Homeschool Wrap Up Week 25

We were so happy to see the sun this week and were able to spend lots of time outdoors!  We also had a lot of fun diving into our new science curriculum!

Week 25 in our Homeschool

Bible: We read 4 lessons in Know Who You Are and Live Like it Matters.  We should finish it up next week.

Read Aloud: We read 4 chapters of Brady.

Geography: Our country of study for this week was China.  As part of the study we watched a really cute video on Giant Pandas in the wild.

History: We read chapter 1 of Vol 2 of America's Story which was on some of the causes leading up to the Civil War.

Music Appreciation: We completed lesson 3 of Music Appreciation 1 on Bach

Math: Christian finished his book on multiplication and picked up where he left off in MLFLE.  He is still working on practicing his multiplication tables.  Lily, Emmie, and Anthony did 4 lessons of MLFLE.

Language Arts: Anthony and Christian completed 4 lessons in Readers in Residence on Winn Dixie. 

Spelling/Reading: The boys completed Step 8 in AAS Level 5.  Lily completed lesson 27 and 28 in AAR Level 4 and Emmie completed lesson 40 in AAR Level 1.

Science: We started lesson one of Apologia's Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology.  We are following the suggested schedule in the notebooking journals.  We read several pages, started drawing a diagram of a cell and did two Try This experiments. 

Other Activities this Week: 

While waiting for Nick and Alex at a 4 H meeting Monday afternoon, the rest of us went to the park and walked the nature trail and the walking trail.  It was a little of 1.5 miles.  It seemed like forever since we had been on the Nature Trail.  It was a pretty day!

Tuesday the girls had gymnastics and Nick had youth.  Lily has mastered her standing back tuck and Emmie has mastered her round off back handspring.  I would post the videos but I know my internet would not cooperate.  Especially since I have delay right now and all I am doing is typing.

Wednesday we had Kid's Club.

Thursday Lily Emmie and I went back to the park in between the time we had to drop Nick off and head for piano.  It was another pretty day!  Ballet was cancelled.

Friday Nicholas took his road test and is now a licensed driver.  That is a good and bad thing ;)  The car needs a little TLC and hopefully in a few weeks he will be able to take himself back and forth to school.

Saturday we went to Texarkana and went to iJump, an indoor trampoline park that has trampolines, dodge ball, basketball, iNinja course, climbing walls, indoor play area, and more.  They had fun in their hour to play.

I  don't know about you  feel like I've lost an hour!!

I hope you had a great week!

Happy Homeschooling!

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Books We Read in February

 I'm trying to find some new series for the boys to read.  It's not easy looking for books these days, you never know what might be in there and I cannot read everything before they do.  It's hard to keep them in books!  The library had some Chuck Black books we may try those out this month.

Read Alouds for February

Morning Read Alouds:

Merriweather Lewis Off the Edge of the Map by Janet and Geoff Benge
Brady by Jean Fritz

Evening Read Alouds

Ember Falls by SD Smith (waiting for Book 3 to come out)

The Paper Boat by Trish White Preibe and Jerry B Jenkins- This was the third book in the series.  We had read the other two quite awhile ago and forgotten about it but when we were looking for something to read decided to finish the series.  We were not that impressed.

The Door in the Dragon's Throat by Frank Peretti- Not at all what I expected.  They liked it but I'm not sure if I will look for more.

The Girls Read Alouds

I usually do a picture book for them after reading from the boys read alouds, but Lily really wanted Emmie to hear the Circle C Beginnings Books because Emmie is not ready to read them on her own so I have been reading through those.  Lily things Susan K. Marlow is the best author in the world. In February we read

Andi's Pony Trouble
Andi's Indian Summer
Andi's Fair Surprise

Lily's Books
Circle C Stepping Stones
The first two Samantha American Girl Books
Scooby Doo

Christian's Books
Gregor the Overlander all 5 books in the series

He finished Charlotte's Web (school assignment)

Anthony
Finished Charlotte's Web
How to Twist a Dragon's Tale

Alex's Books
Lord of the Rings (I have to confess you know how much I love to read to my children but even though they wanted me to read these aloud, I cannot bring myself to do it.I read them aloud once to Chelsea years ago and it was the most painful read alouds ever and took me forever!!)

Nick's Books
He finished The Art of War (school assignment) and started Julius Caesar (he's not really excited about reading that one.)

Mom's Books
Parenting Made Practical (review)
The of Highland Hall. The Daughter of Highland Hall, Refuge at Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky
 Sisters of the Quilt Series by Cindy Woodsmall
Room for Hope Kim Vogel Sawyer (not the first time I've read that it's one of my favorites)

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Homeschool Crew Review: CursiveLogic

CursiveLogic was developed by Linda Shrewsbury after she worked with a young adult who wanted to learn how to sign his name. By studying the cursive alphabet she discovered a pattern that she had never noticed before and developed a method that allowed students to be able to learn and master cursive. For the last several weeks we have had an opportunity to use and review the CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack and The Art of Cursive.
The CursiveLogic method teaches letter groups that have similar shapes.  Each of the shape strings uses a different color and a chant that describes the writing motion the student uses when forming the letter. Instead of teaching letters individually students start learning to connect the strings of letters right away.  They learn the lowercase alphabet first in about four weeks. Then they use the next six weeks to learn the capital letters and reinforce skills already taught. 


The CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack includes the 112 page spiral bound workbook and a 50 minute webinar explaining the CursiveLogic method step by step.  The workbook contains all of the teaching instructions and the pages for the student to write on.  It also has 3 dry erase pages for repeat practice. The book is consumable and you will need one for each student.

After purchasing the Quick-Start Pack you will receive an email within 24 hours with the webinar link.  You have access to the webinar for up to 6 months after the purchase date.  The webinar takes you step by step through the CursiveLogic method.  It takes around 50 minutes to watch.  It is streamed and can be watched on any device that has an internet connection.  I watched it from my phone.  It really is only necessary for the teacher to watch the webinar but if you have an older student they may be interested in watching it as well.



The Art of Cursive is not a curriculum.  It is a coloring book with cursive woven throughout it.  It has 4 brief lessons on the lowercase cursive alphabet and a reference sheet with the capital letters.  There are 27 different pictures to color with corresponding sayings to trace and write.  The Art of Cursive is for adults or students who have completed the CursiveLogic Workbook.  The pages in the book are very thick allowing you to use markers or gel pens and they won't bleed through.  I used the Art of Cursive myself.  It was fun to color and practice my writing.

I have been using CursiveLogic with my 14 year old son.  He learned some cursive when he was younger, but without practice has forgotten most of it.  Several weeks ago he needed to sign his name on some paperwork and commented that he wished his writing was better.  Right after that we had an opportunity for this review.

This is the second time I have reviewed CursiveLogic.  The first was back in 2015 with my son Nicholas.  The workbook has been updated since then, but the method is still the same.  One of the biggest improvement is the way the book is set up.  Rather then flipping back and forth on the pages, all of the lowercase lessons are on one side of the page and then when you start the uppercase letters you flip the book and work on the other side of the page.  Also instead of labeling the lessons with 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,  etc..they are labeled Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.  

The CursiveLogic method makes so much sense I can't believe that children haven't been learning this way all along.  I hate to state the obvious, but it is a very logical way to teach cursive.  Grouping similarly shaped letters together and color coordinating them while teaching a chant to form the letters was a brilliant idea.  The process is simple and can be done in minutes a day with no frustration.  Older students really can work through the book independently and after just 10 weeks master the cursive alphabet and have beautiful handwriting.  Even the design of the book is wonderful.  I love spiral bound books because they can lay flat on the table.  This book has the spiral binding at the top so it will not get in the way of writing for left or right handed people.

I would recommend CursiveLogic especially if you have an older child that never learned cursive or that needs a refresher.  It simplifies learning cursive allowing them to learn quickly and the lessons do not take much time to go through.  It would also be good for younger children that are just learning.

CursiveLogic is offering a 20 % discount through the end of March!

To see what my Crew Mates had to say, stop by the Crew Blog!

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Homeschool Crew Review: Magic Stix Washable Markers

The Pencil Grip, Inc. carries a wide variety of products including pencil grips, Kiwk Stix and Thin Stix paint sticks, fidgets, and many other school and office supplies.  My girls LOVED the Kwik Stix and Thin Stix paint sticks that we have reviewed in the past.  Back in December we had a chance to try out one of their newest products, Magic Stix Washable Markers.  We received the 12 pack then and the girls loved them so much we were glad to have an opportunity to use and review the 24 pack of Magic Stix Washable Markers from The Pencil Grip, Inc.




Magic Stix are washable markers that are non toxic and odor free. I was very glad that we could detect no odor at all coming from the markers. The colors are bright and beautiful.  They come in a sturdy plastic case that is very helpful in keeping the markers together and makes it easy to take them along with you wherever you go. The 24 pack allows your child to draw and color creatively with a wide variety of color choices and shades to choose from.


 The Magic Stix arrived at my house with perfect timing.  Lily was sick and on the couch.  She was not feeling well enough to get up and play, but she was feeling well enough that she was getting very bored watching television.  When the package van arrived she couldn't wait to see what was in it. She was very excited when I opened the Magic Stix box and got right to work on some beautiful drawings.

Magic Stix advertises that you can leave the cap off for 7 days without the markers drying out.  I was really excited when I saw this because one of my biggest problems with markers is that the girls forget to put the caps all the way back on and the marker dries out.  We decided to do a seven day test on one of the markers to see if it still would color after seven days without the cap.  It worked!  On day seven the marker worked just as well as it did on day 1.

My girls are old enough that I don't have to worry about them coloring on things that they are not supposed to, but they did accidentally get some marker on the table.  It washed off easily with some cleaner and a wet rag. Emmie got some red marker on her hands and after washing for several minutes the marker was completely gone.

Lily made a cover for the Magic Stix box.

And Emmie did a cat.

My 10 year old son Christian even did a few drawings, one of pizza and the other of different kinds of candies.

My children love to do art projects.  I think it is so important that children have quality art supplies that allow them to be creative. An even bigger bonus is when they are long lasting and as mess free as possible. The Pencil Grip, Inc. continues to impress me with their products.  I can't wait to see what they come up with next!


To see what my Crew Mates had to say, stop by the Crew Blog!

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Homeschool Wrap Up Week 24

We had 2 birthdays this week!  Chelsea had her birthday on Tuesday and she and the baby were able to come and spend the morning and have lunch with us.

Chelsea and I the day she was born

And then Sunday was Emmie's birthday.  She really wanted to eat lunch at a local Mexican Restaurant after church and wear the big hat.

Week 24 in our Homeschool

Bible: We finished 5 lessons in Know Who You Are, Live Like it Matters.

Read Aloud: We finished Off the Edge of the Map and read 2 chapters of Brady by Jean Fritz.

Geography: This week's country of study was Iran.

History: We read chapters 26 and 27 of America's Story Vol 1 leaving only one to finish the book.  Vol 2 arrived and we will be starting that next week.

Music Appreciation: We completed lesson 2 of Memoria Press's Music Appreciation Book One on Absolute Music and Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Math: Moving along in our math curriculum.  Lily, Emmie, and Anthony completed 4 lessons of MLFLE and Christian is plugging along in his Math Mammoth multiplication.

Language Arts: The boys finished the On Your Own Animal Fantasy section of Readers in Residence.  Next book of study for them is Because of Winn Dixie.  We have never read this book.  Lily's daily grammar lessons this week were on antonyms.

Spelling/Reading: The boys completed steps 6 and 7 in AAS Level 5.  Lily completed lessons 25 and 26 in AAR Level 4 and Emmie completed lessons 38 and 39 in AAR Level 1.

Other Activities this Week:

Monday was the 4 H Cookie and Bread Contest.

Tuesday was gymnastics.

Wednesday was Kid's Club.

Thursday was piano and ballet.

Friday I babysat Liam with Anthony, Lily, Emmie, and Christian while Nick and Alex helped Chelsea move.

he's standing on his own

 Saturday: We got a new couch!  New to us anyway.  A friend is moving and wanted to see their sectional.  Ours was falling apart and needed to be replaced but I did not want to buy a new one.  This one is bigger than the other one was and leather which I hope will be easier to clean. We were happy to move the old one out and the new one in!

 Nick started soccer this week, sort of.  Since he can't be on the team he and others that aren't on the team this year do a lot of standing around, but it's ok.  He's learning about what he will have to do to be on the team next year.

I got in my new science stuff and was really excited to open the kit and see everything in individual baggies and labeled with the lesson number!  We are going to switch around our schedule some so that we are doing science on days that we do not have the baby.

I have started beginning planning for next year.  Mostly for Nick.  When it comes to high school you have to be a bit more structured in the planning to make sure they get all of the required credits.  As homeschoolers we are not regulated by any special graduation requirements but we try to follow the local public schools as far as number of credits required and specific required courses like art and health.  We have a list of classes that he will be taking next year, now I just have to try and figure out what kind of curriculum we need for him for each class.

I hope you had a great week!

Happy Homeschooling!

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2018 4 H Cookie and Bread Contest

Every year our county 4 H has 2 cooking contests.  One is a Cookie and Bread contest and the other an Egg And Dairy Contest.  We try to enter both of these contests every year.  It gives the children an opportunity to learn new skills and try out some new recipes.  Our competition was last Monday.

Usually the children make 2 items to enter, but we were more pressed for time this year and the mixer stopped working so they only made one entry each, except for Christian who started baking on Saturday (I wish the others had followed his example) and had time to make two entries.

Alex made cinnamon rolls and won 3rd place in the senior yeast specialty.

Nick made doughnuts and got a participation ribbon.  That was the first time we have ever attempted homemade doughnuts.

Anthony made Chocolate Chip Cookies and got a participation ribbon in the junior drop cookie category.

Christian made what we call Crownies (a bar chocolate chip cookie) and won first place in junior bar cookies.  He also made Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and won first in the junior muffin category.

Lily made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins (from a mix) and won 2 nd place in the Cloverbud Muffin category.

Emmie made Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins (from a mix) and won 1st place in the Cloverbud Muffin Category.

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Homeschool Crew Review: Drive Thru History Adventures

    

We absolutely loved Drive Thru History when we reviewed The Gospels last year.  We were thrilled to have an opportunity to review the brand new Drive Thru History Adventures .  We received a one year subscription to use and review.

A subscription to Drive Thru History Adventures gives you access to three online courses: Ancient History, Bible History, and American History.  You will have access to all of the videos which include 18 episodes in Bible History and 12 episodes in Ancient and American History, plus curriculum with suggested readings and questions to answer after each episode.  You also have access to Adventures TV through your dashboard on your computer or an app for your phones or tablets (available on both Apple and Android.)  Adventures TV includes more videos, road trips, bloopers, behind the scenes and more.  You also have an opportunity to join the private Facebook group for subscribers. An annual subscription to Drive Thru History Adventures is $124.99 and includes a free DVD set of The Gospels (with coupon code.)  Or you can subscribe monthly for $12.99 a month.  Drive Thru History Adventures offers a free 7 day trial with no credit card required.

Using Drive Thru History Adventures is very easy.  Once you set up your account and log in you are taken to your dashboard.

From there you choose where you want to go.  The curriculum tab gives you an option to choose a video in any of the sections: Bible, American, or Ancient History.  Bible History explores the life of Jesus as covered in the Gospels.  American History covers Columbus to the Constitution and Ancient History goes through the empires of Rome, Greece, and Asia Minor.

Once you choose your episode, it takes you to a page where you can watch the video, read a summary, view a suggested reading, read a side road related to the video, read through discussion questions, and any digging deeper articles.  There are also links to PDF downloads of the worksheets, answers, and suggested reading.

If you'd rather go straight to suggested reading, questions, side roads, expert papers, etc...you can choose the resources tab.

The community tab takes you to social media posts.

The account tab shows you when your subscription started and ends and gives you an opportunity to change your password.

The Adventures TV tab takes you to a new screen on your computer that gives you access to all of the same things as your dashboard.  It's main purpose is to allow you to use Drive Thru History Adventures through an app on your phone or tablet.  It is very easy to download the app and set up your account.  Through the app you can stream all of the episodes of Drive Thru History, Dave's Adventures, Side Roads, Behind the Scenes, and Dig Deeper, allowing you to take Drive Thru History Adventures on the go.

Drive Thru History is amazing!  Through these videos, the viewer is taken on a road trip to learn about amazing people and places from history. Dave Stotts is a very entertaining host whose quirky actions and humor keeps the attention of all my children but at the same time has a seriousness about him and the topics he is covering when appropriate.  Drive Thru History is the best documentary type show that we have ever seen that really brings history to life.  After watching The Gospels last year, we knew we had to see more.  So I purchased the American History DVDs to go along with our history curriculum this year.  We loved them and couldn't wait to get started on the Ancient History series through Drive Thru History Adventures.

I have been using this curriculum with my 6,8,10,12, and 14 year olds.  We have been watching one video per week by streaming them on the computer.  The Ancient History videos are around 45 minutes each.  Following the videos we go through the questions.  I have the children answer them orally.  We also have watched many of the Side Road, Dave's Adventures, and Behind the Scenes Videos.  Ancient History contains the following episodes:

Episode 1: The Rise of Western Culture
Episode 2: The Age of Conflict
Episode 3: A Time of Challenges
Episode 4: Roots of Democracy
Episode 5: Challenges of a New Religion
Episode 6: The Spread of Christianity
Episode 7: East Meets West
Episode 8: Ruins and Romans
Episode 9: The Advancement of Knowledge
Episode 10: Heart of Stone
Episode 11: Constantine and Constantinople
Episode 12: The Best of the Ancient World

 Our internet is VERY slow because we live outside of town. If there was one thing I would change about where we live, it would be the internet.  One of the first things I appreciated about Drive Thru History Adventures was that I had the option to change the quality of the picture.  By choosing the lowest, 360p, we can watch the entire video without having to keep pausing and waiting for it to load, and the picture is still very clear.  I also was impressed with the way the website was set up and how easy it is to find everything.

The children love the Dave's Adventures and Side Road videos.  We have watched the History of Cheese, History of President's Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day and more.  I have enjoyed being part of the Facebook Group and all of the information that is posted there.

The curriculum portion with the suggested readings and questions to answer are a great addition to the videos.  For older children you can assign them to complete these independently or have younger children do them aloud.  When my boys were answering the question about the founding of Rome, they answered it just like it was explained on the video, they even mimicked Dave's voice while telling the story...

 Adventures TV makes it possible for you to learn on the go.  We have not used the app very much because we all have been watching it together on the computer, but if you have a child working independently this is a great way for them to be able to watch on a phone or tablet anywhere they have an internet connection.

We have become huge Drive Thru History Fans.  The children and I have learned so much by watching these videos and look forward to it every week. I love all of the components that have turned these wonderful videos into more of a curriculum and that with Drive Thru History Adventures you get so many aspects of history all in one place. I cannot wait for the new episodes of Acts to Revelation to come out later this year, but until then will continue soaking up all of the history we can in Ancient History.

To see what my Crew Mates had to say, stop by the Crew Blog!

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