ClarkClan Craziness

Heritage History—Ancient Greece

2012-05-24T00:03:00.001-06:00

Heritage History – Ancient Greece Classical Curriculum
Available from Heritage History
$24.99
Includes 46 books, 50+ maps, teaching aids, and a Study Guide

ClarkClan Thoughts

Sarah has been very interested in studying Greek History. The Heritage History Ancient Greece Classical Curriculum has been a tremendous blessing in helping her accomplish this goal.

The CD format is very well thought out. When you pop the CD into your computer, it opens and looks just like an internet browser. The neat thing is that no internet connection is needed, it just makes for a very user friendly product.

For the Ancient Greece Curriculum, there were 46 different e-books. Each book title was easily identified as Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. The e-books are presented in 3 different formats. On the CD you will find a PDF version, mobi version, and epub version. The PDF version can be read directly from your computer or printed off, if you so desire. The mobi version is so you can put it on a Kindle. The epub version is for a Nook.

I own a Nook e-reader and was easily able to transfer the books to my device. Sarah and I were also impressed with the formatting of the books. We have used some older title e-books that were almost impossible to read the formatting was so bad. Heritage History books have none of those troubles.

The books on the CD are in and of themselves a great resource. I feel like I am in an infomercial as I say, “But, wait! There’s more!”. Comprehensive study aids are also included. These include: Timelines, Characters, Battles, Maps, and more. The images are fantastic. You can quickly look for illustrations that appear in the books using the images category.

This has been a perfect introduction to Greek History for Sarah. She has devoured the books with no complaints. She was even able to use the images and Ancient Greek knowledge she has obtained during a Venturing Camping competition. We would recommend this to anyone who would like to study Ancient Greece without having to spend a ton of money.

Heritage History offers five Libraries as complete curriculums. We tried the Ancient Greece, but there is also a Young Readers collection, Ancient Rome, British Middle Ages and British Empire available. Each of these CD’s are only $24.99, as well.

My TOS Crew Mates reviewed a variety of curriculums from Heritage History. Visit the Crew Blog and read what they thought about the products they received.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a Heritage History Ancient Greece CD, for free from Heritage History in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s

Write Shop

2012-05-22T21:36:00.001-06:00

Write Shop Junior Book D
3rd, 4th, and reluctant 5th graders
Students learn to write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry
Uses a variety of pre-writing games, graphic organizers and self-editing tools
Available both as a Print edition and an E-book version
Write Shop also carries writing curriculum for grades Kindergarten through High School

Cost

WriteShop Junior Book D Teachers Guide Print Edition $39.95

WriteShop Junior Book D Teachers Guide E-book $34.95

WriteShop Junior Activity Pack, Book D Print Edition $39.95

WriteShop Junior Activity Pack, Book D E-book $29.95

WriteShop Junior Book D Time Saver Pack Print Edition $13.95

WriteShop Junior Book D Time Saver Pack E-Book $13.95

Write Shop is offering a 15% discount off any Primary or Junior product in the WriteShop Store. Use code CREW15 at checkout. This offer is good until June 15, 2012.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Write Shop has worked wonders in our family. Ben and Rebekah both look forward to writing lessons now. I have been amazed at how well they have taken to this program. We were able to complete three lessons during the review period. After the third lesson, the kids were just as excited about the program as when we began.

I have two kids who used Write Shop Jr. Ben, who is 10, and Rebekah, who is 8. I had read before starting that Write Shop was great for kids with ADHD, like Rebekah. I have read that ADHD kids need some adaptations to do well, but that all kids will benefit from these same adaptations. Write Shop Jr. has proven this principle to me as Ben loved this program and benefitted from it as much as Rebekah.

The lessons were broken up into nine manageable chunks and spread out over 2 weeks. There is a 3 week option, but my kids were able to handle the slightly faster pace with no problems. Each lesson keeps the same order for activities. For example, Day one is always working on a Grammar Fold and Go, day two is pre-writing activities, day 3 is model and teaching and so on. I liked this because order and structure is an important part of our school work.

Write Shop took away the “fear” of writing. The lessons are presented in a fun, engaging, hands on way. The first three days the kids are not asked to write anything by themselves, only play games and tell you (the teacher) what to write. By the time that the kids are asked to write anything, they are having so much fun with the lesson that it does not seem like work.

A few favorites with my children.

Hands On Activities – Who knew that writing could be fun and have games? Each lesson had some type of hands on activity related to it. When we were writing letters of invitation, they learned the parts of a letter playing an “invitation mix and match” game. They also got to cut out and put together a robot with all the parts of a letter. These hands on activities, early in the lessons before any actual “writing” took place set their minds in gear for what we were doing. They both loved the incredible shrinking machine, which taught us how to narrow down an idea. Each lesson had some type of game that they just loved.
Brainstorming—Ben and Rebekah liked this idea. Each of them had a sheet, with graphics related to the lesson, and we brainstormed together ideas for their own writing. By doing this together, they could bounce ideas off each other and mom could help out too.
Journal writing,—These were based on the lesson topic. My kids loved this because they were told to write and not worry about mistakes. It was amazing how much Ben and Rebekah wrote willingly. I think this is due to having lot of laughter and fun during the lesson, which extended to the writing session.
Grammar Fold and Go’s. These were folders I made up using pages printed from the Activity Pack. There are 10 fold and Go’s, one for each lesson. These are grammar review items and focus on one topic at a time. I made these up ahead of time and they were used for day 1 of each lesson.
Sloppy Copy—Ben and Rebekah loved this term, and were happy when it was the day to write their paper. Knowing that mistakes would not be looked at until the next lesson seemed to free them to write.
Self-Editing—This was made to be a fun activity as well. We had a special bag with highlighters and finger puppets we pulled out for editing day. First they would take a highlighter and mark all the good, correct things they did in their paper. Then they would put their elephant finger puppets on and the elephant would help them find mistakes.
Publishing the final copy—This was a fun way to make writing a final copy special, and not extra work. The kids would publish their final copy. One time we wrote it on paper and glued it onto a construction paper background. For their humorous stories, I had special paper with lines at the bottom and space at the top for pictures. Their adventure stories we typed up.

ClarkClan Cautions

I have just told you how much I loved this product. Did I like everything about it? Well, not exactly. There were a few items that I feel are important to know about.

Teacher intensive – It sounds funny but one of the things that make this a great program, also can be a detriment. This is a very teacher intensive program. The teacher needs to physically teach each segment of the lesson. As well, there is a lot of preparation work.
Preparation intensive—We reviewed the download version of Write Shop Jr. Level D. This means I received 3 PDF files. Initially, I was quite confused about how to implement the program. It was only after I printed out the teacher manual, then sat with the hard copy and the student file as well as the Time Saver pack file that I could make heads or tails out of it. It makes sense once I figure out the system. Even the PDF files are slightly different in nature. I really like how they work now, but I was frustrated and confused to begin with.
Paper Intensive—Because I had the download version, I had to print out everything. While you can get by not printing the teacher’s manual, I prefer to have a hard copy, so I printed it. There are many student materials to print out and it is recommended that you use certain paper such as cardstock or different colors. This need for printing can be eliminated by buying the physical products as opposed to the downloadable product.

Conclusion

I would highly recommend this product, especially for kids who are afraid of writing or say they hate writing. The activities were a lot of fun and helped to eliminate fear and anxiety about what to write, while still allowing individual creativity to shine.

I feel very honored to have been able to try this product. Most likely this is not a product I would have purchased on my own. I typically avoid anything that takes a lot of teacher preparation. When I first looked at this, I made the decision to take a couple weekend nights and prepare everything ahead of time. I think this decision is one of the reasons that the program was such a success. Having everything ready for each day ensured that the lessons were completed.

Many other TOS Crew Mates reviewed a variety of WriteShop products. Visit the Crew Blog and read what their children thought about the program.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a WriteShop Junior Book D, Activity Pack and Time Saver pack E book versions, for free from WriteShop in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s

CapJaxMathFax

2012-05-19T16:29:00.001-06:00

CapJaxMathFax
All math types drilled (+,-,x, / )
$29.95 download or CD
Available from www.capjax.com

CapJaxMathFax is a no-frills math drill program. The goal is to get the answer within 3 seconds and earn a “Super”. Each operation may be practiced in any order and combination. There are 10 levels of difficulty that can be set. You can also choose how many problems are in each drill.

CapJaxMathFax is different in that each problem is independently timed. Immediate feedback is given on the completion of each problem. Progress is presented in bar graph form, as well as personalized progress reports. Individual certificates showing student’s performance and current status are a part of the program. Certificates may be displayed and printed at any time.

We found this to be a very adequate math drill program. The simple no frills approach fit our family well. Since we were using a laptop computer, I used an external keyboard with a number pad. This helped Rebekah with her speed tremendously since she did not have to hunt for the numbers.

I liked that I could tailor the program for each of my kids. Ben likes a lot of problems at once and Rebekah prefers fewer. Ben also likes to to work on one mathematical operation at a time. Rebekah prefers to work on all operations. CapJaxMathFax makes this possible because the program can be set for each child and also can be changed easily each time they play.

The TOS Crew blog has many more reviews about CapJaxMathFax. Visit the blog to read what other homeschooling families thought about the program.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download version of CapJaxMathFax for free in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

2012-05-18T07:36:00.001-06:00

Sometimes a parenting issue comes up that can be divisive without needing to be. In our family one of these issues is my girls and their socks. Both Sarah and Rebekah like low cut, brightly colored socks. Sarah, about a year ago, took to wearing her socks mismatched. Rebekah quickly took after her big sister in wearing her socks this way too.

To be totally honest, this drives me crazy! I prefer matching socks. I fought them on this for a little while, then came to the conclusion: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Really, having mismatched socks is no big deal. It has no lasting consequence. They may eventually outgrow this quirk and if they don’t, oh well.

So now it is much easier to fold my girls socks. We don’t. They just get put into one dresser drawer that they both share. When they need a pair of socks, it is quick and easy to grab two individual socks and put them on. And now mom does not fuss over their socks. I just grit my teeth, smile and off we go!

Admiration

2012-05-13T22:54:00.001-06:00

Suddenly, I am jolted awake by a long, piercing sound. My heart is racing, my mind is racing, I am breathing hard. Is it the smoke alarm? Are one of the kids crying?

No! it is my husband’s fire department radio going off. I lay there listening to the dispatcher calling Alamo West Fire Rescue out to a call. There has been a car accident with injuries.

My husband is up in an instant. These days, my son, is knocking on our door.

“Dad, are you ready?”

Then they are off, driving to the fire station to grab a truck and race to the scene. Who knows exactly what they will find: a roll over with mangled metal and mangled bodies. Or is it just a car that slid off the road with no major injuries. Today, it was the worst type of accident, a fatality.

I admire my husband and son, who give of themselves to help others in need. Especially when the outcome is so tragic.

Homeschool Library Builder

2012-05-08T15:10:00.001-06:00

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I get the opportunity to try out many different curriculums and products. Today, I get to tell you about an amazing website designed to help you build up your own personal library.

Homeschool Library Builder is a website that sells books, both new and used. I really like their tagline, “Fill Your Bookshelves without Emptying Your Wallet”. As I was going over their website I was pleasantly surprised at the vast selection as well as the good prices.

Homeschool Library Builder is co-owned by two homeschooling families. Their desire is to provide good quality, wholesome, affordable books used in many literature rich homeschool curricula.

Features

New and Used Literature Hard or softcover, like new or ex-library, good or fair condition all items are clearly rated by condition and priced accordingly.
Guidance Items are organized by categories and age level
Low Prices Helps to stretch already tight homeschool budgets
Free Membership Program receive monthly newsletters, a book rewards program, book search, a marketplace to advertise your own cottage industry and a Helping Hand to provide support of a child adopted through Compassion International.

May Special

The special or the month of May is 25% off all items. Yep, you read that right, 25% off of their entire website. If there are any books on your wish list,check out Homeschool Library Builder to purchase them.

Make sure to visit the TOS Crew Blog and read what my Crew Mates thought about the Homeschool Library Builder website.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I reviewed the Homeschool Library Builder website for my honest review of their product. If I so desire, I have been offered a 10% discount on top of the sale prices for my opinion. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.

Hard Lessons

2012-05-04T07:59:00.001-06:00

My daughters have had to learn hard life lessons these past two weeks. Each of them have had character issues we have had to work through. I am never sure who cries harder or who learns more, my girls or me.

It seems like little daily kid infractions I can handle well. But when something comes up that is “big” I want to just fall apart. I begin to question everything about my parenting. “Have I been too hard?” “Have I been too lenient?” “Where did I go wrong?”, “What can I do differently?”

Giving me a week or so of prayer and time puts things into perspective. Yes, it was bad. Yes, consequences need to take place. But, grace and forgiveness are a part of the process as well. I tell my kids that no sin is too great for God (or mom) to forgive. Three are consequences to sin, and some consequences are more visible than others. Confessing their sin, bringing it out into the open is not easy. But, joy comes from being forgiven, no more hiding, no more fear of being caught.

My kids are not robots. They have wonderful minds and wills of their own. They are not sinless. They are human, just like me. It should not surprise me when their sinfulness rears its head. This is the process of growing up. Learning how to moderate their behavior, what consequences can or did occur, these are important lessons for life. If we do not go through these processes growing up, we can be blind sided as adults. But, I still don’t have to like going through these with my kids.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Still Life

2012-04-29T23:32:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share this picture Sarah drew for me tonight. I was asked to make invitations for our Ladies Spring Fling in May. The theme is “Fruits of Love”. So I asked Sarah if she would draw me a picture of fruit.

She set up a bowl with fruit we had in the house, sat down with her paper and pencils and came up with this. The color comes from using her colored pencils and some of the techniques she is learning in her Community Education art class. I thought she did a great job!

I then took her picture and added a few elements with my computer. This turned out to be the perfect picture for the invitations.

Critical Thinking Co.–Inference Jones: Beginning

2012-04-26T23:04:00.001-06:00

Critical Thinking Co.
Inference Jones: Beginning
$11.99
Grades: 3-4 (5 + remedial)

Inference Jones helps students to develop critical reading and higher order thinking. It develops the ability to draw inferences from written text. Research has shown that being able to draw inferences is a prerequisite for superior reading comprehension. When reading the written word a reader must construct the meaning through interpretation. All readers draw on personal knowledge to make inferences base on their experiences, social values, and cultural conventions.

Inference Jones is designed to help readers in the 3rd and 4th grade but can also be used with higher grade levels if remedial help is needed.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Both Ben (10) and Rebekah (8) were able to use Inference Jones. Each lesson only took about 10 minutes to complete. It starts with a short reading passage then asks between 8 and 10 questions. Each sentence in the passage is numbered to help with answering the questions.

A mix of question types is used: True/False questions, short answer, and multiple choice. Kids are also asked to explain their answers, using personal experience, on some of the questions. The book is simply designed with a small picture at the top, a short paragraph, with wide spaces between lines, then the questions. The instructions for the questions are placed inside a gray box. Each lesson is only two pages in length.

This has been a great resource for Ben and Rebekah to use. Both of them enjoyed the short lessons.Ben had a little trouble with about 3 lessons, then he caught on and flew through each lesson. Rebekah was a little slower to get started, but once she caught on she just flew through this book. I would go over the answers with them and have them talk out and correct any wrong answers.

I would highly recommend this book. I liked that my kids would have to talk out why they thought their answers were correct. Ben has always been a good reader, but he benefitted from using Inference Jones as much as Rebekah. I also noticed a definite improvement in Rebekah’s reading skills using this book. I was delighted when Rebekah sat one day, on her own, and did about 8 lessons all in one sitting. This is unheard of for Rebekah who generally does not like “book work”.

Critical Thinking Co. provided a variety of products for the Crew to review. Visit the Crew blog to read what my Crew mates thought of the products they received.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Inference Jones (special PDF download for review purposes) for free from Critical Thinking Co. in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.

Blogging through the Alphabet–The Letter I

2012-04-22T22:19:00.001-06:00

Marcy from the blog Ben and Me is hosting a weekly theme Blogging through the Alphabet. This week we are on the letter I. After reading my post, visit Marcy’s blog to read what she and others have written.

I is for Inheritance. Not monetary inheritance, but spiritual inheritance. My spiritual inheritance was brought to my mind today as we visited a small mission church.

We went to El Paso because the youth group from our church had gathered boxes of hygiene items for Ysleta Lutheran Mission. Since we only live about an hour and a half away, we decided that we should drive the items down and visit for a church service as well.

The Lutheran church, on the grounds of the Mission, is San Pablo. They are a small congregation, but one of the outreach programs is a Mariachi band. Today was Mariachi Sunday, where the Mariachi band led the music.

The entire service was enchanting. The music was fantastic, the preaching was wonderful.The sermon followed the Gospel reading from Luke 24:36-49. The Pastor brought home the point that Jesus came to wage war, war against Satan and sin. After Jesus resurrection, He came in peace. Jesus had conquered sin, death and the power of the devil. He could greet his disciples and ultimately us with “Peace be with you” because the war was over. Jesus was the victor.

As I was worshipping, I was almost overwhelmed with what a great gift God has blessed me with, a spiritual inheritance. One of the most special parts of this Sunday was walking into the little church and looking upon the Altar, Pulpit, Lectern and Baptismal Font. These pieces of furniture that decorate the front of this little church were made by my Grandfather about 30 years ago. They were originally made for another mission church and when that church remodeled they were moved down to San Pablo.

The furniture are a reminder of my spiritual inheritance. My Grandfather had a living and active faith and is now resting and rejoicing in Heaven. My Grandmother still has an active faith that she shares not only with me, her grand daughter, but also with my kids, her great- grandchildren. My grandparents taught the faith to my mother. And my parents brought the faith to me, through the gift of Holy Baptism. My prayer is that I and my husband are teaching our children “in the way that they should go.”(Proverbs 22:6) to continue on with the inheritance.

Classical Academic Press–God’s Great Covenant

2012-04-22T17:21:00.001-06:00

God’s GREAT Covenant A Bible Course for Children
New Testament 1: The Gospels
4th Grade and up
By Claire A. Larsen
Published by Classical Academic Press
$56.95 which includes: Student Book, Teacher Edition, Audio download. Each book and audio also available separately.

About the Study (taken from the Classical Academic Press website)

In God’s Great Covenant, New Testament 1: A Bible Course for Children, students will follow the story of Jesus, the Messiah and King, as He is born and fulfills all God’s promises. But Jesus does not arrive as people expected. The people were looking for a mighty warrior to deliver them from the oppressive Roman government. Instead, He came as the suffering Savior, who would die as the sacrifice for sin and death. He was building a kingdom that was not of this world—it was the kingdom of God. He is the Son of Man, God’s Servant, the Messiah, and the Son of God. Each of the four units in this text emphasizes one of these names of Jesus. God’s Great Covenant, New Testament 1 teaches the Gospels to students in fourth grade and up, using stories, worksheets, memory verses, devotional guides, quizzes, and a little boy named Simon. In the introductions to the text, students will also learn about the historical, cultural, and geographical setting of the New Testament. This book is a most comprehensive and heartfelt study of the Gospels, and many parents and teachers will find themselves learning along with their students.

ClarkClan Thoughts

This is the most thorough, rigorous Bible course that I have seen for elementary age. After a slow start, we enjoyed being able to dig in and learn from this study.

There are six introductions before beginning with chapter one. The introductions cover topics pertinent to a study of the Gospels. They include: Historical and Political, Chronological, Geographical, Religious and Daily Life introductions.

There are 36 chapters divided into 4 units. Each unit has an overall theme and each chapter also has a main theme. Within each chapter there is a theme verse, Scripture passages, a memory passage and Key Facts. The main portion of the lesson can be read aloud, read silently or listened to with the audio. The audio download reads the main portions of each chapter out loud. A review worksheet comes after the reading of the chapter incorporating different question styles. At the end of each chapter a Chapter quiz can be given.

While the student book can stand by itself, the teacher’s guide provides much more background and other information. I was amazed at the amount of extra information included in the teacher’s guide. Doing this study with my kids, I liked using the teachers guide and being able to learn more myself and offer extra tidbits of information.

As I mentioned before, this is a very rigorous study. I felt that it was not a study that I would give to my kids to complete on their own. Ben (10) and Rebekah (8) had to give this their full attention. (I used this with two kids, each child should have their own student book). The introductions became a bit boring for them and we had to slog through. When the chapters started, the study was better received. They enjoyed listening to the audio and then completing the worksheets.

If you are looking for a very thorough Bible course, this is it. I would stick to the recommended grade level and not start this before 4th grade. I would also recommend doing the study along with your child, looking up the relevant Scriptures and listening to the audio together. This way any questions that come up or misunderstandings can be cleared immediately.

Many other Crew members reviewed God’s Great Covenant. Visit the TOS Crew Blog and read that they thought of this bible study book.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received God’s Great Covenant for free from Classical Academic Press in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.

Bright Ideas Press—Christian Kids Explore Physics

2012-04-17T20:21:00.001-06:00

Bright Ideas Press
Christian Kids Explore Physics 2nd Edition
Book includes a CD with all student worksheets for printing
Grades 4-8
$39.95

Bright Ideas Press is a curriculum company that promises to publish Christian-oriented curriculum that will fit into a busy life. Their focus is on affordable, easy-to-use, multiple age products. T

Last year I had the privilege of reviewing two of their products, A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers and WonderMaps. We thoroughly enjoyed those programs and were very excited to have an opportunity to review their science curriculum.

Christian Kids Explore Physics (taken from the website)

The universe that we live in is the result of God’s thoughtful design and careful building. Physics gives us a glimpse into the materials, laws, and structures of that universe. Behold the wonders of creation with this series of 30 easy-to-understand lessons for grades 4-8. Each lesson helps develop an understanding of matter and energy and the rules they follow. Exploring physics is an exciting adventure!

There are also other topics besides Physics in the Christian Kids Explore Science series. Available are Chemistry, Earth and Space, and Biology.

ClarkClan Thoughts

We had just finished up our science curriculum when we received this review. Ben, Rebekah and I were very excited to get started. This curriculum was very easy to begin.

The curriculum is divided into Units and Lessons. There are 30 Lessons divided into 6 Units. Each lesson has two parts, a Teaching Time and a Hands on Time. We followed the Lesson plans that are included in the book. We did the Teaching Time one day, then the Hands on Time the next. I would read the Teaching Time out loud to Ben and Rebekah and go over any vocabulary. Then I would give them their “Review It” worksheet to fill out on their own. If they needed help, I would let them read the chapter themselves to find the answers. At the end of each Unit is a “Show What You Know”. I would give them this to see what they had remembered, then we would go over it together and find what answers they missed.

The Hands on Time was Ben and Rebekah’s favorite part of the program. This is where mom would bog down a little, because I sometimes had to gather supplies I did not have on hand. It was well worth the effort, though, to get the proper supplies listed. (There is a sheet with all supplies needed for each lesson you can take to the store with you.) The Hands on Time cemented the Teaching Time and brought greater understanding of the lesson.

An example of this is when we made an atom. An atom is hard for kids to understand, but when we painted Styrofoam balls and put them together with straws, I could see the understanding as they explained to Dad and big brother Matthew what they had made. Then next lesson, they made a water molecule and then took to wondering how many water molecules would be needed for a drop of water. This is one aspect that I really liked about this program, my kids excited about what they were learning and telling others what they knew.

The focus on God as the creator of the world, truly came through with this curriculum. Each lesson a bible verse was given to go over that corresponded to the lesson theme. I found the creation references to mesh very well with the solid science presented.

This curriculum has been a great fit for our family. It has a great mix of pencil work and hands on time. Rebekah has some trouble sitting still for long drawn out worksheets, but these provided work that she could do in one sitting without being overwhelmed. I have been trying to find things for her to practice finishing a worksheet on her own and this has really helped. Having a day of listening and then a day with a Hands- on activity was a great fit for both Ben and Rebekah.

I enjoyed using Christian Kids Explore Physics so much I plan to continue using it. Ben and Rebekah are learning and retaining the information presented as well as thoroughly enjoying the many Hands-on projects that go with each lesson.

Read what my Crew Mates thought about the Christian Kids Explore Science Series. Visit the Crew Blog to get a thorough overview of all their science programs.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Christian Kids Explore Science: Physics for free from Bright Ideas Press in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.

Blogging Through the Alphabet–Letter H

2012-04-16T22:15:00.001-06:00

I have been Blogging Through the Alphabet with Marcy from the blog Ben and Me. Visit her blog and read what she chose for the letter H, then visit the other blogs joining in, as well.

Unfortunately I missed blogging about the letter G. Although it was a G word that kept me from blogging last week. Gastro-intestinal upsets for the entire family. “Ugh”, is about all I want to say about last week.

This week is the letter H. H for me stands for Hand bells. Our church has a Hand bell choir, which Sarah and I became members of last August when we moved here. The rest of the Hand bell choir have been playing for 4 years. This is Sarah and my first year playing. What an experience.

Sarah and I both read music, which I think is the only reason we could come in and just pick it up and start playing. I played the flute in high school and I have sung in various choirs for many years now. Sarah takes piano lessons and has for quite a few years. When we joined the Hand bell Choir, I began playing treble clef notes and Sarah plays bass clef.

Generally, my notes tend to be melody notes. I think it is fun, but very challenging to play Hand bells. You really have to pay attention. I am in charge of bells, G, G# (or A flat) and A. You have to watch the music and play, using the right timing, when your note comes up. This is not so hard when you are playing a simple piece with a lot of half notes and quarter notes, but it is not usually as simple as that. Since the Hand bell Choir has been playing for 4 years, the music can get quite complicated.

Sarah, in my opinion has an even tougher job than I do. I can’t remember exactly which bass clef bells she plays, but I know they are fairly large. Since the bells are big, they are a bit heavy and she has to use a lot of strength to ring them. One reason I wanted Sarah to be a part of the Hand Bell Choir is because she tends to have a few problems with her timing while playing piano. Hand Bells can really teach you timing, because if you do not play at the right time,you can throw the whole choir off. I have noticed it is helping her piano playing as well. It is also a good thing because the Hand bell choir director is also Sarah’s piano teacher.

I really enjoy playing. I think it helps keep my brain active and stretching each week. I love the challenge of trying to figure out complicated rhythms and being part of a group making a joyful noise unto our Lord. That is the goal of our Hand bell Choir, to enhance the service and play praise to God.

AIMS–Looking at Lines

2012-04-15T22:31:00.001-06:00

AIMS Education Foundation
Looking at Lines Algebraic Thinking Series
Grades 6-9
$24.95
Available either as a 232 page book with CD of student activity pages or as a PDF download

AIMS Education Foundation is a non-profit foundation driven to produce exceptional math and science experiences. Activities are hands on, captivating, motivating and fun.

We were able to try out Looking at Lines, which is part of the Algebraic Thinking Series. Ben is just at the level of the activities in this book. Sarah has completed Algebra I. So the way we used this book was as a review for Sarah and a teaching tool with Ben. I supervised while Sarah taught the lessons to Ben. They had a great time working together.

The activities were very well explained in the teacher portion. Sarah was able to read the teacher portions and then explain them to Ben. They constructed the hands on activities with no problems. Ben’s favorite was Algebraic Ups and Downs in which they constructed a paper elevator to explain how an elevator works as well as graphing the equation. Ben was so proud of being able to explain his elevator and the equation behind it, he took it to Cub Scouts to show his Den Leader who happens to be an engineer. He was quite impressed with the activity.

We used this book mainly as a supplement to our regular math program. Sarah would do one activity a week with Ben as a fun Friday activity.

We had the physical book to try. In the book each activity has teacher explanations and student pages. The CD, which is included with the book, contains all the student pages making it easy to print off as many copies as needed. A few supplies are needed to complete each activity. These were not hard to obtain, mainly tape, paper clips, drinking straws scissors.

We liked the AIMS book Looking at Lines. The explanations were easy to follow and the student pages were fun and engaging. Ben learned algebra concepts while Sarah had her knowledge of algebra strengthened.

Many other Crew Members reviewed the Looking at Lines book as well as other titles. Visit the Crew Blog and read what they thought of the books they reviewed.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a the book Looking at Lines for free from AIMS Education Foundation in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s

Write with WORLD

2012-04-12T22:01:00.001-06:00

Write with WORLD
From the publishers of God’s World News and WORLD Magazine
Available from: www.writewithworld.com
$95 per year or $165 when both first and second year books are purchased together.
All purchases include access to the user website coming Fall of 2012

About the product: (taken from their website)

Write with WORLD is the middle school writing curriculum developed by education and media professionals. Use it to inspire and train your students to become proficient communicators who can meet educational requirements and navigate today's growing new media and conflicting worldviews.

Write with WORLD exposes students to:

reading and critical thinking that develop discernment
contemporary subjects and professional guidance to pique interest
flexible exercises to build confidence and skill for using today's new media
a thoughtful and meaningful Christian worldview

ClarkClan Thoughts

I have been a huge fan of World Magazine and God’s World News for years. When I heard that the publisher’s of World and God’s World News had written a curriculum to teach writing, I was excited to try it out.

Write with World has been a very good writing curriculum for Benjamin. Ben is in the 5th grade and really enjoyed working with this. Rebekah who is in the 4th grade joined us, but I could tell she was just a little bit too young for the program.

I liked the way the program is broken up into 5 different capsules. Each of these capsules were a great length taking us about 30 minutes to complete. We sat and worked through one capsule a day, thereby finishing one lesson a week. Because of the ages of my kids, I went over the lesson with them and sat while they completed the daily assignment. We used spiral tablets as our CWJ (which stands for Conversations: Writers Journal).

I found the lessons to be engaging and understandable. New vocabulary is introduced and used in each capsule. We took index cards and wrote the vocabulary words at the top, looked the word up in the dictionary and then wrote the definition that fit the context of the word. My kids favorite vocabulary word came from the first lesson: ubiquitous. Both of them will still use this word in daily conversation.

I liked that there were quotes and passages by published writers that “spoke” about good writing. These may have been more interesting to me because I have read World Magazine for years and enjoyed reading perspectives on writing from columnists I recognize. But more than that, my kids liked reading what actual “real-life” writers thought.

There is no specific grammar program with this curriculum. But grammar is taught as needed throughout the lessons. For example, lesson two has students looking at pictures and describing them. One capsule is on nouns, one on adjectives, one on verbs and one on adverbs to help make stronger sentences. I liked how the concepts built upon each other. They started simple, then became more complex as the lesson was completed.

Subscribing to World Magazine or God’s World News is not a requirement for using this program. But, because we had both, were were able to pull issues out and use these resources to complete assignments.

Since this curriculum is not available until next Fall, there is a part of the program that I know is coming, I just have not experienced it for myself. What is still to come is a web site for users of the curriculum. This is to provide an online publishing opportunity for student writers, as well as additional writing subjects to constantly freshen and augment what is in the textbooks.

I definitely think this is a solid, middle school writing curriculum. While I did use this with Rebekah, who is below middle school, I think she will get more out of it in about two years. Ben picked right up on it with no problems. I also think this could be a solid program for a high school student who has not had a formal writing course.

Read even more reviews about this writing program by visiting the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a pilot copy of Write with World for free from God’s World Publications in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s

TruthQuest History—Ancient Greece

2012-04-09T22:59:00.001-06:00

Truth Quest History—Ancient Greece by Michelle Miller
For Grades 5-12 (younger children may participate)
Cost: Print copy $24.95 PDF version $19.95

TruthQuest History – Ancient Greece is a complete curriculum that can be used with multiple grade levels. It is unlike any other curriculum on the market. Truth Quest's premise is “God initiates…People respond….History Happens.

What makes TruthQuest History so different? According to their website www.truthquesthistory.com “TruthQuest History is a deep and rich literature-based history study…but with a difference. You will not learn the story of mankind; you will learn the lovestory of mankind. You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations; you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God's unchanging existence, power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply 'meet the culture' or 'get the facts;' you will probe the truths of history so deeply that your students will be equipped to change their world!”

How is the TruthQuest guide different from other guides? The guide is the jumping off point for the program. It is divided into sections, 43 sections in the Ancient Greece guide. Each section begins with written commentary on what is going to be studied, giving background and thoughts to ponder while reading the assigned books. Then comes the book lists.

The book list is the heartbeat of the program.There are many books listed for each section. One reason for this is the age range for each guide is quite a span, so having a wide variety of reading levels is important. The author, Michelle Miller, makes a point of telling the parents to only use as few or as many books as you, the parent, feel necessary. Do not feel like you should read every book listed. The approach that TruthQuest uses is “living books” to make history come alive.

ClarkClan Experience

When we received this review the kids and I were quite excited. Sarah (14) and Ben (10) and Rebekah (8) have been wanting to study Ancient Greece and could not wait to get started. I read the the introductory material on how to use the program, read the first section introduction and searched for books from the library.

One feature of this program that intrigued me was the multiple age aspect. I have a 14, 10 and 8 year old. To be able to have one history program for all of them was a huge plus.

The guide is very well-written. I have read most of the introductory segments for each section. Michelle Miller’s enthusiasm for her topic comes through plainly. I enjoyed reading these segments, she draws you in and makes you want to read the books to answer the questions she brings up.

Unfortunately, my main problem came with having trouble finding the books. To be perfectly honest, I only own about two or three of the books on the book list. For this review, I relied upon my public library to supply what we needed. Sadly, our library was lacking in books about Ancient Greece. I could only locate about 1 in 20 of the books on the lists. Our library charges $5.00 for each inter-library loan item, so I did not search for the books in other libraries. I noticed there were times a recommended book only had a chapter or two listed for reading. This was under each section, but not listed in the Resource list appendix. Since I would have to purchase many of the books, I would like to see if most of the book was going to be used throughout the program. I would not like to purchase a book to find my children only needed to read one chapter. While I could have searched through each section of the guide to see if the book is continued in different sections, it would simplify things to have it in the main Resource appendix.

I did research the books online and found many of them for sale on popular book websites. So to truly complete this curriculum, I would need to purchase many of the books, or pay the money for the many books I would need through inter-library loan. If I were to choose this as my main history curriculum, I would expect to spend money on the books I would need.

I have not seen any of the other TruthQuest History Guides. It may very well be that my public library would have many more of the books listed in guides for say the Middle Ages, or American/European history.

Recommendation

Would I recommend this program for other’s to use? Yes, I would, with a caution to be prepared to buy books as needed. I liked the idea that we would be studying history from the point of view that God is in control of all things. I liked the multiple ages studying together, using books for their own reading levels. I feel this is a solid History curriculum.

Many of my Crew Mates also reviewed TruthQuest History. There are many guides available and you can visit the Crew Blog to read reviews of them.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a PDF download copy of TruthQuest History – Ancient Greece for free from TruthQuest History in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s

Amazing Animals by Design

2012-04-05T17:26:00.001-06:00

We recently had the pleasure of reviewing a picture book called Amazing Animals by Design by Debra Haagen.

Available from Tate Publishing
$8.99 for paperback
$7.99 e-book edition
Visit the Amazing Animals by Design Blog
Like Amazing Animals by Design on FaceBook

Rebekah and I have had a fun time reading this book together. Good dialogue between children and parents during a trip to the zoo is the highlight of this book. The dialogue focuses on the word “design”. The main theme is that every animal is designed with special abilities that help the animal through life.

The book gives a good “zoo” feel by focusing on animals that most of us will only see in a zoo. I liked that the information about each animal is factual. I even learned something about ostriches that I did not know. The special design that each animal has or uses is then tied together with a question of “Who is the Designer?”

God is given all the praise for creating each animal and their special features. An easy transition then relates how we are God’s design, too. We are created with special abilities like the animals, except we have been given and a mind and a heart so we can know God.

Two points that I really liked about the book are:

Family – I loved that this book was written with both a mom and a dad. This is our family dynamic and it is nice to see it reinforced in a book.
The kids in the story had previous knowledge of God. They knew the answer when asked who designed the animals. I have read other Christian story books that assume kids have never been exposed to God. My kids have been in church since they were born and can relate to the kids in the story who can take what they are learning and apply God as the creator.

Want to read even more reviews? Visit the TOS Crew Blog and read what my Crew Mates think about this cute book.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download copy of Amazing Animals by Design for free from Tate Publishing in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.

F is for Fire Department

2012-04-03T22:12:00.001-06:00

This week for Blogging Through the Alphabet is the letter F. Marcy from the blog Ben and Me is hosting this fun challenge to blog through the alphabet one letter per week. Be sure and visit her blog and read what other bloggers have come up with for their letter F.

I have chosen Fire Department as my F offering this week. Alamo West Volunteer Fire Department to be exact. The Fire Department is a huge part of our life. Both my husband, Matt, and son, Matthew, are fire fighters with Alamo West.

Matt has spent many years as a Volunteer Fire Fighter. When he was 18 and first in the Air Force, he was stationed here in Alamogordo and joined the Alamo West VFD. He spent about 5 years in the department until we were stationed overseas. After 3 years we were stationed back here in Alamogordo. Matt immediately joined Alamo West VFD again. He was even the Assistant Fire Chief for a few years until we were stationed in another state. We spent 8 years away from NM and then Matt retired. We have moved, once again, back to Alamogordo. Matt is in the department again. A little older, a little grayer, but still with the same passion for helping out the community.

Matt has passed his love of the Fire Department to our son, Matthew. Matthew was so very excited when we moved back here because he was 18. That meant he could be a member of Alamo West VFD. Matthew is just as dedicated as his dad is to the department. Every Saturday he is not at work, he is at the station doing truck checks. He attends training whenever he can and is working on his Fire Fighter 1 certification. Matthew has even earned a nickname through the department. It is a little morbid, but his nickname is Grave Digger. He earned it early (3am) one morning when he attended a call for a car accident. The girl driving the car rolled it, but was not seriously injured. Her dog, on the other hand, did not make it. Somehow the girl’s dad had come to the scene and asked that the dog be buried, so they did not have to pass by and see it lying on the side of the road. Matthew, grabbed a shovel, dug a grave and buried the dog. Listening to Mathew tell me about it the next morning, I told him what he did is called compassion. Doing something that maybe does not need to be done, but can make a huge difference to a person in the midst of a tragedy.

If you have not guessed it by now, the Fire Department is a very BIG part of our lives. It overshadows just about everything. I admit, I can get a little annoyed at the time it takes. But then, I realize just what an awesome responsibility my guys have taken on. Their dedication is amazing. They take their role as Fire Fighters very seriously, training to the best of their abilities. My husband used to have a t-shirt with a picture of a house burning that simply said, “What if Volunteer Firefighters did not Volunteer?” .

Book Review--Money Saving Mom’s Budget

2012-04-03T15:13:00.001-06:00

I just recently found a website that I love. The Money Saving Mom website is full of useful, practical and just plain fun things everyday. You can find coupons to print, what stores or companies that are offering freebies. I have been able to find magazine subscriptions for very low to no cost. There is practical advice on saving money, homemaking and more.

Behind The Money Saving Mom is the creator Crystal Paine. Crystal recently forayed into the field of writing with the book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. In the same style as her website this book is full of useful, practical and even fun tips for budgeting. Crystal shows how you can budget even on a small income. In fact, she shows exactly how important it is to budget, at any income level.

I have to say the second chapter surprised and delighted me. It was on de-cluttering you house to help save money. It can seem counter intuitive that by getting rid of things you will save money, but Crystal lays out the reasons why it works. Drowning in a sea of papers and always having to search for this or that bill can leave you overwhelmed and budgeting will take all you willpower to accomplish.

Never set up a budget? Have no idea where to begin? Crystal walks you through easy steps to begin budgeting. I really liked her approach. Start with a few categories, and then when things are sailing along smoothly add more to the budget. Chapters on using coupons, lowering your grocery bill, forgoing credit cards are all written with equal clarity.

I reviewed the audiobook version of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. I like to listen to audio books when I am doing dishes, hanging clothes or going for a walk. The author, Crystal Paine, is the reader for the audio book version. I like it when an author reads her own books. She did a great job. The speaking was very smooth with great inflection. Reading your own material makes a difference as you would know what to emphasize.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. I think it is best suited for someone just beginning to get started budgeting. If you are nervous about trying something new, Crystal’s easy, gentle style can give you the confidence to try.

I received the audiobook The Money Saving Mom’s Budget for free through LitFuse Blog Tour in exchange for my honest review of the book.

"What I love about the audio edition of The Money Saving Mom'®s Budget is that I can listen to it on the go - on my run, in the car, or while I'm folding laundry. AND ... I love that it comes with the downloadable worksheets. I am able to work through those while listening to Crystal speak. So helpful. Perfect for my busy schedule." --Anne, blogger (and reformed budget breaker!)

Celebrate with Crystal by entering her iPad2 Giveaway (a GREAT tool to keep track of your budget!) and RSVPing to the Live Webcast Event on 4/5!

One savvy winner will receive:

A Brand new iPad2
The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine, audio edition

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 4/4/12. Winner will be announced at The Money Saving Mom's Live Webcast Event on 4/5. Crystal will be hosting an evening of chat, laughter and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll share tips and advice and her husband will be joining her to share how the principles Crystal outlines in her book have dramatically impacted their family life. She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more!

So grab your copy of The Money Saving Mom®'s Budget and join Crystal and friends on the evening of April 5th for an evening of fun of learning, sharing and encouragement.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 5th!

Want more info about the MSM?

Click here!

Any Given Morning

2012-04-03T09:04:00.001-06:00

On any given morning things are never dull.

Adventures in Odyssey is playing.

Breakfast is being made and eaten.

Ben will have a book in his hand.

Rebekah will be told, once again, the blanket does not belong in the kitchen, put it in your room.

Loki, the dog, is “talking” to us because he is hungry. Then after he eats he runs around the house like crazy till somebody puts him outside.

Rebekah is heard whistling while she is coloring.

Sarah will be feeding the dog.

Dishes are clanking as the dishwasher is being emptied.

Water is running for dishes to be washed.

Ben is still reading a book.

Sarah is playing a piece on the piano.

And then mom comes out, and the scheduled part of the day begins.

E is for Exercise

2012-03-25T22:19:00.001-06:00

Blogging through the Alphabet is hosted by Marcy from Ben and Me. She is blogging through a letter of the alphabet each week and invited others to join in with her. Visit her blog and read what other bloggers have chosen for the letter E.

Exercise! I have a love/hate relationship with that word. I love how I feel after I exercise, but I hate to get started exercising.

My favorite exercise is walking. I love to walk, especially if I have a buddy. For some reason it is so much harder for me to get out and get going without having someone who is counting on me. Right now I am able to walk twice a week with a buddy, my mother. We live about a half mile apart. She walks down from her house and I walk up from mine, we meet in the middle and then turn around and walk approximately 3 miles in about 45 minutes. Boy, can we solve the world’s problems during our early morning walks. I love that I can visit with my mom and exercise all at the same time.

I also try to walk at other times than my scheduled walks. We live a little over a mile from our church. So, there are many times I will walk down to choir practice. We go to piano lessons at church and the kids and I have been known to walk (or ride our bikes, but bike riding is not my favorite activity) to piano lessons. Going to church is fairly easy, it is all downhill. Coming home is a bit tougher, since it is all uphill. For choir practice I will usually walk to the church, then catch a ride home with my dad afterwards so I don’t have to walk home in the dark.

I have also recently started an exercise class. I have found that trying to exercise at home just does not work well for me. I always find an excuse to put it off. I never seem to work as hard as if I am in a class. But the dilemma was: Where was I going to find a class? Since Matt is retired Air Force we have free access to a wonderful, huge gym. The problem is the 20 minute drive to get there. I don’t have that kind of time (or gas money). The gyms in town all cost, so not a great option.

Then in the mail I received the city’s monthly City Profile flyer. It talked about exercise and then said that the Senior Citizen Center sponsors many different exercise classes. The next paragraph talked about how if you were under 60 you could attend any of the classes for a small ($20) monthly fee. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. My mother attends a 3x a week exercise class, focusing on strength and flexibility.

So, yes, I am attending a Senior Citizen exercise class at the age of 38. I love it. It is exactly what I need. This class is as easy or as hard as the individual makes it. We start with warm-ups and gentle stretching through Pilates moves. Then we move into upper body strength training with rubber exercise bands. Then we go to lower body strengthening with squats and lunges. Then comes the floor work. We start with work on our legs and move into some pretty intense stomach exercises. We end with more stretching. I feel great after this hour long class. Nobody seems to mind me being there and the best part is the instructor has not made me pay.

It takes a little bit of planning to be able to do this with kids home all day. For my walks, we walk early enough that the kids are still asleep. But for my exercise class, which starts at 8:30am I have assignments I expect them to complete. Ben and Rebekah have to get their math, spelling and piano practice done while I am gone. Sarah just has to work on any of her assignments. They are all supposed to be responsible for themselves. This semester Matthew does not start class early on Mondays or Wednesdays, so he is home during the time I am gone. Having an adult child is nice for things like this. I can leave for an hour and he can take care of things while I am gone.

Action Alert

2012-03-25T20:55:00.001-06:00

Action Alert is an internet safety solution to help protect kids from online dangers. Action Alert combines 8 internet safety tools in one product.

Access Control—shuts down PC access remotely
Activity Alert Notifications – receive activity alerts via e-mail or texts.
Activity Video Recording – Records 60 hours of all PC activity.
Time Allowance – Set daily times when the PC can be used.
Site Blocking – Blocks unwanted and inappropriate sites.
Content Filtering – Allows only safe searches to be conducted.
Keystroke Logging – Logs user names and passwords.
Chat and E-mail Logging – Log both sides of conversations.

Two versions of Action Alert are available.

Free Protection- Everything you need to setup a kid-safe computer in seconds. All Totally Free!
Maximum Protection—Offers all above features plus Multiple user protection, is Fully Customizable and provides Full Social Network Monitoring. This may be purchased from Action Alert for $29.99

ClarkClan Thoughts

We installed Action Alert on the computer that is used by the kids. They use this computer for both schoolwork and to play games. Action Alert was simple to install. Once installed Action Alert Safe Search page becomes the internet home page.

As Action Alert says, I was able to remotely access the kids computer using mine. I was able to block sites that I did not want them visiting. I received alerts through my email. I also was able to watch a recording of PC activity. My kids do not online chat or e-mail, so we never tried out the chat and e-mail logging feature.

The most notable thing we encountered using Action Alert was a computer slow down. The computer the kids use is an older model and we noticed a definite slow down after installation.

I also had some trouble setting the program to the parameters I wanted. It seemed it was either too restrictive or too lenient. The program comes pre-loaded with “hundreds of thousands” of websites known for unwanted content. I can’t speak to that as we did not come across anything that was searched for as inappropriate. Action Alert will send an alert if certain terms, that you set up, have been searched. What we noticed was that all the sites came up, and they could be visited, but I was e-mailed an alert that an unacceptable term had been searched. Then, if I chose, I could remotely shut down computer access. The idea behind this is accountability. If your child knows that you will find out they are searching for something inappropriate they will be more responsible.

Many of my Crew Mates also reviewed Action Alert. Visit the Crew Blog to read what they thought about this Internet Safety Tool.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received the Maximum Protection version of Action Alert for free in exchange for my honest review of their product.

D is for Driver’s Ed

2012-03-19T23:13:00.001-06:00

The letter D is up for this week on Blogging Through the Alphabet. Marcy from the blog Ben and Me hosts this weekly challenge. Make sure to visit her blog and read what other topics there are for the letter D.

Today, I have chosen Driver’s Ed as my D topic. Sarah is taking Driver’s Ed right now. She is 14, will be 15 next month. In New Mexico she can take Driver’s Ed as long as she is 15 before the class is over. Since she has a very busy summer, we decided to have her take it now, and then she can drive with us for the next year, until she is 16.

We have been through this before with Matthew. One of the differences was that he took Driver’s Ed while we were living in Montana. The class was $100 there, and he went through classroom, driving practice, and took all the tests to get the permit, plus the driver’s test at the end of the class. Here in New Mexico, the class cost me $100. But, the fee just paid for classroom only. If I want her to drive with an instructor it would be another $100 for 5 hours. I told her she could just drive with us as I am not about to pay $20 an hour to drive with an instructor.

The class Sarah is taking is being held at the local High School. They had two sessions, an early morning session or an afternoon session. I decided the early morning session would work the best as we have no other activities scheduled for that time. So she has to be at the High School at 6:45am. She has two friends taking the class with her, both of whom attend the High School.

I not only drive Sarah, but I pick up her two friends as well. It turns out to be a fun ride each morning. The kids get in the car and then I get to hear about their dreams, what is going on at school that day, how class is going.

Sarah is having no trouble with the class. The first week, they spent studying the driver’s manual and then took a 100 question test. Sarah passed with only missing five. She could miss up to 30 and still have a passing score.

This is one of my few experiences dealing with anything having to do with the public high school. I have not been very impressed so far. The first day, a letter was sent home explaining the rules and giving an address to look up and print our own driver’s manual. I laughed at the couple of misspelled words I found. Then I became frustrated that the link given in the letter was a bad link. I eventually did a search and found what I was looking for. Another thing that annoyed me just a little is when Sarah told me her instructor said to not worry about grammar when writing their answers, as well as not to write long answers.

I was appalled by the ‘don’t’ worry about grammar” tidbit. I think grammar is very important and how you “practice” is what you will do. Having good grammar while writing answers for her Driver’s Ed class is important and I told Sarah she should try her best to use good grammar and write as long as she needs to for the answer.

So after the first two weeks in May, I will have a second child who has completed Driver’s Ed. Then the fun of sitting in the passenger seat for a year as Sarah chauffeurs us around. Good thing Ben is only 10 and I have 5 more years before this happens again!

Progeny Press- Study Guides for Literature

2012-03-18T23:00:00.001-06:00

Progeny Press
Study Guides for Literature From a Christian Perspective
Guides available for a variety of books
Guides are available for Early Elementary through High School
As of January 2012, there are approximately 107 guides
Guides available in three formats: Printed and bound booklet, CD Rom with interactive guide, Email attachment with interactive guide
PDF versions are interactive, allowing your student to type directly into the computer in an Adobe Acrobat format.

We had the privilege to review two different literature guides offered by Progeny Press. Progeny Press is a company that has been producing quality literature guides since 1992. Their guides are used by both home school families and Christian schools. The guides are written by the company owners Michael and Rebecca Gilleland as well as a variety of authors who meet strict standards. Each guide adheres to high standards of literary analysis and Biblical application.

The literature guides offered by Progeny Press teach well-written literature and help students develop and refine how they deal with man’s philosophies in relation to God’s Word. They equip students to understand writing and help enhance their reading enjoyment.

Progeny Press study guides are unique. We often are asked what separates Progeny Press study guides from other study guides.
First and foremost, Progeny Press study guides contain and teach a Christian worldview. We do not put down other worldviews, but
we definitely promote a Christian worldview. Therefore, when we discuss the moral or ethical issues raised in a book, we do so by
taking students to the Bible as the standard by which such issues should be measured. Second, we concentrate on literary techniques and terminology so our students learn what makes a story work. We believe good readers make better writers, and we encourage students to answer questions in persuasive essay answers. Third, in all our questions we emphasize critical thinking, analysis, and comprehension. We want our children to know how to think. (Excerpt taken from Progeny Press catalog)

ClarkClan Thoughts

Across Five Aprils Study Guide
Email attachment PDF file $16.99

Ben (10) was who I had use the Across Five Aprils study guide. This study guide was written by Carol Clark, who is a junior high language arts teacher at Toledo Christian School. While the guide is interactive, I printed the entire guide out instead of having him use the computer. This worked well for us so Ben could work on the guide while his sister was using the computer.

Ben has really enjoyed using this study guide. He is about half way through the guide. I have been having him read the appropriate chapters, then taking about a week to complete the study questions and activities. While he does the work on his own, I then will sit down at the end of each week and go over with him all the questions and generally talk about the book and what points the literature guide has brought up.

The guide is designed for grades 5-9. Ben has had no trouble completing the guide. Ben is a child who loves vocabulary and enjoys looking up words in the dictionary, so the vocabulary parts have been fun for him. One chapter had Ben looking up important military leaders of the Civil War. I sat with him while he searched on the computer. He loved this activity. Another part of the guide has Ben mapping and explaining the strategy of the different leaders. We have a map in our hallway, and Ben has spent quite a bit of time marking places and telling me what is going on in the Civil War according to his book.

I am definitely quite impressed with the this literature guide. I like the depth that is involved, yet it is still doable, even for a young, bright, fifth grader. I liked the guide so well, I have picked out which one I would like Ben to do next.

The Screwtape Letters Study Guide
Email Attachment PDF file $18.99

Sarah (14) has been working through the Literature Guide for The ScrewTape Letters, by C.S. Lewis. This guide is a high school level guide designed for grades 9-12. This guide was written by Michael S. Poteet, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. While this is a PDF interactive guide, I printed the guide out so Sarah could work on it at any time during the day.

I have been having Sarah, read the chapters of the book that we are focusing on, then answer the literature guide questions. She is taking about a week to complete one section of the guide. I then sit with her and go over her answers and discuss the various questions with her. Not only is Sarah learning through this guide, but I am learning quite a bit about this book, as well.

The Screwtape Letters is a powerful book and having the study guide helps me to internalize the truth found in it. I found myself during my ladies weekly Bible study, pointing out lessons I had learned while helping Sarah through this guide. My older son had read The Screwtape Letters while he was still in high school and when we pulled it out for Sarah, he picked it up and re read the book. I wish I had known about Progeny Press guides and had used one with him before he graduated.

I would highly recommend this literature guide. I found it to be very thorough. I was also highly impressed with the depth of scripture study involved in unraveling the mysteries of this book. We are over halfway done with this guide and I have found nothing contrary to our Lutheran teachings. This has been a huge plus for me. I am looking forward to using other Progeny Press literature guides for Sarah when we are finished with this one.

There were many TOS Crew Mates who were able to review Progeny Press Literature Guides. Visit the Crew Blog and read what they thought about the guides.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Across Five Aprils, and The Screwtape Letters Literature guides from Progeny Press for free in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Classical Academic Press–The Art of Argument

2012-03-15T19:15:00.001-06:00

Classical Academic Press
The Art of Argument An introduction to the informal fallacies
Grade level: Jr. High, Sr. High if no logic has been previously introduced
Cost: $88.95 Basic Bundle which includes Student Book, Teacher Book and DVD Set. Each item is also available individually.

I do not remember having studied logic in school. I know I must have been introduced to informal logic, as I know some of the terms, but I do not necessarily know what those terms mean. So reviewing, The Art of Argument, has been a fascinating education for me, as well as for my children.

To be totally honest, I was extremely excited about being able to review this book. The study of logic was one I have been wanting to start. Sarah (14), on the other hand, was completely against the program from the minute she heard what it was. I was flabbergasted as Sarah is not known for discounting any schoolwork before she gives it a try. So I sat down and talked to her about it and found out that one of her friends who attends a private Christian school had used the program last year and said it was very hard. So here we are, starting out with mom excited and Sarah very reticent.

I took a very slow, gentle approach to this book. I read the book out loud to her instead of assigning her to read the pages herself and then discuss. We went over vocabulary out loud as we read. I even started out by having her do the question pages out loud with me. During the Introductory, What is Logic? section and the beginning of Unit 1 Sarah warily went along with me. I noticed her starting to become more and more interested by the time we reached the “Dialogue on Logic…and Propaganda” which is in the form of a play between Socrates and a girl named Tiffany.

When we reached the first Fallacy, Ad Hominem Abusive, she was hooked. She admitted that she does enjoy the book so far. She has said it is not as “hard” as her friend made it sound. I reminded Sarah, that she is 14 and her friend is 13 and studied the book last year at 11 and 12.

What surprised me completely though was Ben (10). Ben was in the room listening while I was reading the first few introductory lessons to Sarah. Then he apparently was listening intently during the first Fallacy, because as I was asking and discussing the questions with Sarah, Ben piped up with very complete, well thought out answers. He is now constantly on the look out for examples of the Fallacies we have studied.

We usually read the chapter out loud together and discuss the questions. Then we will watch the video series, available as a supplement, that corresponds to the fallacy we are studying. Watching this video adds a great deal to our understanding by providing a deeper level of discussion and more examples. The video is set up like a panel board discussion, with four students and two adult facilitators. It is not fancy, but provides valuable insights and produces better discussions than I can come up with myself.

The Teacher’s Edition was the same as the student book, except for having answers printed on the worksheet pages. This made it easy to teach, as I was always on the same page as the kids and could see everything, in full size, they had in their books.

I would highly recommend The Art of Argument by Classical Academic Press. The use of skits involving Socrates inject humor into the lesson. My kids found the “advertisements” that illustrate the different Fallacies to be entertaining. I feel this is a very solid informal logic curriculum.

Many of my Crew Mates also reviewed The Art of Argument. Visit the Crew Blog to read what they thought of the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received The Art of Argument, Student book, Teacher Edition and Disk 1 from Classical Academic Press for free in exchange for my honest review of their product