FREE Digital Issue: Winter Issue of the Old Schoolhouse Magazine

 

Go HERE to read the latest issue.  Hmmmm.....I'm loving the idea of a unit study on the Coffee Craze! 

TOS Review: New Liberty Videos (Warriors of Honor)

 

           When you hear the names "Robert E. Lee" and "Stonewall Jackson," what first comes to mind?  It will likely be something different once you and your family view the Warriors of Honor DVD by New Liberty Videos.  The Warriors of Honor DVD is a documentary covering the lives of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, highlighting their deep Christian faith lived out during the Civil War.  The film is 80 minutes long. (There are also 3 bonus segments on varying topics. The total time of the bonus topics is 21 minutes.) It covers background for both men. It shares about their family life: their wives and their children. It covers many of the battles of the war, a few of which were new to me.  It shares about their relationship with their soldiers.  Lee's life post-war is told about. Their deaths are also covered by the video.

     The film includes both pictures, reenactments and historians talking.  There is such variety, the documentary never feels stale.  The film was set up so that both Lee and Jackson were woven throughout.  It did not feel choppy.  

     My favorite parts were those that told of specific times and places. It was wonderful to hear of the heroism and humility of Lee and Jackson. The character of these men was truly incredible.  A secondary theme of this film was that of redeeming the reputation of the South.  Even though slavery was indeed an evil practice, it shared many positives of the Confederacy. 

 How we used the film..  

     We watched the documentary together one evening as a family.  I didn't want to do it during "school time," since I knew my history-loving husband wouldn't want to miss out. We watched all 80 minutes straight through because no one wanted to stop watching. (Well, we did pause it a few times for discussion and comments.)   My oldest son took American History last year, so throughout the movie it was good to hear him say, "Oh, yeah!  I remember studying that!"

    Cost of Product:  $19.95   Age Range: General Audience This is a film that includes many references (obviously) to the Civil War.  Therefore, there are war images: fighting, dead bodies, cannon fire, etc.     More New Liberty Videos:   Anthem for a Nation The Forbidden Book  Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls  A Nation Adrift  Teaching Origins Objectively    Quotes from my sons:   "I thought the movie was great because it was willing to put away the idea that the South was entirely bad, and show us an example of two great Christian men." -- age 16    "I'm glad that this movie was able to show me the devotion to God that these two generals had, in which no secular book would have showed me." --age 13      

A TOS Review: Fortuigence~~Essay Rockstar

     Over the years I have come to believe one of the most important parts of a child's education is knowing how to write well.  Fortuigence may help your child on the way to becoming a rockstar--an essay writing rockstar that is! Our family received Essay Rockstar Expository Essay Writing to use in our homeschool.  My 8th grader used it for several weeks until he had completed the entire short course.
     The methods used were fairly familiar to us, but getting to "turn in" my son's work to another teacher was completely different for us!  It was a neat experience.  I was glad to let someone else to the grading/editing for a while--and I think it gave my son confidence to hear feedback from someone besides "mom."
     The writing instruction involved 5 basic steps: brainstorming, organization, free writing, revision and editing.  These were arranged into several lessons.  For each lesson we visited the Fortuigence website, entered our password and clicked on "classroom."  (Always an easy process!)  For each lesson, my son watched a short video with the teacher.  He then listened to the teacher as she gave further audio instructions.  He was able to read along with her on the screen as she read.  Several links and pdf's were available for further instruction and help.  My son then completed the assignment.  It was typed and sent to the teacher via the website.
     We would then wait a day or two and then my son would receive an email back from Mrs. Iatridis (or "Mrs. I").  She would then instruct what the next step would be.  The "classroom" was automatically updated each time an assignment was completed.  (A gray check indicated an assignment being graded/turned in. A red check meant it was all done.)  Everything was done very linearly and was very self-explanatory.  Each level is mastered before moving on.

The Teacher:  

 Lily Iatridis taught in the traditional classroom for 10+ years.  She holds a master's degrees in:  secondary education and liberal studies.  She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree.  She now does her online teaching full time.  Fortuigence works mostly with homeschooling families.

Age Range:  12-18 years old

Cost: $57

 Similar Products: 

Essay Rock Star Personal Statement Writing Course

Essay Rock Star Persuasive Writing Course

 Essay Rock Star Textual Analysis Writing Course

Pros: 

• A great choice for many types of learners: audio learners, visual learners, etc.
• The clearly mapped out format was a huge benefit.  My son was able to easily proceed to the next step without confusion.  Very little (if any) help was needed from "mom."
• There is no strict due date for assignments.  I love this.  Life happens. 
• Quick feedback.  Very impressed with this!

(Possible) Cons: 

• I had trouble getting the website to upload a word document.  All it took was an email to Fortuigence and it was handled immediately.  Mrs. I even wrote me a personal email explaining how to make it work in the future.  I was very impressed with this and I never had any more problems uploading anything.
• We did not receive a lot of "corrections" on my son's work--not until the final editing process.  I was hoping to get a bit more instruction, but in the end it turned out great.

Homeschool Highlights~~Year 9, week 5

     We are well into our homeschool year...here are just a few of the things we did this week:

This is our science for the year.

How exciting!  Smoking wires!  We hooked up the copper wires to a 9 volt battery and placed them in baking soda water.  We watched it for about 10 minutes. 

This is what it looked like afterward.  The wire connected to the + terminal is green.  Look like any green you've seen before?  How about the Statue Liberty?  The reaction created copper hydroxycarbonate.  (BIG thanks to Home Depot for donating the wire!)

Putting results in the lab notebook.

Another experiment involving measuring in cubits. 

My 8th grader is using this for his history this year:
 

This is a portrait of Thomas Jefferson he drew this week.

A TOS Review: Institute for Excellence in Writing~~~Fix It! Grammar: Robin Hood, Book 2

     The Institute for Excellence in Writing has a new program out call Fix It! Grammar. Our family received  Fix it! Grammar: Robin Hood, Teacher Manual Book 2. and Fix it! Grammar: Robin Hood Student Book, Book 2. My son and I were so excited that book 2 was "on his level" because he just loves the story of Robin Hood! 

How it works: 

     This program is like no grammar curriculum I have ever seen.  It is unique in that all the sentences in the daily lessons build and build until you have the story of Robin Hood at the end of the year.
     There are 33 weeks worth of material, with 4 days in each week.  Day 1 is the most teacher/mom intensive, since you are introducing new concepts.  Each concept has a corresponding card which the student cuts out.  (They are found at the back of the student book.) Each card is labeled in the upper right hand corner on the back as to which week it is introduced in.  We found this very helpful as we were gathering our new cards on all the "day 1's."  A further explanation and tips are found on the back of the card also.  I had a wooden file card holder that works perfectly for what my son needed.  He keeps only the cards that have been introduced in this file box.  We add to the box each week.  Several cards are added weekly. 

 

     After the new concepts are taught, one sentence from the story of Robin Hood  is corrected and marked each day in the student book.  (Yes--just one sentence per day.)  Skills learned in week 2 are transferred on to week 3 and so on.  The student will take the incorrect and unmarked sentence and fix things like: indenting, capitalization, commas, correct usage, etc.  They will also mark parts of speech.  A vocabulary word is marked each day in bold print.  The student is to look that up each day and write down a definition for how it is used in the book.  We have been keeping a vocabulary notebook for years, so this worked easily for us.  We just added to our notebook.

     When the student has marked the sentence, the parent would then use the Teacher's Manual to check the work and use the information given for each day's assignment to answer any questions or give clarification. 

 

      Once the sentence has been checked, it's time for your child to add the sentence to the ever-growing story of Robin Hood.  You may choose wait and have your child write all 4 sentences as the assignment for day 5.  We always did it on the day in which the sentence was corrected.  Some days we did two sentences if we were making up from the day before. (This curriculum could also be used a quicker pace for students who are ready to move on to the next level.)

       What we thought about Fix it! Grammar:

• I found the Teacher's Manual to be most helpful.  It explains every mark that there might be a question about. There is a page for each day's assignment.  I love how everything is explained simply and clearly.  I have never been confused.  It even gives "extra" information for all those grammar lovers out there!
• This curriculum is easy to add in to other things you are doing as part of your English curriculum.  It's just the right amount of grammar so that your child still has time for writing and other great literature.
• My son loves it! He is thrilled to only have one sentence per day and to be reading the story of Robin Hood again.
• I think this is the best way to learn grammar.  Sentences in a context (and even better--great literature!) instead of isolated sentences.  This style of teaching grammar reinforces great writing.

  Cost of Product:  Student book: $15 Teacher's Manual: $19   Age Range: 3rd Grade and up (Take a placement test to find out what level your child is on.)   Similar Products: Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree (Book 1) Fix It! Grammar: The Frog Prince or Just Deserts (Book 3) Fix It! Grammar: The Little Mermaid (Book 4) Fix It Grammar: Chanticleer (Book 5) Fix It! Grammar: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Book 6)             

Free Digital Issue: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

The September-October issue is now available HERE.

I've already read the very short, but full-of-wisdom article, You Don't Have to Swing at Every Pitch.  

The birder in our family is going to love the article, Birds in Art.

Enjoy!

Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms (A TOS Book Review)

   The name "Apologia" brings with it the confidence of quality education and instruction.  So, when I heard that Apologia Educational Ministries had published a book for homeschool moms, I knew it had to be good. 
Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms  is a brand new book written by Mary Jo Tate.
   Imagine, if you will, a flower.  It is washed out and a faded with drooping leaves planted in parched and thirsty soil. Now imagine a more vibrant flower--one that is bright red with moist green leaves planted in rich, fertile soil.  Which flower would you choose to be? I think we'd all choose the latter, the flower that is flourishing, much the same way we homeschool moms would rather flourish as we home educate our children than just barely keep our noses above water. That's what this new book, Flourish, is all about.
     What do we need in order to flourish in our homeschools?  No doubt you may have answered, "time!"  Well, Mary Jo Tate gives attention to that in several chapters.  She also covers topics like setting goals, planning, and boundaries.  The second half of the book gets a little more personal and specific.  She talks about attitudes, taking care of "you," training your children, making memories, managing your home, the ins- and-outs of homeschooling.  The books culminates with two very specific chapters: one just for single moms and one for moms who also run a home business.
     I have never read a book quite like Flourish.  There are how-to-homeschool books, how-to-manage your time books and how-to run a home books.  This book is unique in that it shares how to basically manage all of  life as a homeschooling family, not just certain aspects separately.  So much is included in the pages...all based on the fact that you, as mom, home educate your family.  Mary Jo Tate understands from years of experience that homeschooling really does affect most everything else in your life.  All of this advice and encouragement from Mary Jo is also based on God's Word. 
     The first time I sat down to just read "a little bit," and found that I had finished 3 chapters in no time.  Flourish is a very easy read in that it is very easy to follow and is so engaging that you just don't want to stop reading.  My book is full of underlined phrases and stars indicating parts I really, really liked or want to try.  I will definitely be re-visiting this book as a reference book and a source for encouragement to do better and to be better.

 

The Product:

The cost: $15
Paperback, 290 pages

Who would benefit from reading this book?

• Moms thinking about homeschooling
• Moms just getting started homeschooling (Oh, how I wish I had read this 8 years ago!)
• Moms in the midst of homeschooling. (A good "shot in the arm" to get you going again!)
• Single moms home educating their children
• Moms with a home business and homeschooling
• Anyone who loves a homeschooling mom and wants to better understand their needs.

     

Some of my favorite quotes from Flourish:
(I just love a good quote!  This book was FULL of them!)

• "Develop the habit of asking yourself, 'What am I saying no to when I say yes to this choice?  Are there any hidden costs?'"  (I was able to put that into practice this week, saying "no" to something I knew would cost me time away from my family and added stress!)
• "...commit your goals to writing."  (I did this for the first time in a long time...a great exercise for me.)
• "'How do you do it all?'  I don't, and I redefine 'it all.'  Nobody can do it all.  (How freeing!)
• "As you plan your week, be sure to include the important things, not just the urgent things."  (Oh, how easy it is to get caught up in the urgent when the important is so, well...important!)
• "Inspect what you expect.  That's how you add accountability to independence."  

About the Author: 

     It is easy to get to know Mary Jo Tate as you read her book.  She is a long-time homeschool mama of 4 boys and even runs her own at-home business.   She is a radio host, author, international editor and book coach.  Mary Jo even makes time to teach high school literature at a co-op and blog at: http://flourishathome.com/blog/.  What's amazing is that Mary Jo does all of this as a single mom.  She is full of insight and wisdom. 

TOS Review: Moving Beyond the Page

     Are your kids creative?  Do you want them to be more so? Are you bored with just books and worksheets?  Do hands-on activities sound like what you need more of in your homeschool?  Then Moving Beyond the Page may be right up your alley.  Moving Beyond the Page provides Language Arts, Science and Social Studies curriculum for ages 4-14.  Our homeschool received two of their individual units to review:  Language Arts Package: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which came with an online guide and the physical book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain) and Science Package: Health and Nutrition (which came with a physical guide and both physical books: Boy's Guide/Girl's Guide to becoming a Teen).  I will share with you how each of these worked in our home and the details of each, beginning with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

How it worked in our homeschool:

     The online version of the Language Arts Package: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was so easy to use!  It was simple to access the online curriculum each time my son sat down for his next day's lesson.  We liked how that when we had completed a lesson we clicked "lesson completed" and it was automatically marked out in the Table of Contents.  This gave a sense of accomplishment and helped us keep track of where we were. On the Table of Contents page there is a button which allows the parent to turn the "parent overview" on/off (with a password).  This was very handy...I could turn it off while my son was working on the computer, and then turn it on for grading or instructional purposes. 
     Each lesson begins with an introduction about what the focus will be on that day.  It gives you "things to think about"/"things to know" as you prepare to read the assigned chapters from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Usually 3 chapters were assigned each day and there were 3 questions for the student to answer at the completion of the reading.
     Next came the Language Arts Lesson.  Topics like point of view, the 3 basic types of writing or irony were taught.  The student/parent was usually given 2 activity options to choose from in order to learn the topic for the day.  (I always like options!)  Most of the choices were hands-on or at least a thought-provoking writing assignment.  (At first, the activities seemed like so much work...like is is really important to build a raft from rolled-up newspapers?  But...as my son worked, I could see the value in the activities!  Problem solving, creativity and learning-by-doing all came into play.
     A note about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: I realize that MBTP (Moving Beyond the Page) cannot take credit for the authorship of this novel, but I commend their choice in literature.  My son loved the book!  I read the first half aloud to him.  He read the second half to himself since I had a cold.  He could not wait to finish the book since it was so exciting.  In fact, once we were just a few chapters in to the book, he went and got The Adventures of Tom Sawyer from the library to read.
    

Getting started: One of the first activities was to map out the slave/free states during the time period of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (I love the integration of subjects!)

A map of Huck and Jim's Journey.  The stops along the way were numbered in order as we read the book. All the worksheets were easy to print from the online site.

Building a raft.  This was made from instructions that we printed off the online curriculum.  My son was a little frustrated at first, but in the end really enjoyed this project.

A language arts activity.  MBTP has several activities that take time/effort...but most of them are well worth the effort.  My son was proud of all the hard work he put into these posters.  I was happy to hang them beside his school desk for future reference!

Product Cost/Similar Products:

$22.88 (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn online version, like the one my family received)
$26.94 (for the physical version)
OR
Purchase a Full Year Language Arts Package (physical version) for $255.68

If you'd rather have the online version, that would cost $219.30.

 

Age Range:

12-14 years old  (new age range just added in 2014)

Health and Nutrition

How it worked in our homeschool: 

      The curriculum, Science Package: Health and Nutrition was different in that my son had an actual notebook to work in, which was handy. Similar to the Language Arts unit, there are "ideas to think about"/"things to know" before beginning each lesson.  A reading assignment is given for the Guide to Becoming a Teen most days.   There are questions to answer and activities to complete.  There were several video links to watch online, especially for the Drug Abuse chapter.   The activities in this unit did not seem as hands-on/creative as the Huckleberry Finn unit. 

      We only needed the Boy's Guide to Becoming a Teen since I had a son completing the unit.  The guide was written by the American Medical Association. There are several worthwhile chapters in this book, like "Eating, Exercise and  Healthy Weight" or "Your Skin, Teeth and Hair."  However, I need to note that there are also sections in the book that our family, as Christians, disagreed with.  To be fair, most of these sections were not assigned, but they are there. (MBTP is a secular company.)  Our family made some modifications to the curriculum and still made it work for us. 

Filling in answers in the Health and Nutrition workbook.

My son discovered some scrapbooking tools of mine that came in handy with all the hands-on projects with MBTP.

 

Watching online videos about Drug Abuse and filling in a chart in his notebook. (The links were given in the workbook.)

Product Cost/Similar Products : 

$46.89 

Online $42.83 (This includes an online curriculum, Health and Nutrition and physical books: Boy's Guide to Becoming a Teen and Girl's Guide to Becoming a Teen.)  If you only need just the Boy's Guide or just the Girl's Guide, you could purchase the items separately and pay $27.88.

OR

Purchase a  Full Year of Science for 12-14 year olds for $436.08. (Physical)
or the online version for $400.36

Age Range: 
12-14 years old  (new age range just added in 2014)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moving Beyond the Page is on Facebook!

Note: The prices given in this post reflect the prices at the time of posting.  Prices are subject to change. 

FREE Digital Issue: July/August The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

     Whether you are taking a summer break or are continuing to homeschool through the summer, you will want to check out the July/August FREE Digital Issue

 of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  

I think the article, "My Best Friend" on page 77 in the Language Arts section looks particularly interesting.  I love the quote contained in the article: "Literature that is rich in vocabulary and truthful in content builds our cognitive skills, heightens our conscience, and awakens our moral imagination."

TOS Review: Veritas Press~~ Self-paced Omnibus 1 Primary

  

      For the first time in our 8 years of homeschooling, my youngest son is at a point in his history and Bible studies where he is "caught up" until high school.   We thought this would be the perfect time to to try out something new, like Self-paced Omnibus from Veritas Press.  We started at the beginning, with Omnibus 1 Primary.  Omnibus means "all encompassing" in Latin.  History, Theology and Literature are all taught together.  Omnibus 1 covers Ancient World Literature culminating with the first century.  (Omnibus 2 and 3 continue on into later periods in history.)

The Product (what you get)

     Self-paced Omnibus is an online teaching curriculum. Once purchased, you will have access to the lessons.  The lessons are done in a video format.  Each lessons lasts about 30 minutes.  The lesson is broken up into segments.  Generally a lesson includes:  a teaching time, an interview with an expert, on-location talks, interactive games, quizzes and more. (No lesson is the same thing twice.  This helps keep things interesting.)  Each student will need an Omnibus Student Text.  (You can purchase either the hardback or the e-book version.)  The program will keep track of your child's grade average.  This is very easy to access, simply click "my grades" on the student page.  Once you complete a lesson, then the next lesson is available.  (Thus "self-paced.")

*You will need to purchase the literature books (Like Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, etc.) for the course. These can be purchased separately or from Veritas.  You will also need a Bible.  

The Instructor

     The instructor for the course is Bruce Etter.  He is a very easy to follow and understand teacher.  Mr. Etter is very personable and relates to the students as their teacher and doesn't just lecture.  He is obviously well-versed in this field of study.  Mr. Etter begins and ends each lesson with a review.

Price

$295 for access to the online course.  ($100 sibling discount is available.)

Omnibus Text: $75 (or purchase within 7 days of ordering the course and only pay $50) 

 The e-book is $37.50.  Literature books that go along with the course can be purchased from Veritas as part of a kit.  The kit without the ebook is: $137.63; with the ebook is $151.32
A teacher answer CD is available for $30.  (Gives all answers to the questions in the Omnibus Text.  It also includes the Omnibus Text.)

Age Range

7th-9th grade

(Minimum of age 12 on the day you begin the course work.)

How Omnibus 1 Primary worked in our Homeschool:

     I sat and did the first 2 books (Genesis and Exodus) of the course with my son.  We watched the videos together and read the Omnibus text together.  My son read the reading assignments in Genesis and Exodus on his own. (I am still trying to catch up with him on my Genesis and Exodus reading.  Let me tell you, this course will make you want to dig in deeper to God's word!)
     This curriculum involves sitting in front of a computer and listening.  At times this can be a bit tough for a 13- year-old boy, but I was amazed at how much information he remembered.  A lot of reading is also required.  In a 5 day period, a student is expected to read the entire book of Genesis or Exodus, for example.  This may seem daunting to some...but it is also doable!  (What an inspiration it was for me to see my son read that much of God's word in one sitting without complaining!)  There will be reading assignments both for the Omnibus Text and the piece of literarture that is being studied. The videos and the reading assignments work together as layers of learning, which helps to both review and solidify ideas and facts.
     Within minutes of beginning this curriculum, I felt as if I was in a first year seminary class.  I was so  impressed with things my son (and I) were learning.  My husband (a seminary graduate) had the same response.  Topics like covenant theology, differing views on creation, freewill vs. predestination are all talked about during the first two books.  It was all explained in such a way that my son was able to keep up and understand the concepts. The course work is not too overwhelming, but the concepts are much "deeper" than I had expected.

     It is important to note that Veritas Press is a Christian curriculum that follows the classical teaching model.  Even though my children have never gone by a classical model, it has always intrigued me.  I found it to not be a problem to jump right in and not feel like we had missed something.  The Bible teaching is wonderful, though a bit more reformed than we are.  This really is not a problem, though, as the instructor is very even handed and generous in his openness to discuss other biblical viewpoints.

 

What I didn't like as much:

• During much of the videos there is music playing.  This was distracting at times.
•  A few questions that my son got incorrect on the online quizzes, I was unsure why they were incorrect.  I wish there was some short explanation at the end of the online quiz.

A few notes: 

• A high-speed internet is very important to run the videos.  
• I consider art appreciation/education  to also be part of this curriculum.  For example, my son and I really enjoyed the lesson on the art in the Sistine Chapel during the study of Genesis.
• The guests speakers are top notch!  Professors, a rabbi, experts...
• Veritas Press has excellent customer service.  Twice I have had to call for help. (Once my video was "stuck" and once I just had a question.)  Both times, I was speaking with someone right away and my question or problem was answered/fixed within less than a minute.

There's more to learn about Veritas Press!  Check out my fellow TOS Review Crew bloggers and what they had to say:

Free Issue: May/June The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

HERE is the May/June issue!  Enjoy!

Do you know what 4 crucial skills your homeschooler needs before entering college?  Check out page 54 to find out!

Oh!  And HERE is the March/April issue since I forgot to post it last time in the midst of our moving!

Creating Excellent High School Transcripts  really piqued my interest, as we are wrapping up our very first high school year.

Enjoy all the great articles!

Backyard Bird Count is Today!

 The Great Backyard Bird Count Begins Today!  It will go from Feb.14-17.

It's a great day to get outside and help count the birds for science (and fun!)  My crew even got a "lifer" today!  Check out the link above to find out how you can participate...there's even a photo contest.

January/February Free Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

It's here!  Check out the LATEST ISSUE of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for homeschooling families.

There are several articles on beating those homeschool winter blues.  (I've talked to lots of homeschool moms who go through this, myself included.  The thing that helps us is having school by the fireplace on those cold, dreary days.) 

 My favorite article was: When's the Optimal Time to Master Latin?  I breathed a sigh of relief since we plan to study Latin...but haven't started yet.

Happy Reading!

 

Special Offer for My Readers from Science Naturally!

 

Special Offer for My Readers

Give the gift of learning with books that will have an impact. Science, Naturally! is offering my blog readers a great price on award-winning math and science books. If you buy any 3 books, the 4th one is free -- and shipping is too. You get 4 great books for just $29.95! Keep them together as a set or use them as stocking stuffers.

These publications are as entertaining as they are educational! A great gift for the kids in your life, they encourage a lifetime of curiosity about the world around us. Just visit sciencenaturally.com, add any four books to your shopping cart, then enter coupon code SKBSFS at checkout.

                  
                    *The coupon code is good until February 14th!
                    * You can read my review on Science Naturally HERE.