally poop out after ten minutes, less if he was writing.  When he says he is done, we are done.  We'd do the fun online parts of the lesson one day and part of the writing another day.  The writing sheets (I'm printing most of them) are really helping him with his habit of starting letters at the bottom line and writing up.  There is a tiny circle at the starting point for each letter on each page.

On a side note, I saw this line in the TM and immediately thought, "Where is the /t/?"

I had to poll my FB friends to see how *they* pronounce catch.  What I said was, "My thing with the T, is that it is distinctly part of ket when I say it. It isn't smushed into the tch at the end which would sort of make it silent with a strong ch. Ket/ch not ke/tch."  The /e/ or /a/ folks were pretty evenly divided.  Also, the "/t/ or not to /t/" were similarly divided.  There may have been fewer no /t/ than yes /t/, but not by a huge margin.  We left many things unsettled that day.  The dictionary told us this.

I was disappointed.  I still say ket/ch.  You let me down, Dictionary.  You're never too old to learn something new!

What I didn't love.

• You need two electronic devices open at a time, one for the Interactive A Workbook and one for the Teacher's Manual.
• Completed sections are not tracked.  You need to watch where you left off so you don't end up repeating or skipping lessons.

What I really do like.

• I like the systematic teaching of phonemes.
• The writing pages can be used over and over, but for our purposes, I think I'd prefer the pre-printed workbook for regular use.
• I like that the focus is teaching letter sounds, not letter names.  

I preferred the laptop computer over the Kindle.

Merrick already knew the letters names and the sounds, so it wasn't a problem, but the author recommends teaching the common sounds for each letter before their names.  Names don't help us to read and can actually hinder early reading attempts.
Not sure where to start?  You'll find a placement assessment on the website.

Find ABeCeDarian on Facebook.

Essential Skills Advantage TOS Review

Essential Skills Advantage has come a long way since my family last had access in 2014!  It's very streamlined and fun.  Last time, I think it just covered reading and language for K-6th grades.  We have been able to review the Complete Home Learning Suite which has grown to include all these subjects!

• Science for K-3rd (earth and space, physical, and life sciences)
• Reading for K-6th (phonics, reading, and comprehension)
• Math for K/1st-6th (number concepts and math operations)
• Spelling for 1st-6th (fun with spelling, spelling master, spelling stumpers)
• Geography for 3rd-5th (map and globe skills, world, US, and Canadian geography)
• Language and Grammar for 3rd-6th (creative writing, grammar, vocabulary building)

I have to say, it was the geography that really sucked me in.  I think it's super important for us to learn about, but when you have kiddos struggling to read or do math, you don't think as much about that kind of subject.  This will be a perfect summer learning opportunity while we set aside some of our other subjects.

Xavier is a huge science fan, so he enjoyed having the 3rd grade science program.  He just finished THREE science classes at co-op (yes, all the kid took at co-op was science and PE type classes), so he enjoyed having yet another science outlet.  Xav can work on it whenever he wants to, completely independently, which makes *me* happy.

Merrick (I may have mentioned this before) LOVES school, as in {bigfatpuffyheart}'s it.  This is not something he can complete on his own, though.  Xav or I usually sit with him to help.  A few times there has been something that doesn't require reading, but mostly he needs assistance.  Even when he did need reading, he did great matching the first sounds in the answer with the words on the screen.

When the boys would complete an activity, they hear encouraging things like

• A crowd saying "WOW!"
• "Good job!"
• A guitar riff.
• and "I appreciate your effort."

It seemed silly, but Merrick and Xav just loved hearing these.  We especially liked the last one.  We grinned and laughed about it at first, but it has since made it's way into our every day vocabulary.  I get such a kick out of their faces when I say that to them.  One night, Xav didn't particularly love dinner and when he told me, he said, "but I do appreciate your effort!"

ESA can be used on iPads and Android devices.  I asked Xav (my poor guinea pig) to try it on my Kindle.  He was able to use it in my browser, but he did need to do a fair bit of zooming in and out to see well or touch the right locations.  He was frustrated, but completed several activities.  I don't really recommend using other devices, but we love ESA on the laptop.  That's portable enough for most things anyway.

Merrick and Xav often used ESA during the week when Malachi had appointments.  They like to invade his sessions, so I would take the laptop to their room and they would "help" each other complete their activities.  It was a great way to keep them busy and distracted.

I was able to monitor their progress easily.  I simply log into my classroom and select "marks" under the boys' names.  I can see all of the subjects each of them had done.  The first screen shows how complete each subject is and the average score achieved.  Clicking the blue circle under that, I could see the same information for each sub-heading.  Clicking further still, I'm shown each activity under that.  If I click one more time, I see how many attempts Xav made on each activity and the average for that activity.  Xav didn't repeat any activities, so I basically just see the same information from the previous screen.

I can create a report which shows the number of activities completed (ex. 5/6 or 12/12), a letter grade, a percent correct, and any notes I want to add.  That can be done at any point in the program.  Once a section is completely done, I can print a certificate.  It shows the date you created the certificate rather than the date of completion, so if you need that to be accurate, you'll have to get them done right away.  You can save them as PDFs.

ESA is an impressive educational supplement, especially if you are looking at online learning for children who enjoy using media over textbook learning.

Find Essential Skills Advantage on social media.

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
LinkedIn
Blog

Sunya Publishing TOS Review

Math facts are a bit of a struggle here.  They haven't been memorized and sometimes I think they never will be.  I'm always and forever looking for ways to make arithmetic a little more enjoyable.  Sunya Publishing has a brand new game, Sunya - The Magic and Wonder of Math and Science Adding & Subtracting.  It will be available soon.  The Crew was able to get a sneak peek.  It is great for fact practice.

We've been playing more card games lately and this one is perfect for us.  It's a competitive game in that there is a winner.  It's also a cooperative game, in that the other players can help play your hand.  I just love that about Sunya.  This card game is for ages 7 to adult and only requires one player, though it's recommended for 1-5 players.

What does Sunya Adding and subtracting include?

We received an instruction book, two distinct decks of cards, and a number line.

The first deck consists of 60 number cards.

• 3 zeros
• 4 ones
• 6 each of numerals 2-9
• 2 Wild cards
• 3 operations cards (+, -, =)

The second deck is made up of thirty fact and riddle cards.

The number line runs from -3 to 21.  It is 8.5" x 3" and includes examples as instructions for use.  This is a handy game tool and a nice way to introduce younger children to the number line and negative integers.

The 25 page softcover Parent/Teacher Guidebook is comb bound.  It includes instructions for play of several game variations, a copy of the fact and riddle cards, a few math facts and tricks, and a brief history of the Hindu-Arabic numerals system in use today, and from where the word Sunya derives.

In the word Sunya, the u is pronounced /ü/ as the "oo" in book.  Sunya is a Sanskrit word meaning empty.  When a player uses his last card(s) to win, he says "sunya."

The most basic of instructions for Sunya are for players to take turns making number sentences with their cards and to try to be the first to run out of cards.  Players decide if they will add or subtract for this round.  The dealer sets up a single digit number sentence using the appropriate operation cards and the 2-9 cards.  The dealer then deals four cards to each player.  The rest of the numbered cards become the draw pile.  The player to the left will draw a card signifying the beginning of their turn.  Next, looking at the number sentence in play and the cards in their hand, a new number sentence is to be formulated using any combination of cards in play and cards in the hand.  In the addition version, an entirely new sentence can be made using all cards from the dealt hand or two new addends that equal the sum in play or a new addend and a new sum can be used.  The first person to play all of their cards says, "Sunya."  The winning player then draws a card from the fact and riddle pile and reads it out loud to the other players.

There are more rules pertaining to wild cards, blocked wins, and exchanging cards, but that's the basic game.  Several variations of the game are also in the guidebook, including how to play with double digits, what to do with the zeros and ones.  As a mom with a younger guy, I can also appreciate the included activities for young children.  Merrick loves doing "school" and at his age, it's still all about fun.

Ordering, Matching, and Counting.

Sunya Publishing is also releasing Sunya - The Magic and Wonder of Math and Science Multiplying & Dividing.  I'm looking forward to playing that as well.  We enjoyed playing and helping each other and I think you will too.  Click the green banner below to read more about both games.

Things We Do For PE in Our Homeschool - Swim Lessons

Grandma and Papa provided swim lessons for the boys.  As usual, only Mal and Xav were able to participate, so Merrick was bored and displeased.  He behaved himself, but it wasn't as good as swimming, too.  Miss Laurel is a terrific teacher.  The boys all loved her right away.  She had Xavier floating on his back, sort of doing a front crawl, and kicking himself along on his back during the four weeks we spent with her.  Mal still hates to get his face wet, but I think if he had to, he could dog paddle.

If family members ask what they can give the kids for birthdays or Christmas, lessons are a great option.  And they don't take up more space at home.

Things We Do For PE in Our Homeschool - Ski Lessons

Can you believe Dad and I have never had a ski lesson in our lives?  Well, good gravy!  We live in ski country.  The family was able to get group rate ski lessons with our homeschool co-op, but we also have heard of other homeschoolers who are willing to organize lots of random people for group lessons.  Some charge a fee and some do not.  If you're in a ski area, call the mountain and ask if they have group rates and if they know of anyone who organizes trips like this.






On off peak days, the bigger boys can each ski for $20.  That includes lesson and rentals (skis, boots, and helmets).  Another $10 each would give them access to the lift. 





Merrick can't get official lessons yet, but I *think* he can next year.  I'm looking forward to not having to sit in the yurt entertaining him.  He gets so upset that he is never allowed (old enough) to participate with his brothers.

Cocoa in the yurt.