my favorite curriculum choices this year

 

All About Spelling

If you’ve been homeschooling for any length of time, chances are you’ve heard of All About Spelling.

 

I decided to buy the first two volumes (pre-owned) to use with my daughter this year.  Also, to have on hand for my youngest who has special needs.  I’ve heard so many special needs mommies rave about the program that I thought it would be a good investment.

And I have NOT been disappointed when it comes to my daughter.  We used Abeka for her first two years at home and while she did okay…it wasn’t easy.  Especially with the spelling piece.  If had been keeping grades she would have flunked every spelling test.

 

This year has been SO much better!

 

I love that AAS doesn’t have weekly memorized lists and focuses instead on learning spelling rules.  Each lesson is fully scripted and organized.  Each lesson includes review…review…review…and lots of practice!  And the best news is…she’s successful!  In today’s lesson she wrote two sentences with a total of 15 words (we counted) and made ZERO mistakes!  She rolled her eyes at my excitement.  But I’m pretty sure she was feeling proud of herself too.  We’ll definitely be sticking with this curriculum next year!

 

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Math U See

My 3rd Grader was actually doing wonderful with Abeka’s math program but I decided to switch her over to Math U See this year anyway.  A friend was giving away a couple teacher’s manuals and dvds.  All I had to buy was the student workbook and manipulatives.  I couldn’t resist!  This was another program I’ve been eyeing with Trevy in mind.

 

My daughter is thriving with the program.  We both love the dvds and manipulatives.  We’re in Gamma this year and she’s getting the hang of multiplication. 

I’ve loved it SO much for her that I bought a used Primer set to use with him too!  I consider my youngest blended schooled.  He attends a wonderful public school program in the mornings.  And we do a lot of work at home evenings and weekends and snow days.  We’ve had a lot of them this winter!

 

Below is a sample of the Math lesson I did with him for today’s snow day!  I love how he added the 10 to the number line. 

We will definitely be sticking with Math U See!

 

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Homespun-School.net

I stumbled on Homespun-School in a FaceBook forum.  There was an ad sharing a free 6 week digital learning class.  Psssst…the next one starts on February 10th!

 

I was sold on the idea of a FREE computer class taught by someone other than me.

 

I wasn’t super sure what to expect.  And to be honest, in the beginning both my 7th Grader and I were quite overwhelmed.  But we stuck with it and went from overwhelmed to in love.  My son is learning SO much.  More than that…he’s LOVING what he’s learning!  It’s one subject he doesn’t complain about how much time it takes to complete.  He’s created his own website and is now learning how to create animations like the cartoon below.

He’s totally proud of himself.  I couldn’t be more happy we stumbled on HSS.  In fact, we’re enrolling in a Spring course!

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Draw Write Now

 

I love Draw Write Now because it combines art with penmanship/copywork!  Genius!  I’ve been borrowing the books from our library and perpetually renewing.  I should probably think about buying these!

 

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The Care & Keeping of You

A girlfriend mentioned how much her daughter was loving this book.  I thought it looked like a good choice for “Health”.  I had NO idea how addicted she was going to be!  She really doesn’t put it down except to hide it from the boys’.  We’ve had a lot of interesting conversations.  The topics range from hygiene to puberty to relationships.  Gotta hand it to American Girl on this one.  A great book for a tween-y health choice!

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Easy Peasy Homeschool

We’re using Easy Peasy for a number of things this year!

 

Science.  Reading.  Grammar.  Writing.  Spanish.  Thinking.

Easy Peasy is so great because it’s FREE!  But not just that…it’s quality.  Lee Giles, the developer, has spent a LOT of time & energy making these lesson plans available to moms like me for FREE.  It’s such a beautiful gift and I appreciate it to my toes.

A little sample of some poetry (above) and Spanish (below) that they’ve been working on with Easy Peasy this year.

We will definitely continue using Easy Peasy next year!

 

 

…danielle

Her 2nd Grade Workboxes

 

 

Last year I switched the big kids out of our IKEA Trofast workboxes into these wonderfully portable plastic hanging file totes!

 

 

They’ve really REALLY been working great for us.  They’re small…so they don’t take up much space.  Portable…so we can take them anywhere.  Obviously huge things don’t fit inside…but we do creatively squeeze in extra manipulative stuff.  It also helps that these totes (found mine at Walmart) have the little space on top for crayons, scissors, glue sticks and pencils.  You could always buy a pencil box and use heavy duty velcro to stick it right on top.  Unless your kiddos are more responsible than mine and can handle carrying two separate things! 

 

 

I changed her schedule to a more bland printout.  The days of the week run across the top with the subjects vertically.  Each little square gives specific details for what’s on the agenda per subject each day.

 

 

She prefers this bland blah print out…

 

 

Over a (below) super cute grid I slaved over for her!  Sigh.  She keeps reminding me that she’s “growing up after all”.  LOL

 

 

Last year I used regular folders for worksheets.  But this year, I’ve totally fallen in love with the folders with brads. 

 

 

The “to-do” works goes in the right hand pocket.  I keep a couple weeks worth of worksheets ready to go in the pocket.  But this year she can handle seeing the extra work and knows how to read and cross check which lesson she’s working on.

 

 

Completed work moves over to the left pocket.  She then drops her whole folder into my To Be Graded bin.

 

 

After I’ve graded a whole week of work, I put all the worksheets into the center with the brads!

 

I love it because it allows her to look back at her older work.  Also, I love to write goofy little love notes on her pages for her to find!

 

 

So what’s in today’s workboxes?

 

 

Actually, today is a weird day because yesterday did not pan out as expected.  We had an unplanned trip to the Pedi’s office for Trevy.  And even though we brought work with us…we just got behind.  So we’re pretending today is Tuesday instead. 

 

 

Math is Abeka.  She had a test today.

 

She worked on Letter’s & Sounds (Abeka’s Phonics pogram).

 

Spelling (Spelling Workout B) was the first two pages of Lesson 5 plus an online Spelling drill with a program we’re reviewing.

 

She’ll also do a lesson of Reading Kingdom.  I loooove Reading Kingdom because it works on reading, keyboarding skills AND grammar all in the same program!

 

We’ll cuddle on the couch soon for reading time (Abeka readers). 

 

And when Trevy get’s home we’ll all watch an episode of Speekee together! 

 

Then later today, while Trevy is off at a Speech Therapy session with a friend…both the big kids and I will continue working on a Stonehenge replica that goes along with our History (Mystery of History) studies.  And we’ll read another chapter in our read alouds:  Outside and Inside Birds and Kidnapped.

 

Want to see more workboxes?  Check out Sunflower Schoohouse’s awesome blog list!

 

 

…danielle

Golden Prairie Press

 

 

Golden Prairie Press

History at its Best!

 

 

We have a house full of history lovers.  Because doesn’t every family?

 

 

If you do too –  Uncover Exciting History might be a great book for your family too.

 

 

The NutShell

• Uncover Exciting History can be purchased as a flip through the pages book ($18.95), an ebook ($14.95) or an audio book ($20). ALL are on 20% off right now! 
• The author (Amy Puetz) is not only a passionate historian, passionate about keeping history boredom free and a believer…she’s also a homeschool grad!  Something I thought was really cool to share with my kiddos. 
• This book is great for history lovers, homeschoolers of all ages, those working on historical unit studies and  really anyone studying history or looking to deepen their knowledge of historical events.
• Chapters are just the right size – little nuggets of history.
• Each chapter ends with a Digging Deeper section where you’ll find comprehension questions and ideas for further study.
• Christian worldview.
• Topics covered include Columbus, The Great Depression, The Constitution, The Oregon Trail and many more.  Four bonus chapters are included too!  View the complete table of contents here.
• Visit the Store at Amy Puetz to see the variety of other books and resources available.

 

 

The Review

 

 

Being a limited budget family…I try to utilize my library for a lot of our reading needs.

 

 

Which is great except…

 

 

when they don’t have what I’m looking for.  Also…while there is a plethora of secular material out there that is rich and wonderful…sometimes I want my children to read material that shares our family’s worldview – which flows deeper than morality alone.  In fact, I have found myself drawn to books written from a Christian perspective more and more often.

 

 

Especially with Toby.  Who loves to discuss what he’s reading and learning through out the day.  I love the way it excites and inspires him when he reads about other people of faith. 

 

 

Uncover Exciting History gave us many of those moments!

 

 

I received an ebook copy.  I’m super tempted to just get a Kindle already.  But since we’re iPad only for now…I uploaded it to my DropBox account for easy reading.

 

 

(caught navigating to Uncover Exciting History without being told)

 

 

My kids have mandatory reading (which translates to mommy break) time every afternoon.  I had thought about using Uncover Exciting History as a read aloud (and it would be great for that purpose!) but in the end decided Toby would enjoy it more on his own.

 

 

It was the right move!

 

 

We have this little family tradition of asking trivia questions around the dinner table.  The kids love it.  Especially when they can stump Daddy!  Um…another reason Toby is a big fan of UEH is because it gave him stump Daddy tidbits!  He loves history and competition, that one. 

 

 

Of course, I’ll keep using my local library.  But.  I’m more convinced than ever that there are times to spend money on books that wholly fit our family. If you’re finding yourself drawn to books written from a Christian perspective too – I highly recommend exploring Amy Puetz’s books and store. 

 

 

…danielle

 

 

*This is my little space to disclaim that I was given Uncover Exciting History as an ebook in exchange for my honest review shared on my blog.  All opinions expressed are my honest own.  I hope that you enjoyed and found my review at least a smidge helpful.  Because my voice is just one, I highly encourage you to read what my fellow TOS Crew friends thought about this product.**

the dog days of summer (weekly wrap)

 

 

In my life this week…

 

It’s the dog days of summer around here. 

Basketball camp for him, swim camp for her, summer school for Trevy, enrichment (or review products ) for all, baseball tournies for our AllStar, trips to the beach and Grams’ house for a swim.  I love lazy (or is it crazy?) summer days!  Even though we still do school lite during the summer…it’s so much more relaxed.  And I have totally needed pressure free time to gather my homeschool (and just plain old) mommy wits and prep for next year.

 

 

In our homeschool this week…

 

We’re using the summer months to focus on wrapping up projects we didn’t quite finish during the school year and working through products we’re reviewing.  The only real curriculum (meaning non-product review) that we didn’t finish up was Exploring Astronomy.  So we’re still plugging along in it.  If you’re planning to or already using Apologia’s Exploring Astronomy you might be interested in my Solar System pin board.  Lots of great ideas including Red Ted Art’s Blog ah-mazing ideas for solar system crafts!  We’re also finishing up our volcano project.  The kids had such a blast experimenting with the right explosion formula this week…

 

 

We learned that the ratio of vinegar to baking soda made all the difference in explosion size.  And also, that when it comes to food coloring…less is MORE!

 

 

Helpful tips to share…

 

I’m always looking for good movies to add to our Netflix que.  Just in case you are too…here’s some that we have lined up:

 

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!

The Patriot (we already watched this one and decided to let our oldest join us)

How Smart are Animals?:NOVA Science

The Velveteen Rabbit

Back to the Secret Garden

God of Wonders

Space Dogs

 

Because all of our family units are unique…be sure to check out Plugged In to see that the movies I mentioned are good choices for your family!

 

 

My favorite thing this week was…

 

Definitely the beach!

Bristel learned how to boogie board!

And Tobes learned how to go “crabbing”.  I had no idea there were so many creepy crawly things on the ocean floor with us!  Just waiting to nibble little tootsies!

 

 

Things I’m working on…

 

 

Getting all my curriculum for next year planned and purchased.  Also creating a better binder.  Oh Boy, do I need to get more organized! 

 

 

Although after hem hawing for ages…I’ve finally decided to go with Spelling Work Out for both kids this year.  Shew.  One thing down!

 

 

I’m reading…

 

I borrowed The Well Trained Mind from my library and I don’t just love it…

 

 

I

 

 

L-O-V-E

 

 

this book!  In fact, it’s already added to my CBD cart just waiting for me to finish my check out!  If you’re homeschooling and haven’t read it yet…you really need to!  It’s just chalk full of practical advice and suggestions.  How did I manage without it?

 

 

…danielle

 

 

I’m linking up to these wonderful blogs:

 

 

creation illustrated (a TOS review)

 

 

 

My hubby laughed when I told him we were reviewing Creation Illustrated.  It tickled his funny bone because his parents had a subscription to it when he was a kid!  Have I mentioned before that he’s a homeschool grad?  His parents are among those who paved the way for us today!  We’re so proud of the legacy they left us.  And I do think it’s pretty cool that my kids are reading the same(ish) thing their daddy did when he was little!

 

 

 

The Creation Deets

• *  Creation Illustrated is a nature journal/magazine.  The pages are filled with poetry, recipes, uplifting stories centered on God’s creation and even a lesson plan page on how to use the magazine in your homeschool.
•  

           (front cover pictured)

*  There are four issues a year. 

*  Purchase one year for $19.95.  Discounts apply when purchasing in bulk. 

*  I’m a sucker for the backstory.  You can read Creation Illustrated’s here.

*  If you’re a test the waters kinda girl like me, you can request a free issue here.

 

(inside view pictured)

 

 

The Review

 

 

I’m a magazine hoarder lover.  I have them stashed in baskets and drawers.  I’ve been known to pick some up from a Freecycle friend.  The new arrivals grace our side tables and the –ahem- powder room.  I love being gifted subscriptions.  And never visit my salon without one of the trendy hairstyle mags in hand.  Course, it might help me stay trendy if I carved out time to visit my stylist more than once a year! 

 

 

So needless to say, I was super excited to sample Creation Illustrated!

 

 

In the spirit of transparency, when the package arrived I found myself feeling let down.  I’m not sure that I can really put my finger on why exactly.  I just was.  I think it felt a little “dry” to me.  The recipes weren’t my cuppa tea.  I just wasn’t connecting.  And I wasn’t really sure how I was going to use it.

 

 

But as we spent time with the magazines.  Flipping through the pages.  Reading the articles.  Something happened – little by little Creation Illustrated grew on me.

 

 

I decided we’d use them as our afternoon read alouds.  And wouldn’t you know, the very first story we read we discovered Machias Seal Island in Maine.  Maine happens to be within driving distance of us!  We could go explore it ourselves if we wanted to.  The kids thought that was super cool!

 

 

And that was the beginning of my heart shifting towards this little creation magazine.

 

 

I do love knowing that information the kids are reading shares the same core values our family holds.  That Creation declares His glory.  Many of the articles that had seemed so “dry” to me on a cursory glance…were really interesting once I was cuddled on the couch with the kids.  Go ahead, call me a snob.  We enjoyed the conversations that flowed from our reading too.  There was just something refreshing and wholesome about it.  A nice change from our typical novels or picture book read alouds.

 

 

But by and far…my favorite part was the front and back cover.

 

 

 

The pictures are beautiful.  The poetry lovely.  The Scriptures poignant.

 

 

It struck me that they looked a lot like the posters my parents used to buy for me at the little Christian book store.  I remembered being so proud of the posters gracing my bedroom walls.

 

 

So I decided to make some for the kids by removing the magazine’s cover and laminating the front and back.

 

 

 

I then let the kiddos take turns choosing which ones they’d like to hang in their rooms.

 

 

Evidently, Trevy thinks his is hat!

 

 

:: grin ::

 

 

 

If you’re looking for a wholesome nature journal/magazine or a new hat – Creation Illustrated might just surprise you too!

 

 

…danielle

 

 

**This is my little space to disclaim that I was given 4 issues of Creation Illustrated in exchange for my honest review shared on my blog.  All opinions expressed are my honest own.  I hope that you enjoyed and found my review at least a smidge helpful.  To read what others on the TOS Crew thought about Creation Illustrated click here.**

Pearson Homeschool 6th Grade Reading Street Program (a TOS review)

 

 

Great news homeschool mommies (and dads)…

 

 

Pearson Education, Inc is now offering curriculum options for us!  Their website PearsonHomeschool.com is still under construction but you’ll find an abundance of resources there.

 

 

 

 

I am so honored and thrilled that we were given the opportunity to review Pearson’s 6th Grade Reading program. 

 

 

The Deets

 

• 6th Grade Reading Street is a literature program that blends grammar, vocabulary, spelling and writing into one unique package.
• The complete homeschool bundle retails for $124.99.
• Complete bundle includes two student textbooks, Guide on the Side teacher’s manual, teacher’s resource dvd with all the printables needed and the exam view assessment suite.  I believe you can pick and choose if you’re not interested in the whole package.  Again…the website is still working out the kinks.  But you can always contact customer service for more complete answers. 
• Other curriculum options include Social Studies and Math.
• Ages (PreK – adult) vary by product selection.  Reading Street is geared for 1st–6th.

 

 

The Review

 

I tend to geek-out over the smell of new books.  And the Reading Street package will make any book lovin’ momma go a little geeky! 

 

 

:: smile ::

 

 

I immediately fell head over heels for the student textbooks.  The books are colorful, fun and filled with rich literature and lots of practical application. The first twenty some pages are dedicated to a Visual Skills Handbook.  Which is basically the student’s guide to understanding how to process literature.  Love!  Then there’s the letter to the reader from the authors.  Love even more!

 

 

Once you move through those sections you’re ready to dive into the meat of the program.

 

 

The 6th Grade textbooks are divided into 6 units.  Each unit is broken into 6 weeks of study plus an extra poetry unit.  The units explore history, family and friendship dynamics, social issues, science and many other topics.  

 

 

My guinea pig student has really really enjoyed the reading material.  He likes that there are built in discussion points to keep things interesting.  I find that eleven year olds are very into sharing their opinions.  ::wink::  I like it because much of his work now is independent – so it’s given me an opportunity to intentionally spend time with him.  It’s been sweet and interesting hearing him express his own thoughts.  Even if I like to tease him for just how many he has! 

 

 

Before I move into some of my bumps in the road, I want to emphasize that

 I love this program and would definitely recommend it!

 

 

That said, there were some bumps along the way.

 

 

The first bump was not having access to the online tools.  Which is not to say that the textbooks, teacher’s guide and printable disc resources aren’t enough to give a full, rich reading package!   It’s just that  every other page of the textbook tells the student to go online for fun games and videos.  It left us feeling like we were missing out on something really cool.   

 

 

The lesson plans were a bit of a nightmare to navigate.  And it took some creativity on my part to figure out how to make this work for us.  Reading Street is totally unlike any curriculum I’ve used to date.  Can you say learning curve?!  Added to that, not having a detailed do this on this day kinda plan just made it more complicated.  Most homeschool curriculums I choose have pre-made step by step lessons plans.  I crave that!  I need that!  That’s a huge piece in my decision making!  Especially because I tend to be eclectic in my choices.  When I’m piecing things together having a very specific and detailed game plan is of utmost importance!  If Pearson were to develop a more organized homeschool friendly lesson plan aka teacher’s manual – it would be perfect-o!

 

 

But as it were…I had to muddle through figuring out how to best use it in the context of my homeschool.

 

 

It didn’t me long to decide not to use most of the print outs.  I’d printed a week’s worth and learned the hard way that it was just too much.  Too much money spent on ink and paper.  Too much time required to get the printing done.  I’m lazy My time is precious and I would much rather just buy preprinted materials!  And then planning how to implement and use the worksheets.  Ugh.  Gave me fits, I tell you!  In fact, I’m not sure that I ever really wrapped my mind around what to do with them.

 

 

That said, I love the concept of a Reader’s & Writer’s Notebook!  Love it!  And I did use and will continue to use some of the printables from that section of the Teacher’s Resource DVD.

 

 

The lesson planning style I landed on was to manually page by page go through the book and choose what I wanted him to do daily.  I did this on a week by week basis.  I would then write out each day’s goals on an index card (which came in handy as a book mark).  Some days would include print outs.  Some reading.  I typically have him read for 20 minutes a day and then give me a book report at the end.  During this review, I still had him set the timer for 20 minutes but allowed him to do his worksheets during that time too.  There are also writing projects integrated into the Reading Street curriculum.  Let me add here, that we have struggled.  Positively struggled with finding a writing program that works.  Reading Street by far has been the best fit for a writing curriculum for us!  He’s enjoying it – which in turn is making my life a little easier! 

 

 

 

For us, the grammar portion wasn’t working.  I had to nix that.

 

 

However, I love the weekly vocabulary building!  The Teacher’s Resource DVD has printout cards which are great for displaying in a schoolroom, if you have one.  Or using as flash cards. 

 

 

I had him write his vocabulary in a small pocket notebook.  The next day he would find the definitions in the dictionary and write them below each vocab word.  It’s funny how little gimmicky things make kids happy.  He really likes his little mini-notebook.  Makes him feel like a detective. 

 

 

:: smile ::  

 

 

While I think there is room for some improvement tweaking in the area of homeschool friendliness, I gotta say that overall I really really like this program.  There are just so many goodies mixed in.  The writing integration being a biggie for us!  Once I hashed through the learning curve of how I wanted to use it, Reading Street has been working wonderfully for us!  If you’re not afraid of a little lesson planning elbow grease – I would recommend the Reading Street program for sure!

 

 

…danielle

 

 

**This is my little space to disclaim that I was given the homeschool bundle of Pearson’s 6th Grade Reading Street in exchange for my honest review shared on my blog.  All opinions expressed are my honest own.  I hope that you enjoyed and found my review at least a little helpful.  To read what others on the TOS Crew thought about Pearson products click here.**

his 5th grade workboxes (june 2012)

 

 

 

Because I use plastic file totes (rather than more traditional workboxes) I have a mini pocket chart where his schedule lives.  He’s a bird lover so I used free birdies for him.  I opted for vintage birdies for me. 

 

Each morning he can look and see what’s on the docket for that day.

 

 

 

He’s on lesson 46 in his Saxon 6/5 Math.  We won’t finish this book but it will carry over to his studies next year.

 

I have him write in a student notebook rather than in the text book.  Once he completes his Saxon lesson he’ll typically head to the computer where he’ll do his BigIQkids daily drill.  I’m reviewing IXL though…so I’m having him work for 15 minutes on IXL until the review is over.

 

Corrections and any extra instruction needed are handled by Dad when he’s home from work.

 

 

ACE has been a good Language Arts fit for us this year.  He has just a PACE and a half to go in English and took his last Spelling final this morning!

 

 

We’re also using ACE for our History & Geography. 

 

He’s working on his last final right now!

 

 

Two subjects done for the year!  Hooray!

 

 

A peek inside his Social Studies PACE just in case you’re curious.  I did learn to make him highlight his answers in the text to ensure he was reading and not just guessing!

 

 

Speaking of Reading…

 

 

 

The most recent Theodore Boone just came in for him!  I picked it up on Saturday and he’s almost devoured it already!

 

 

We’re also using Reading Street daily for review purposes.

 

 

Another daily reading requirement is to read aloud with his sister for 15 minutes.  I keep a stash of library books in a basket for them to chose from.  My goal is multi-layered.  To give him practice reading aloud.  To give his sister some extra book time.  To build their siblings bonds.  And to give me 15 minutes to get other stuff done!

 

 

Typing is a daily drills online with Peter’s Online Typing Course.  No bells and whistles but it’s free!

 

 

Today will be a PE day because he has baseball tonight.  We joined a different league this year and he’s done great.  He’s fitting in with the boys and girl.  Haha!  I love that he has a girl on his team!  Last year’s baseball season was just so dang hard on his heart.  I have a whole post stewing in my core about it that I will someday write.  The coach was a big dud. Win-at-all-costs kinda guy.  With a passion for kids whose parents are…oh…I don’t know…coaches of high school teams and the sort.  Nepotism in all it’s glory.  His favorite line was, “play with heart!”  To which I used to respond to my hubby, “hard to do when it’s been ripped outta your chest and stomped into smithereens”.  The man has zilcho integrity and quite honestly…tops my list of least favorite human beings.  Evah.  It tore me up watching the light go out of Toby’s baseball loving heart.  Even so, it was not an easy decision to switch leagues.  We’d been in the other for several seasons.  Toby had many friends.  It just wasn’t easy.  But it was the right decision.  And we’re being rewarded by watching the spark return.  He ended last year never wanting to play baseball again.  And listen…his team this year stinks!  Seriously.  They’re the worst in the league.  The Bad News Bears on steroids.  But he loves baseball again!  And that’s what’s important.  Oh and he’s been asked to play on the AllStar team in the new league.  Ugh.  I swore we wouldn’t do that again.  But.  Well.  He’s 11.  And it just means so much to him.  Also, look at that smoochy whoochy face!  How can I possibly say no?!

 

 

 

 

…danielle