Thursday, December 31, 2015

Movie Night with FLIPZ

For many families cooler winter weather leads to more indoor activities. This may include snuggling up and watching movies. FLIPZ candy coated pretzels wants to make your movie night award worthy. FLIPZ makes a great addition to your movie night snack list.


Through Smiley 360 I was recently given several coupons to try FLIPZ chocolate pretzels. I had a hard time finding FLIPZ in my area, but finally after searching 4 stores I finally found them. I am so glad I did they are great.



What I like about FLIPZ.


  • The thick chocolate coating. They don't skip on the chocolate.
  • The chocolate stays on the pretzels, it doesn't come off on you hands. This is great so you don't have to wash your fingers off after every bite.
  • The white fudge pretzels are great. I usually don't care for white chocolate, but this candy coating is good. It's not sickly sweet as I find so many white chocolates are.
  • The milk chocolate variety is great as well. Chocolate - Enough said. 


To try out FLIPZ I put together a simple mix - FLIPZ milk chocolate and white fudge pretzels, peanuts, and raisins. Nothing hard, but yummy. The FLIPZ was a great change from little candies and pretzel sticks in my traditional snack mix.









We didn't have the time to watch a full length movie with our FLIPZ mix. However, I was able to get the third Night at the Museum movie from our library the other day so this will likely be the movie we watch while we enjoy more of our FLIPZ candy coated pretzels. Maybe I can get creative and use FLIPZ in a new way as well.







FLIPZ were a unique treat which my whole family enjoyed. The only thing I was disappointed about was not being able to find the limited edition snowflake FLIPZ varieties.


You can use the link below to learn more about FLIPZ.
http://h5.sml360.com/-/1p7dy




Disclaimer: As a member of Smiley 360 I received two full value coupons for the above mentioned product. All opinions expressed here are solely my own. I have not been compensated in any other manner.




Friday, December 4, 2015

Funnybone Toys Brings Ancient Game to Life

I would like to introduce you to a great game from Funnybone Toys.

Knucklebones was an ancient game similar to jacks originally played with small ankle bones of sheep. Funnybone Toys has taken that idea and made it new in the game of Funny Bones.




 The cute, almost retro game box. I think this box alone is pretty cool. 






 The game comes with 5 'bone' pieces, an instruction book, storage bag, and beaded key chain which the pieces can be put on between play times. ( I don't care for those bead chains, so we just store the pieces in their box).


 The Funny Bones game mat. 


 Now that you have seen the game, you may be asking "So what do I do with these pieces?" Well, it's pretty simple. Game play involves holding the plastic 'bone' pieces in your hand, tossing them in the air, and trying to catch as many as you can before they hit the playing mat. The trick is it is much easier to explain what to do than actually do it. The first time my son played with Funny Bones, he caught one or two pieces each time. It took a while before he was able catch 3 or 4 pieces each time and do it consistently. The Funny Bones game and mat sell for $29.99.

 My 14 year old daughter and 11 year old son play this for the longest time. They have fun playing together as well as individually with Funny Bones. They had fun just tossing and catching them, but they also made of their own scoring system to keep track of how many they caught over multiple tosses. They assigned different point values based on if they caught the pieces or if they landed inside or outside of the circle or on a colored part of the mat. I also enjoyed playing Funny Bones with them. I think Funny Bones is pretty cool. We had read about the ancient game of knucklebones during a study of ancient Greece. I thought it sounded like fun, but wasn't overly enthusiastic about about making the playing pieces out of clay as an activity book suggested. So Funny Bones would be a great alternative to making your own pieces.


 I like many things about Funny Bones. I think my favorite part of the game is how it is so open ended and gives the player the opportunity to make their own game. It is refreshing to see a new recreational item which is fun and doesn't require batteries or electricity. I also love the bright colors of the pieces. The small size of the box is great for small storage areas, it also makes the game very portable. So, if you are looking for a unique gift check out Funny Bones and the whole line of fabulously unique, award winning games and stationery products from Funnybone Toys.







 Disclaimer: I received the products mentioned here for free for the purposes of review. I have not been compensated monetarily or in any other manner and all thoughts shared here are solely my own.

Funnybone Toys Brings Ancient Game to Life

I would like to introduce you to a great game from Funnybone Toys.

Knucklebones was an ancient game similar to jacks originally played with small ankle bones of sheep. Funnybone Toys has taken that idea and made it new in the game of Funny Bones.



The cute, almost retro game box. I think this box alone is pretty cool.




 The game comes with 5 'bone' pieces, an instruction book, storage bag, and beaded key chain which the pieces can be put on between play times. ( I don't care for those bead chains, so we just store the pieces in their box).



The Funny Bones game mat. 


Now that you have seen the game, you may be asking "So what do I do with these pieces?"

Well, it's pretty simple. Game play involves holding the plastic 'bone' pieces in your hand, tossing them in the air, and trying to catch as many as you can before they hit the playing mat. The trick is it is much easier to explain what to do than actually do it. The first time my son played with Funny Bones, he caught one or two pieces each time. It took a while before he was able catch 3 or 4 pieces each time and do it consistently.

The Funny Bones game and mat sell for $29.99.

My 14 year old daughter and 11 year old son play this for the longest time. They have fun playing together as well as individually with Funny Bones. They had fun just tossing and catching them, but they also made of their own scoring system to keep track of how many they caught over multiple tosses. They assigned different point values based on if they caught the pieces or if they landed inside or outside of the circle or on a colored part of the mat.  I also enjoyed playing Funny Bones with them.

I think Funny Bones is pretty cool. We had read about the ancient game of knucklebones during a study of ancient Greece. I thought it sounded like fun, but wasn't overly enthusiastic about about making the playing pieces out of clay as an activity book suggested. So Funny Bones would be a great alternative to making your own pieces.

 I like many things about Funny Bones. I think my favorite part of the game is how it is so open ended and gives the player the opportunity to make their own game. It is refreshing to see a new recreational item which is fun and doesn't require batteries or electricity. I also love the bright colors of the pieces. The small size of the box is great for small storage areas, it also makes the game very portable.





So, if you are looking for a unique gift check out Funny Bones and the whole line of fabulously unique, award winning games and stationery products from Funnybone Toys.



Disclaimer: I received the products mentioned here for free for the purposes of review. I have not been compensated monetarily or in any other manner and all thoughts shared here are solely my own.


Wednesday, November 4, 2015

When Lightning Struck! The Life of Martin Luther Review

When Lightning Struck! by Danika Cooley is a new historical fiction book about Martin Luther. Martin's entire life is covered. The story begins with his birth and baptism on the next day, the Feast of St. Martin. It moves on to his strict upbringing and education, the joys of marriage and family life, his fight to share Biblical truth, and events up to the time he dies. The story of Luther is told clearly, but is made interesting to captivate the reader or listener. The reader meets the Luther the man with all his questions, faults, and faith. It is designed for middle and high school ages, but slightly younger students may like it also. Adults may find it enjoyable as well.

The entire story of Luther is told with fast paced action, from Martin, caught in a thunderstorm, seeking shelter under a tree, praying to St. Anna to save him, to the very end of his life. It brings to life a period of history that sometimes is viewed as uninteresting and misunderstood.

Some of the features of  When Lightning Struck!

  • Vocabulary is not difficult, but very exciting to convey actions and feelings. Readers are brought into the story. It is easy to picture the action you read or hear.
  • The events of history are brought into the story as they impact Luther and his activities or actions. For example, Luther's response to plagues in 1503 and the mid 1520s, along with the Peasants war, are parts of the story.
  • Luther's writings and works are also prominent in When Lightning Struck!  His catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, his study of Romans and Psalms, as well as the translation of the Bible into German are all are part of the narrative. The reader also learns how much preaching and teaching Dr Luther did and the varied audiences that he addressed. 
  • An extensive list of sources that the author used in her research, which can be used as a springboard for further study. 


As the 500th anniversary of the Reformation approaches in October 2017, this volume will be a great resource for readers, young and old alike, who wish to learn about Dr. Martin Luther, a pivotal figure of the Reformation. However, I think for those readers who are familiar with Luther and his life and work, there may not be a whole lot of new information here. The story nevertheless is engaging and exciting .

When Lightning Struck! The Life of Martin Luther is available from Augsburg Fortress and Amazon.







To have some fun with the release of When Lightning Struck! there will be a Facebook Party on Tuesday November 10th at 9pm EST. You can learn more about the party and RSVP here.

If you haven't already entered the giveaway for a copy of When Lightning Struck! and many other great prizes, you can do so here. The winner will be announced at the Facebook Party.





Danika has also written a discussion guide (for grades 3-12) and 12 week unit study (for grades 6-12) to go along with When Lightning Struck! You can find both of them on her blog, Thinking Kids. At this time they are free!!

Also, to celebrate the release of When Lightning Struck! The Story of Martin Luther all Cobblestone Path Products and Bible Road Trip materials are on sale for 50% off through November 11th. Details can be found at Danika's Thinking Kids blog.







Affiliate links are used in this post.

Monday, October 26, 2015

A Non Traditional SAT Preparation Plan

I happened across The Perfect Score Project by chance. I was browsing the new books section at the library and saw part of the title on the spine. Intially I passed it by thinking "Oh, something that has the word perfect in the title isn't going to be something I'm interested in. It's too hard to be perfect". 

For some reason I decided to go back and look a little closer. So I pulled it off the shelf and looked at the cover information. A mothers quest to achieve a perfect SAT score. Hmm, might be interesting and useful as I have a ninth grader this year and the SAT's aren't too far off. I'll at least check it out and look at it. If it's not useful it hasn't really cost me anything but a little bit of reading time. The Perfect Score Project turned out to be very interesting and use. 

I started reading it that evening and could hardly put it down.  Debbie Stier was on  a quest to learn more about the SAT in order to develop a SAT preparation plan for her son prepare. She realizes he has some challenges and maybe not the most interested in academics, but that if he wants to pursue a college education he needs to score well both for admission as well as scholarships.

Debbie decided that in order for her to help her son formulate a preparation plan she needed to know what the test was like now. So she embarked on an ambitious year long plan to take the SAT each time it was offered over the course of a year. She also decided to use a different study prep method or resource in studying for each individual test.

In setting up her plan, Debbie quickly realized that the plethora and expense of preparation resources was overwhelming. Not just that there were many programs to choose from but that the costs of each were staggering and varied as well. In addition the results (in the form of test scores) varied widely.

A very surprising factor in her scores had to do with the location where she took the test. Some locations had better facilities and the quality of the proctors was different at the different locations. While many students may not have the option of choosing from different test sites, if you live in an area where different places are used over the course of the year it may pay to check things out before signing up for the SAT.

The results of Debbies' experiment are too varied to discuss here, but I want to share with you three key points to success which I came away with after reading The Perfect Score Project

1. Read, Read, Read   The more literature your child is exposed to and read before taking the SAT the better off they will be, especially when it comes to the written portion of the exam. I am using literature to mean those titles regarded as classics as well as more contemporary selections. Aim for a mix of titles which expose and explain culture and society over different times and places.

2. Use quality preparation materials, especially those put out by the SAT board. Those will be closest to what your child will encounter on the exam.

3. Keep those math and logic skills sharp. In some cases success on the test boils down to the students ability to think through a problem and determine the correct answer.


Debbie also has a blog  where she shares additional information. Visit Perfect Score Project.

The information shared in this book was gleaned from relatively recent test experiences and all of it may or may not apply to the coming newly designed test, but I feel it is valuable regardless. While the format, requirements and scoring may change I would imagine that the basic premise behind the test will remain the same. Even with the upcoming changes I feel it can't hurt to become familiar with some behind the scene tips and tricks for success. 

This is an insightful chronicle into college admission testing with many tips and insights from a parent who recently experienced these tests. It is an engaging read, yet filled with lots of good information.I would heartily recommend The Perfect Score Project to all high school parents, but especially homeschooling parents. I say this only because it can be harder for us to access some of the information that traditional schools already have. 


Wednesday, October 21, 2015

A Reformation Day Giveaway When Lightning Struck! The Story of Martin Luther

Reformation Day Giveaway


 October 31 is known as "Reformation Day." On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to a church door in Wittenburg, Germany. This action provoked a debate that resulted in what is now call the Protestant Reformation.

 As the “Father of the Reformation”, Martin Luther is a vital figure in Church history. His sacrifice and willingness to wage battle against the spiritual, religious, and political powers of his medieval world allowed Christians throughout time to embrace the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as explained by Scripture alone. Author Danika Cooley has written Luther's story for young people in her new book, When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther. I have the privilege of reading and reviewing this historical fiction novel and will share my thoughts with you in early November.

  Reformation Day Giveaway


 To celebrate Reformation Day and the release of When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther, I've joined together with a team of blogger friends to host this wonderful giveaway, valued at over $500!

 One person will win ALL of the following:
 $100 Amazon Gift Card

  Fire 7-inch Tablet, WiFi 8GB ($49.99) 

  When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther (hardcover $16.99)

 From WiseDecor.com, a $50 Gift Certificate

 From Nuremberg Tourist Board, a Playmobil Martin Luther figure ($9.99)

 From Thinking Kids Press, a curriculum bundle from When Lightning Struck! author, Danika Cooley:
From Fortress Press, a book bundle by author, Tim Dowley:
  1. Christian Music: A Global History  ($35)
  2. Introduction to the History of Christianity: Second Edition ($55) 
  3. The Student Bible Atlas: Revised Edition  ($12.99) 
  4. Atlas of the European Reformations ($24)
From Home School Adventure Co.:
  1. Philosophy Adventure: Pre-Socratics (digital $39.95)
  2. Mere Christianity Critical Analysis Journal (digital $18.95)
To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter below.  a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to the Thinking Kids Press email list. 

Friday, August 21, 2015

Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide A High School Literature Course Review


Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide is a new high school literature course from Sharon Watson. Sharon has written several high school writing courses which are wonderful (and a junior high course, but I am not familiar with it) so when I heard about Illuminating Literature I figured it would be good as well. I wasn't disappointed. More on my thoughts in a moment. Let me tell you about Illuminating Literature first.


The unifying theme of Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide is conflict. Through a study of 8 novels students learn to discern conflict and its various types; character against him or her self, another character, society, nature, technology, God/ the gods, and fate.




Components of the Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide course.  Student Book ($39.49), Teacher's Guide ($16.49),  Quiz and Answer Manuel ($8.49), and Downloadable Novel Notebook (free).  The quizzes are also available online for free. Samples of each book are available on the Illuminating Literature website.




 
Novels studied are:

Puddin' Head Wilson
The War of the Worlds
The Friendly Persuasion
Peter Pan
Warriors Don't Cry
A Tale of Two Cities
Fahrenheit 451
The Screwtape Letters


Each of these novels is studied over the course of 4 weeks. The first week is spent learning about the novel, author, setting, etc. The second and third weeks are focused on reading and analyzing the novel. During the fourth week the novel as a whole is examined and a fun project related to the novel is completed. These projects expand the students knowledge of the book, historical time period, or other topics related to the novel. Examples of the projects include researching food from a particular time and preparing it, make art related to the novel, and comparing and contrast the novel and movie based on it.There is some variation in the schedule for a couple of the novels, but it is not huge. There is a writing assignment during the first week of each novel and the possibility for more in the summary projects.The end of chapter writing projects are of a creative nature or mini research projects. While a rough schedule is set up the student needs to determine how much they read and respond to each day so that they accomplish the work assigned for the week.



Students learn about literature: why a written work is called literature, how to discuss literature,  looking at conflict from the authors perspective and how it may or may not mirror the authors real life, and why people read literature.  Students learn about literary terms such as protagonist, antagonist, irony, context, foreshadowing, symbols, tense, prolepsis, a fairly complex examination of plot in terms of the hero's journey, parallelism, voice, point of view, theme, imagery, euphemism, and satire.

Students examine the conflicts authors put into their writing and are challenged to see if and how these same conflicts are present in their lives.  For example the novel The Friendly Persuasion chronicles the lives of a Quaker family, the Birdwells. As Quakers they are pacifists or against war, but wrestle with that stance when one of their sons feels the calling to go to war. After examining  the Birdwells'  reactions students are asked their opinion of fighting in a war.

Illuminating Literature is written for Christian High Schools, Homeschools, and Co-op groups. The teacher's guide  has many ideas for using the course in a group setting, many of which are easily adaptable to a home setting. There are many group discussion ideas which are fantastic for those settings. The suggestion is made if the course is being used in a group setting the teacher may want to create a Facebook group for the students and parents to facilitate communication and contact. The teacher's guide contains many online links to provide information about the authors, locations or time periods of the novels for the teacher to share with students.

The downloadable notebook provides a place for students to take notes and record thoughts while they are reading. Some examples of things recorded are witty or interesting sayings, passages they really like, examples of literary terms and devices found in their reading. For one book the students have the opportunity to write new chapter titles and these are recorded in their notebook. To keep interest and add a note of color most of the notebook pages have small pictures which match the activity or themes from the novel.

In addition to chapter or section discussions and notes taken in the Novel Notebook there are 3 or 4 online quizzes students take for each book. They are accessed from the Writing with Sharon website and a unique password from the student book. These quizzes assess student understanding of the novel, literary terms studied for that particular novel, and an ungraded opinion quiz of the students' opinions about topics brought up by the novel. The online quizzes are the same ones as are found in the Quiz and Answer manual.

Vocabulary is also included for each novel. Towards the end of each unit students complete a vocabulary matching test (found in their book) consisting of words they encountered in the novel. Students are told to ask their teacher if it is an open book test. While I will probably not allow my daughter to use her book, this is a good option for some students.

Grades are assessed after each novel and its' accompanying  activities are completed. Grades are based on reading the book in its entirety, the "I Read It" quiz, literary terms quiz, completed opinion quiz, discussion participation, completion of lessons,  assignments, and activity. There are a possible 100 points for each book. This information can be recorded using a grid from the teacher's book.


Sharon  graciously shares the first chapter of the course as a free download from her site. You can find the downloads here.  Also check out Sharon's writing courses on her website - Writing with Sharon Watson.

If you need some writing prompts you can find some great ones under the writing prompts tab on the same website. At the time of this writing the first prompt which comes up is for Ray Bradbury's birthday. I am planning to print this one out and put in my teachers book for when we study Fahrenheit 451.


My Thoughts

I have used Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide with my 14 year old (9th grade Daughter). She has had some some experience analyzing literature, but mainly in looking at selections from a book, not a whole novel. So she is familiar with some terms, but not whole process of novel analysis. Because she had some familiarity with literature (and I had the book) with started the course with The Friendly Persuasion, which is the third book in the course. We will go back and study the first two novels as well,  there are so many good things to learn in those chapters (just the the whole course)!  I also wanted to be able to write about a part of the course that wasn't a part of the free sample.



I appreciate the narrow focus of literary elements in each novel, this way it is not so overwhelming when going through a whole book. Students are often reminded of what they have learned in previous sections,  apply it to other novels they are reading and compare its use in the current novel.

A unique feature of the course is the mixture of book and online resources. So many courses seem to be either or, but Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide has a great mix of the two. Each Chapter has online resources to help get to know the author, their world, and  the time period in which they wrote. I also like the online quiz feature. This gives the student an opportunity to take online tests in a fairly safe and nonthreatening manner. An experience which maybe very beneficial in their college years. This also provides some variety for the student and unbiased scores, as well as helping parents assign a grade for their student.


Even with all the ideas and options for using the course in a group setting  it is very easily used by one student in a home setting.    While most of the course work is done independently the introduction and concluding weeks of each novel would be enriched by working through the course with a group. A group setting would greatly enhance the introductory writing exercises and discussions. There are suggestion and ideas of activities which can be done in a classroom setting but they can easily be tweaked to be shared with just one student. 

I think the online links are a fantastic idea! It is a great way for students to learn to use the internet to complement and enrich their assignments and work. Since I am using this with just my daughter and not a group I share some of these links with her via our online planner where I can input internet links which she can access. I also like the online quizzes. I don't mind grading work, but at the high school level it is nice to have some outside validation on which to base grades.


I also like the variety of texts used in the course. The novels have a variety of historical settings, fantasy and reality, and American and British literature. While all students may not like every story in the course there should be several which they find exciting and enjoyable. While it is nice to enjoy everything you read, that won't always be the case, but at least Illuminating Literature makes the analysis interesting and has many helpful notes and background information.

Another great point for this course is the layout for the work. Students are given a general time line of how many chapters they need to read a week or what assessments and projects need to be completed during a certain time period, but it isn't broken down by day. I think this is a useful way to help students begin to take responsibility for accomplishing assignments and meeting deadlines.Many students need time to practice and learn how to prioritize their time to accomplish their responsibilities and the format of this course provides an opportunity for students to do this.


The course is written from a definite Christian viewpoint, but it avoids being preachy or moralistic as well as pushing any denominational beliefs. The user can easily put in their own specific religious beliefs where applicable without having to change the existing material.

One aspect of the course which surprised me was the integration of writing. Writing skills are employed during this course, just not in the way I was expecting. Students take/keep notes in their notebooks and have a writing assignment in the introduction for each book, and end of novel projects have writing components. I just was surprised  there weren't novel summary papers. However, I think that is good for my daughter and others who enjoy reading, but don't care to write as much.Other subjects such as history, art, music, and a little science are integrated into the end of chapter projects. I really like this. I believe this is a great way to show students how writing and reading are so important in other disciplines.

My daughter says:
"I have really enjoyed this course so far! I like how it is written, because I feel it talks to the student in a way that is fun and easy to understand. I have been reading "The Friendly Persuasion" and really appreciate the background information this curriculum gives before you read each story because if it didn't I wouldn't know what some of the things in the story mean. Also the online quizzes are very enjoyable. Over all I think this is a great literature course that is worth using".


I believe Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide is a great introductory literature course for high school students. It introduces important literary concepts in a gentle, easy to understand way with books that have a substantive length, but aren't huge, helps students write about what they read in manageable amounts, and make connections between subjects.



Disclaimer:I received the above materials for the purpose of writing this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Discovery Education Streaming Plus Free Trial Offer

 


If you are a homeschooling family going back to school, here is a great deal for you to use and enrich your lessons for the next month.  Even if you aren't a homeschool family, check it out as Discovery Education Streaming Plus is great for all children and families.




 
The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is giving away a FREE subscription to Discovery Education Streaming Plus for the summer to homeschoolers.  A 1 year subscription retails for $375, so this is a REALLY GOOD DEAL.  It has won oodles of awards and testimonials from homeschoolers. It has over 12,000 full-length educational videos, games, interactives and more.  Check it out here:
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/discovery-education-streaming-plus-free-trial/

It's easy to see why homeschoolers rave about Discovery Education Streaming Plus. It's probably the most extensive and feature-rich educational video streaming service in the world.
It's much like having the entire DVD selection of your local public library available to you from the convenience of your home, 24/7/365.

But it's not just a collection of videos that you can watch from beginning to end. This library has been organized into useable video clips, organized and categorized, close-captioned, and supplemented with lesson plans, teaching guides, interactive simulations, images, audio resources, and other resources and materials that you can incorporate into virtually every aspect of your homeschool curriculum.


This isn't a new deal, but a friendly reminder to check out this great resource. For more details check out my original post. Go to Homeschool Buyers Coop for more details and to sign up.




Tuesday, July 7, 2015

M-o-o-o-m I'm Bored!!

What is it about summer days that seem to bring out the whinnyness in children, no matter their age? Is it really that hard for children to find something to do?


One thing I am going to try this summer is "Theme Days". Each day of the week has a theme and then  we do something to fit the theme that day. Some of the activities maybe both my children and I together or we may do things separately, but I hope we will be motivated to do somethings. I'm not thinking we'll spend a whole lot of time on this, even as little as half an hour, but it will be technology free time. So far  I have only come up with two theme days:

Make It Monday ~ Work on some sort of art or craft project. I have many craft and sewing projects which I would like to finish, maybe this will be incentive for me.




Writing Wednesday ~ Something that involves pen or pencil and paper. It doesn't matter what, even crossword or find a word puzzles are fine, just keeping those fine motor skills in use. For me this will probably be lesson plans. :)




Here are some other ideas for kids boredom busters.


At Home

Make a college. Use a theme such as one color, locations, food, etc.

Get out or make musical instruments

Create a tent an indoor tent with blankets, chairs, couch cushions, etc

Water fight ~   for a number of years the dollar store has had pencil style water guns. With a bucket of water this can bring lots of fun on a hot day

Create a family newspaper

Learn a new hobby    Some ideas might be sewing, crafting (many types to choose from) genealogy,  cooking, gardening

Explore nature

Have a tea party

Try a new art supply. Companies like Crayola debut new products quite frequently and something new usually occupies a child for a while. To help your pocketbook watch for coupons and sales from craft stores.


Cook

Easy, cool summer favorites include things like no bake cookies, popsicles, jello, ice cream sandwiches.
Or even try your hand at making your own ice cream, an online search will produce easy recipes to try.Maybe even find some new recipes for quick lunches.

In the Community

Investigate whether your library has a summer reading program. Not only do these offer incentive prizes, libraries often sponsor programs and events to attend. Some of these programs are done by staff from museums and other local attractions and they may offer discount coupons to attendees.You can't beat a chance to do something else for less money.

Several book store chains also have summer reading promotions where children can earn a new book. In addition some banks and restaurants have reading programs with incentives like money in a savings account or free food.One national chain which does this is Pizza Hut.  Check with your bank or favorite restaurant.

For online reading programs check out websites like Scholastic, Sylvan (this is year round, not just the summer) or for Homeschooling families Homeschool Buyers Coop. Incentives will vary.


Go Bowling. Many bowl alleys nation wide participate in Kids Bowl Free. A summer program where children can bowl up to two games a day free (just pay shoe rental). There are some age restrictions, so check out the requirements thoroughly. You need to register and then are sent coupons each week to take with you to the bowling alley.The program has started in some areas, but not all over.We went bowling several times a week last year and my kids thoroughly enjoyed it. They can't wait for bowling to start this year.


Visit local museums, historical sites, tourist attractions, etc.

See if local business give tours of their establishments


What fun things are you doing this summer?

Monday, June 1, 2015

Free Summer Subscription Offer from Homeschool Buyers Co-op





 Here is a great deal for your summer break! Starting today, June 1st, The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is giving away a FREE subscription to Discovery Education Streaming Plus for the summer to homeschoolers. One family account allows multiple users to access everything offered, even at the same time.Once you have set up your free trial you can access Discovery Education Streaming Plus from a variety of mobile devices as well as your computer.


 Check it out here:
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/discovery-education-streaming-plus-free-trial/



         


 Discovery Education Streaming Plus is probably the most extensive and feature-rich educational video streaming service in the world.

It's much like having the entire DVD selection of your local public library available to you from the convenience of your home, 24/7/365.

But it's not just a collection of videos that you can watch from beginning to end. This library has been organized into useable video clips, organized and categorized, close-captioned, and supplemented with lesson plans, teaching guides, interactive simulations, images, audio resources, and other resources and materials that you can incorporate into virtually every aspect of your homeschool curriculum.

Discovery Education Streaming Plus features:
  • Thousands of full-length videos from scores of producers, segmented into tens of thousands of content-specific clips tied directly to state and national standards.
  • Supplemental resources such as Assignment Builder, Quiz Center, Writing Prompt Generator, lesson plans, and more
  • Fast and accurate search functionality and dynamic navigation menus
  • The ability to customize and personalize lessons to different subjects, grades, and learning styles
  • Comprehensive K-12 curriculum coverage in six core subject areas.
  • Thousands of images
  • Membership in the Discovery Educator Network (DEN)
  • Interactive self-paced training
  • Exclusive Discovery programming such as Frozen Planet, Human Planet, LIFE, Into the Universe, Mythbusters, and Curiosity
  • Video series from trusted content providers such as BBC Worldwide, CBS News, Channel 4, Discovery Studios, Scholastic, TV Ontario, and Westin Woods
  • Hundreds of games, skill builders, and body atlas interactives
  • Thousands of self-paced math tutorials spanning concepts from basic addition to calculus
  • Thousands of audio files including podcasts, classic literature audiobooks, children's literature audiobooks from Scholastic, and numerous supplemental study aids for auditory learners

 A 1 year subscription retails for $375, but you can try it out free for THREE months so this is a REALLY GOOD DEAL.

 
 Check it out here:
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/discovery-education-streaming-plus-free-trial/




 I have not been compensated in any manner for this informational post.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Birthday Traditions



 Birthdays are special days themselves, but I try to do something to make them memorable for each of my children. These are some of the things we have done.


Birthday Tablecloth

I've taken a twin size flat white bed sheet and had birthday party guests sign it. To prepare it I wash and dry the sheet and write the child's name and birth year in the center. Before the party of gathering I mark off an area in masking tape and write the child's age and the year in the center of the marked off area before hand. Then I ask guests to write their name in pencil. I try to remember to ask them to write a little larger than a normal signature. After wards I write over everyone's writing with a liquid embroidery pen and then iron over them to making the writing permanent. You can use one color for all the signatures or several colors for a rainbow look.





Cake

Each year I have made my children a decorated cake. Some years they have been more elaborate than others. The style or them depends on their interests or activities for that year. Some cakes have been pianos, castles, cars, rockets, or just shaped with basic decorations. I always take a picture of the birthday child with the cake and that way I am sure to have a picture of them from their birthday. I also try to take a picture of the cake with the number of candles for that year so I can remember when a particular cake was made.

Birthday Meal

We try to go out to eat for each of our birthdays (Mom and Dad included). When we do the birthday person usually gets to choose where we go (within reason, of course). If we aren't able to go out then I try to make the meal the birthday person would like at home.

Because our school schedule has some flexibility to it, we take birthdays off as a school holiday. For a couple years I let the birthday child decide if they wanted to go on a field trip on their birthday. When we did this we explored several different museums. Not quite a field trip, but one year I took my daughter to the American Girl store near our home. She had a great time.

I'm linking up with Home and School Mosaics

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Math Choices


In an attempt to start writing a little more here I am going to share some of the curriculum which my children are using this year. These are the math programs my  5th and 8th grade age children are using this year.


Teaching Textbooks

Several years ago I was told about Teaching Textbooks by a friend whose children are several years older than mine. I had seen TT before, but was initially put off by the cost of each level. However, it is very complete and does a through job teaching . Having the option to see exactly how a problem is solved step by step and comparing your work is very helpful. Having a math curriculum which does the grading is also a huge plus for me. One less subject to grade saves time and that is very valuable as well. All of these positives really make it worth the price for our family.

My oldest has to work hard at math to get it, she can do it but it takes work for her. She likes working on the computer so I hoped that would be a plus for TT, even though it is math. She is currently doing Algebra 1 in Teaching Textbooks. She doesn't really enjoy math, but I think I can honestly say she is happier doing it on the computer than she would with a book and paper.





Consumer Math

This year my youngest is using a consumer math course. He used Teaching Textbooks 5 last year which he loved, but according to their placement tests he was easily able to skip the next level. That meant he was ready for PreAlgebra this year. However, he is 5th grade age and I really didn't want him doing algebra in 6th grade. So I decided a better option was to have him work through life skill math.

He has been using Math in Everyday Life. This addresses wages and salaries, payroll taxes, preparing income tax returns, budgets, grocery shopping, household shopping, mortgages, utilities, remodeling and home repairs, purchasing a car, and  insurances. There have been a couple exercises which are not written very well and some of the information is outdated (copyright 2000) but overall this is a pretty good overview of practical, life skill math.





Supplements

Several Years ago I found a copy of Family Math-The Middle School Years at a used curriculum sale and snatched it up. We had used the elementary version from the library quite a bit. Family Math is a collection of hands on math activities to teach higher level concepts and ideas. Many of them align with concepts in PreAlgebra.

As these activities are hands on they require manipulatives, but they are easily found around the house or can be easily substituted. Most activities don't take longer than half an hour and are a fun break from book and paper math. They are a great way to apply those book concepts in a concrete way. We haven't used the book in a while, but I think it's about time to take it off the shelf again.



Home and School Mosaics is sponsoring a curriculum linkup one Wednesday of each month. The current link up coves the subject of math. 


Monday, January 12, 2015

Get Organized with Homeschool Planet



Homeschool Planet 

from           Homeschool Buyers Coop

Subscription Rates    $65.00 a year or $6.95 a month

My thoughts are interspered throughout the review in colored type.

Homeschool Planet is an online organizer for the homeschool familys whole life. It can be accessed on a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Access to schedules and information is determined for each user when their profiles are set up. These can be changed by updating individual profiles.


The main feature of Homeschool Planet is scheduling classes, assignments, and activities. This is done by setting up profiles for each student and classes or subjects. Basic classes are available to choose from in a menu and you have the ability to add your own classes as well. You also have the freedom to decide which days a class is scheduled for, it doesn't have to be everyday, it can also be a specific day or several days a week. Another option when setting up classes is to assign a them a specific time. This would be great for online or in person classes outside your home as well as if you schedule your day by time. 

After setting up your classes there is a pop up box (access by clicking on the 'Edit' link at the end of the line in planner mode)in which to input assignments for each day. If more than one child has a subject there will be several tabs - shared assignments, and one for each individual child with that subject. After selecting who you want to give assignments to you can begin putting in the assignments. Simply type away. You can also add a web url to an assignment blank and it becomes hyper linked for easy access. There is also an option to add something to each class entry if you have something which should be done for each class. Here you will also find tabs for a notes section, a grades tab and hours tracking tab.


I love being able to add a web url. My children have used for website for supplemental sources because it is right there and I don't have to go searching for the site or bookmark when they are ready for it.



When setting up the class there is the option for giving assignments to one child or the same assignment to multiple children. I am not sure if you can make an assignment for several children without giving it to all without having to type it for each. For example with four children I don't know if you can make an assignment for child 1,2, and 3 excluding 4 without having to type it individually for the first three children.

A great feature is the ability to rearrange assignments with just a mouse click or two. In the scheduling window at the end of each assignment line are several options for rearranging in a drop down format. Simple click on the one you wish to do and the changes are made automatically without having to retype everything. Rescheduling can also be done at a later date. If you don't mark all assignments in some way on the day they are assigned when you log in on succeeding days you will get a pop up window reminding you there are unmarked assignments and asking what you want to do with the. This is easily done by marking the corresponding circle under headings like complete, move forward, don't ask about, ignore, etc. However you do need to make some kind of notation here before you are allowed to move any further.

I found this feature to be really helpful when my children  didn't get to everything scheduled for a particular day. I could easily reschedule what wasn't completed. While I like the convenience of this feature I found the way some of the things are worded to be confusing and at the beginning had a hard time figuring out which option I wanted use. Things aren't described in the manner I was thinking of them.

Other activities such as chores, appointments, trips, and events can be put into the calendar and managed in the same way as classes.



Homeschool Planet  keeps track of the number of days in a school year. The settings category has an option to note start and end dates as well as intentional vacation days. When these are all noted it calculates how many days are in the defined year. There is also the option to track hours.

This feature would have been great when I lived and worked in a state which required tracking instructional hours.

Homeschool Planet also has a grade recording feature along with the ability to create transcripts. For keeping grades the user has the choice of classifying work as homework, project, quiz, or test. When making assignments you can weight the type of assignment towards the final grade and Homeschool Planet does the calculating for you.

How Nice !  If you forget to grade an assignment one day you will be prompted to enter a grade the next time you log into Homeschool Planet.

The main display allows for user customization in several ways. You can choose a  planner type view or a calendar view, whether you want to see a day, week, or month of assignments at a time, and whose schedules you wish to see. Next to each assignment there is a box for noting an assignment complete (click twice to have the whole square colored) or partially complete (click one for a half colored square). When an assignment is shared there is an option to show two boxes and then they are marked individually for each student. By selecting "add more assignments to this day" from the options in the window on the right side of the assignment input area it is possible to have multiple assignments for a subject each day with a check box for each.   In addition users are sent an email each day when they have something on the schedule.

I like the customization options here. My oldest has email and browser privileges on her kindle so I set Homeschool Planet up so she can access her schedule for herself on her Kindle. For my younger child I choose planner style showing only his assignments and print him a hard copy of his weekly schedule. With 11 subjects it often ends up so that each day prints on a separate sheet of paper which makes it easy for him to see what he needs to be working on each day. This flexibility is great for my childrens' individual needs and stages.I just learned how to add more than one assignment per child per subject each day and have a seperate check box for each assignment. This will be extremely handy to note several assignments as well as to break down large tasks into smaller steps.

The daily emails are great for me. In addition to the daily schedule there is a link to the Homeschool Planet website. I love this link so that I don't have to scroll through bookmarks to get to Homeschool Planet each day.

Users also have the option to add widgets to their main screen. The widgets may be placed on the right side or at the bottom below the schedule information.Widgets to choose from include weather, to do, shopping list, daily quote, daily Bible verse, look up and messages.

I only have a few on my page, but I think these are just pretty neat.  I don't text so some of them aren't applicable. However, the to do list and weather have come in handy on several occasions. The to do list even features a check off square which draws a line through the task. A great motivator to check things off.

Another useful feature is the ability to sync Google and other e-calendars among anyone who has a profile in your Homeschool Planet account.

I have not used this feature with my husband as he needs to keep a private calendar due to the nature of his work.

Homeschool Planet performs many functions for the busy parent and reading about all of them may have been confusing and overwhelming so I will try to summarize  the many features. The toolbar at the top of the page has five categories.

  • Reports Assignment lists, class notes, grade report, class hours, transcript
  • Helpers      Grading Helper, Rescheduling Helper
  • Settings      General, School Year &Vacations, Subjects &Categories, Grading, Track Class Hours, Share, Theme, My Account
  • Print
  • Help
Most of what I've described falls under the settings category.




Homeschool Buyers Coop offers a free 30 day trial of Homeschool Planet. 


Concluding Thoughts

Homeschool Planet is one of those things that I don't know how I lived without.  It has made planning school assignments so much easier. With Homeschool Planet integrating home tasks with school tasks is easier, because I can see all of them on one screen. This way I can schedule more demanding home tasks with lighter school days and vice versa to ease the too much to do and not enough time problem.

When I first started using Homeschool Planet it did take a while to figure out how to set up subjects or classes. So I ended up with some subjects having two assignment boxes, one for each child, and others with only one, with the individual assignments showing up in the same box. I am not sure if I could have gone back and made just one class for each subject without losing information I had already put in. In the end this isn't a big deal, but the uniformity would have made it easier for telling at a glance what was happening and it would have simplified putting in assignments.

Using Homeschool Planet for my course scheduling and planning is so much easier than a paper planner. It has made shifting the schedule so much easier due to not finishing assignments or something unexpected coming up. Since it is on the computer it is always handy and I don't have to find my planner or a place to put it. It is also so much easier to give my children their assignments. I am not having to rewrite everything in a planner for each of them or cutting and pasting on a computer.



Read what other reviewers had to say at Home & School Mosaics.

Disclaimer: I received a free subscription to Homeschool Planet to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All views expressed here are strictly my own.