Reviews of books and curricula*** TOS Homeschool Crew Reviews*** Homeschooling Highschool*** Learning Wisdom from Proverbs*** Thoughts about children, gardening, country life, health, frugal living, and more http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:01:00 -0600 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:01:00 -0600   Each week I study the history Miss Sixteen is working on so that I can discuss it with her and mark her work.  Now, I know a reasonable amount about the past, and a fair bit about world views, but much non-Western history is new to me and I struggle to absorb it well enough to assist my daughter.   Yesterday, while reading about the Sui, Tang, Song, Mongol, and Ming dynasties in China, I tried something new.  I made a bookmark timeline for the chapter and it helped me so much!  This is how to make one:   take a bookmark-sized piece of paper (8 ½” by 3”—just a strip off the bottom of computer printer paper) draw a line down the center of it. label this line with the dates you’re studying, like a timeline write important time periods underneath the center line, corresponding to the appropriate dates (in my case, the different Chinese dynasties between about 500 and 1500 AD) write important events and people above the timeline, at right angles to it write extra notes at the bottom, or on the back if necessary write the topic and reference information (in my case, page numbers) along the left narrow edge of the bookmark   You could laminate your bookmark timeline or use cardstock for durability, if you expect to use it for a long time.  I only used mine for a few hours, but I’m definitely keeping it.  Making it was an excellent learning activity and the finished product gave me a clear overview of what was going on even when the textbook was confusing.  By the end of the year I’ll have a whole pile of mini timelines, and I plan to use them as bookmarks when reading historical fiction.   I’m going to get my children to try these timelines as well.  They’re quick to make and the very process of making them helps organize the material in ones mind.  Once made, they are very useful.   The Little Misses will work on a bookmark to keep track of what’s going on during Laura Ingall’s life as we’re reading the Little House books.  We’ll see what the older children do with the concept.   For more homeschool tips, see Five J's Thirsty Thursdays.     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/750949/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:01:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/750949/   I’ve always thought of the Proverbs 31 lady as being very busy, working very hard, being very pious, and having her life completely under control.  I never once thought of her as being fun, lovable, human, and easy to be around.   After many sleepless hours thinking about Lisa, I realized that we had been living right next to a Proverbs 31 woman and had not recognized her.    She was trustworthy, industrious, and creative in caring for her family.  She was generous, wise, and kind to those who needed her.  Health permitting, she did everything with joy, fun, and verve…and she would have laughed at me if I’d ever said anything like this to her.   We will miss her enormously.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/750828/ Wed, 9 Dec 2009 16:05:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/750828/   Our children studied phonics to learn to read.  Some of them learned to spell automatically as well, but others did not seem to understand that the same sounds used for reading could also be used for spelling.  All About Spelling  breaks words apart and uses phonics to teach spelling.  Yes, there are word lists, but the method forces a child to think of words in terms of their sounds.  It makes sense and it is logical, and even Miss Seven who thrives on rules (for words and letters, not her own behaviour, LOL) is happy with it.   As a Homeschool Review Crew family, we received the first two levels of All About Spelling, a logical, multisensory, easy-to-teach spelling program.  For each level, we got a teacher’s manual, a huge pile of learning cards with dividers, a progress chart, and a completion certificate.  The package also contained a phonogram audio CD-ROM, tokens, letter tiles with optional magnets, and other neat resources specific to each level, including a jail for words that break the rules.   Both levels have a large supply of coloured index cards, with dividers labelled ‘future lessons,’ ‘mastered,’ and ‘review’ for each kind (color) of card.  There are phonogram cards which introduce letters and the various sounds they make.   Sound cards are used to dictate the sounds, key cards to teach rules, and word cards to learn spelling words.  At the beginning of each lesson these cards are reviewed, and once they are mastered they are reviewed occasionally.  Level Two begins with a review of the rules of Level One.   To prepare the cards for each level, one has to tear apart and organize a thick pile of perforated cardboard sheets.  This takes some time, but I’m so grateful I don’t have to cut the cards apart with a pair of scissors!  (Ouch!  My hand aches at the thought.) It is also necessary to cut out the sturdy laminated letter tiles, and stick on the adhesive magnets if desired, but this is relatively quick and easy to do.   How All About Spelling Worked for Us At the beginning of each lesson, we put out the magnetized letter tiles. At first we put them on the fridge and pulled chairs up to our instant magnet board, but later we discovered we preferred just laying them out on the table.  The letter tiles are a key element in teaching a child to break a word into segments and to really listen to each sound, but neither of my girls enjoyed using them. (They don’t like math manipulatives either.)  After a while we would use the tiles only if we had difficulties with a word.  The rest of the time, the girls  just printed out the words on paper.    We found that it was complicated to have two children working in the same level, because I’d forget who was using which cards.  Therefore we let Miss Nine whiz through the course, with Miss Seven often watching and ‘helping.’  As soon as Miss Nine was finished Level One, Miss Seven got to start it.     Miss Nine has always been what I call a “global speller.”  She spelled words as she pictured them; she would not try to divide the words into sounds.  When I asked her to spell ‘elk’ she wailed, “But I’ve never read that word!”  Obviously, she had no confidence in her spelling ability at all.  Working through All About Spelling starting from Level One gave her a good foundation in “phonetic spelling,” and she can now spell out words step by step.  She can even spell words she has never seen before!   Level Two is helping even more, and it reinforces the syllabication work she’s doing in her reading/phonics course.   A wonderful bonus for our family was that Miss Seven improved her reading skills and confidence by occasionally dictating the spelling words to her older sister.  She really enjoyed this change from her usual phonics and reading lessons.  When it was her turn to start Level One, she was able to proceed rather quickly.  Only the syllabication caused troubles, and that’s something all our children have found difficult at this age.   The spelling rules on the key cards are a good review for all my children.  The English language does make a lot of sense; you just have to find the patterns.  Learning the spelling rules gives students the ability to spell words never encountered before.  What a confidence booster!   This course is easy for me to teach.  It tells exactly what to do, and even what to say.  Normally I absolutely hate scripted courses because they sound so artificial, but for spelling it seems to work.  I guess it’s because there’s only one—or a very few—answers to, “What makes this sound?”  and “What sound does this make?”  (The scripted lessons also made it possible for us to do spelling during this sad week when I could hardly keep my mind on what I was doing.)   Motivation-wise, there’s a progress chart listing each lesson or ‘step’ in a level.  My girls got to put a sticker on the number of each step they completed, something they really enjoyed.   All About Spelling has been a blessing to my little girls.  We find the course to be simple and effective, for me as well as the girls.  I just wish we’d had access to this program at the start of our homeschool journey.   Would All About Spelling Work for Your Family? Here are some things to think about: The program is hands-on, using sight, sound, and touch.  The tokens and letter tiles are great helps in learning to break a word up into its sounds. Concept usually follows concept in a logical and clear way (although we experienced some confusion with ‘g’ vs ‘j’ which was not anticipated by the lessons). Each lesson begins with a reminder to review the four different kinds of cards.  As well, in Level Two most lessons include a concept review as well. Phrases and sentences are provided for dictation, once the student knows enough sounds. All About Spelling does not follow grade levels, but is organized by concepts and spelling patterns.  A child can go quickly through what he understands and slow down if a concept is difficult to master. You can purchase an extra student material package (i.e., the cards) separately if you have two children doing the same level. Sample lessons and scope and sequence outlines for the first three levels are available here.  Level Four and Level Five  information is also available.   For those on a tight budget, there are other spelling solutions, but they will require mom to do more work than is required by All About Spelling.  As usual, it is a toss-up between spending time/energy and spending money.  Note that some other homeschool spelling programs are both expensive and time consuming; if you are considering one of those, really do check out All About Spelling as well.   Whether or not you chose to purchase All About Spelling, it’s worth checking out the many articles that will help you teach spelling.   While you’re on the website, be sure to sign up for the free report, “20 Best Tips for Teaching Spelling.”   For more reviews of All About Spelling, please visit the Homeschool Crew blog.   To Purchase All About Spelling is available for purchase on the website.    The price for both a teacher’s manual and a student material packet ranges from $29.95 US to $39.95 US, depending on the level.  As well, one can buy a starter kit containing the letter tiles, magnets, and phonogram CD-ROM for $26.95 US, but it is also possible to just buy the letter tiles for $10.95 US. All About Spelling offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee for one year.   Policies Disclosure Policy:   As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received Level One and Level Two of All About Spelling.      Dial-Up Friendly Policy:  For the sake of my dial-up readers, this blog avoids visuals.    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/749402/ Fri, 4 Dec 2009 06:41:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/749402/ My friend Lisa has gone to be with the Lord.  Thank you for your prayers.  Please remember her family in your prayers.   Thank you.   Annie Kate http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/748763/ Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:48:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/748763/ Please pray for my friend Lisa who is in very critical condition after surgery complications.  Even if she lives, she faces the possiblity of brain damage.  She and her husband have a 13 year old daughter.   Please pray that she will live and recover.    Thank you.  Annie Kate   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/748546/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:16:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/748546/   It feels as though the sun has been hibernating.  Sodden day has followed after gloomy day for far too long, but this morning the sun shone!   I stood in front of the window, just to enjoy the golden brilliance glowing everywhere.   “Oh dear!  What are the dogs doing now?” asked one of my children, seeing me gaze outside.   “Nothing.  I’m just letting the sun shine on me.”   And that’s what I did this morning, while homeschooling (yes, some of the children had gotten behind), folding laundry, chatting, and resting—I enjoyed God’s warm, comforting, invigorating sunshine.     This afternoon, I read in my Bible that eventually there will be no need of sun or moon anymore, for the Lord will give us light (Rev 22:5).  After this morning I understand that in a deeper way.   May you have a day filled with Light.    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/748097/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:19:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/748097/   Miss 16 Year-Old wanted to learn accounting, so I bought her the only homeschool accounting course I had ever heard of.  It was a disappointment, but, hey, what could we do?  We had paid for it, and there was not, to my knowledge, anything better available.  Then, as has happened several times already this fall, a Homeschool Crew reviewing opportunity came up to solve our problem:    We received a Financial Accounting course from Professor in a Box.     This great course was prepared by Michael P Licata, Ph.D., a homeschool dad and professor at Villanova University.  All course materials—Flash lectures, printable slides, homework problems, solutions, quizzes, key concepts and terms,  Microsoft Excel templates, and three exams—are included on 4 CD’s.  There is no text book to study; all you have to do is   watch the lectures, do the homework problems, check the solutions, take the exams.   This course is complete and thorough and doesn’t require mom to know anything about accounting.  (After all, it was created by a homeschool dad—he knows homeschooled teens can work independently, and he knows homeschool moms have their hands full.)    Even though the course is at a college level, the only prerequisite is basic math skills (algebra).  The twelve chapters are split up into 28 lessons, each about 2.5 to 3.5 hours long, including homework.  It’s a good course to take over an entire school year, but obviously it can be done more quickly.  Note that this is a serious college level course.  There is no entertaining fluff, and the students are treated as adults.   After taking this course, a student is prepared to take the CLEP Financial Accounting Exam and will know a lot about accounting, as well as understand Microsoft Excel.  On a more practical level, the student will be able “to prepare and interpret the four basic financial statements—income statement, balance sheet, statement of owners’ equity and statement of cash flows.”   Not that I have any idea what all that means, or even it is what my daughter is learning…. However, she’s eager to help me learn about debits and credits and what columns to use for what, and why numbers I think should be positive are actually negative, and vice versa.    Obviously there is a huge gap in my knowledge.  I hope to work my way through this course next year, and I also intend that all my other children will learn accounting. Accounting is, as Professor Licata states, the language of business.  Science and literature and math and languages are good to learn, but understanding the business side of society, church, and government is also important.  Of course, a knowledge of accounting is crucial if one actually wants to work in business, be involved in running a farm, help with a non-profit organization, or participate in the government.   My daughter is pleased with Professor in a Box, although she was a bit frustrated to have to listen to the overviews.  (Exciting audiobooks are more appealing. Go figure! I suggested she crochet while listening, but apparently that’s not a good idea either.)  She really enjoys the lectures when they go into the nitty-gritty of actual accounting, though.  She prints out the key concepts and terms to study and does the homework problems.    Although at first I found Professor Licata’s accent a bit difficult to understand, I soon got used to it.  He presents concepts in a clear way while you watch the lecture slides.  You can see thumbnails of the slides on a sidebar, and can print these out if you wish. After listening to the first lesson, I already understood a whole lot more than I did before...and I did some hand-mending as well as note-taking while listening. Unlike my daughter, I loved the overview, perhaps because it was all new to me.   Now, I know that professional accountants from other countries have to be tested on Canadian taxation and business law before being accredited here, but at the level of this course, accounting seems to be fairly international.   Even though it’s almost impossible to take CLEP exams in Canada, this course is still very worthwhile for the knowledge it presents.   Could this Course Benefit Your Family? Professor in a Box is not inexpensive, but if a student can use it to test out of a college course, the investment will have been worth it.  It would also be a great investment for a teen who wants to set up a business.  What’s more, the course is non-consumable and can be used by every child in your family (and the adults as well).   To see if Professor in a Box would work for your family, you can meet Professor Licata in a video on his website.  The website also offers a sample chapter.  If you know about accounting, the detailed syllabus can help you decide if your family would like this course. You can read other homeschooler’s opinions at the Homeschool Crew Review blog.  Many of these ladies know more about accounting than I do, and could probably give a better evaluation of the course content.     Note that the website includes links for those who do not have Microsoft Excel; it is not necessary to own Microsoft Excel to use this financial accounting course.   When you buy Professor in a Box, what’s all included?  Three CD’s with the narrated lectures, printable lecture slides, key concepts and terms, homework problems, and solutions to homework problems An instructor’s CD with an introduction, course syllabus, detailed lesson plans, quizzes, exams, exam solutions and grading guides, and Microsoft Excel templates for all problems and exams Printed information containing the course contents, syllabus, and learning objectives A Professor in a Box calculator and pencil   The Professor in a Box Financial Accounting course is available on special for $134.99 US, including free USPS Priority Mail shipping. It comes with a full money back guarantee if you are not satisfied after the first three chapters.    Policies Disclosure Policy:   As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this Financial Accounting course from Professor in a Box in order to review it.   Dial-Up Friendly Policy:  For the sake of my dial-up readers, this blog avoids visuals.    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/747775/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:22:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/747775/   Currently we have 209 library books in our house.  This is unusual, and a result of our reading week, but we often have over 100.    Can you imagine what would happen if we returned them late? At fines from 25 to 50 cents, the bill could be astronomical.   That’s why, a few years ago, we designated Tuesday as book return day.  On that day, we renew or return all books due within the next week.  Although we’ll go to the library more often, and return books more often, Tuesday is the day that keeps it all under control.   When we return books, we mark them off on our computer slip and I keep the slip.  We count the books crossed off and compare that number with the number of books in our library bags; occasionally they don’t agree and I have to check all 60 or whatever again.  Needless to say, I do not welcome assistants who could confuse the piles of books.    The final trick is to calculate how many books we should have on our card after our returns have been processed and to verify that number after the librarian has checked the books in.  We’ve found many computer errors this way and saved ourselves untold hassles and huge amounts of money by being right there to help the librarian find the ‘missing’ book in the piles she’s just sent through the computer.   For simplicity, our family only uses one library card, most of the time.  I check my husband’s card for returns and renewals on Tuesdays as well, although he often just uses mine like the kids do.   This post has been entered in Being Frugal's Tightwad Tuesday and in Canada Girl's Tightwad Tuesday.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/747299/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:52:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/747299/   I have been asked to give some advice to a young mom who has come to the conclusion that she should probably homeschool next year.  This was not her dream in life, and her five children are very young—the oldest is in public school grade 2.    What is the most important, most helpful information to give without overwhelming her?  I could talk for hours, days even, about all sorts of aspects of homeschooling, but now I want to present the most crucial elements in a quick morning visit.   Here are some suggestions I had in mind for her (in no particular order):   Use 100 Top Picks by Cathy Duffy to determine what style of homeschooling would suit her family best. Take out a membership in HSLDA.  Our province is homeschool friendly, but issues sometimes arise when a family pulls children out of school. Be sure to take time for Bible reading, sleep, fresh air, and exercise. Streamline all the daily tasks such as food preparation, laundry, and cleaning. Check out my favourite homeschool supplier, Heritage Resources, which has excellent service as well as the best prices I’ve seen in Canada.  Check out The Teaching Home getting started section. Also look at all their archived newsletters for free and well-organized answers to any homeschool questions.    Check out The Old Schoolhouse e-newsletter archives for encouragement and support. Learn from others, but avoid comparisons.   Now, I know there are at least a thousand (make that a million) other things I could be telling her, but that would be so overwhelming.  I don’t know how to choose, and therefore I’m asking you.   What are the most important things that help you homeschool?  What advice would you give a newbie homeschooler?   Thank you so much.   Annie Kate http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/746829/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:33:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/746829/   A few days ago hackers got access to a wealth of information that had been denied to the public.  It seems as though some global warming proponents know that the data contradicts their theory…but they were not willing to share that information.   You can read more at SDA.  (Caution:  Although this award-winning blog contains valuable information, it often has language issues and it is not Christian.)   On a similar note, recently  der Speigel published an article entitled “Climatologists Baffled by Global Warming Time Out.”    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/746627/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:17:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsAndMore/746627/