ClarkClan Craziness

See N Read

2012-02-11T22:25:00.001-07:00

Last year we reviewed a neat little reading tool called, See-N-Read. This year we are reviewing a new product from the same company called See-N-Spell, A Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide.

See-N-Spell Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide
Available from See-N-Read Reading Tools
$9.99 for 40 page softbound book

The See-N-Spell is a 40 page book containing over 300 commonly used words. It is divided into three categories: 1)Most Commonly Used Vocabulary Words 2) Commonly Misspelled Words 3) My Special Interest Words. Each Category is organized alphabetically. By knowing the first few letters of a word you can quickly identify the correct spelling and usage of the word.

The premise behind the See-N-Spell is that writers can compose broader and more vocabulary rich written work when their fear of misspelled words is taken away. Usually writers will have a larger verbal vocabulary than written vocabulary. By not being confident in spelling more advanced vocabulary words, writers will not develop their thoughts fully, or use words that do not adequately express what the writer is trying to say.

To help the user quickly and easily find their word using the See-N-Spell, a See-N-Read reader tool is included in the book. The See-N-Read reading tool is a handy product designed to help new and struggling readers easily keep their eyes on the line they are reading. This is the product we reviewed last year. To read more about how it worked for us, check out my review here.

ClarkClan Thoughts

How did the See-N-Spell work for us? Well, not quite as I expected. When I received the book and looked through it, I was very intrigued. I liked the layout of the book. I thought the words included were words that would be useful in everyday writing.

The first section gives words in alphabetical order and is organized into the most common language functions for the word. Each letter has nouns, Pronouns, Articles (if any) Conjunctions, Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions, and Homophones.

The second section is simply commonly misspelled words. The third section is called Special Interest Words. These pages are divided alphabetically as well, but they are blank lines for you to write words of your own that you may be having trouble with.

While I liked the premise of the book and the layout, I found it was not very well used in our house. I had it available any time we were doing writing assignments. Ben (10) and Rebekah (8) never touched it. They just never seemed to need any of the words contained in it. Sarah (14) had it with her as well. She writes frequently, mostly on computer. She found that she just rarely would pick it up to look for a word. She said it just seemed like too much trouble.

I do think I will keep this around for writing assignments, though. I think it will be most useful for Ben and Rebekah as they start to write more and more. They are still in the process of hand writing most assignments, not using a computer with spell check. I think this book will come in handy as their writing becomes more advanced.

Many TOS Crew Mates reviewed the See-N-Spell book. Visit the Crew Blog to read what experiences they had with this tool.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received See –N- Spell for free from See-N-Read, in exchange for my honest review of their product

Math Rider

2012-02-08T21:14:00.001-07:00

Looking for an intelligent math game. A math game that your kids will want to play even after school hours. Math Rider is a new and innovative math game that helps kids learn their number facts.

Product Details

Math Rider The Intelligent Math Facts Game
Available as a download from Math Rider.com
Price: On sale through February 14, 2012 for $37 on February 15, 2012 the price goes back to $47.
Free trial version available on Math Rider.com

Features include:

All four math operations included, from easy to master levels.
Game Intelligence: the game learns what the rider knows and what they need to work on to customize the problems for each player.
Well thought out Feed back page. Shows at a glance what has been learned and what needs to be worked on.
Easy to use controls that adjust to your child’s speed.
Noble quests are completed riding Shadow, the horse, across fantastic lands .
Rewards built in throughout the game.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Ben: Ben, who is 10, enjoyed Math Rider. He was very serious about the game. While he was playing, you could hear laughing and exclamations of “Yes” as he got things right. He enjoyed the story line of the Quests and considered it a challenge to go further on the map. Ben had no problems stopping and then picking up the quest the next time he played. He would begin by checking his progress and then his statistics page to see what percent he had mastered. Then he would start his ride.

Rebekah: Rebekah did not enjoy Math Rider. After about 3 times of me telling her to play it, she told me she just did not like it. I sat with her to see if I could figure out why it was not working for her. Rebekah is a kid who likes a lot of action, this game did not necessarily provide that for her. As I questioned her, she said she got frustrated trying to remember the problem she was on and knowing another one was coming up soon. (Matching the speed the problems are coming to the individual playing is an aspect of the game, but it never went a speed with which Rebekah was comfortable.) Rebekah also wanted to change quests each time she changed operations. Since she never got past the easy level, the quest did not change. It was not a challenge to Rebekah to finish her ride, she just got bored.

Mom’s opinion:

Math Rider is a great concept and a well put together, well thought out game.
I liked that the game had “intelligence” it would slow down or speed up to match the players ability. I think this feature is important, even if it did not work so well for Rebekah.
The ability to practice all mathematical operations in one game, with differing levels, was nice.
The statistics screen was easy to read and gave the stats in 3 different formats which made it easy to understand.
Multiple users are supported with this game. Each child gets their own log in.
To make sure the game is compatible with your child, I recommend trying the free trial before buying.

Don’t forget to hop on over and check out the TOS Crew Blog and read what my Crew Mates had to say about Math Rider.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a trial of Math Rider for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product

Celestial Almanack–Classical Astronomy

2012-02-08T20:27:00.001-07:00

The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack a Visual Representation of the sky , February 2012 edition
Published by Fourth Day Press
21 pages
Written by Jay Ryan Astron., Cart., B. C. Sch.
Celestial Almanack available from CurrClick
$3.00 per month PDF download

Did you know February is one of the best months for star watching? According to our Celestial Almanack the winter sky is the most beautiful sky of the entire year! After reading the almanack and then spending time outside observing the sky, I agree. I will say, having the almanack guide me through what I was seeing certainly helped.

Until I read the Celestial Almanack, I had assumed that any serious study of astronomy needed a telescope. Was I pleasantly surprised to find that Classical Astronomy means finding the stars with your “naked” eye.

I am totally blown away by this product. From the first page I was hooked. I cannot believe how much information is packed into this almanack. We begin by getting a short lesson on Leap Year and why we have it and how it came to be. This led into a discussion of how our calendar came to be.

A very thorough discussion of the Sun and its position during February, plus what stars are in space if we could pierce the daytime sky came next. Words and concepts like analemma, and declination are clearly defined and taught. I had no idea that the Sun moved in a figure eight pattern. Now, not only do I know this from seeing the well-done chart, but by reading the explanation I understand why.

The discussion on the night sky begins with an amazing full color chart of where the moon is during the month of February and where you will find various constellations in relation to the moon. Truth be told, the only “constellation” I have ever found has been the Big Dipper. (You can read for yourself why the Big Dipper is not really a constellation, but it has another name. Buy the Celestial Almanac to find out exactly what it is.) Sarah and I studied the charts, read the information then took a walk one evening to look at the stars.

Sarah has been interested in stars for many years now. I remember finding a journal of hers that had almost a years worth of notes, all dated, that chronicled what the stars outside her window looked like each night. She happily pointed out to me some of the stars she knew, and then was super excited to learn the names of stars, different constellations, seeing Orion’s sword and knowing for sure she had found it.

Scripture and famous quotes were easily and properly woven throughout the Almanack. The almanack is a PDF download, but it has the feel of a traditional Ben Franklin Almanac. The layout is really fun. We are Lutherans and as such follow the Liturgical church calendar. I was pleasantly surprised to see a small discussion on how the traditional church calendar is used to mark the seasons with a note that more will be brought out in future editions. Since this piggybacks on what we talk about at home during our worship time, I am thrilled.

Conclusion

I couldn’t help but notice as I wrote this review that I used the words amazing, pleasantly surprised, excited many times. I wondered if I had over done it and decided, no, I have not. We have been blown away by the depth of this product. I have only highlighted some of the information contained therein. Sarah has already announced to me that she wants me to buy this every month. She said it is the first astronomy text she has read that she 1) understood 2) could figure out how to use. She also said she liked reading how certain stars are mentioned in the Bible. She did not realize that. We are also eagerly awaiting the rest of the year as Jay has said that three very rare event occur in the heavens this year. Each of these events will be promoted in the Celestial Almanack.

1) the Jupiter-Venus conjunction on March 15 (once every 24 years);
2) the annular solar eclipse on May 20 (once every 18 years); and
3) the transit of Venus on June 5 (last one til 2117!).

I have agreed to buy this download for Sarah every month. I am amazed (once again) at the price of $3.00 per month. We are also just ready to start a new science curriculum for her and she has asked to try Signs and Seasons which is written by Jay Ryan, as well. My recommendation is that you try the almanac and see what you think. For the price, you can hardly go wrong.

Many of my TOS Crew Mates also reviewed the Celestial Almanack. Visit the Crew Blog to read what fun they had while learning about the stars.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download of the Celestial Almanack for free from Jay Ryan, through CurrClick, in exchange for my honest review of their product

Ruminating on Success

2012-02-05T22:18:00.001-07:00

This week I have finally pulled myself together and am able to join in the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog Cruise. The topic for this week is: How do you measure success in your homeschool? Make sure to click on the link after reading my post, to read what my Crew Mates have to say about success.

Success in homeschooling. I have to admit, my biggest confirmation of success has been that my oldest son graduated from our homeschool, was accepted into New Mexico State University and has successfully completed his first semester and started on his second.

But as I have ruminated on this topic, I realize I have just measured success as “the world” measures success.When people hear we homeschool, and have one in college, there are usually no more questions. I must have succeeded, it worked, he is normal. But the success of our homeschool is more than just Matthew going to college. If I measured success as only doing well academically then our homeschool is no different than many public school kids that graduate at the top of their class.

Success is first and foremost, loving God with all your heart and all your mind. Success is learning to honor father, mother, and others in authority, as Luther’s small Catechism puts it. Success is learning to put others ahead of yourself. Learning to put others first is not the way of the world. But over the years of homeschooling I have learned that what the world considers foolishness, I consider success.

I needed to put success in perspective. Our homeschool is not a success because my son is in college. It is a success because of the grace of God. It is only by the grace of God, that I can have the patience and the desire to school my children at home. I am not perfect and neither are my children. It is only through the love of Jesus, dying on the cross, that I am able acknowledge my unworthiness, ask for forgiveness and go forth in peace, knowing my sins have been forgiven. May God continue to grant success, and may I recognize from where my success comes.

You can read more stories of success by visiting the TOS Bog Cruise post.

Solving Problems, Teenage Style

2012-02-02T22:48:00.001-07:00

When your children are little, mom can solve most of their problems. Now that my son is an adult, he has to take care of problems himself. I sometimes think I am too sensitive, because when my son texts me and tells me about a problem he is having, I just want to cry and wish I could take care of it for him .

Matthew was having a problem with one of his bosses at work accusing him of not doing a job, which someone else had already done and that Matthew was told earlier was not his worry. It bothered Matthew enough that he texted me to tell me about it. But I am currently over 1,400 miles away. I can only give advice in his preferred method of communication, texting. As I told him my thoughts (in short text bursts), I realized that texting your teenage adult son is really not that bad after all. Patterns of behavior that can cause annoyance, such as huffing on his part, or talking and talking on my part, are gone.

A verse that I had my son memorize many years ago when I thought he was arguing too much with me comes from Proverbs. ¹⁹ When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19

After I made him memorize this, it hit me that this was a verse that I also needed to take to heart. So I made myself memorize it as well. Last night, as I am texting my son I realized I am following this biblical advice using a form I would never have considered: texting. In a text, brevity is key. I tend to be very wordy and talk and talk and talk until I am blue in the face and my son has tuned me out. With texting, I had to choose my words carefully. Let’s face it, I am not a teenager, I spell all my words out correctly and in complete sentences. This habit is not conducive to a long texting conversation. In this instance, I gave my advice, told him I loved him and it was over.

It is amazing how God’s Word is timeless and transcends all things, even technology. I am glad I memorized the Proverbs verse years ago. I never would have guessed I would be following its advice one day through my phone and a few text messages.

Kinderbach

2012-02-01T07:20:00.001-07:00

Music Lessons Online, I Pad or DVD
Ages 3-7
Child Paced
Engaging Video
Fun Characters
Music Theory
6 levels of Kinderbach are available
Visit the Kinderbach website for a free trial.

Kinderbach teaches note reading, rhythm, singing, and composition. Using engaging video, with memorable characters, Kinderbach provides a slow and gentle, but thorough approach to beginning music education.

Cost

Online Access: $19.99 a month or $95.88 annually comes with PDF downloads for the workbooks
DVD packages include a CD with the workbook pages. DVD’s are a great option for those with slower internet. Super Starter package is $55.95. Many more DVD packages are available here.
One Day online access is $5.95
Kinderbach is offering a coupon code for TOS Blog review readers. Use the coupon code TOScrew2012 to receive a 30% discount.The coupon is good until 2/3/2013.

ClarkClan Thoughts

We had the pleasure of reviewing Kinderbach last school year. Ben and Rebekah really enjoyed the program. This year, Ben decided he was a little to old for it, but Rebekah has enjoyed the program again. She enjoys watching the videos, coloring the activity book and playing her rhythm instruments. Rebekah also takes traditional piano lessons and Kinderbach has helped to reinforce what she is learning.

I think Kinderbach lessons give kids a great foundation in music. It is a gentle, fun approach to music theory and ear training. Rebekah was older than the recommended age, yet she still enjoyed watching the videos.

If I had kids in the recommended age range, I would seriously consider buying this program. I love how the video’s are slower paced, not frantic. Karri Gregor is very animated and engaging. The characters that are introduced are fun and memorable. Rebekah will still talk about Dodi the donkey and his house between the two black keys. Karri Gregor has a unique “pre staff” method of teaching music notation that gets kids learning to read music off paper and playing songs almost immediately.

The only supplies you will need to provide are a few craft items, crayons and a keyboard. You do not need a full piano. The Kinderbach website states that an electric keyboard will be just fine, the less bells and whistles the better. We used a full size keyboard and my laptop to watch the lessons.

Many of my Crew Mates also reviewed Kinderbach. Visit the Crew Blog to read what their experiences with the program were.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a trial of Kinderbach for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Snow Fun

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

My kids miss the snow. After living for 8 years in two different states where snow falls in the winter, then moving to New Mexico where snow is rare, my kids will play in snow any chance they get. Here in WI there is snow. According to locals, there is not a lot of snow. But, to my kids, it is snow none-the-less and they are ready to play.

We walked down to a little park in the village and went sledding down the snow pile left by the snow plows. Not exactly the perfect place to sled, but we made it work. Even mom went down the sled a couple times. Going straight down the side of this pile, then the big bump at the bottom was not really my idea of fun, but the kids were thrilled I would go. The first time I went down, I had to sit at the bottom for a minute and make sure that I was going to be all right. The jolt I received at the bottom was quite severe. I am very thankful I was not sore the next day. Then I got the bright idea that maybe we should try the sled going face first instead of sitting upright. Bad idea. Sarah tried it and hit a big clump of snow at the bottom that knocked the breath out of her. After laying there a few moments gasping, she was up and ready to try it again. We quickly decided face first was not a good idea.

Rebekah had fun making snow angels. Ben also tried his hand at making snow angels, then Sarah got in on the act.

Back here at home, Sarah and Rebekah were told to go shovel the driveway. They did, then proceeded to sculpt a “couch” out of a snowbank. I thought it turned out really great. I even put on my snowpants and sat on it with Rebekah for about 10 minutes. Tomorrow they plan to sculpt a flat screen TV to go along with the couch.

Fashion Show

2012-01-25T19:38:00.001-07:00

. The first two days of our arrival in Wisconsin, I spent the afternoons at the hospital. We worked on our school work in the mornings and then when I left Ben and Rebekah were able to play with all the “new to them” toys in Grandma’s playroom.

Rebekah was fascinated by the dress up clothes she found along with the accessories of hats and jewelry. She came up with the idea of holding a fashion show for Grandma when she came home from the hospital. Sarah became the backstage hand and script writer. Ben was the narrator and commercial entertainment during dress changes.

They spent two afternoons working on this project. Rebekah picked out the outfits, Sarah wrote up the descriptions of each outfit. Ben, as the narrator, read the descriptions. Then Ben told jokes and played the drums for our entertainment. When they performed their masterpiece, the practice they put into it was evident. What a fun way to welcome Grandma home from the hospital.

We Choose Virtues

2012-01-22T22:32:00.001-07:00

We Choose Virtues Cards $5.99
Age Range 3 –18
Part of the We Choose Virtues Character Development Program
Created by Heather McMillan
Available from We Choose Virtues

We Choose Virtues is a character development program. Each Virtue is introduced and a catch phrase is taught. This introduces kids to what the Virtues are and why they are important.The catch phrase is the core of the system. These are positive sayings that reinforce correct attitudes and actions. It also gives kids a reference point with which they can compare their actions and behavior. Antonyms are given at the bottom of the card to identify the behavior problem.

We Choose Virtues begins with a Family Character Assesment. This assessment helps all family members to think about their behavior and place it on a scale of 1 to 10. Then this assessment is completed periodically while using the program as a way to measure progress. A coloring book introduces each of the Characters associated with the Virtues.

The We Choose Virtues Virtue clue cards makes learning the virtues easy, both at home and while out and about. The handy pocket size and sturdy plastic case make these very easy to throw in the car or into a bag without being crumpled. Each business card sized clue card contains the Virtue being taught and the catch phrase along with a picture of the character that goes along with that Virtue.

We Choose Virtues clue cards are only a part of the We Choose Virtues Character Development program. Two versions of the program are available: Community (without Scripture) and Faith Based (with Scripture) Visit the website to learn about the program in its entirety. The program is also available for Jr. High/High School.

ClarkClan Thoughts

I used the We Choose Virtues, Virtue Clue Cards primarily with Rebekah, who is eight. As a way to introduce the cards and the characters to her, I gave her the coloring book I had printed from the PDF file. She enjoyed coloring the pictures and learning all the names.

I first attempted to implement the program by giving her a card with a virtue to work on for the day. This did not work out as well as I had hoped. Rebekah can be very stubborn. When I asked her if she was following the virtue on the card, she usually would throw a bigger fit and the whole thing would collapse.

I stopped using the cards for about 3 days, then took a different approach. This time I kept the cards. When Rebekah would finish a task, I would take out the cards that pertained to what she had done and present them to her. For example, when she finished her math I would give her the Perseverant card, the Obedient card, and the Diligent card. We would read them together, then I would tell her why I thought she fulfilled each of those qualities. I tried to remember to “catch” her throughout the day and let her know, with the cards, what virtue qualities she was fulfilling.

I was pleasantly surprised by Rebekah using the cards herself one Saturday morning. Rebekah has been learning to put her hair into a ponytail all by herself. She came into me and asked if her ponytail looked okay. I told her it needed more work, then went back to what I was doing. About 15 minutes later she came in and asked if her ponytail was better. I looked at her and told her “yes, it looks great.” She got a big smile on her face and then pulled out from her pocket the Perseverant card. She said she was going to come ask me to help, but decided to keep on trying by herself.

I was very impressed with how much Rebekah began to enjoy using the cards. I am contemplating buying one of the Virtue Posters to implement the program on a larger scale in our home. I am also going to investigate the high school level posters to use in my high school Sunday School Class.

Want to read even more opinions about the We Choose Virtues program? Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates thought about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received We Choose Virtues Clue Cards for free from We Choose Virtues , in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Maestro Classics–The Story of Swan Lake

2012-01-13T00:32:00.001-07:00

About the Product:

Target Ages: 5+ and families
Available two ways:
CD and Activity booklet $16.98
MP3 Download and PDF file Activity booklet $9.98
Available from Maestro Classics

We popped the CD into the CD player. Suddenly the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky’s Ballet Swan Lake filled the room. Maestro Classics wonderfully narrated rendition of The Story of Swan Lake performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra is a marvelous way to introduce kids to the beauty and magic of classical music.

The first 30 minutes of the CD is pure wonder as Yadu narrates The Story of Swan Lake. You can imagine the beautiful gowns swishing during the ball as the ladies and the prince dance the waltz. The music transports you to the lake, where the beautiful enchanted swan lives.

The CD is accompanied by a 24 page book filled with various activities and information. You can learn fascinating facts about Tchaikovsky such as that “he was a messy and irresponsible child.” Read biographies of Stephen Simon, the conductor/composer, of Bonnie Ward Simon, the executive producer and of Yadu, the narrator. Learn about the leading authority on shred guitar, Joe Stump. Practice playing major and minor chords.

Maestro Classics is the work of Stephen Simon and Bonnie Ward Simon. The mission statement of Maestro Classics is: To cultivate a love of music through education and joyful performances. They state their music has three major benefits. 1.) Expand listening horizons 2.) Develop listening skills and accumulate musical memories 3.) Encourage adults and children to listen to music together.

CD Highlights

The Story of Swan Lake
Tchaikovsky’s Life
Speed Metal Swan
About the Music
“Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet'”
Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform
“Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet” Sing Along
Total Playing Time 54:02

ClarkClan Observations

The first impression that forms when the CD begins is beautiful music. It captivated us from the first few notes. Listening to the music and narration brings to life the music of Tchaikovsky.

We found the track that features Joe Stump, the leading shred guitarist, fascinating. He performed Speed Metal Swan which is a heavy metal version of the main theme. Both my 14 year old daughter, Sarah and my 18 year old son, Matthew enjoyed listening to it. They also found the information in the book on Joe Stump interesting and continued to research him.

In all, the ClarkClan can only give this Maestro Classics The Story of Swan Lake the highest recommendation. Each time we have popped it in to listen, something new catches our attention. Rebekah, who is 8, can be seen dancing around with the music. Ben, who is 10, has been caught conducting along with the music.

Other CD’s Available

Maestro Classics has 9 different Story CD’s available. Each is $16.98 for CD or $9.98 for MP3 download.

Peter and the Wolf
The Soldier’s Tale
The Story of Swan Lake
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
My Name is Handel: The Story of Water Music
The Tortoise and the Hare
Casey at the Bat
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Juanita, The Spanish Lobster (also available in Espanol)

Many other of my Crew Mates reviewed The Story of Swan Lake along with our family. Visit the Crew Blog to read what they thought of this CD.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received The Story of Swan Lake for free from Maestro Classics, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

“Do I Have to Do School?”

2012-01-10T22:38:00.001-07:00

I have four kids, the only one who has been in public school was Matthew. He went to Kindergarten, First and Second grade before I pulled him home. Sarah went to a public school pre-school which included speech therapy, but we then pulled her home for Kindergarten. Ben and Rebekah were both born after we began homeschooling, so they have never known anything different.

I want to address an issue that I feel homeschooling mothers can really get down on themselves. Kids who complain they do not like school. I began thinking about this when I was talking to a friend who is homeschooling her 9 and 6 year olds. She asked me if my kids complained about having to do their school work. I said, “Of course, everyday”. She was relieved that it was not only her children. She thought maybe she was doing something wrong.

I don’t think she is doing anything wrong with her kids. They are nice, polite, happy kids. But, I sure can remember having the same feelings myself during the early years. I used to wonder what I was doing wrong and would my kids not complain if they were in public school. I came to the conclusion that kids are going to complain no matter where they are. There are always going to be “fun” things that my kids will think they are missing, and then my kids will tell their PS friends things that they wish they could do. It is our sinful nature to want what we don’t have.

When we began homeschooling, I was under the impression that my kids would be happy and joyful and love learning. I am way past that delusion now. It used to really bother me that my kids would not jump out of bed and just love school. I wondered if it was me, did I just not make it “fun” enough. I don’t worry about that anymore though. When my kids whine “Do we have to do school?” I don’t try to talk to them to find out what they are unhappy with or how can I make it better (like I did at the beginning). I look at them now and say something along the lines of “Tough, this is life. Let’s get to work”.

I have noticed that my kids don’t whine as much about school work if I have a matter of fact attitude. I make the assignments, kids do the assignments. Some things are fun, others are work. Learning to get your work done with a good attitude, even when you may not want to, is a skill that will serve them well their entire lives. So, no, I do not go out of my way to make every assignment fun and games. I also take my kids complaining with a grain of salt.

Matthew, who was my first student 11 years ago is now graduated. Yes, from homeschool. He is attending college. He came home one day last semester, put his arms around me and said, “Don’t worry, Mom, I am doing just fine in college. You taught me what I need to know, and I can learn what I don’t know.” High praise from a kid who used to cry over his math saying how much he hated it.

If you are in the beginning or middle of those tough school years, where kids just want to play and Mom comes along to put a damper on their fun with school, take heart. You are not alone.

Z-Guide to the Movies

2012-01-08T20:26:00.001-07:00

Available from Zeezok Publishing
Kit Kittredge An American Girl
Elementary/Jr. High
$12.99

Zeezok Publishing has developed learning guides that make it easy to incorporate movies into your history program. They have dozens of guides, each of which cover a specific period in history. The guides include 10 different learning activities. These begin with an overview of the movie, then questions to answer as the movie is being watched. The next several activities focus on the historical time frame of the movie. Research and writing skills are emphasized. A hands on activity, a worldview activity and a Filmmakers Art activity round out the movie guide.

Zeezok recommends taking a week to use one of the guides. The synopsis and watching of the movie begin on the first day. Then approximately two activities are done each subsequent day for a full week. The final activity is called the Filmmakers Art. This teaches the student how filmakers uses different tools to influence the viewer. The goal teaching in the Filmakers Art is to teach kids how to discern not only the movies agenda, but how it is influencing them.

ClarkClan Thoughts

We had the privilege of reviewing a Zeezok Z-Guide to the Movies last spring. We reviewed a high school level guide on the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. We thoroughly enjoyed using the guide. (If interested, you can find my review here.)

When we were given the opportunity to review another guide, I was thrilled. This time I picked an elementary level guide based on the movie Kit Kittredge. Once again Zeezok did not disappoint. This guide was just as thorough and just as fun to use.

We owned the movie Kit Kittredge, so we did not have to find it from another source. Zeezok says on their website that almost all movies are available through NetFlix. The guide comes as a PDF download. I printed the guide out to have a paper copy on hand, and was able to make a copy of each activity, as needed, for my kids. Since we have watched this movie before my kids knew what it was about. When we watched the movie using the movie guide, I paused it and we talked about each overview question as it came up. Ben and Rebekah kept exclaiming over the details that they had never noticed before.

Then we took the next few days to complete the rest of the activities. One day we researched the Great Depression by answering 6 questions using the internet for the answers. A favorite activity was decoding “Hobo sign”. A vocabulary page was included. Activity 5 had us writing a newspaper article using the five “W” questions. I also enjoyed going over the Family Discussion questions with my kids. Another neat feature of the Z-Guide to the Movies is that all answers are included in the PDF download.

About Zeezok Publishing

Zeezok Publishing originally began as a company known as The Book Peddler in 1993. After 10 years of traveling around the country attending homeschool conventions, they began publishing and selling their own materials. Since 2003, the company has been slowly growing and adding new things. Their newest product is a high school level government program called “A Noble Experiment”. Another product that I have purchased from Zeezok is their “Presidential Penmanship” program. This supplemental handwriting program exposes students to the quotes of America’s founding fathers and presidents. Make sure to visit their website to see all the educational products they have to offer.

Want to learn more about the Z-Guides to the Movies. Visit the Crew Blog and read what my Crew mates had to say about the guides. Many different guides were reviewed so you can see a variety of movies available.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received the Kit Kittredge Z-Guide to the Movies for free from Zeezok Publishing , in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Duct Tape Tote Bags

2012-01-03T21:52:00.001-07:00

Back in November I was invited to join a group of ladies at church to make a tote bag out of duct tape and a t-shirt. I was told bring a t-shirt and matching duct tape. I had a great time learning to make this no-sew project that is very useful.

When I brought it home, my girls were fascinated. They were slightly green with envy that I had made the bag for myself, not them. I promised that one day I would make each of them a bag, too. That day came on New Years Eve.

Sarah has a favorite t-shirt we bought almost 3 years ago when we visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. She loves that t-shirt, but after three years of growing from 5’ to 5’8”, she has outgrown it. She would still try to wear it, but I finally told her it was becoming almost obscene it was so short. This was the shirt she wanted to use for her bag.

When I was shopping at Target on Black Friday, I found a really cute Christmas t-shirt for Rebekah. I bought it and told her to wear it all Christmas season, and then we could make a bag out of it. So her green Christmas shirt with the trees on it became her bag.

The process of making the bags is fairly simple. I had the basic idea from making one at church, but looked it up on YouTube before I made the girls’ bags. Basically, you cut off the sleeves, turn the t-shirt inside out and cover it in duct tape on both sides. Staple the bottom of the bag and staple across each point on the sides to make a flat bottomed bag. Then turn the bag right side out and finish off the top with more duct tape. The outside of the bag is the t-shirt you used and the inside is duct tape. This makes the bag waterproof on the inside.

On the internet, I found a way to make the handles using the t-shirt itself. But the way I was shown first, we finished the top of the bag and then added grommets and rope for the handles. I have used this bag for the whole month of December and it is pretty sturdy, so I decided grommets and rope were the way to go for the girls. The only bad part about using the grommets is the hammering it takes to get them attached to the bag. I smashed my thumb on the first one and Matt had to finish putting them in.

The bags turned out really great. Sarah wanted a bag to keep her drawing supplies. We also used longer handles so she can wear the bag over one arm and her head, with the bag sitting on her hip. Rebekah decided to put pink and white stripes on the inside of her bag. Each bag turned out unique and special.

Front of Bags

Inside of bags, all duct tape

Too Much Technology?

2011-12-30T22:36:00.001-07:00

My husband loves technology. He has a laptop computer, that is about 4 years old and a smartphone that he has had about 8 months now. He also has a GPS unit and has had hand held PDA’s that his phone has now replaced.

I used to leave all things technological to him. That has changed in recent years. Matt has dragged me into his love computers and gadgets. I have become the happy recipient of his love of technology. I have more gadgets than he does now. It started with him buying me a laptop about 4 years ago. He also bought me an I-pod Nano. I was quite happy with these two gadgets. I love my i-Pod, I use it almost on a daily basis. I love my laptop as well. I have learned to use it well. I have also grown used to having a computer all my own. The next gadget he gave me was a smart phone. That is way too much fun. I call it my mini-computer, that just happens to make phone calls. Then, because I love to read, he bought me a NookColor. That little gadget is quite fun. And for Christmas what did I get, a new laptop computer. This came about because I had a computer crash in November and while it was able to be fully restored, the expert we took it to said it was on its way out. Wow is the new computer fun. Fast, easy to use.

I use my technology daily. I e-mail. I blog. I Facebook. I download and listen to podcasts on i-Tunes. My kids do a lot of school on the computer. They play games. They watch Latin videos. They type papers and e-mail them to me.

All this technology has come with a price though. No, not necessarily a monetary price, although that is a consideration. The price that I am thinking of is that I have been dragged into knowing quite a bit about technology now. I used to go to Matt whenever I had a computer problem. Now, he just tells me to figure it out. If I am having trouble with my i-pod, he says he is “i-pod illiterate” and I have to fix it myself. When I have computer problems, he only advises me now, not take it and fix it for me like he used to. And now with my new computer, I have had to get it set up completely on my own. I have had to install all the virus protection, cleaners, and programs all on my own. I had to figure out how to put on a program, and then pull the information off of a separate drive he has set up for back ups, so I don’t lose any data. It has been fun, but challenging. I am stretching my brain and learning new things and even been able to help others along the way. There are times I want to throw up my hands and say to Matt, “Please just do it for me!” But I persevere, soldier on and learn to do it myself.

But, I still wonder at times. Do I have too much technology?

The World’s Greatest Stories

2011-12-20T23:36:00.001-07:00

We received a wonderful CD to review. The World’s Greatest Stories CD is simply the Bible read word for word. The genius is in the reading. It is not just simply reading, but it is dramatized by George W. Sarris. The dramatization is what makes this CD engaging and entertaining.

George W. Sarris is an accomplished actor, narrator and spokesman. He began telling Bible stories in 1985. He has performed many one-man shows since then. There are currently six volumes of Mr. Sarris’s The World’s Greatest Stories CDs. We reviewed Volume 1 – The Prophets.

We found the CD to be easy to listen to and understand. I loved that the stories were word for word re-telling's, nothing added nor taken away. What a great, easy to implement way of increasing Bible literacy. We reviewed the NIV version, but a KJV version is also available. The CD’s sell for $7.95 each and are available at The World’s Greatest Stories website.

The available volumes include these chapters

Volume 1 – The Prophets with readings from Daniel chapters 3, 5, 6, 1 Kings 17-18, and The complete book of Jonah
Volume 2- The Life of Christ with The Real Story of Christmas, taken from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus, from Matthew 3-4. The Healing of the Blind Man from John 9-10, Things Jesus said and did from Luke 18-19, and The Real Story of Easter from John 18-20.
Volume 3 – Beginnings with In the Beginning from Genesis 1-4. A Lame man in Lystra from Acts 14. A Jailer in Philippi from Acts 16. The complete book of Ruth. The Raising of Lazarus from John 11-12.
Voume 4 – Joshua and Esther This includes the Battle of Jericho from Joshua 1-6 and The complete book of Esther.
Volume 5 –Joseph and his Brothers. This volume comes from the book of Genesis chapters 37-50
Volume 6 – Defeating Giants. This is David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17. Naaman the Leper from II Kings 5. Micaiah the Prophet and Jehoshaphat the King from II Chronicles 18-20. The Sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 21-22 and finally Gideon and His 300 men from Judges 6-8.

I think the best way to sum up what we thought of The World’s Greatest Stories CDs is to write a quote from Ben the first time he popped the CD in and listened. When it was over, I asked him how he liked it. He replied, “ It was very good, I listened to it all and wished there was more.”

I was not the only one to review The World’s Greatest Stories. Visit the Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates thought of this CD.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received The World’s Greatest Stories, volume 1 CD for free , in exchange for my honest review of their product.

I See Cards --Fractazmic

2011-12-15T23:36:00.001-07:00

The Most Fun You’ll Ever Have Learning Fractions!

Fractazmic makes learning fractions and equivalent fractions fun.It is designed for 1st through 8th grades, but is fun for all ages. I was skeptical the first time we played it, but thanks to the cute little pictures on the cards, found that the game was easy to learn to play. While it may have been easy to learn , it was challenging enough to be fun to play. Sarah (14) and Ben (10) and I (mom) were the ones who played the game the most. The more we played, the better we got at looking at the fraction numbers and not having to rely on the pictures quite so much. My kids found that this made a great game to play during lunch or snack time.

Each “suit” on the cards is based on a different fraction. There are the Sixteenth’s suit (red in color) a Twelfth’s suit (blue in color) and a Tenth’s suit (green) in color. Within each colored suit, the cards can be combined multiple ways to make a “hand” equaling 1. Our family had a great time playing this game, and you can be sure that when someone announced they had made a “whole”, their cards were thoroughly checked out to make sure they didn’t miss count.

The ClarkClan evaluation is that this is a cute, simple to learn, fun educational game. The same company that produces the Fractazmic Cards also produces other card games. Pyramath is an award winning math game using all the basic concepts: add, subtract, multiply and divide, in a comprehensive, interactive game. Prime Bomb is another math related game reinforcing, prime, multiplication and factoring.

Visit Fractazmic.com to read more about the game and be able to order it. The game is $6.95 for the 60 card deck. To get a feel for the game you can play a speed version of the game at Fractazmic speed version. Playing online also gives you a chance to win a free deck.

Visit the Crew Blog to be able to read what my Crew Mates thought of this game. Check out to see if they enjoyed playing as much as we did.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Fractazmic game for free from I See Cards, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Beautiful Desert Morning

2011-12-07T08:43:00.001-07:00

Today was a beautiful, cold, morning across the desert. The snow from yesterday was mostly melted, but the temperature was about 22 degrees. During my walk this morning, I reached the point where you look out across the Tularosa Basin to the Organ Mountains. The sun just touching the mountains and turning them beautiful shades of purple was gorgeous. The picture, which was taken by my phone, does not quite do the scene justice.

Pitsco Education

2011-12-04T20:12:00.001-07:00

Medieval Machines Pack

Trebuchet Kit
Catapult Kit
Mass Plates
Siege Machines book
$21.95
Age Range: Intermediate-Middle School
Available from Pitsco Education

Product Description (from Pitsco Website)

From The Lord of the Rings to Night at the Museum, we are fascinated by these medieval devices. Now, use that interest to teach basic math, science, and problem-solving skills. With this pack, your child learns about catapults and trebuchets through hands-on activities that cover three areas:

Science: Tension versus torsion, elasticity, gravity and levers, and force and motion
Math: Metric conversion, calculating averages, and prediction
Experiments: Mass versus distance, testing rubber bands, targeting, and more

They will discover the history of medieval siege machines as well as the concepts required to build and use them.

ClarkClan Product Thoughts

Each of these siege machines are made of basswood sheets with laser cut parts. You punch the pieces out and then glue them together according to the instructions. The instructions written step by step with pictures for clarity. These were not difficult to put together, but they were not easy either. Matthew (18) and Sarah (14) put together the catapult. Dad, Sarah, and Ben (10) put together the trebuchet. With the catapult the only real difficulty came when Matthew snapped the top of the trigger. This was fixed with a little super glue and has not seemed to affect the performance. Dad and Sarah had a little trouble with one part of the trebuchet, but a step back and re-reading of the instructions made things clear.

The real fun came when we used the siege machines! Sarah, Ben and Rebekah (8) all had fun when we tested the machines. First, we read the history in the Siege Machines book. Then we launched into the experiments. One day we tested the catapult and the next we tested the trebuchet. The Siege Machines book has well laid out experiments.

Our first experiment with the catapult was Mass vs. Distance. We weighed out three balls of clay, each with a different mass. Then we launched each ball three times and recorded the distances. Then we had to convert our English measurements into Metric measurements. The next experiment had us calculating and graphing averages. We also tested different rubber band sizes, as well as the temperature of the rubber bands.

With the trebuchet we practiced prediction skills. We tested our ability to predict outcomes by trying to hit a target. We were able to talk about Newton’s third law of motion and transfer of energy.

Each experiment was easy to accomplish and I appreciated the charts and graphs included in the book to fill out as a record of what they did. My kids discovered that the catapult was more accurate than the trebuchet. The trebuchet was finicky and had to be set up just so to be able to fire properly.

Along with the experiments provided, my kids had a lot of fun experimenting on their own. Even though the safety instructions say to only use clay, my kids ended up trying Lego men. Then they got out our blocks and built castles to see what they could knock over with a ball of clay. I have seen them spend hours on the floor with these little machines, trying first one way then another.

This was a winner with our family. I liked the well thought out, easy to accomplish experiments. Then I liked that the machines have been sturdy enough to have the kids play with them and try their own ideas.

Pitsco Education offers a wide variety of learning activities. Visit their website to find experiments in aerospace, dragsters and race cars, engineering, robotics, structures and many topics.

There were many other Crew Members who tested out the Siege Machines along with us. Visit the Crew Blog and read what they thought about these little medieval weapons.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received the Medieval Machines pack for free from Pitsco Education, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Loki–The Crazy Dog

2011-11-30T09:47:00.001-07:00

About 4 years ago we adopted a dog named Loki. Loki is a Golden Retriever/Husky mix who is now 51/2 years old. He is a wonderful dog, loves all people, great with kids, always ready to play. But he has one flaw, he jumps (climbs) fences and then runs.

I was not worried when we moved to this house, it has a cinder block fence. In the four months we have lived in this house, we had no problems. Loki loves the backyard. Because of a doggy door he can come in and go out as he pleases. He will spend hours outside laying in the sun, running around and just doing doggy things.

Then came the day after Thanksgiving. Matthew and Sarah were walking home and the dog apparently was in the backyard and heard them walking up. Yep, it happened. He climbed the wooden gate and up and over he went. Now that he knows he can do it, he has climbed it every time he is alone in the backyard.

I am very sad by this. We have had to shut the dog door. We have been making sure that somebody is outside with him every time he goes out. The next time Matt has some time off work, we are going to see what we can do to raise the gate to see if we can stop him. Crazy dog! Why can’t you just stay in the yard?

Time Timer

2011-11-19T21:55:00.001-07:00

About the Product

The Time Timer is a timer designed to show the passage of time in a visual, concrete manner. As time counts down, the red goes away. A quick glance shows how long is left, even for kids who can’t tell time yet.

The Time Timer was developed by Jan Rogers as she searched for a way for her inquisitive four year old to understand the concept of time. Since its conception the Time Timer has found many different applications beyond just teaching young children.

Educators have used the Time Timer in the classroom with great effect. Teachers can teach the concept of time or train their students to use their time wisely using the Time Timer. Tracking the duration of activities is simple, just a quick glance can show how much longer before time is up. Special Education teachers have also used the Time Timer to give guidance for individuals with ADD, ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and Dyslexia.

Business’s have used the Time Timer to help keep meetings running smoothly and on time. It can help a presenter keep their presentations on target as they can see at a glance how much time they have left. Adults with time management issues can keep one at their desks to help keep them on track.

In normal everyday life the Time Timer can help parents keep track of things like TV watching time. Setting this on the top of the piano can keep practice time on track. It can be set to show how much longer till dinner, or till dad comes home from work. Then kids can look at the timer and know the answer without having to ask “is it time yet?” again and again.

Product Specifications

Sizes: The Time Timer is available in 3 different sizes. 3”, 8” and 12”. The 3” inch size is portable and has an attached cover that doubles as a stand. The 8” and 12” models are free standing or can be wall mounted. All three models have an optional audible signal.

Other products: Using the same concept as the original timers, Time Timer offers other products as well. Watches offer all the benefits of the Time Timer on your wrist. iPhone and iPod Touch Apps are available. Time Timer software lets you install a Time Timer on your computer which can “float” above other applications to help you manage your computer time.

Pricing:

3” – $30.00
8” – $35.00
12” – $40.00
Watches – $40.00
iPhone and iPod Touch App – $1.99
Time Timer Software – $24.00

All products are available from www.timetimer.com.

ClarkClan Experience

Likes:

The Time Timer has been a wonderful asset to our school day. We have been a timer using family for quite a few years now. I discovered years ago that Rebekah, who is 8, responds very well to the use of a timer instead of mom telling her when time is up. It just seems to be a concrete way for her random thoughts mind to know when time is up.

We use the Time Timer for many, many different activities. We use it to count down how much time is left until school work will start. I require 30 minutes of silent reading daily. The Time Timer has been wonderful for this time. I can set Rebekah up in her reading spot with the timer right beside her. No more getting up to see “how much time is left”. She can just glance over to check.

I also use it as a motivator to finish her task. I will set the timer for 30 minutes, then tell her to start her math worksheet. She will then work to “beat the clock”. When she is finished, she is allowed the time that is left on the timer for free time. We have had great success in helping Rebekah focus on a task when it becomes a challenge. A worksheet that can take her up to 45 minutes, when no motivation is given, becomes a 10 –15 minutes process when she is being timed.

I like that the timer makes no ticking noises during operation. It is silent while it is counting down. This is a huge plus for us, because Rebekah is easily distracted by noises, especially repetitive sounds like a normal timer makes. She can become almost frantic with a regular tic,tic, tic of a dial timer, so to have this battery operated quiet timer was wonderful.

I also liked the portability of the timer. We reviewed the 3” timer and I liked that it could move around wherever it was needed. Because of the cover on the 3” model it is also easy to put in my purse and take when we are at piano lessons and finishing school work while waiting.

I am also very interested in the Time Timer software. I am thinking about ordering this for our computers. Not only will it help Rebekah, but every member of the family will benefit.

Dislikes:

I only had one small complaint with the Time Timer. The audible alarm is very quiet. While I appreciate not having a loud, jarring ring, the two beeps were very soft and we occasionally missed them. Rebekah would at times not hear the beep, and then be a little upset that she worked past the time needed.

I was not the only one to review Time Timer products. Read what other members thought of the physical timer as well as the iPad app on the Crew Blog.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a 3” Time Timer for free from Timer Timer, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Just Like Dad

2011-11-17T14:44:00.001-07:00

Since Matt retired from the military he has been enjoying his new found facial hair freedom. He has grown various beard and mustache types. The type he is sporting now is shaped like a U. I keep telling him it makes him look like he has a permanent frown. HIs employees at work told him one better than what I said. They told him he looked like Hulk Hogan.

So for fun, Ben and I came up with this idea to add a mustache to Ben’s face. We put it on and then he walked out to his Dad, who saw it and laughed and smiled and posed for a picture. A little tape and a sharpie can make a really cool mustache, if you can’t grow one of your own.

Guest Blogger

2011-11-16T13:22:00.001-07:00

I have a special privilege today. I am the guest blogger on the Molly Green, Econobusters blog. This was very exciting for me as I have never had this experience before. The topic was Frugal Breakfasts and you can find the post here Frugal Breakfast Food. Thank you to Molly Green and Econobusters for allowing me to have this experience.

If you have never checked out the Econobusters blog, make sure to poke around when you visit. There are many, many frugal ideas that you can implement in your own home to help you save money. I also enjoy subscribing to Molly’s Money Saving Digest. This online digest focuses on a different area each month in which to save money. This month the Digest is called Molly Saves in the Laundry Room. Laundry can quickly become overwhelming, and I enjoyed reading this months digest with all the tips.

VocabCafe

2011-11-15T16:02:00.001-07:00

VocabCafe from College Prep Genius has come up with a way to make learning SAT level vocabulary painless and entertaining. Learning your vocabulary can be as simple as reading a book. Each full length chapter books features 300 vocabulary words chosen to encourage the development of language skills.

Vocabulary words are sprinkled throughout the book. Each word is printed in bold type to alert you to the fact it is a vocabulary word. Then on the bottom of the page, that word is printed just like a dictionary entry. The vocabulary word, a pronunciation key, part of speech, and definition. No stopping the flow of reading to look up an unfamiliar word in the dictionary. For review, at the end of each chapter is a word review and a complete index of words is included in the back.

There are four titles in the VocabCafe series. I.M. for Murder, Planet Exile, and The $ummer of $aint Nick are written by Josh Burk. Operation High School is written by Judah Burk. The books are aimed for a high school age range, although some middle schoolers may enjoy them. The author states that although the books have no occult, sexual themes, violence etc. parents may want to read the books first to determine appropriateness for their families.

The books are available from College Prep Genius. Each book is available for $12.95 or the entire four book set is $38.85.

ClarkClan Thoughts

I had Sarah, who is 14, read these for the review. I read one of the books completely and skimmed the others to see how they worked. Sarah enjoyed learning vocabulary in this manner. She said she really liked having the definitions on the same page as the word. She says she hates to stop reading to look up a word, so having them defined immediately was a plus. She also said learning vocabulary through a story instead of just a list of words made more sense to her.

I enjoyed the book I read, but at times it felt a little “clunky”. Sometimes, trying to fit that many upper level vocabulary words in made the story line slightly cumbersome. Also, in the Planet Exile book, I was a bit taken aback when the same word was used twice in the same paragraph. This was done to show the two meanings of the word, but it was awkward for me.

My father and brother-in-law looked at these books with me as well. My dad was a teacher for 20 years and my brother-in-law is attending college in his “spare” time. They were both impressed by the idea of learning vocabulary though a story instead of just memorizing word lists and definitions.

I was not the only one of my Crew Mates to review VocabCafe books. Other Crew Mates reviewed a SAT Prep Course also available from College Prep Genius. Visit the Crew blog to read the reviews for both these products.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received four VocabCafe books for free from College Prep Genius, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Keyboard Town Pals

2011-11-13T23:24:00.001-07:00

Keyboard Town Pals typing program
Ages 7-12
Web based or CD Rom $30
Order online at Keyboard Town Pals
Additional resources also available at Keyboard Town Pals

Teach your child to type in an hour! Sounds too good to be true, but Keyboard Town Pals can accomplish this goal. Keyboard Town Pals uses the “PALS” system to teach typing. PALS is an acronym for Purposeful, Associative, Learning, System. The PALS system works on the principle that two objects seen or heard together will link together in our minds.

Keyboard Town Pals combines a puppet with a specific letter on the keyboard. Memory techniques improve retention and cues stimulate all ways of learning, visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Puppets, music and humor, combine to achieve the Keyboard Town Pals goal of teaching typing in an hour.

One of the keys to the Keyboard Town Pals system is the de-activation of the backspace and delete keys. Their philosophy is that the backspace and delete keys cause kids to stop the flow of typing and then have to re-orient their fingers on the keyboard. Mistakes are a part of learning, so no correcting is how kids learn.

Other features are: No surveillance, No competition, No pressure, No timed tests. Keyboard Town Pals is suitable for all learning types, including kids with learning difficulties. Learning moves along at the child’s pace. It is designed to be taught in two 30 minutes sessions. If desired all 8 lessons are also available as stand alone lessons 6-7 minutes long.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Rebekah (8) is the one who primarily tried out this program. She loved it. Rebekah likes puppets, so this program intrigued her from the start. I sat her at the table with a set of headphones to minimize distractions. The program recommends two 30 minute sessions, but Rebekah enjoyed the first 30 minutes so much, she immediately went on to the next 30 minutes.

Rebekah has had previous typing experience, so I cannot say if this program taught her how to type in an hour. But I can say that this program captured her attention enough to reinforce her typing skills. I was not sure how the no back space or delete would work, but after watching Rebekah, I decided it was a good aspect of the program. Because she knew she couldn’t correct her mistakes, she was free to type without ever lifting her fingers off and away from the correct hand position.

I have a 10 year old son, Ben, who watched Rebekah and wanted to try the program himself. Ben did not enjoy it near as much. He was not as enamored with the puppets and songs as Rebekah. It was just not the right program for him, but he is at the upper end of the age range. I think, the puppets and songs appeal to younger ages.

Want to read what others thought of Keyboard Town Pals? Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates thought about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a web based trial of Keyboard Town Pals for free from Keyboard Town Pals, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Bower Books–The Person I Marry

2011-11-06T21:45:00.001-07:00

The Person I Marry, Things I’ll Think About Before (and After) Saying “I Do”
written by Gary Bower
Illustrated by Jan Bower
Hardcover, 32 pages
$11.99
Available from Bower Family Books

“It’s the ‘Who’ not ‘What’ that makes a great wedding”. This is a quote from the first page of a book written and illustrated to teach children what to look for in a lifelong marriage partner. Written in verse, The Person I Marry explores the qualities that make for an enduring marriage.

Qualities such as kindness, hardworking, trustworthy, and patience are explored in depth. Beautiful illustrations capture the quality being described wonderfully. Each illustration features a young boy and young girl. I like how no two children look the same. To me, these children fulfill the beginning of the book that talk about how externals do not make a great marriage, but inward characteristics are the most important.

This book was a challenge to me as I read it. I originally thought, “this is too perfect,” that we were teaching our children to look for a fairy tale prince or princess. One who was “too good to be true”. But then I found myself thinking about the qualities talked about and wondering if I was living up to them. Do I not complain when the rain comes? Do I fully lend support to my husband to share his burdens?

My attitude changed the third time I read this book to my 8 and 10 year old, with the 14 year old listening. By reading about the excellent qualities to look for in a future spouse, my children can work now on being the type of person they would like to marry. Learning to be hardworking, trustworthy, or kind themselves ,will help them learn to recognize those high qualities in the one to whom they will give their heart. This book gives them a starting point to think about what makes a good mate.

The video below gives a preview of the book, The Person I Marry.

The Person I Marry from Bower Books on Vimeo.

The Person I Marry is part of the Bright Futures Books collection from Bower Family Books. It was awarded the 2010 Book of the Year by the Christian Small Publisher Association. Bower Family Books also publishes a variety of other book including a Thinking of Others series, and Little Lovable Board Books.

I was not the only Crew Member to review The Person I Marry. Visit the Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates had to say about the book as well.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download copy of The Person I Marry for free from Bower Family Books, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Memoria Press–First Form Latin

2011-11-03T22:18:00.001-06:00

First Form Latin
by Cheryl Lowe
Published by Memoria Press
5th grade through High School
First Form Latin plus DVD’s and flashcards – $115

First Form Latin is a beginning Latin program suitable for 5th grade through High School. It is equivalent to a full year of High School foreign language. It is a “grammar first” series focused on the trivium model of teaching grammar. The program goal is to teach grammar systematically which helps with retention and understanding of the language.

First Form Latin is designed for the student and teacher who has no previous Latin experience. It features a student text with 34 two-page lessons as well as a workbook with 4-6 pages of exercises per lesson. The teacher manual is a gem with the student text inset and answers in color. The teacher manual also has scripted oral recitations and grammar chalk talks. Pronunciation helps and vocabulary are also included.

This course has a wide age range. It is written for students from about 5th grade that have had previous Latin experience as well as older students with no Latin experience.

The First Form Latin set that we received for review included many items to make the program successful. In our package we had a 1.) Student Text 2.) Workbook 3.) Teacher Manual 4.) Teacher Manual Workbook and Test Key 5.) Quizzes and tests book 6.) DVD’s of all lessons 7.) Pronunciation CD 7.) flashcards. The program is also available without the DVD’s and flashcards for a cost of $55.00.

ClarkClan Thoughts

First Form Latin has been a hit with Sarah . One of Sarah’s favorite parts of the program is the Latin Workbook. She has said multiple times to me how much she enjoys the workbook. I can see evidence of that since she is only missing 1 maybe two items when I check her workbook pages. She says she also enjoys the DVD’s. She says the person doing the teaching on the DVD is funny and makes the DVD interesting to watch. Sarah is the kind of student that prefers to work on her own. First Form Latin is perfect for her. It needs minimal involvement from mom. I check her workbook pages, I will watch the DVD with her and then let her run with the lesson. Each day she brings me the workbook to correct. I also administer the tests and help if she has questions. The teacher books are very thorough, so if she needs help I can easily find the answer.

I think that if you have had previous Latin experience you could teach very well with the teacher’s manuals without the DVD’s. In my case, I loved having the DVD’s to teach the subject. I do not speak Latin, nor have I ever studied it. Having the DVD’s to hear how the language is supposed to sound was an excellent help.

After having finished the first few lessons, we are impressed with this Latin program. Sarah is really enjoying it and learning the vocabulary included in each lesson. I think she likes it because the text is not overwhelming and the workbook covers many different aspects without being too repetitive.

Visit the Memoria Press website to review sample pages of First Form Latin . Memoria Press also offers an Unconditional Guarantee with a full refund for 60 days.

Memoria Press has many different products available. They are a family run company that produces classical Christian education materials for homeschools and private schools. They offer classical curriculum for grades K-12.

We were not the only family to review First Form Latin. There were many other Crew Mates who reviewed the program as well. Visit the Crew Blog and read what they thought about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received First Form Latin for free from Memoria Press , in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Everyday Education–Excellence in Literature

2011-11-02T00:49:00.001-06:00

Excellence in Literature

Reading and Writing Through the Classics

Introduction to Literature

by Janice Campbell

Age Range: 8th grade and up

Published by: Everyday Education

Available for $27.00 for e-book or $29.00 + $4.95 shipping for print book

Reading and Writing Through the Classics, Introduction to Literature, is the first in the series of Excellence in Literature. It is a college preparatory literature and composition course. Students will practice close literary analysis using various focus works and context readings. They will begin to understand the process of writing and be able to analyze written works. They will also learn the process of writing an essay.

There are 9 units contained within Introduction to Literature. Each unit is 4 weeks long, for a total of 36 weeks. It is a year long high school level course. An Honors Track is also included. Each chapter is written directly to the student. A “Formats and Models” chapter is included so the student can see concrete examples of what the assignments should look like. Students are provided a grading rubric so they can self-correct their writing before turning it in to the parent. A parent then uses the grading rubric to consistently and fairly grade their student. MLA format is taught for all papers.

According to the Everyday Education website, the course covers:

Unit 1: Short Stories by-
• Sarah Orne Jewett: A White Heron
• Edgar Allen Poe: The Purloined Letter (This one is not scary, if you're concerned about that.)
• Guy de Maupassant: The Diamond Necklace
• O. Henry: The Ransom of Red Chief
• Eudora Welty: A Worn Path
• James Thurber: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Unit 2: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Honors: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Unit 3: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
Honors: The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Unit 4: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Honors: Shirley or Villette by Charlotte Brontë
Unit 5: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Honors: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
Unit 6: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Honors: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Unit 7: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Honors: 1984 by George Orwell
Unit 8: The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Honors: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Unit 9: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Honors: The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Note: Books listed in the table of contents above are focus texts only. Context readings are assigned within each unit.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Sarah (14) has been working through this course. I have been very impressed with the caliber of work that she has produced so far. She enjoys the short stories and book she has read in the first two units. I like that the work is tailored to her, I just need to grade it after she is done. The grading rubric for parents is a tremendous help. I can objectively go through her papers, looking for certain elements and structure. This is very helpful, especially in giving her feedback to improve her writing.

This is a very thorough course that has intrigued me. I love the idea of literary analysis, but had not known how to teach it. This solves that problem. I like the idea of Sarah learning how analyze what she is reading, putting it into the proper context and exploring in depth plot, characterization, setting and all other things that make a piece of literature great.

Sarah enjoys Introduction to Literature. I think her enjoyment is pivotal to the success of the course. She likes the way the assignments are broken down into different weeks. Most importantly, she is enjoying what she is reading. You can tell by her writing papers that she enjoys what she had read. The book she is working on now, Around the World in 80 Days, she has read before, but I know she is getting more out of the book because of the analysis she is required to do. When I asked Sarah what her favorite part of the course was she said, “The Formats and Models section is great. I can quickly look up what I am supposed to include and how I am to style each paper.”

Reading and Writing Through the Classics, Introduction to Literature is the first course in the Excellence in Literature series. There are five books available in the series. This will take you from 8th grade through high school. Visit the Everyday Education website to read more about the different products that are offered.

There were many other TOS Homeschool Crew members who reviewed this product. Visit the Crew Blog and read what they thought of the writing course.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Excellence in Literature, Introduction to Literature for free from Everyday Education, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Frugal Friday Night Fun

2011-10-28T21:26:00.001-06:00

In our house, on a Friday night it seems that everyone has something fun to do except the two younger ones. So for their Friday night fun, we have a Frugal Friday Movie Night. This time we made it a movie/play dough night.

It started with the making of homemade play dough. Both Ben and Rebekah collaborated in making the play dough. We used one of our favorite craft books called The Ultimate book of Kid Concoctions and made a fruity play dough using cherry powdered drink mix.

Then we spread an old plastic table cloth on the living room floor. We pulled out the cookie cutters and rolling pins and let them have at it. We also put on a favorite movie, 101 Dalmatians (the cartoon version).

These frugal Friday movie nights happen about two times a month. Both Ben and Rebekah like to do something while they are watching TV. Some Fridays we pull out the drawing supplies, sometimes it is Legos or blocks. This time the play dough was a huge hit. They watched the movie, made many cookies, snowballs, pizzas and even a flip-flop.

Ben is Ten!

2011-10-27T23:36:00.001-06:00

Ben celebrated his 10th birthday this week! He celebrated with his Grandma and Grandpa, Great-Grandma, Mom, Dad, 2 sisters and his brother. He requested pumpkin pie for his birthday cake. I think he had a wonderful day.

Marshall Publishing–George Washington Carver

2011-10-27T11:43:00.001-06:00

Marshall Publishing & Promotions, Inc. is a company that produces media suitable for the entire family. They are known for their Award –winning AS SEEN ON TV videos such as Lots & Lots of Trains, and Lots & Lots of Fire Trucks. Their goal is to produce quality programs to watch today and remember for a lifetime.

I was sent the DVD George Washington Carver His Life and His Work. We have watched this DVD twice now and enjoyed both times. This DVD tells the life story of George Washington Carver. The videography shows the beauty of the countryside and exactly where George Washington Carver lived, worked and played. It is narrated beginning with quotes from Carver and others who knew him well. The narration follows Carvers life from his birth until his death.

I knew the name of George Washington Carver, and knew that he discovered many uses for peanuts but not much else. This 30 minute DVD taught me much about this amazing man. From overcoming slavery and near death as a child to scientific achievements, I was enthralled with learning about his life.

The DVD George Washington Carver His Life and His Work is available from Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc. for $19.95. As a special Homeschool discount, they are offering a 15% discount off the normal price, which will bring the price down to $16.95 (plus shipping and handling). Just use the code TOSC1 at checkout. To order call 888-300-3455 between 9am and 7pm CST or visit the website at www.marshallpub.com.

The TOS Homeschool Crew was given the opportunity to review two videos by Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc. Reviews of the George Washington Carver DVD, and Lots & Lots of Fire Songs & Safety Tips DVD combined with Lots & Lots of Fire Trucks & Firefighters book are available on the TOS Crew Blog.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received George Washington Carver – His Life and Work DVD for free from Marshall Publishing, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

NorthStar Games–Say Anything

2011-10-26T23:41:00.001-06:00

Say Anything Family Edition
Ages 8+
3-6 Players
Available from Amazon for $13.85. Also available at local retailers. Click here to find one near you.

Game Overview

The fun begins with the choosing of which color board to write on. Then, Rebekah, the youngest, is given the “state-of-the-art SELECT-0-MATIC 6000”. This means that she is the judge. She picks a question and reads it out loud to all players. As quick as they can, the players write an answer on their card and place it on the table. Rebekah looks over the answers and using the “state–of-the-art SELECT-O-MATIC 6000” secretly selects which one she likes the best. Now, all the players get to put their two tokens on which answer they think Rebekah picked. You can put both your tokens on one card, or if you are not sure split them between two cards. After all tokens are put down, Rebekah shows which card she selected and points are scored. Then the next player is passed the “state-of–the-art SELECT-O-MATIC 6000”.

ClarkClan Game Thoughts and Recommendation

Our family LOVED playing Say Anything. Over and over again, Ben and Rebekah would say, “Can we play Say Anything?” I even woke up one morning to find them playing a version they made up for just the two of them.

The favorite piece to the game was the “state-of-the-art SELECT-O-MATIC 6000. This little round disc with the plastic spinner quickly became a favorite just because of the name. We had a great time hamming it up with the selector. The hardest part of the game for our family, was waiting until the judge picked an answer before we all threw our tokens on our favorite answers.

Great family game is the overall consensus from the ClarkClan. Just when you think you know what the judge will pick, they will surprise you. Great discussions occur over why someone picked the answer they did or why someone wrote the answer they did.

Visit the NorthStar website to see all their game offerings. Wits and Wagers is another fun game by this company. You can read my review of that game here.

I am not the only one to review Say Anything Family. Many of my Crew Mates also played this game and have given their thoughts on it. Visit the Crew Blog to read those blogs.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Say Anything Family Edition for free from NorthStar Games, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

NorthStar Games–Wits and Wagers Family

2011-10-25T15:37:00.001-06:00

Wits and Wagers Family
Ages 8+
3-10 players

“In feet, how tall is the world’s largest IMAX movie screen?”

Quick, write your best guess (always a number) on your mini white board and place it face down on the table. When all answers are in, turn the boards over and sort them from smallest to largest. Then the fun really begins. Is your answer correct, or does someone else’s answer look better? Place your “Meeples” on the answer you think is correct. Not sure? Then split your “Meeples” up among two cards. How many points did you score? Find out when the answer is read.

We are a family of game players. Card games, board games you name it, we play it. Wits and Wagers Family has been a great addition to our game library. With various ages playing, this game does a great job at giving everyone a level playing field. Wits and Wagers Family is always exciting and fresh each time we play it. The questions are over a wide range of topics, some the kids know, some mom and dad know, and some nobody has a clue. We laugh the most over the questions nobody knows, because some of the wildest guesses occur.

The kids enjoyed all aspects of this game. Before the game starts they like picking their white board and decorating the back. Deciding on whose guess to place your “Meeples” usually involves a great deal of laughter and discussion.

I asked each kid what they liked best about Wits and Wagers Family.

Sarah: “I liked the obscure number facts.”

Ben: “I liked everything about the game.”

Rebekah: “I liked the reading, the guessing, and when you put on the ‘Meeples’. Putting on the ‘Meeples’ is fun.”

Recommendation

The ClarkClan would recommend this game. It is great for all ages to play together. The age recommendation is 8 and up. I think younger kids could play, especially if they partner up with someone older.

Wits and Wagers Family is a North Star Game. You can visit the North Star Game website to find out more about not only Wits and Wagers Family, but a variety of games they offer.

As of now, Wits and Wagers Family is available from Amazon for $15.23 as well as other online retailers. Click here to find a retail store near you where this game is available.

Many of my Crew Mates also reviewed the Wits and Wagers Family game. Visit the Crew Blog to read what they thought of the game.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Wits and Wagers Family for free from North Star Games, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Father/Son Cake Bake

2011-10-22T20:48:00.001-06:00

Ben’s Cub Scout Pack held a Father/Son Cake Bake. The idea was for Father’s and Son’s to bake a cake together to silent auction off at the Pack meeting. Being our very first Pack meeting with this Den and having only attended one Den meeting, we had no idea what to expect.

Ben knew right away what kind of cake he wanted to bake. When I asked him what he should do, he immediately responded, “Checkerboard Cake!”.

About 2 weeks ago Great –Grandma gave us a baking pan that has three round cake pans and a special divider. With this pan you make a chocolate and vanilla cake mix. Then you put the cake mix in the pans in a special order and bake them. They look like targets when they come out. When you stack the three cakes together with frosting and cut the cake, you will get a checkerboard pattern.

Ben thought this was the neatest thing. I thought it was great fun to watch Ben and his dad puzzle out how to do this cake. When it was all done, it was beautiful. Ben kept calling it “his masterpiece”.

We took it to the pack meeting and put it on the table with all the other cakes. All the other cakes were highly decorated with candy or fruit or cookies or were in special shapes. Ben’s cake did look a little plain. Then the boys were to take one parent and walk by the cakes and pick one to bid on. Ben, in typical, methodical Ben style, walked and looked at each cake. Then when I bent down to ask him which cake he wanted to bid on, he whispered, “Mine”. I asked him again if that is really the cake he wanted to bid on and he whispered, “Yes, mine. I like plain cakes.”

So I bid on our own cake. We won, of course (we were the only bid on the cake). Ben proudly carried his cake out and brought it back home.

Then the next day, we went to Grandma’s house with Ben’s cake. Great-Grandma came up and we cut the cake to see what the checkerboard would look like. Ben was so proud to share his cake with not only his sisters, and mom, but Grandma, Grandpa and Great-Grandma. Great-Grandma was tickled that Ben used the pan and that it worked out for him.

It was a wonderful experience. Ben was able to do something special with his dad, and he was able to share the cake he baked with his family. This is what Scouting is all about, learning new things and increasing self-confidence in a job well done.

Educating the WholeHearted Child

2011-10-22T18:51:00.001-06:00

Educating the WholeHearted Child Third Edition
by Clay Clarkson with Sally Clarkson
Softcover, 376 pages
$22.00
Available from Apologia/WholeHeart an imprint of Apologia Press

Do you ever wonder if you are homeschooling the “right” way? Do you ever wonder if all you have done is brought the classroom into your home? Would you like encouragement and help to change to a more relaxed homeschooling style, while still being sure that your kids are getting a complete education? The book Educating the WholeHearted Child, by Clay and Sally Clarkson is the book to answer all these questions and more.

Way back in time, I was given a copy of the original Educating the WholeHearted Child. I had been homeschooling for about 4 years when I first read it. I loved the book. I found its practical advice and gentle approach to be intriguing, and I implemented some of the ideas. Over the years, I have re-read the book a few times and loaned it out to many people. Now it is 2011 and I have been homeschooling for 11 years. When this book came out for a review I was very excited to be able to review this Third Edition of Educating the WholeHearted Child.

It did not disappoint. I have slowly devoured and digested the chapters in it. The book has been expanded quite a bit since my original copy was printed. It is now 376 packed pages. I am normally a fast reader, but this book just begs to be read slowly and savored. I have sat with my book and highlighter reading each chapter, and each sidebar. One of the ways this book is set up is the main information is in the center of each page and down the outside edges are sidebars. These provide even more practical ways to implement ideas, or Bible verses and other quotes to back up what was said.

Educating the WholeHearted Child comes from the premise that the biblical mandate is for parents to educate their children at home (Deuteronomy 5:16, 6:4-9, Psalm 78:1-8, Psalm 127:3-5, Ephesians 6:1-4, Titus 2:3-5) This theme runs throughout the entire book.

The first five chapters fall under the section of Home. This section focuses on the Christian homeschool, nurturing, and discipleship all of which take place in the context of the home.

The second section focuses on Learning. The overall theme is The WholeHearted Learning Model. This model has five elements to it which can best be described in the form of a house. Discipleship studies are at the base or foundation. In the “interior” are Discovery Studies, Disciplined Studies and Discussion Studies. These studies while separate, also overlap to created a cohesive unit. The “roof” of the learning house is Discretionary Studies.

The third section of the book focuses on Methods. These chapters are the why’s and how’s of learning. The WholeHearted Learning model is explored in depth within this section.

The fourth section of the book is focused on Living. These chapters focus on the family as a unit. There are two chapters on the daily structure and order in our lives.

The book ends with an entire section of resources. Book lists and forms for wholehearted learning are included within the resources section.

I truly enjoyed reading Educating the WholeHearted Child again. It is jam packed full of information and practical helps. I like reading new ideas on how homeschooling can be implemented and I truly need to read and re-read about this “gentle” approach to homeschooling more often.

As always, even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, I have found a few things I disagree with or that are not a good fit for our family. I think I find this problem in most non-fiction type books. But I try not to “throw out the baby with the bathwater” as they say. I read the information and keep what is pertinent. I try what may be feasible and throw out what I just don’t agree with. While there was very little in this book that I did not agree with, I did come across a few items. I also had to keep telling myself that the “In Our Home” sections were not there to brag, but to point out how the book’s principles were put into action in the Clarkson family.

Apologia Educational Ministries publishes many homeschooling resources. From science curriculums for all ages to WorldView studies to online Academies you can find it at Apologia.

I am not the only one of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew to read and review Educating the WholeHearted Child. Visit the Crew Blog and read what my crew mates thought about this book.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Educating the WholeHearted Child for free from Apologia Educational Ministries, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

E-Mealz

2011-10-14T21:21:00.001-06:00

What’s for dinner, Mom? I get this question just about everyday. With four kids who all like to eat, this is a very important question in our house. To be honest, most times I do know what we are having. A lot of times it is already in the slow cooker. I learned how to make a menu and shopping list from my mother. I can’t remember a time when she did not have a menu plan with a list to go with it.

Now we come to E-Mealz. When I was assigned this review, I was skeptical, I wondered how it could help me. I make a menu, I have a computerized list. I was in for a surprise. I have found that I really like this website and the concept behind it. I have used this exclusively for about 4 weeks now and am very happy with it.

What exactly is E-Mealz?

3 steps to easy, tasty meals 7 days a week. Sounds too good to be true, but the system really works.

Choose a plan. E-Mealz has a unique system that allows you to choose where you shop. For example, if you shop at Aldi’s, you can pick that plan. Then your meals for the week will be tailored to what is on special in the store that week. For me, I choose the Any Store plan. I shop mainly at a military commissary and wanted to see how this plan worked. On the designated day of the week I would go to the E-Mealz website and download my weekly menu (with recipes) and shopping list.
Go shopping. The shopping list has everything you need to make every meal for that week. Pantry staples are printed within parentheses and then listed at the bottom of the page. All other ingredients are categorized by general store area on a one page shopping list. Each meal is numbered and the ingredients needed are given the same number as the meal. This makes it nice if you decide to not make a meal. For example, if you are not going to make meal number 1, you find all shopping list ingredients labeled with a 1 and cross them off.
Cook. The recipes are printed directly on the menu. Each recipe is simple to prepare, yet a complete meal. Along with a main dish for every day, side dishes are also listed. On the menu, some recipes are labeled “Slow-Cooker” or “On the grill”. This gives you options for those days that may be busy and a slow-cooker meal might mean the difference between going out to eat and eating at home.

Want even more detailed information. Visit the E-Mealz website. You can read about the founders as well as look at sample menus for each of the available plans. There are many plans available including Low-fat plans, Gluten Free plans and menu plans for 1-2 people.

Cost

E-Mealz is available as a 3 month subscription for $15.00. This breaks down to approximately $1.25 per week.

I also want to mention the option to give E-Mealz as a gift. There is an option to give E-Mealz for a 6 or 12 month period of time. I find this idea intriguing and can think of several situations it might be a useful, unique gift. Click here for more information on Gift subscriptions.

ClarkClan Thoughts

As I mentioned before, I was skeptical over whether I really even needed E-Mealz. I found out I loved having it around. Not having to sit with my cookbooks making a menu and compiling a list was a tremendous time saver. I could quickly glance at the menu, and start cooking knowing I had all the ingredients I needed.

I choose the Family Meal Plan – Any Store. The plan says it serves 4-6 people. This was accurate for our family. We have six people in our family. Dad and Mom, Matthew (18), Sarah (14), Benjamin (9), and Rebekah ( 8). It is a rare night anymore that all six of us are together. Matthew is in college and working 30+ hours a week. Dad works a crazy, unpredictable schedule. So most nights there are only 4-5 of us sitting down to dinner. We had enough food for everyone to eat the amount they wanted, and most nights there were leftovers.

Another big question is cost. By choosing the Any Store plan, it was not tailored to any sales. I found it to be a bit more expensive than what I was spending, but not enough to be a deal breaker. I tend to buy some things in bulk at Costco once a month. So when a meal called for a bag of frozen vegetables, I crossed it off the pre-made list and used what I had stocked in the freezer. Same goes for pantry items like chicken broth, or canned tomatoes. I could just use what I have stocked away and not buy these items week to week. I had also been trying to have more meatless meals each week, and E-Mealz has meat almost every meal, so I could easily see where the extra expense comes in. If you are used to flying by the seat of your pants and having no plan for dinner, I think this will definitely save money.

I do not have a picky family when it comes to eating. While everyone has something they do not care for, on the whole we eat a wide variety. With E-Mealz just about every meal was a hit. We even had meals that I don’t think I would have ever made, yet we enjoyed the variety. Matthew was especially enthusiastic about the BBQ Pizza meal and the Ribs in BBQ sauce (Can you see the theme in those two meals?). Sarah and Dad loved a salad that had shrimp and bacon in it. One of my favorites was a Zucchini Hamburger bake.

Recommendation

If you couldn’t guess, I am recommending E-Mealz. If you are skeptical like I was, just try it for 3 months. Better yet, Christmas is coming, tell someone this would make a good gift. This has turned out to be a product I didn’t know I needed or that it even existed, but I have grown to really like it. I think what sealed the deal for me was being able to hand my husband a list on his way out the door to work, and have him come home with all the ingredients I needed for a week’s worth of meals.

There were many Crew Members who tried various E-Mealz plans. Visit the Crew Blog to read what other Crew Members thought of the plan they chose.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a 3 month membership to e-mealz for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Always Ice Cream

2011-10-14T12:43:00.001-06:00

What is Always Icecream?

A website of educational games, videos and fun, all designed specifically with girls in mind, combine to make Always Icecream a unique learning experience. Always Icecream uses learning, praise and recognition, and motivation to create this innovative website.

Girls play educational (but fun) games like typing, math, geography science and more to earn “$coops” of ice cream. Girls use $coops to play fun games, decorate their homes on MiniWorld, and feed their virtual pets on Pet World.

A Picture Walk through Always Icecream

What your daughter sees when she logs in. She can choose what activity to do from this page.

An example of being able to pick a language arts video to watch.

An example of a math facts drill. After so many problems your daughter can go to the next level. If she feels it was too easy, she can jump 5 levels up.

This is an example of PetWorld. This is where your daughter takes care of the pets she has bought with her $coops.

This is an example of MiniWorld. You can buy houses, then place your pets in them. You can decorate the inside of the houses how you want.

This is an example of the Parent’s page. This is where the parents gets a report of what your daughter has done, and what her accomplishments are.

Pricing

Monthly Membership –$4.99 (1st month $.99)

Two Months Membership – $9.98

Annual Membership – $29.99

Lifetime Membership – $99.99

ClarkClan Thoughts

The following is an “interview” I did with Rebekah (8) to get her thoughts about Always Icecream.

What do you like best about Always Icecream?

“You can buy “eggs” that hatch. When they hatch, you get an animal to take care of. The animal is a surprise. I have three turtles, a kitten, a puppy, and a pony”.

“You can upgrade your house from a small house to a mansion or a palace. You can design your own furniture or you can buy furniture. You can go into your house and add rooms. You can also change your rooms into a different design. You can put your animals into your house.

What was your favorite game?

“My favorite game was the states game. You had to click on the states they named. I also liked watching the videos.”

“I also liked the body game. You had to click on the parts of the body they said, like the gigantic intestine.”

What videos were your favorites?

“I liked the Betty Crocker ones. A lady from Betty Crocker shows you how to make food like a cupcake ice cream cone, or a pony cake, and a castle.”

Did you earn any medals?

“Yes. I earned bronze and silver medals and gold medals. I earned a gold medal in the states quiz and a bronze medal in the dog breeds quiz”.

Did you like the typing?

“Yes. It showed you on the keyboard which finger to type. It gave you ice cream scoops when you typed things right.”

Was there anything you didn’t like about Always Icecream?

“I didn’t like that, on the Mini Me, only the face color could be changed,not the ears, neck or arms. It made it look strange.”

Is there anything else you would like to say about Always Icecream?

“I LOVED IT” “Please put that in bold and all caps, Mom.”

Mom’s Thoughts

I thought Always Icecream was a wonderful website for Rebekah. She enthusiastically played whenever she was allowed. We had to set the timer so she would know when to get off. This is unusual for Rebekah, as she tends to get bored of computer activity after about 15 minutes.

One feature that Always Icecream has that we did not use was the social networking feature. While I understood that all interactions were monitored and safe and secure, I did not think this feature was necessary for Rebekah’s enjoyment. I also did not want to have to monitor what she decided to tell other people. I liked that she could play on this website with minimal help. Being able to turn this feature on when I feel she is ready is a plus for me as well.

Why a learning website for girls? On their website, Always IceCream states:

GENDER-SPECIFIC LEARNING FOR GIRLS - Within the target age group of 7-12 years, children’s preferences and ways in which they can be motivated tend to be influenced by gender. Examples of typical differences at that age are preferences for collaborative play (girls) versus competitive play (boys). Similarly, girls tend to be attracted by virtual goods that are “decorative”, such as clothes, versus “useful”, such as machines or armor. An overview of the development of girls and the core differences in their developmental path relative to boys can be found in the bestselling book “The Female Brain” by Louann Brizendine, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco.
A practical indicator of different tastes of boys and girls are also the respective children's magazines (more of which are in the “girls” than in the “’boys” category) that are gender-specific and are catering to the interests of their readership. Notwithstanding the differences in brain development and socialization, Always Icecream is adamantly opposed to stereotypes such as “girls are not interested in science or math.” The site challenges its young members to engage in learning activities across a broad spectrum of subjects.

In my opinion, they have hit the differences between boys and girls right on the head. I have both boys and girls and can see the differences between the two. Having Always Icecream tailored to my daughter and her preferences greatly enhanced her enjoyment of this website. In fact, there were times Rebekah's 14 year old sister Sarah would sit and play or watch videos with her. The two of them had a good time picking colors for different rooms and buying things for the animals.

For more information about this unique website visit them at Always Icecream. You can find all the specifics about the program and even try out some of the games.

Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what my other Crew Mates thought of Always Icecream.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a Lifetime Membership to Always Icecream for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Visual Latin

2011-10-13T11:50:00.001-06:00

Visual Latin is an unusual Latin program. It uses humor, short videos and Latin reading to make learning effective and engaging.

Each Visual Latin lesson contains three parts. A short video and worksheet go together to create part of a whole lesson, which teaches Latin in a fun, easy to remember way.

Part A is always grammatical concepts. The grammar concepts are taught in a clear, concise way. Watching the video covers two different modes of learning, visual and auditory. Then a PDF worksheet adds a third mode of learning, reading.
Part B is sentences. This is where the grammar in part A becomes real. Latin sentences are broken apart in the same way again and again. Then a PDF worksheet allows kids to practice what they watched on the video.
Part C is translation. Kids listen to Dwane Thomas read a passage from the Latin Vulgate Bible. Then he reads the passage again slowly, and the kids read along with him. Finally a PDF worksheet has the same passage that the kids translate themselves. Because the text comes from a familiar source, kids have a known narrative structure for the new language.

Age Range

Visual Latin is recommended for ages 9 and up. The website says that kids need to be able to read. There are 30 lessons in Visual Latin 1. For the elementary through junior high ages,this can be taught one lesson a week over the year. For high school level, it is recommended that Visual Latin 1 be taught the first semester, then supplementing with Lingua Latina Pars 1 and Lingua Latina Exercita 1 for the second semester. Visual Latin 2 is also available for a second year of Latin study.

Cost

Visual Latin is available as a DVD or a digital download in iTunes M4V format. Because the program is through iTunes, (which is a free download if needed) it becomes a very portable program. It is able to play on any Mac or PC as well as iPods, iPhones, or iPads.

Visual Latin is available through The Compass Store. There are a few options on how to obtain the lessons. Visit the store for more complete pricing options.

A DVD containing Lessons 1-30 is available for $80. If you prefer breaking up the lessons and the cost, 3 individual DVD’s are available each containing 10 lessons for $30 each.
The download version of Visual Latin 1 is available in blocks of 10 lessons. Each block is $25.

Ben and Rebekah working on the worksheets after watching the video.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Visual Latin has been a good program for our family. I primarily used this with Ben (9) and Rebekah (8), although Sarah (14) watched the videos as well. Ben and Rebekah have had no previous Latin experience and Sarah has had about a semester of Latin at the high school level. Ben has been asking to learn Latin, so he was very enthusiastic to start this program. Rebekah, being the youngest, always wants to do what the older ones are doing, so she was excited to start as well.

Because Sarah has had some Latin, she mainly watched the videos, but did not use the worksheets. She really enjoyed the videos though, it was a great way for her to review vocabulary she has been previously taught. She enjoyed Dwane Thomas’s humor and found the videos interesting.

Ben and Rebekah were the ones that truly used this program as it was intended. We would watch the video, then work on the worksheets. We did approximately one lesson per week with Ben and Rebekah. Each lesson is divided into three parts and we would do one part a day. The age range for Visual Latin is 9 and up so Ben and Rebekah are at the low end of the age range. This did not pose a problem for us, we just took things slower.

I was impressed at how much the kids retained. Each lesson ends with a translation exercise, taken from the Latin Vulgate bible. The idea is that if the kids are familiar with the story being translated, it will make translating less of a daunting task. It worked in our family. Each week, I was surprised to hear both Ben and Rebekah going over their translations and saying “I don’t have to look that word up, I already know what it is.” Because they were able to be successful quickly, they enjoyed the program and have not complained at all about their Latin lessons.

No complaining about the lessons also comes from the videos that begin each lesson. Dwane Thomas’s humor and presentation style makes what could be a dry and boring video into an enjoyable watching experience. Another plus for our family is the length of each video. Each one is between 8 and 10 minutes long. Complete information is packed into each video with no fluff, just gentle humor. The worksheets are also a good length. Each worksheet we have done is one page long and follows what was taught on the video.

I keep mentioning the humor that is involved during the videos. This comes in the form of gentle “Latin” jokes or stories and just Dwane Thomas laughing at himself if he makes mistakes. I have enjoyed that about this program. When watching a DVD you do not always expect the teacher to make mistakes, but Dwane will at times and then go back to correct himself or the video will show words on the screen saying something to the effect of “this is what it should be”. I like that my kids see that they can make mistakes and learn from them. One lesson my kids found hilarious was when the video started and Dwane was not in the screen and then walked in apologizing for being late.

The worksheets are PDF files and with the purchase of the lessons you are given permission for an individual/family license so you are legally able to make as many copies as you need for your family. An answer file is also included to make grading the worksheets easy.

Recommendation

I would highly recommend the Visual Latin program. In my opinion, it is a great program, simple to use but highly effective. We were given the first 10 lessons to review and I have already bought the next 10 because I know this is a program that we will continue with all year. The Compass store is offering the first 4 introductory lessons (no worksheets needed) and the 1st two lessons of Visual Latin for free. Click here to access the page with the free lessons. This is a great introduction to using the Visual Latin program.

There were many other Homeschool Crew members who reviewed Visual Latin. Visit the Crew blog to read what other bloggers have to say about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Visual Latin Lessons 1-10 as a download from Visual Latin for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Camping

2011-10-10T23:31:00.001-06:00

We decided to go camping this last weekend. We went up into the mountains near us. We were pretty high, a little over 9,000 feet up. It was a beautiful weekend, 50’s during the day and 30’s at night, no rain only sunshine. We could hear Elk bugling and also were able to enjoy some wild horses that live up near that campground.

As we drove into the campground, we came around a bend to find horses. Quite a few horses eating grass at the campsites. We parked and got out of the car and the horses just looked at us and kept on eating. We were a little intimidated at first, not knowing much about horses. Then we decided that since they didn’t seem to mind us, we wouldn’t mind them. So we began unpacking the car and getting camp set up. Then about three horses wandered up to the site and just stood and watched. Two of them eventually lost interest and wandered around, but one stayed the whole time. Then I started making Ben and Rebekah a sandwich. The minute I opened the bread that mare walked closer and closer. She got so close she nosed the bread bag. I had to clap my hands like I do to get the dog’s attention. She backed off then. I think she must have realized that I was not going to give her food.

We were also able to witness “herd” behavior with these horses as well. We had three to four horses that kept wandering over to watch us. Then from behind us, a loud whinny made everyone jump. Down the path came a horse at a fast walk. When he got past us, I noticed he was the stallion. Almost immediately following his call all the horses in the area walked over to him. There was the group, one stallion, 6 mares and 2 colts. He “talked” to them for a minute then walked a little ways away. All the mares followed him, and then proceeded to stay farther away from us for the rest of the afternoon.

It was a beautiful weekend being away from everyday life. The trees were just beginning to turn colors. Birds were chirping and flying, squirrels were running up and down trees and there were even a few flowers blooming. I was reminded of Matthew 6:25-27 ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? If God cares for these horses, the birds, the squirrels, the flowers he will take care of me as well.

My Clothesline

2011-10-04T22:55:00.001-06:00

I love my clothesline. I am so happy to live in a climate that makes using a clothesline very practical and do-able. With six people in our family we generate a lot of laundry. Actually, I should say with five people and a Rebekah we generate a lot of laundry. (Rebekah will try an outfit on, take it off, leave it on the floor and then put it in the dirty clothes. She uses twice the clothes of everybody else.)

I love that I can put a load of clothes in, and then hang them up to dry outside and they can be dry within an hour. During the summer, when temperatures reach over 100 degrees, the clothes can dry within 35-45 minutes. Now that it has cooled off down into the 80’s it is taking a little longer, but not much. Because there is no dew at night, we also can leave the clothes on the line overnight. But as Sarah and Ben found out, when you bring them inside the next morning, you may find a moth or two sleeping in your shirts.

I also love the way clothes and linens smell when they are dried outside. It is a very fresh, sweet scent to me that no dryer sheet can match. Towels dried outside are very stiff, but they soak up a lot of water when used. I don’t mind the rough towels, probably because I grew up with line-dried towels. And I know, the burning question is: “Do you hang everything on the line?” The answer is “yes, I do.” I have a system where I will hang pants and shirts on the first outside line, then I will hang the “unmentionables” on the second line, then finish up with more shirts and pants. This way the stuff that could be embarrassing is hidden in the middle.

Saving on my electricity bill is a big plus for using the clothesline. I like using the free solar power to do a needed job. Since the kids do their own laundry, I will usually help when they hang their clothes out. I like the time where no other distractions are around to talk to whoever is helping me. The final reason that I love using my clothesline is it gets me outside during the day and I get a little bit more exercise. I have to carry the basket out, bend and stretch picking up the clothes and pinning them to the line, and then reverse the process to take them off the line. Not too much exercise, I know, but every little bit helps.

“Not Back to School” TOS Crew Blog Hop

2011-09-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

It is now the end of September. School has been in session for a little over a month now. We have finally received all the materials that I wanted to use this year, as well as some really fun review items.

To help our school day run smoothly, and to make sure we get everything done, I make up a daily schedule. So far this year, I can’t seem to find a schedule that fits. Dad’s retirement and new job, the move to a new state, new activities, only three kids to school instead of four have all conspired together to create more chaos than I like. I will make up a schedule that works for 2 days, then a day will come up that throws everything off.

I think the main problem comes from my husband working crazy hours. With the job he has, there is no set schedule. He may go to work at 4 am one day and then the next day not go in until 2pm. With this kind of schedule, it is hard for the kids to spend time with dad. So if he is home, I feel it is important that they have time to play with dad. It is also important for Dad, who has some stressful days at work, to be able to relax and let some of the joy the kids bring with their smiles and hugs brighten his day.

But, this does not solve the problem of getting school done consistently. So my plan is to make a new schedule every morning based on Dad’s work and our activities. This way I can make sure we get everything done school wise. The big reason that we have to have a schedule is because Rebekah needs it. She cannot just “switch gears” at the drop of a hat. When she is presented with a written down, “we are doing this subject at this time, and for this long” schedule school is a pleasant affair and not a constant battle.

I am determined that October will be the month that I finally figure this problem out one way or another. That is part of the beauty of schooling at home. Being able to fix problems and do what is best for our family.

This post is part of the TOS Crew Not Back to School Blog Hop. Click on the button below to find the Linky list and be able to read what other homeschoolers are talking about this month.

Read Aloud Challenge

2011-09-26T22:40:00.001-06:00

Here it is, almost the end of September. School is in full swing around our house. This means that quite a bit of reading out loud occurs. I am once again joining Debra at Footprints in the Butter for her Read Aloud Challenge.

Sarah: I continue to read Sarah’s history book out loud to her. As she gets older, she does more and more schoolwork on her own. Because of this, I really enjoy the time I have to just sit either beside her or across from her, reading and discussing.

Ben and Rebekah: About a week ago, we started Sonlight’s second year of American History. With this program there is quite a bit of reading aloud. We have read a book about Simon Bolivar. We are in the middle of Shoes for Everyone. Both Ben and Rebekah are enjoying this book. We have also started Moccasin Trail. This book has been a challenge for Rebekah’s listening skills. The book starts out by going back and forth between the past and the present. Rebekah listens, but then always has to ask, “Is this now or did this already happen?”

One thing I have always allowed during our read aloud times have been quiet activities. Coloring or drawing pictures are favorites. Legos or blocks are allowed, except you may pick out the Legos you want from the box and use those. There is no rummaging through the big box to find the exact part you need. Mom cannot take reading over the noise. Rebekah will sometimes work on embroidery while we are reading out loud. I have found that the activity helps with their listening skills. If their hands are kept busy, they sit quietly. When I finish reading, I ask questions about what we have just read. Each kid can usually narrate back to me with no problems.

Make sure to visit Debra’s blog Footprints in the Butter to get ideas for other great books to either read aloud or just read to yourself.

Aletheia Writing Magazine

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-06:00

What Is Aletheia Writing Magazine?

Aletheia Writing Magazine is a magazine written and illustrated by teens for teens. They are committed to publishing quality literary and artistic works with a Christian view. It allows creative teens to express themselves and be published in a quality publication. Along with teen authored work, a spotlight of an adult in the writing or illustrating business is featured. The magazine is specifically designed for 13-19 year old teens.

Each issue of Aletheia Writing Magazine includes the following:

Stories
Poems
Interviews
Poems
Book Review
Writer’s Challenge
Beauty of Nature
Featured Contributor
Ancient Ink

The magazine is 40 pages in length, full color and printed on heavy paper. It is published quarterly. The look of the magazine is clean and uncluttered with all artwork, both illustrated and photographic, being supplied by teens. Aletheia Writing Magazine is published and edited by Nicholas Muzekari.

Visit the Aletheia Writing Magazine website for even more information on this unique magazine. A sample issue is available for download from the website as well.

Cost

Aletheia Writing Magazine is published quarterly at a subscription rate of $26, which includes shipping and handling. You can order the magazine by visiting the website Aletheia Writing Magazine.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Aletheia Writing Magazine is a beautiful, professional magazine. Sarah (14) and I both enjoyed reading the stories and articles contained within it. We reviewed the Fall 2011and a special electronic Summer 2011 issue.

When I gave Sarah the Fall 2011 magazine, she eagerly took it and began reading. When I asked her about it later, she stated she really enjoyed it. She particularly like the Featured Contributor’s story called “Awake The Tale of Alatar the Blue” Sarah is a fan of the fantasy genre and this story really resonated well with her. She also stated that she liked the opening story called “Ordinary”.

Sarah has tried her hand at fiction writing from time to time. I think reading this magazine reawakened that longing within her. She has been jotting down little stories and vignettes since. She also has an artistic bent and I am going to encourage her to submit either one of her paintings or photographs.

In the Fall 2011 issue both Sarah and I found the article “Into the Artist’s Studio with Joe Goode” to be fascinating. This article was an interview with Joe Goode who described the joys and struggles of being an artist. The interview was accompanied by Joe Goode’s illustrations and sketches.

Recommendation

Sarah and I both feel comfortable recommending this magazine to others. As a matter of fact, Sarah is planning on loaning the magazine to a friend tomorrow who loves to write. Sarah thought her friend would really enjoy the magazine and may want to submit something herself.

Aletheia Writing Magazine does have a disclaimer on the first page of the magazine. It states:

At Aletheia Writing Magazine, we are excited about our contributors and the articulation of their Christian faith and experiences in writing. This magazine is geared toward youth 13-19. Because contributors’ ages vary, the maturity level of situational content may likewise vary.

We did not find any material that was objectionable for our family. Instead we found a professional, well thought out magazine designed to inspire teens to further their writing goals.

We were not the only family reviewing Aletheia Writing Magazine. Many other members of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew reviewed it at well. To get a balanced picture of this magazine click on the flashing banner above. This will take you to the Homeschool Crew blog and give you a chance to read other families opinions.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a print copy and a download copy of Aletheia Writing Magazine for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

News Article Thoughts

2011-09-23T08:21:00.001-06:00

I came across this article this morning on MSN and was floored by the title and the thought behind it? Is this really what is considered “news”?

” Should You Teach Your Kids to Cheat at Sports? And is It really cheating if your team expects you to do it?”

So here are my takes on this. Short answer: NO! You should not teach your kids to cheat at sports or any other event in life. My initial thoughts are if we teach our kids dishonesty in one area of life, why would we be surprised if they are dishonest on other areas. This seems like a slippery slope to me. If it is okay to “cheat” a little at a sports game, then later it should be okay to cheat in college to get good grades to continue playing. Or thoughts of “what’s a little cheating on my taxes.?, can plague an adult.

I believe we should try to be as honest as possible in all things. Is it hard? yes. Are we going to fail? yes. Can we be forgiven? YES. As I was reading this two of the ten commandments that apply to this article on cheating situation came to mind.

The Seventh Commandment says: You shall not steal. In Luther’s Small Catechism the explanation says: What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

In my opinion, if we teach our children to cheat at sports we are “stealing” from the other team. We are getting points in a dishonest way.

The Eighth Commandment says: You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

Cheating at sports is giving false testimony against our neighbor. We are betraying and slandering the other team.

I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that I come across articles like this. Our nation is struggling with this very same question in the political realm. Where is the line? And When is it crossed? The author does not even give a definitive answer, but asks for comments with other’s opinions. I read a few pages of the comments and was happy to read that most people agree teaching cheating is wrong.

Over seeding

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

There has been a phrase rolling around in my head for the last two days. Over seeding. It comes from my devotion for Sunday. The devotion talked about how if you want to grow thick, lush grass, you will plant the seed, then when the seeds sprout, plant some more and continue until you have a thick, lush growth of grass. It then went on to talk about how you can do the same thing with your faith, over seed it. You can never read your Bible too much, every time you pick up scripture you are “seeding’ it into your life. This has stuck with me and periodically throughout the day I have been asking myself if I am “over seeding” my life with God’s Word. I know I can plant a lot more seeds of God’s Word into my life. So how about you? Could you plant a little more of God’s Word in your life?

Read Aloud Challenge

2011-09-13T00:23:00.001-06:00

We have been still plugging away at our reading out loud this week. Again, it has been mostly school books. I have read Sarah’s History of US Book 8 to her during History. We have read chapters on Carnegie and Rockefeller. Then we read about monopolies and Trusts and what the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was. It has been interesting, and I am learning even more than when I went through this book with Matthew.

For Ben and Rebekah, the one I want to talk about is what we use for our Worship Time. Every morning we start school with a small time of worship. This consists of Hymns, Bible readings and prayers. It hit me the other day, that this is Read Aloud time as well. This year I have decided to read the Egermeier’s Bible Story Book out loud again. I have gone through this before a few years ago and decided that it would benefit Ben and Rebekah better now that they are older. This is my favorite Bible Story Book. I love that the stories are not “dumbed down” but very straightforward and true to the original Biblical accounts. I also like the pictures included in this book. The illustrations are not cartoon like pictures (my pet peeve for Bible story books) but realistic scenes. Having read this out loud once before, I know just how thorough this book is. Last time there were even times I went to my Bible to look up the original account of a story I did not know.

Thank you to Debra at Footprints in the Butter for hosting this Read Aloud Challenge. It has really made me think about what I am reading out loud to my kids. I have also found many new books to look up by reading what other people are reading to their kids. Make sure you stop by her blog and let her know you are enjoying this challenge as well.

Time for Learning

2011-09-12T23:30:00.001-06:00

My kids are always excited when they can use the computer for some of their schoolwork. Time 4 Learning gave Ben and Rebekah the opportunity to use the computer a little everyday for both school and fun.

What is Time 4 Learning?

According to the Time4Learning Website:

Time4Learning is a technology-based online educational program that teaches preschool to eighth grade curriculum using a combination of animated lessons, interactive activities and reinforcing worksheets.

A top selection of the Homeschool.com "Top 100 Educational Websites" list year after year, the Time4Learning program has been refined through years of feedback from educators, parents, and students. The lessons are presented at the student's pace by an automated system in a sequence designed to build strong subject literacy.

Time4Learning is a great curriculum for families who homeschool. It is also a great after school skill sharpener and is often used for remediation and test preparation. Whether mainstream, gifted, or special needs, Time4Learning provides a flexible, student-paced approach.

Time4Learning includes the following:

Online curriculum for grades Pre-K through 8th
More than 1,000 interactive animated lessons
Self paced lessons that kids will enjoy working on
Math & algebra tutorials & printable worksheets
Language arts, phonics & grammar lessons
Interactive, project-based reading activities
Science (grades 1st - 6th) & social studies (grades 2nd - 7th)
Detailed reporting for easy record keeping
Extensive lesson plans & teaching tools for parents
and much more...

Time4Learning is web based, so there is no software to download, no CDs and nothing additional to purchase. Members can access the program 24/7 from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection.

The Subjects covered in Time4Learning include:

Math (Full Curriculum)
Language Arts ( Full Curriculum)
Language Arts Extensions
Science
Social Studies

Cost

Time4Learning is a monthly subscription of $19.95 for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child. To order, visit the website Time4Learning.

ClarkClan Observations

Time4Learning is such a complete, thorough program that it is almost overwhelming to me. There are many facets to the program. I will attempt to cover the parts of the Time 4 Learning program that we used.

When you sign your child up, you assign what grade level they are to work at. You can tweak the levels to customize for your child. For example, if your 4th grade child is at a 5th grade level in math, you can set the program at a 5th grade level just for that subject, keeping all the other subjects at the 4th grade level.

Each child has their own log-in. When they log in, they enter lesson time. Then they can pick which subject they would like to work on. The pictures below show the home page for the lower level (PreK-3rd) and the home page for the upper level (4th-8th).

When the student clicks on Lesson time, they are then able to choose which subject they would like to work. Arrows point the way to which lesson should be next. In general, the student works from left to right going from lesson to lesson. If they so choose, the lessons can also be done in random order. There are quizzes and chapter tests that record how the student is progressing. When an area of study has been mastered, a checkmark appears and the arrow points to the next lesson.

The lessons consist of various methods of teaching. At times the students read the lesson and then have a worksheet or activity to perform. At other times, there are videos the students watch to learn the lesson. During a lesson, there may be “worksheets” on the computer to complete. On these worksheets, the answers are checked immediately by clicking on the checkmark beside or underneath each question. This way the student knows immediately when they have missed something or gotten it right.

As a reward for the hard work of the lessons, the student’s can visit the “playground”. The playground is where many different computer games are played. A timer counts down at the top of the screen so a student only plays for a set number of minutes. There are many, many different games available to play.

Time4Learning also has a parent log-in. This is where parents can see how their child is progressing. Reports can be looked at to see the child’s grade on each activity they have done. Certificates can also be printed out from the parent's page.

A parent can change the time your child spends on Time4Learning. As a default, your child must spend at least 15 minutes working on lessons before they can go to the playground. When at the playground, your child can only spend 15 minutes playing games. These times can be re-set by the parents to their preferences. For instance if you want your child to have to work for 20 minutes before they are allowed to visit the playground, you can set that. You can also set the time for how long they get to play at the playground.

ClarkClan Likes

Ben and Rebekah both loved the program. They were eager to do the work every day to be able to go to the playground. They liked being able to pick the subjects they wanted to work on first, next, etc.

Rebekah’s grade level (3rd) made use of quite a few videos. She really enjoyed watching them. “The Old Time Word Show” was a big hit. I would see her watching the videos, then working on the worksheets and quizzes. By her scores, I could tell she was understanding what she was being taught. There were a few language arts lessons we had not gone over, such a pre-fixes, and after watching the video and doing the lessons she understood them.

Ben also enjoyed the lessons. He worked at the 4th grade level. He had no trouble with working on the computer and liked the mix of lesson activities. Ben also really enjoyed the playground. He would tell me about the different games he would play when it was time.

I liked that this was a full curriculum. While we primarily used this as a supplement to our school day, it is designed as a complete curriculum. I also liked that, as the parent, I could check on their progress from my own log-in. I could look up lesson plans, so I knew what they were working on and what was coming up next. Another feature of the program that caught my attention was the ability to change grade levels for each subject. This feature helps to customize the program for each child.

ClarkClan Dislikes

The one main dislike I had with the program was that some of the interactive features were noisy and frantic. This did not bother Ben and Rebekah, but it bothered me listening to the lessons with them.

Another problem we encountered, that I did not catch immediately was that to exit out of a lesson you must click an exit button at the bottom of the page not the x at the top of the page for the lesson to be graded. When I realized this I showed Ben and Rebekah and explained to them what they had to do.

Recommendation

I would recommend this curriculum. My kids enjoyed it and learned from it. My only caution would be to parents, check your child’s work frequently so you can see how they are doing. I found it a little too easy to just assume they were doing well and not check up on them for days at a time.

Visit the Time4Learning website for more information about this curriculum. You can also go here to sign up for a free demo of the product.

I was not the only TOS Homeschool Crew member to review Time4Learning. Click on the Crew banner above or here and you can read what my Crew Mates thought of the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a 30 day trial of Time4Learning for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Griddly Games–Civilize This

2011-09-07T12:39:00.001-06:00

Wise Alec: Civilize This by Griddly Games Inc.
Ages 8 and up
2-4 players
Travel game and Expansion set
$14. 99 from Amazon or click here for a retailer near you.

Explore 3 different time periods and different cultures with Wise Alec: Civilize This game. 300 questions cover Ancient, Medieval, and Modern cultures. Roll the included special die and choose your preference of questions: the 3 point level or the 7 point level. Draw a Wise Alec card and you may have to display your knowledge in ways such as tongue twisters, brain teasers or exercises.

ClarkClan Thoughts

Likes

My kids love games of all types. This trivia game was no different. They thought this game was a lot of fun. They played for hours. I played with them at times and thought it was fun as well. I liked that each card contained two questions worth either 3 or 7 points, and I could decide which one I wanted to answer. The Wise Alec cards evened the playing field for kids (or mom) who did not always know the answers to the trivia questions.

Wise Alec: Civilize This is a travel game / expansion pack. As a travel game it worked well. There were three decks of cards and one special die included. It was packaged in a narrow box with a magnetic closure, which made it easy to take in the car or throw in a backpack. While Civilize This is a stand alone game, it can also be used as an expansion pack for the original Wise Alec: Family Trivia Game, which is purchased separately.

Adaptations/Dislikes

We really didn’t have any adaptations or dislikes or to this game. The only “issue” we noticed was that after a month of playing a couple times a day, the kids began to memorize the cards. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it means I need to get the Wise Alec original trivia game for more of a challenge.

Recommendation

We would definitely recommend this game. We had fun playing and it was easy to learn with minimal set up and pieces. The trivia questions are interesting and we learned quite a few facts about the 3 different time periods covered.

I reviewed the Civilize This travel game/expansion pack. Other Crew members reviewed Griddly Games Nature Nuts travel game/expansion packs. Click on the banner above to read reviews on both games. Visit the Griddly Games website to see all the games they offer.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Civilize This for free from Griddly Games. in exchange for my honest review of their product.

R & R Games–Pig Pile

2011-09-05T13:23:00.001-06:00

Product Information

Pig Pile: The Hog Wild Card Game
Available from R & R Games, Inc
Price: $15.95
Age Range: 7+
20% TOS Discount available through 2011, Use code CREW20 when ordering

Pig Pile is a fast-paced card game designed for families. It is for 3-6 players ages 7 and up. The object of the game is to be the first one to get rid of your Slop Pile and be rewarded a pile of pigs. Trouble along the way includes Ewe Turns and being Hog Tied. But never fear, the more cards you have the better your chance of being able to go Hog Wild or of calling a Hog Wash. Be the first to get rid of your cards and you get a pile of 3 pigs to corral, go out second and you get 2 pigs, go out 3rd, 4th or 5th and you get one. Be the person to have the most cards left and you have no pigs.. When the Pig Pen is empty, count your pigs and if you have the most pigs you are the overall winner!

ClarkClan Thoughts

Likes

The ClarkClan is a family of game players. When I received Pig Pile in the mail I gave it to Sarah, Ben and Rebekah to try out. I purposefully did not play immediately, but observed to see how long it took them to figure out how to play the game. Within five minutes of opening the box, reading the instructions and dealing out the cards, they were off and running. I heard calls of “You have been Hog Tied and Hog Wash”.

The cards for Pig Pile were really cute. Each card pictures a pig with a different pig design for each number 1-12 and cute pig graphics for the Hog Wild and Hog Tied cards. The pigs that are rewarded as points are small, pink plastic pigs.

When I sat down to play, I had as much fun as the kids did. I found the game to be a mix of some strategy as well as “luck of the draw”. I lost about 5 rounds before I finally was the first to go out. The trick in this card game is to remember to play a card with a number that is equal to or higher than the last card played. If you don’t have one you have to pick up the entire discard pile.

We played this game with many different people this past month. The kids took it to church and played with other kids, who all had a great time. Then Great Grandma came over and they taught her as well as teaching it to their Grandmother who was visiting. I liked that the game was easy to learn to play and that multiple ages could play together easily. The game says ages 7 and up, but I feel it could be used with any age child who knows their numbers, with just a bit of help.

ClarkClan Adaptations

After the first few rounds of the game, my kids adapted it just a little. We ended up cutting out the pigs that are rewarded as points. We found that our family liked to play a round of the game and let the first person to run out of cards be the “winner”. We found the game bogged down when there were only two left battling it out for running out of cards and the first person who went out got bored waiting. Also, for a very fast paced game, it would take an hour or more to play enough rounds to run out of pigs in the pig pile. So we ended up just putting the pigs on the table while playing the cards and the kids could make cute pig noises and pig pyramids. Sarah has been trying to work out a different way to incorporate the pigs into the game more than just to score at the end of a round.

Recommendation

We would recommend this game to other people. In fact we already have by playing the game with kids outside our family. We found the game easy to play, fun for all ages to play together and the pig theme to be cute.

Click on the banner above to read what other reviewers had to say about Pig Pile and another game offering called Flea Circus by R & R Games, Inc.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Pig Pile, The Hog Wild Card Game for free from R & R Games, Inc. in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Read Aloud Challenge–Sept. 3, 2011

2011-09-03T21:54:00.001-06:00

Whew! It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks around here at the Clark house. I am finally getting back into reading out loud. Debra at Footprints in the Butter has been hosting a Read Aloud Challenge. She writes about the books she is reading aloud to her children and then other bloggers can link up to share what books they are reading. I have found new books to read aloud that I am excited to go to the library and look up, if not to read aloud at least to give to the kids for their silent reading time.

Since we started school this past Wednesday, we are just getting back into reading out loud. We were able to read Night of the Moonjellies and Grandfather’s Journey, and The Rag Coat which are really good, touching picture story books. We also read some silly picture books. The most silly was Sesame Street characters singing the Twelve Days of Christmas. Rebekah and I have a lot of fun hamming it up and singing that book loudly.

For Sarah, I read her history book out loud to her. I have found that she enjoys history a lot more when we read the book out loud together and talk through the questions This has been a change for me, because when Matthew went through this program, he preferred to read the books by himself and then just discuss the questions with me.

Have you been reading books out loud to your children. Join Debra at Footprints in the Butter and let her know what you are reading. I am finding many great books to read out loud through this challenge.

First Day of School August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T22:26:00.001-06:00

Today was our first day of school. To kick this day off, we went on a 2.2 mile hike in the Sacramento Mountains with Grandma. When we got home, they worked on math and English. Then the big finish to the day was going out bike riding, and Ben ending up with stitches in his upper lip. Never a dull moment around our house.

Red or Green?

2011-08-21T22:08:00.001-06:00

Did you know that the official question for the state of New Mexico is: Red or Green? If you are from New Mexico (or have just been transplanted from some other state) you will know this question refers to what type of chile you want on your food. My preference is green. Oh, and yes, I like my chile hot. Not burn your mouth off hot, but I definitely want to feel the heat.

Now that we are living back in New Mexico, my husband and I and even our kids were very excited to be able to buy fresh green chile again. Around mid-August through mid-September is chile season around here. And the best chile comes from Hatch New Mexico. In fact, New Mexico even has a law that says it is illegal for other chile growers to put the name Hatch on their chile if they are not grown in the Hatch region. Almost every grocery store in New Mexico towns sell bushel bags of green chile. Then you take them outside and have them roasted. The roasting blisters the skin so that it slips and peels off easily. Then we sit for the next hour and peel and chop the chile up to freeze and use in recipes all year. Here is a short video that shows the roasting machine that is outside the grocery stores.

Roasting Green Chiles

Here is a picture of some of my family members peeling roasted green chile.

So, I am sure the next question you may have is: What do you use green chile in? We happen to love the flavor and heat of the chile. So I use the chile in tacos, taco soup, pinto beans (also known as frijoles con chile) enchiladas, burritos. A favorite breakfast is huevos rancheros, this is corn tortillas topped with eggs, red or green chile sauce and cheese. Yum!. Matthew even told me the other day I should add some green chile to the homemade mac and cheese I make.

This is a great tradition that I am glad I can participate in and use all year long. To sum up the depth of feeling that New Mexicans can have for chile season, I have a quote from a man walking into the store while I was getting my chile roasted. He said, “Roasting chile, the greatest smell in the world”.

Read Aloud Challenge

2011-08-13T21:39:00.001-06:00

This has been a much better week for reading out loud. Rebekah has been pulling books out that had been packed away during the move. We have read quite a few different picture books because she keeps finding favorites she hasn’t seen in a month. We have also been reading Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal at night. I have a love/hate relationship with Junie B. I think they are quite hilarious, but then I hate the attitude and actions she has and certainly don’t want my kids emulating. So I read them and we end up discussing what she does wrong. Should Junie B. have said that? What could Junie B. have done different? Should you ever act like Junie B.?

I am looking forward to this next week. We are not truly starting school this week, but we will be doing a Five in a Row study. We will be reading the book The Rag Coat and doing an activity or two a day for the entire week. Ben and Rebekah are at the upper age for this study, but I love to do them on slower weeks. While I was at the library I also picked up Grandfather’s Journey and Night of the Moonjellies to be able to re-read good books we have already studied.

Thank you Debra from Footprints in the Butter for hosting the Read Aloud challenge. Visit Debra’s site to read what she has been reading aloud to her children and also visit other blogs. Who knows what good books you may find that you just have to read out loud?

Imagination

2011-08-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

“Go by the still waters” “Now go to the archeological dig.'” I overheard Ben giving these directions to Rebekah using their walkie-talkie's. I asked him what he was talking about and he said they were having a scavenger hunt. Ben had hidden some toys outside and was giving Rebekah clues so she could search for them. When she found them, then Rebekah would hide the items again and it would be Ben’s turn to search. They had fun with this game for about 2 hours one afternoon.

This new house has a huge built in sandbox in the backyard. Ben and Rebekah and even Sarah have spent hours digging in the sand. Ben calls it his “archeological dig” site and has found quite a few army men, matchbox cars and even doll dresses. Today they added some water to the sand and tried to make sand castles. I figure this sandbox is going to provide hours of fun.

We also have visited the library. Rebekah found one of her favorite books. Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems, starring Elephant and Piggie. This book is hilarious. In our family, the Elephant and Piggie books are so much fun because we can equate Ben to Gerald (the elephant) and Rebekah to Piggie. Rebekah likes to take these books with their very simple, yet funny dialogue and create puppet shows. Ben will hold the book for Rebekah and she will use her elephant and pig puppets and read the book making her puppets act out the lines.

There are so many ways that kids can use their imagination if given a chance. A little boredom can be a good thing for my kids. When they are bored, the imagination begins to soar and there is no telling what they will come up with.

Heroics

2011-08-10T08:42:00.001-06:00

My husband was my hero on Monday, and I didn’t even know it. Matt had to leave for work early on Monday. When I got up, I noticed he had not worn his belt that day or put everything he usually carries in his pockets. When I asked him about it that evening, he told me that he was a little flustered and almost late for work. Then he told me why and turned into my hero for the day.

When we moved to Montana eight years ago, one thing I noticed was the lack of bugs. They had spiders but no little scurrying bugs like cockroaches. Idaho did not have these either. I have not missed them at all. When we moved into our new house here in New Mexico, I saw one dead cockroach in the bathroom. I swept it up, but did not think much about it.

Well, apparently on Monday, Matt was getting ready for work and a cockroach happened to catch his eye scurrying in the shower. He said that he went out to get a shoe to smash it, so I wouldn’t have to see it. By the time he got back, the cockroach couldn’t be seen. Then he noticed feelers coming from a small gap between the bottom of the shower floor and the aluminum frame from the shower doors. He decided he better flush this cockroach out so I would not be surprised when I woke up. During the time he was trying to get the cockroach out, he noticed a second pair of feelers a little ways down. He said his thinking was along the lines of “Oh great, now there are two of them”. As he proceeded to put a putty knife in this small gap, he killed the first cockroach, then went for the second, neither of which he could see. The second turned out not to be a cockroach, but another of New Mexico’s “fun” bugs, a vingegaroon. He killed both for me and then ran out to get to work on time. I am not sure how I was able to sleep through all the drama, but I am sure glad I did.

So now I am sure your burning question is what is a vinegaroon? It is an ugly bug, but not dangerous. They are called vinegaroons because they can spray 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar so they smell like vinegar. They do not sting, despite their appearance, and while they can deliver a painful bite, this is very rare unless provoked. If they are outside, we do not kill them because they are a bug that eats other bugs. In my shower, on the other hand, they are fair game.

This is a picture of the vinegaroon. Definitely something I do not want to encounter in my shower!

New House

2011-08-09T22:49:00.001-06:00

Getting used to a new house is always interesting. Unpacking and trying to find places for everything can be a big undertaking. This house has a smaller kitchen than the last one. I have had to arrange and re-arrange as I started cooking and working in it. I have had to store some of the larger appliances, crock-pots, griddle, waffle maker, in the garage on shelves. Not my first choice, but realistically the only choice.

I love having a clothesline again. At over 100 degrees, clothes and towels do not take long to dry. In fact, it only took about an hour to dry jeans on the clothesline. And when it got breezy this afternoon and we hung our towels out, it only took them about 35-40 minutes to fully dry. I am very happy to be able to save on electricity by not running the dryer. And I love the smell of clothes, towels, sheets that have been dried outside. They just smell so fresh. An added bonus of hanging clothes is that I get a little bit more exercise by carrying the basket out, bending to pick up the clothes and stretching to hang them on the line.

Now the fun part comes. Trying to find a workable solution for easy access to the school books and school supplies has been tough. I always strive to make the books we use everyday easy to access and just as importantly, easy to put away. When school is over for the day, I like to have all the books put away until tomorrow. The last house had a den that we used as a school room. This house does not. It is beginning to look like we will be doing “school in a box” again. Each kids gets a Rubbermaid tote to hold the books and workbooks that are needed on a daily basis. The only problem with the boxes is that they can collect junk and trash if we do not clean them out frequently.

Time will tell where everything will fit. And as usual some things will be stored until I have the “house of my dreams” and can get them back out.

Finally Settled

2011-08-05T09:30:00.001-06:00

I am back in action. The furniture has been delivered (well, almost all of it) and set up. The leaks in the faucets and drain have been fixed along with a new water heater installed. Starting next week, I am hoping life will fall into the start of a new routine. I like routine and being unsettled for the past month and a half has been, well, unsettling.

Moving can be hard on all the people in the family. This move has, in my opinion, been the hardest on Sarah. There are times she is just her normal, fairly happy self. Then there are times she is in tears because she misses all her friends. At those times, I just sit and hold her (which can be quite a feat since she is two inches taller than I am). It will get better, but the process is not so much fun to go through.

My plans for the coming week are to continue unpacking the boxes that are left in the garage, one box a day. I also need to figure out a new chore chart so the kids can get back to helping keep the house picked up. Then come the plans for when to start school and then getting ready for company to come and visit. We are getting very excited that Matt’s parents will be coming out to see us.

My plans also include making sure I take the time to read aloud to Ben and Rebekah. I have not been able to join in the Read Aloud Challenge hosted by Debra at Footprints in the Butter, since I have not read any books out loud due to the move. But now that life has settled down a little, we can pick this up again.

Read Aloud Challenge–July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T23:43:00.001-06:00

Debra at Footprints in the Butter hosts a weekly Read Aloud Challenge. This has been a really fun, thought provoking challenge for me to follow. Reading out loud is not only educational it is also a lot of fun. Debra puts up her Read Aloud Challenge post on Thursdays. Today is Saturday. So, yes, I am late this week. But I thought better late than never.

How did we do reading aloud this past week. Well…..I read aloud 0 (yes, zero) times. So obviously I did not do very well on the challenge this week. But, I do have extenuating circumstances to excuse myself. We moved last weekend. My kids have been so excited to live with Grandma for a couple weeks they have not wanted to let me read to them. Although they do read to themselves everyday.

Even though I did not have time to read aloud this past week, I would like to tell you how my kids have still been able to listen to books and stories being read aloud. When Matthew turned 18, he received a new i-pod for his birthday. His old one got passed down to Sarah, who then gave me her old one. Since I have an i-pod and I do not think Ben and Rebekah are ready for their own yet, I took it and thought about what should be done with it. Since I knew that moving 1100 miles would be a long car trip, I came up with what I can say was one of my better ideas, which worked perfectly. I sat while our packers were packing and downloaded all the Adventure in Odyssey CD’s into i-Tunes. Then I put all of them on the old i-pod we had. So I ended up with an i-pod that only has Adventure in Odyssey and Hank the Cowdog on it. This was a lifesaver for the trip.

My surprise on this trip was that Matthew was just excited about this “new” i-pod as Ben and Rebekah were. Whenever he was driving he would have me turn on another Adventure or a Hank. He kept telling me how neat it was to have all these Adventure in Odyssey’s in one place. I love it when I can find something that makes my oldest son happy!

Don’t forget to visit Debra at Footprints in the Butter and find out what she has been reading . And thanks Debra for hosting this challenge, which can really make you think about how important it is to be reading a book or two out loud.

Read Aloud Challenge July 14, 2011

2011-07-14T11:15:00.000-06:00

I completely missed last weeks Read Aloud Challenge hosted by Debra at Footprints in the Butter. In the busyness of moving some things got overlooked. So before my internet is shut down, I thought I would join in again this week.

We are still reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins. This is such a funny book. Ben and Rebekah are who I am mainly reading to, but it is amazing how Matthew makes sure he is close by to listen if he is home. I was outside reading while the furniture was being packed and realized Matthew was laying on top of the Suburban laughing along with Ben and Rebekah at the descriptions of the penguins putting on their shows.

Since starting this challenge, it has brought home to me just what an impact reading aloud can have. Matthew is 18. He reads extremely well and has since he learned to read around age 6. He also has loved toys like Lego’s, K’Nex. He used to go to the library and not only get books, but books on tape or CD as well. He would tell me that since he can’t read and play Lego’s, he could listen to a book and play. To this day he still likes audio books. If you check out his i-pod it has a lot of music, but also audiobooks, especially Hank the Cowdog, one of his favorites. Two years ago, when we moved to Idaho, he and I drove together and listened to At Home in Mitford. He enjoyed it so much that the next vacation we took he asked to listen to it again.

Make sure and visit Debra over at Footprints in the Butter. You can read what she is reading aloud to her kids and then visit others to see what they are up to.

Homeschooling Myths

2011-07-13T10:33:00.001-06:00

Moving is never easy. There are many details that need attention, there are many things that are out of your control. Having to handle the unexpected during a move is normal. And then something comes up that is a little more than the normal moving woes.

The last thing I expected during this move was to debate on our family’s decision to homeschool. Yet, I found myself in this position earlier this week.

I have been homeschooling since 2001. It has become a way of life for our family, all the way to my oldest graduating from high school (yes, still at home) this past spring. Most comments I hear when people find out we homeschool are along the lines of: “Oh, Wow! that is so great for your kids.” or “Oh, I don’t think I could have the patience to teach my own kids.”. These are fairly benign and easy to dispel myths.

But…every now and then someone comes along who is a little more persistent. I came up against that this week in a very unexpected place, my own home. We are in the process of our last move with the Air Force. When the packers came to our house, the head guy was not shy about his feelings on homeschooling. He wanted to know why we homeschooled. Pretty easy question I am used to answering. Then he became more persistent. He began to ask things like, “What is wrong with the public schools?” ,” Why don’t you want your kids in them?” “My kids want to be there, don’t yours?”, Who authorized your son to graduate?” and my very favorite that crops up, “Well, kids need more socialization than at home.”

While my general policy is to politely answer questions without trying to disparage their decision to use the public school, I quickly became annoyed with this guy’s questions and running commentary. So I did what I do best and retreated. I let my “obviously” under socialized 18 year old son deal with him. Then I went up to my computer and wrote out a little paragraph of what I would say to him if I were ever brave enough.

To the guy who is packing our furniture. You came in to pack our household goods up, not debate with me on the educational choices of my children. I have not questioned your decision to send your children to public school, please refrain from making disparaging remarks on our decision to keep them at home. And that 8 and 9 year old that sat on the couch conversing with you about the estimated weight of each box and showing you exactly on the globe where they and their family and friends live, are in obvious need of more social skills. Your offense of our family is neither warranted nor called for. You are here to do a job and be a professional, please stick to your job and I will do mine.

The stress of moving without my husband here to help, I am sure contributed to my perceptions of this man’s comments. I was not emotionally prepared to deal with obvious disdain over how I teach my children on the day my furniture was being packed in boxes. All I can comfort myself about this whole situation is that I did the right thing by not arguing back. I let my children’s actions and words speak for themselves that we have made the right choice for our family.

Here are my “unsocialized” kids socializing for a birthday party for Rebekah this summer.

Read Aloud Challenge–June 30, 2011

2011-06-30T23:57:00.001-06:00

Today is Thursday, time to join Debra from Footprints in the Butter for her Read Aloud Challenge. This week Ben, Rebekah and I were able to finish reading Little House in the Big Woods.

When we read out loud, I allow Ben and Rebekah to do quiet activities. Today, Rebekah was drawing pictures and Ben was playing with a few Legos. I glanced up during the chapter called “Harvest” and noticed that both of them had stopped their activities and were just staring at me. We had come to the part of the story in which Laura’s cousin does not want to work in the fields. He was being very naughty and deceptive with the end result being very painful yellow jacket stings. I stopped after this chapter for a few moments and we had quite the discussion on obedience, working even when you don't want to, and of course how much we don’t like wasps.

Since we have finished the Little House book, we are going to start another favorite of mine, Mr. Popper’s Penguins. This book choice came about because we saw a preview of the new movie based on it coming out. Now I can not authoritatively say the movie is not going to be like the book, but I have great suspicions that it won’t be anything like it. (as well as I do not like who is playing the main character) So, I thought we might want to read the book because in my opinion, the book is always better.

I have fond memories of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I remember reading it when I was a child. Then I read it aloud to Matthew and Sarah, who both loved it. Ben read the book on his own last year and Rebekah has not read it at all, but I imagine she will love it just as much as everyone else. They are very excited to get started on it tomorrow.

Are you reading books out loud to your children? If you are, or want to start, join Debra at Footprints in the Butter and share your book choices.

Summer Science Fun

2011-06-29T00:25:00.001-06:00

I have seen the fountains that can be created using Diet Coke and Mentos candy on YouTube, but I have never done it myself. Today we finally used our Geyser Tube. Sarah, Ben, Rebekah and two of their friends all had a blast with this kit. They did the fun and I took the pictures. It was interesting to me to hear the kids talking and speculating on what would make the highest fountain. They had five bottles of Diet Coke and tried the fountains five different ways. They decided the highest fountain was simply adding 7 Mentos to the Diet Coke. What a fun activity on a hot summer day. Making a mess with your friends, nothing could be better!

Sarah is fixing up the first geyser. I love the look of excitement on Ben’s face.

Rebekah running away from the spray after she pulled the string.

Benjamin in awe of the Geyser he made.

The Power of a Book—Ben Style

2011-06-26T01:05:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about how Rebekah was affected by the reading of the book Owen. (You can read about that experience by clicking here.)

Today it is Ben’s turn to be in the spotlight. On Thursday, Ben went to the library. One of the books he came home with is called The Dangerous Book for Boy’s. I can’t say he has been reading this book, it is more like devouring this book. All Thursday night, he lay pouring over this book, telling us little tidbits of information. On Friday morning, when I came downstairs, Ben was once again laying on the flooring reading the book. When I sent him up to get dressed for the day, he came down and told me he followed the advice in the book about what every boy needs in his pockets. It was a good thing he had cargo shorts on that day because when I asked what he had this is exactly what he told me. (I quickly opened my computer and started typing because it was too cute.)

Ben said, “I have:

One pencil

One pen—that works

two band aids

a pocket knife

a piece of paper

a handkerchief which is really a bandanna

a flash light

a compass with a magnifying glass attached..

A whistle (the book didn’t say I needed this, I just added it because it is fun.)

I decided that it would be best if I do not put the fish hooks in my pocket because they could poke and we live in a desert, so there is no lake to fish in.

I did not put in a box of matches, because I didn’t think you would let me, mom.

And I didn’t put in the needle and thread because, I thought it could poke me.”

WOW! That is a lot for one skinny little boy to put in his pockets. And for the record, he kept all that stuff in both Friday and Saturday.

I love 9 year old boys, they are so much fun!

Read Aloud Challenge

2011-06-23T23:00:00.001-06:00

I love to read. My kids love to read. Not only do we each like to read on our own, we also spend time reading aloud. Well, usually mom reads aloud, everybody else listens.

When I started homeschooling 11 years ago, I chose to use the Sonlight curriculum. I made this choice because I love the idea of a History Based Core program and because of all the wonderful books to read. One of the major aspects of Sonlight is the books scheduled for reading aloud. From the first day, I knew I had made the right choice. Matthew and I loved to sit and read together, a lot of times he would draw or play Legos and just absorb all the wonderful books. So here we are 11 years later and still reading aloud. Since I have four kids, spread pretty far apart in age, I have read, then reread a lot of the books. It warms my heart every time I pull out a book for Ben and Rebekah and Matthew or Sarah pipe up, “Oh, I loved that book.” Then they proceed to make sure they are in the room when I am reading so they can listen, too.

But I will admit, that as much as I LOVE reading aloud, I will skip it at times. Sometimes we just get busy and lets face it, reading aloud takes time. I try not to feel too guilty that Matthew and Sarah had every book in the program read to them, and I sometimes skip a few for Ben and Rebekah. And summer, well it usually is just reading here and there. Then I read about a Read Aloud Challenge hosted by Debra at Footprints in the Butter. She is working on keeping herself accountable to reading aloud and letting us tag along.

How have I done this week? I would say “fair to middling”. I am reading Little House in the Big Woods to Ben and Rebekah. We are about halfway through the book and they are really enjoying all the descriptions of life in the old days. We read aloud so far about 4 times since last Thursday, which is when I first read about the challenge. I am going to try and do better next week and get at least 5 days in.

Don’t forget to visit Footprints in the Butter and read how others are faring with this challenge. And thanks, Debra, for hosting and reaffirming how much I like to read to my kids.

Rebekah’s thoughts

2011-06-21T09:46:00.001-06:00

I was listening this morning to an album of songs that are all based on scripture verses. One of the songs was based on John 3, about seeing the kingdom of God. Rebekah was eating breakfast, and then said “Mom, I don’t understand something.” She said ,”I know that I have been born again through baptism, but I don’t see (fingers pointing to her eyes) the kingdom of God. Why not?” I answered that she can “see” the kingdom of God. And then tried to explain it to her.

I asked her a few questions to lead her along the path to understanding.

I said, “Where are you going when you die?”

She said, “Heaven”.

I then said,”You can see the kingdom of God, because you know this and can share it with others.

I then asked her if she could understand the Bible lessons from Sunday School.

She answered, “Yes, I can understand most of them.”

I said that this is another way to “see” the kingdom of God.

And then it was over. A three minute exchange that makes an eternal difference. Thank you Lord, for these wonderful opportunities.

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

New Dress Code

2011-06-17T10:30:00.001-06:00

As many of you know, my husband is retiring from the Air Force. There are many changes associated with this career change that keep surprising us. One of the changes that seemed minor at first has become bigger than we thought. It has to do with clothing. For almost 23 years now, he has been told what to wear. Most of his career it was his BDU’s (Battle Dress Uniform) and then the Air Force changed to ABU’s (Airman Battle Uniform) or his Air Force Dress Blues. Now he will have to pick out something different to wear each day.

Matt has never been one to worry too much about the clothes he wears. He has to wear a uniform to work, that is easy. After work it is just basically jeans,a t-shirt and tennis shoes or cowboy boots . He only started wearing a dress shirt, tie, and sport coat a few years ago when the church we were attending asked him to be an Elder. He still only wears his “dress up” clothes on the days he is duty Elder, other wise it is back to his casual look.

Within a week, Matt will be starting a new job. He called to ask what he was supposed to wear. She told him “business casual”. She also let him know that while they would be changing to a polo shirt (provided) and khaki pants, they are not there yet. I looked over all his clothes and found he really only has one pair of pants and about two maybe three shirts that would work for “business casual”. He will also need a pair of nice looking, but comfortable, shoes. Combat boots just will not work anymore.

So today, we get to do something Matt really does not like to do. We get to go shopping for new pants and a few new shirts. I figure he will need about three pair of khaki pants and about five to seven shirts total. ( I am hoping to win a nice Lands End polo shirt from Tim over at Families Again. Click on his blog name and you can enter his giveaway as well.) We should have a good day. We are only taking Ben and Rebekah with us and have promised to take them out to lunch, which is a big treat. To shopping we go. Let’s hope for sales!

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

2011-06-14T11:34:00.001-06:00

It is summertime here at the Clark house. We are doing very light school, only silent reading and math daily. So the kids have to find things to fill their time, without driving their mother crazy. I thought I would show the activities that they each chose today.

Matthew has graduated from High School this Spring. Today, on his day off from work, he chose to write his Thank You notes.

Sarah and Ben are playing a game together. It is a new game Sarah bought yesterday called Family Business.

And Rebekah is trying to brush the dog. I think he would just rather shake hands with her and be allowed to go back to sleep. But he is a very patient dog and lets her brush him. Good thing Matthew stopped Rebekah from spiking his hair with mousse. I certainly did not want to have to wash the dog today.

Faith Like a Little Child

2011-06-13T11:43:00.001-06:00

What does it mean to have the “faith of a little child “to me?

Matthew 18:3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

We are going through a major life change. My husband is retiring from 22 years in the Air Force, a total career change. With our oldest son entering college this Fall and three other children at home, this is a daunting time.

To have the faith of a little child has been shown very plainly to me. Our church had its Vacation Bible School last week. I taught the pre-school class. We learned throughout the week many lessons about trusting in Jesus to “rescue” us. First of all we started in the Old Testament and learned how Moses was rescued by God when he was a baby in a basket. The next day we learned how God rescued Moses and the Israelites when they were fleeing Egypt and there appeared to be no possible way to get away from Pharaoh and his army and God opened a path through the Red Sea.

We learned to be a light in the world for Jesus on the third day of VBS. On the fourth day we learned that Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin, death and the devil. The last day we learned that heaven is going to be a beautiful place where we will receive a crown of life.

Each day, as I was preparing and then teaching the lessons, I was reminded to have the “faith of a little child”. When you teach these lessons to children, they believe them with their whole heart, no questions that God does not love them or take care of them. I truly believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. This means that I need to not question God’s love or care for me. I realized I could not effectively teach that God rescues us, and then spend my time worrying about how all my problems are going to work out.

God’s ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are not my thoughts. Faith like a little child is trusting that God will never leave me or abandon me. Jesus has promised in Matthew 28:20, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Faith like a little child means that I don’t know how my problems will work out, but I know that no matter what the trial, Jesus is walking through it with me.

My problems are not going to go away, in fact, they very well may get worse. But, I know I have a Savior who is living and active and with me all the time. I can proceed knowing that I don’t have to have all the answers or know what is going to happen. I can have the faith of a little child and sing with abandon;

Jesus loves me. This I know.

For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong.

They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me,

The Bible tells me so!

The Ascension of Our Lord!

2011-06-02T22:27:00.001-06:00

Today is 40 days after Easter. In the Liturgical Church year, this is the day we celebrate The Ascension of Our Lord. Jesus, who has risen from the dead, has spent 40 days among his disciples teaching them about the kingdom of God. Now it is time for the conquering King to ascend in triumph.

In our sermon at church tonight, our Pastor talked about how before sin came into the world, all creation praised God. After sin, fear takes the place of praise, and God promises a Savior. Jesus is the Savior who came so the promise was fulfilled. By the world’s standards Jesus was not worth much, yet we as Christians say “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain.” We can go confidently forward in faith, knowing that the entire destiny of humanity, all of history, is under His control. We can have boldness in the midst of trials, because Jesus will help us remain faithful till the end. All of us have been touched by His grave and forgiveness. Through the Word and Sacraments, our Lord strengthens us in faith until we see Him in His glory.

With all the trials going on in my life, this was exactly what I needed to hear tonight.

Acts 1

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

¹In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ²until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

The Ascension

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." ⁹And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.

The Power of a Story Book

2011-05-22T23:26:00.001-06:00

Today our family saw how a story book can affect a child. I read the book Owen by Kevin Henkes to Ben and Rebekah when they were 4 and 3. They both loved the book and we have read and re-read it many times. I think they both identified closely with the story. Both of them have loved a special blanket, just like Owen does in the book. Ben gave his blanket up a few years ago, but Rebekah still has “pink”, her special blanket.

Over the years, Rebekah has acted out different scenes with her “pink” just like Owen. Today was the final ,most dramatic, Owen scene yet. Today, Rebekah cut her beloved “pink” into small squares, just like the end of the book.

I, who can be very sentimental, was appalled at first. But then I realized it is Rebekah growing up. She doesn’t need the blanket like she did when she was younger. And then I realized I may be wrong. Rebekah was so excited that her blanket was in small pieces. She can now carry a part of her blanket everywhere she goes, because it can go in her pocket.

What am I going to do with that girl? Who knows what she will come up with next?

Wordy Qwerty

2011-05-20T00:16:00.001-06:00

Reading and Spelling Software from Talking Fingers
Designed for 2nd & 3rd grade ages 7-9
Helps develop reading and writing fluency
20 lessons

In 20 consecutive lessons Wordy Qwerty presents 20 different spelling rules and puts those rules into practice. There are six activities within each lesson. Each lesson introduces a song for help in remembering the spelling rule. The lessons teach how to recognize frequently repeated patterns in words. Two keyboards, Qwerty and Midi, guide students through the lessons. The goal is to help Midi build a music machine. With each lesson the machine is slowly being built.

ClarkClan Thoughts and Opinions

Wordy Qwerty is presented by Talking Fingers. Earlier this year we reviewed a program called Read, Write and Type by this same company. (To read that review click here.) Ben (9) and Rebekah (7) both loved Read, Write and Type and were very excited to learn that we were going to review Wordy Qwerty. So, needless to say, they went into the review period a little biased towards the program. They were not disappointed. They both really enjoyed it.

Ben finished the 20 lessons within the review period which was about a month and a half long. This did not surprise me as Ben reads well above grade level and is a phenomenal speller. He liked the program and he also liked being able to put spelling rules to words. While Ben academically did not need the spelling or reading help using Wordy Qwerty helped him brush up on his typing skills.

Rebekah is through lesson 16 on Wordy Qwerty. She has been a great subject for this review because although she reads well, her spelling leaves something to be desired. The next few pictures are a sampling of activities from Rebekah’s log-in to help guide you through a portion of a lesson.

This is the Home Screen that shows what lessons have been completed.

This is the song page. You will hear the song being sung and can follow along reading the lyrics. Then you can click on the microphone and sing the song yourself karaoke style.

This is the Recycler game that helps teach the difference between real and nonsense words.

This is the writing portion. A two line rhyme is read and shown on the screen. Then only the first line is shown and the second has to be typed in from memory. The rhyme can be repeated as often as needed.

This is Midi’s music machine that is being made as each lesson is completed. At the end of each lesson you can see more of the machine as it is coming together.

There are six activities for each lesson. They are presented in the same order for each lesson. The activities are:

Patterns
Karaoke
Recycler
Pop-a-Word
Write stories
Read stories

The lessons are being “graded” that the parent can look at and monitor how their child is doing. The student does not see a grade or even how much was missed. I was a little remiss at the beginning of this program and didn’t check for about 5 lessons. When I did I found that Ben had a 100% as I would expect, but that Rebekah was much worse. Since the program has a pre-set 70% pass rate, I did a little research to find out why it let Rebekah continue even though she did not meet this standard for most of the lessons. What I found out was that while the first time a student does not pass, he has to repeat the lesson, subsequent times will allow the child to move ahead. This is done so that there is no discouragement with the program. I also discovered that any lesson can be done again and again for extra practice. This is what I did with Rebekah, I would have her go back and listen to the songs again and play a few of the activities in each lesson.

I would recommend the Wordy Qwerty program as a spelling supplement. My true test subject for this, Rebekah, is starting to spell a bit better. It is not a miraculous turn around, but I hear her singing a rule every now and then when she is writing. My plan is to continue to have her go through the lessons and then review the ones she is having trouble with.

Talking Fingers has provided a sample of their Wordy Qwerty program. Click on this link to access lesson one from the program.

Pricing

Wordy Qwerty is available from the Talking Fingers website. It is available in two formats

You can buy an online edition with a 5 year license that also includes an audio cd of the 20 songs in the program.

$25.00 for one user
$40.00 for two users
$52.50 for three users
$60.00 for four users
$71.25 for five users

The Home Edition is $35.00 and includes the program CD, program guide, and JingleSpells,a cd of all 20 songs contained in Wordy Qwerty.

Want to read more reviews of the Wordy Qwerty program. Visit the Crew Blog to find many reviews of this product.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received Wordy Qwerty online version for free from Talking Fingers in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Mad Dog Math

2011-05-18T08:43:00.001-06:00

Let Ruff the dog guide you as you complete basic math drills

Mad Dog Math Basic Facts

Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division drills
Timed in 2 minute, 1 minute and 30 second increments
Earn student Club stickers by completing levels
Easy to Use
10 minutes a day commitment
Track the progress of multiple users.
3 levels plus a challenge level
For grades K-5, remedial middle school and high school

Mad Dog Math is a download program that helps your child drill basic math facts. Students have 20 -24 problems to complete as fast as they can. When they complete the 2 minute drills, they can move to the 1 minute drills and eventually complete the problems in 30 seconds or less. The goal is to securely imbed these basic facts in your child’s memory. Mad Dog Math tests the students using Fact Families. They can miss 2 or fewer problems to be able to move on to the next drill. If your child misses more than two they can “go fetch” a new set of problems from the same fact family to drill.

ClarkClan Thoughts and Opinions

Mad Dog Math is a simple, easy to use program. I liked the clean uncluttered screen. I also liked that once an answer was typed in the program automatically moved to the next problem. There was no need to hit the enter button after every problem. There are three levels. The first and second level focus on addition and subtraction. The third level is multiplication and division. The final level is a challenge level. I liked that you could press the “progress” bone and see exactly where you were in the level.

We had mixed reviews of Mad Dog Math in our house. Ben (9) and Rebekah (7) were the ones that tried out this program. To begin, I think I should say that both Ben and Rebekah have no trouble with math facts. They both know addition and subtraction and are just starting multiplication.

Ben absolutely loved the program. He enjoys math drills and has a great time using Mad Dog Math. He is motivated by seeing the different fact families he has passed. Ben liked the challenge of going through the families to see how fast he could do them. Ben also thought the “dog” theme was funny. He liked pressing on the dog bones for a new worksheet and listening for the dog woofing when a new problem set was being “fetched”.

Rebekah, on the other hand, did not take to the program. She had no trouble with the math facts she just found the computer program boring. She was also upset to learn that once she passed a level she was to do it again, this time faster. Rebekah prefers pencil and paper drills with the excitement of mom starting the timer and the celebration with mom when she completes her paper in under the time.

As I said earlier, we had mixed reviews from in our family. I feel this is a very solid program. It reinforces those all important basic math facts, while making those facts automatic with the timing feature. I really like that the program supports multiple users. I also like that when your child logs out of the program it automatically saves their place.

Pricing

Mad Dog Math is a downloadable program available online from the Mad Dog Math website. It has three pricing levels.

$19.99 for a 1 year license
$29.99 for a 2 year license
$39.99 for a perpetual license

I was not the only one to review Mad Dog Math. Visit the Crew Blog and read what my Crew Mates thought of the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download of Mad Dog Math for free from Mad Dog Math in exchange for my honest review of their product.

The Cruise is Docking

2011-05-16T22:53:00.001-06:00

The ship is pulling into port this week. This Review Cruise is coming in to dock. In May of 2010 ,I was chosen to set sail on The Old Schoolhouse Magazines Review Crew Cruise. What a voyage this year has been. When I became a part of this cruise, I had no idea of the adventure that awaited me.

My friend Vickie, of Tumbleweed News stopped me at church one day last Feb or March and asked if I was interested in being on the Review Crew for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (TOS). I had heard of TOS but it had been many years since I had seen a magazine and knew nothing about it. Vickie told me of all the fun and exciting new products she had reviewed during the Maiden Voyage. It sounded like fun to me as well as fulfilling my love of looking at and trying out new curriculum. So Vickie came over one afternoon and while the kids played she helped me set up a blog. I then had a “try out” test review and was accepted to be a member of the Crew.

Blogging was a brand new experience for me. The only thing I knew about blogging was what I had learned from one of my favorite movies “Julie and Julia”. The one line from that movie that still runs through my head is “What do you think blogging is? It is me, me, me all the time.” Well, I started off slow, a post here, a post there. My real introduction started in July when the review cruise started in earnest. Suddenly I had products to use and then tell how I felt about them.

My first reviews were agonizing for me. I spent hours trying to form my thoughts about the product into coherent sentences. I wanted my reviews to be fair and balanced and most important of all, for me, enjoyable to read. As I look over my list of review products, I feel nostalgic. My first products included Math Tutor DVD’s, Vocabulary Cartoons, and books from Salem Ridge Press. I remember well the overwhelming sense of responsibility; that these companies had provided me with products for free in exchange for my honest opinion. This meant that even if I did not enjoy the product or it didn’t work for us, I had to tell them that, in a nice manner of course. I feel very fortunate that the first products we reviewed we truly enjoyed.

We quickly settled down into cruising in calm waters. My kids were just as excited as I was when word of a new review came out. We would all eagerly watch the mail or for UPS to deliver the next goodie. We would then begin to integrate the product into our school day. Some are easier to work into than others. Some, like TenMarks and BigIQ Kids, we enjoyed so much we have continued to use them.Other products, like Lanschool I had never heard of and didn’t know how much I needed it until I reviewed it.

I asked my kids what their favorite products from this year were. Sarah enjoys Artistic Pursuits, Latin Alive and she still reads and learns from Vocabulary Cartoons. Ben said anything math related was his favorite. Ben also enjoyed our Quicksand study and Speekee. Rebekah quickly told me her very favorite was Speekee and the Circle C Beginnings book. It was hard for me to pick what my favorite product was, I enjoyed using every product, even the ones that did not work for our family. Trying out products that were not a good fit helped me stretch and grow as a teacher to my children. If I had to pick one product that I enjoyed the most I would have to say that I enjoyed the Nutrition 101: Choose Life book.

The other aspect of being on the Crew that surprised me was the camaraderie that occurs. Reading other Crew Mates blogs is an adventure in itself. Learning how other family’s homeschool and the trials and troubles they go through if fascinating to me. The Crew also has their own online forum where friendships are forged. Being able to talk out difficulties and triumphs with others using the same products is a blessing. But more than that, just being able to bring various homeschooling issues up with a crew of homeschoolers is a great joy. There are many, many years of experience on the forum boards that can help with all issues, schooling or domestic.

I am very grateful to have been re-introduced The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I am very thankful that God has allowed me the opportunity to be a part of this experience. I am looking forward to setting sail again and see what adventures my second cruise will hold. And don’t forget to visit the Crew Blog and read about all the wonderful products that we review! Bon Voyage!

Bright Ideas Press- WonderMaps

2011-05-16T11:38:00.001-06:00

WonderMaps

by Bright Ideas Press

Customizable using Layers
Historical or Modern Day Maps
Black and White or Color options
Outline, Reference, Political or Topographical maps
Over 60 world maps
Over 60 USA maps
125 Historical maps including Biblical maps

Bright Ideas Press has a new product that adds geography lessons to almost any subject. History, Literature, Science, Current Events and Bible studies have added depth when a map is involved. Studying Europe? Quickly print off a map of Europe. Focusing specifically on France? Click on France to bring up a detailed map. Pick the features to include, rivers, cities, borders, country names and more. All features quickly customize with a click of a button. Explore the map on the computer or print out.

WonderMaps software is an Adobe PDF program. It is user friendly with many customizable features. For example, say you want to find a map of England.

1.First go to the World Map menu.

2.Click on Europe.

3. Click on the picture of England.

4. Now the fun begins. On the left side of the page choose which layers you would like to include.

There are many facets to the WonderMaps program. This video explains in even more detail the features of the program.

WonderMaps video tutorial

The Teacher’s Guide included within the program is very in-depth. To help you get started it includes a quick start guide, video tutorial, and user manual. There are six resources to enhance the use of the program. These resources range from Bright Ideas to Mapping Projects. As a bonus, two workshop MP3 files are included for download.

ClarkClan Opinion

WonderMaps is an impressive program. I like to bring geography into many different subjects. Our globe is in an easily accessible spot and used often during our school week. With WonderMaps, we still used our globe to begin with, but then were able to precisely pinpoint what country we were studying and print out a map to have handy. For example, we were reading a book about missionaries to Burma, Adoniram and Ann Judson. I was able to go to WonderMaps, find Asia in the main menu, then click on Southeast Asia and print out a map of Burma, now called Myanmar, with only the features I requested. I liked that we were able to put into context where Burma (Myanmar) was in relation to the other Southeast Asian countries.

Historical and Theme maps are a great resource with this program. There are four categories of Historical maps included

The Ancients: Creation to 33 AD
The Middle Ages: 33 AD to 1456 AD
The Renaissance, Reformation & Growth of Nations: 1457 AD to 1707 AD
Revolutions to Rising Times: 1708 AD to Present times

My kids have been learning the different state names and locations. With WonderMaps I am easily able to create a map of the United States having taken off everything except the outlines of each state. This was useful for the kids to be able to write the name of each state.

As you can see from the many pictures I have shown, this is a very detailed map program. I liked that while it was very intensive, it was also very easy to use. As I was exploring this program, I called Matthew (18) over to see how neat it was. His comment went something like, “I wish we would have had this when I was studying American and World History. Those maps from World War I and II would have been great to use.” I felt the same way for him, but am excited that we will have it for Sarah (14), Ben (9) and Rebekah (7).

Pricing

WonderMaps is available from Bright Ideas Press. The price of this program is $49.95. It is available for PC or Mac and either in a CD or download format. WonderMaps does require that you have Adobe Reader v.9.1 or higher, but this is a free program that is readily available online or through the Bright Ideas Press website.

Bright Ideas Press has many different homeschooling products available. They specialize in practical, fun, and affordable history, geography, and science resources. Last Fall I reviewed another of their products called Composers. Click here to read that review and find out more about what Bright Ideas Press has to offer.

As always, I am not the only one to review this program. Visit the Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates thought about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download of WonderMaps for free from Bright Ideas Press in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Shoshone Falls

2011-05-14T19:22:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we took a trip to Twin Falls, ID to see the Shoshone Falls. Shoshone Falls is located about 7 miles from the city of Twin Falls, ID. The falls are higher than Niagara Falls, dropping 212 feet into the Snake River Canyon.This spring the falls are running really high. It was running at 18,200 cubic feet per second. The water pouring over the falls was amazing and the rainbow that was created by the spray was impressive as well.

Blog News

2011-05-14T17:10:00.001-06:00

I wanted to thank Sarah. She sat with me this afternoon and helped me pick a new background for my blog. Then she patiently sat and helped pick out all the new colors for all the text and links. It takes quite a bit of time to get it to look right. Then, just when you think it looks good, you ask another opinion (this time from Matt) and get more input on what color works well where.

Now that soccer season is over, I have more time to put into my blog. It seems that when life gets busy, the first thing to be put aside is the blog (except for reviews).

About a year ago I started the ClarkClan Craziness blog. I was trying out for The Old Schoolhouse Magazines Review Crew and a blog was required. It was nerve-wracking and intimidating for me. Write things that other people would see? What if people didn’t like what I had to say? It sure has been an interesting year! I have found that I absolutely love reviewing different homeschool products. It has been amazing to me, that after 10 years of homeschooling, I did not receive one product I already owned. I found products I absolutely loved and have continued using, and conversely I found some that I decided were just not going to work for our family.

Now the TOS Review Crew for 2010-2011 is winding down. The last reviews will be out the end of May. This fun, busy, tough, amazing year is just about over. But I do not need to be too sad about this year coming to an end. Why? I was accepted and invited back to be a member of the TOS Review Crew for the 2011-2012 year! I am very thankful and grateful to be asked to be on the Crew again. So on this blog the reviews will continue to be the mainstay, but I am also going to try to branch out and try some new things. I am definitely looking forward to this next year.

GoTrybe

2011-05-11T11:14:00.001-06:00

Get Moving
Healthy Eating Habits
Connect with Friends
Find Motivation
All of this and more with GOTRYBE

GoTrybe offers online exercise videos tailored to kids of all ages. Fitness experts train and guide kids in a variety of exercises and wellness tips designed to have fun and stay active all at the same time.

About the Program

GoTrybe features three different programs depending on age. ZooDoos is designed for kids kindergarten through fifth grade. Trybe180 is for sixth through eighth grade and NextTrybe is high school age.

Each Trybe member will need their own log-in information. Then the fun begins. Choose an avatar and personalize it. Then choose what type of exercise you would like. Make your own routine or find a pre-made routine. Learn about nutrition with short (1 minute) video lessons. Listen to athletes talk about their motivation and then follow it up with wellness tips. Each activity earns points that can be spent to “buy” new clothes and accessories for your avatar. You can also “friend” your friends with your online profile and be able to give shout-outs and messages to your friends.

GoTrybe My Page showing avatar and friend information.

GoTrybe Make your own workout page. Just drag and drop the exercises you want for a customized program.

Each exercise session, whether a make your own or pre-made routine, starts with warm-ups. Then it moves into the main cardiovascular exercise and ends with strength, flexibility and cool down. Instructors are friendly, upbeat and encouraging. Workouts include routines such as: kickboxing, circuit training, yoga routines, hip hop dance routines, stretching and flexibility. On occasion extra equipment is used, but it is never a necessity and options are given so it is not necessary to buy anything extra.

ClarkClan thoughts

Sarah (14), Ben (9), and Rebekah (7) all tested the GoTrybe program. All three loved the workouts. Ben was so excited from his very first workout when he did a kickboxing routine. Rebekah has always wanted dance lessons and loved being able to learn some dance routines. Sarah, as well, loved each workout routine she did. I had a great time working out with Sarah. I loved that Sarah would say “Come on, Mom, let’s exercise.” Doing it together made exercising fun as we could laugh at mistakes and challenge each other when things got hard.

There were a few stand-outs from the GoTrybe program. I liked that the exercises were tailored for each age group. Ben and Rebekah using the ZooDoo’s program had no trouble keeping up and learning the exercises for their routines. Rebekah loved one routine that had her using a stuffed animal to stretch out and exercise with. Ben was excited to find a routine that said would help him with quick feet for soccer.

Every workout has a main instructor and then two or more kids performing the workouts. The ZooDoo’s program had kids from kindergarten to about fifth grade in each video. The NextTrybe used high school age kids. The aspect that I liked was the emphasis on working at your own pace and level. For example, one strength and flexibility routine for the high school level had a main instructor and two boys working out. The instructor at the beginning showed what the exercise was and who was doing a modified “less intense” version of the exercise and who was doing the “more intense” version of the exercise. The instructors are careful to explain how to perform each exercise and trying it slowly first

When I learned that hip hop dance routines were a part of the program, I was a little concerned. We, as a family, do not usually listen to hip hop type music or dance in this manner. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the music was a basic beat, no words, and the routines were not risqué in the least and were quite the cardiovascular workouts. Usually for any routine, we would turn on our own music to workout by and just had the computer loud enough to hear what the instructors were saying.

One aspect of the program that we did not particularly use was the “friend” aspect. The only people my kids “friended” were each other. Online chatting and messaging is not something I have let my kids do, so we continued with our standards by not allowing this. This in no way detracted from our enjoyment of the program.

Recommendation

I would recommend the GoTrybe fitness program. We thoroughly enjoyed the workouts. My first thoughts when we began using the program were along the lines of, “Why do my kids need exercise videos online? They go outside to play and are involved in sports.” What I found was that GoTrybe added to my active kids lives, not replaced other activity times. I have often said that one way to keep kids happy, especially as they go into the teenage years is to get them lots of exercise. Our experience was that my kids would do their workouts, loving the challenge of learning new physical activities and then would be more physical all around. This program has been great for our rainy, cold spring as well. When it was too wet to ride bikes, skateboard, rollerblade, they could just do more GoTrybe workouts.

Another surprise for me was the need for all three to have their own log-ins. Initially, I had Sarah set up with her own, and then thought Ben and Rebekah could share one. Besides the fact that they could not agree on an avatar together, I quickly found out they enjoy different types of exercises. Ben is very self-motivated to exercise. When he began to pick his own routines he picked a wide variety of activities, including the dance routines that he would not have done with his little sister in the room. Rebekah likes to exercise, but prefers to workout with someone. So I usually would workout with her (as well as doing the more intense workouts with Sarah). Sarah is a fastpitch player and loved how the workouts helped her cross-train and be more agile for her sport.

Pricing

You can try out GoTrybe free for a day by clicking here. After the free trial, the program cost is $19.95 for a year. Without the free trial the price is $39.95 a year.

GoTrybe also sponsors a Kids Fitness Blog. As of today (5/11/11) the Kids Fitness Blog is advertising that for a limited time you can get GoTrybe for .$0.99 a month. Visit www.kidsfitnessblog.com/ for more information.

The pricing is the only issue I have with GoTrybe. We would like to continue using this program. However, having to buy three separate programs at $19.95 is a bit spendy for our family. I would like to see a “family discount” option available for multiple users within a family.

I am not the only one who reviewed GoTrybe. Visit the Crew Blog and read what my Crew Mates thought about the program for their family.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free trial of GoTrybe for free from GoTrybe in exchange for my honest review of their product.

The Old Schoolhouse 19 Gifts

2011-05-07T22:51:00.001-06:00

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PLUS TOS is throwing in a 20th BONUS GIFT -- a John Taylor Gatto E-Book entitled Hammering at the Walls of Public Schooling AND MP3 recording of him speaking on the topics of "Open Source Education" and "Everything You Know About Institutional Schooling is Wrong!”

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Circle C Beginnings Book

2011-05-06T00:05:00.001-06:00

Series: Circle C Beginnings

Title: Andi’s Indian Summer Author: Susan K. Marlow

Illustrator: Leslie Gammelgaard

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Age Range: 6-8 years

Price: $4.99

About the Book

Andi Carter is a six year old California girl living on a ranch in the late 1800’s. Full of fun and mischief, Andi and her friend Riley explore the ranch and have a hand in training Taffy, a new pony for Andi. Riley also shares a deliciously scary “dime novel” about Indian captives with Andi. During a trail ride, Andi and Riley get lost and are found by a Yokut Indian. Friend or foe? Is the story that Riley shared with Andi true or is it just make believe?

About the Series

The Circle C Beginnings series contains four books with two more coming in August of 2011. The series is about Andi Carter, a six year old girl living in California in the year 1874. The series is designed for kids ages 6-8, with shorter chapters, easy to read text, and excellent illustrations.

Book Extras

Andi and her pony Taffy have their own website, www.andiandtaffy.com. On this site you can find activity guides, coloring pages, online puzzles. The activity guides are 20 pages long and include maps, dot to dot’s, vocabulary, writing, math, history, coloring, and crafts. Eight coloring pages are also available for each book. These coloring pages are illustrations from the books.

ClarkClan Thoughts and Opinions

Andi’s Indian Summer was a runaway success in our house. Rebekah was the one chosen to be the “tester” for this book. She is seven years old and reads well, but it is not her favorite subject. I knew this book was something special when Rebekah set her timer for 30 minutes for her silent reading time, and then re-set the timer for another 30 minutes to finish the book. This is unheard of in our house. When I asked her questions about the book, she was able to narrate the entire story back to me. Rebekah was so enthusiastic about the book that her nine year old brother, Ben had to read it as well. Both of them agreed that it was a good book and they would like to read more in the series.

After Rebekah finished reading the book, I printed off the activity guide for Andi’s Indian Summer. We had a great time going through the guide together. I liked the variety of activities offered. We took three days to go through the guide. Some of the activities Rebekah did on her own, dot to dot, mapping, and fill in the missing letter puzzle. Some of the activities we did together like the Venn diagram and the Yokut flood story. I really appreciated the way the guides extended the use of this book.

How to Buy

There are multiple ways to purchase The Circle C Beginnings series.

Kregel Publications is offering 30% off the $4.99 cost of the book until August 31, 2011.
The author’s Andi and Taffy website also offers the book. for $4.99 per book or $15.96 for all four. The neat thing about purchasing from this website is the option to have the books personalized.
Amazon. com sells the books for $4.99 each.
ChristianBook.com carries the series for $4.49.

I am not the only one who reviewed The Circle C Beginnings series. My Crew Mates were all sent different books in the series. Visit the Crew Blog to read what other bloggers thought about the books in this series.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a copy of Andi’s Indian Summer for free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

2011-04-27T17:56:00.001-06:00

Fourteen years ago, on April 27th, Sarah was born. She was in a big hurry to be born as labor was only 4 hours and 7 minutes, and then proceeded to be a very easy, happy baby. Today she is still an easy, happy young lady. She loves anything that has to do with being outdoors and exercise. She loves to play Fast pitch Softball. She has many friends that she enjoys being around. Sarah is an excellent scholar and pushes herself ahead, when she likes a subject (although,it is another story when she doesn’t like a subject ). Pull out any type of card or board game and Sarah is ready to play. She has even taught both Ben and Rebekah to play Cribbage so she will always have a partner. My job of homeschooling Ben and Rebekah is made easier because Sarah is such a big help. She is a natural born teacher, always thinking of new ways to explain things to Ben and Rebekah. Happy Birthday Sarah! I pray you have a great year!

Pinewood Derby

2011-04-27T14:55:00.001-06:00

Ben loves the Pinewood Derby car he made this year. What made it so special was that Matthew helped him with it. They planned the design and cut it out together. Matthew put his heart and soul and even a little blood into this project. After it was done, Matthew looked at it and said “My Pinewood Derby cars never looked this good.” I reminded Matthew that he did not have an older brother to help him with his projects. At his Eagle ceremony, Matthew was charged with helping his brother obtain his Eagle Rank some day. Ben is only a Bear Scout, but well on his way to Eagle,with his big brother’s help.