Reorganizing Sonlight

Almost three years ago, I shared my method to organizing our Sonlight Core Instructor's Guides.  However, since then, Sonlight has completely remodeled their Instructor's Guides, which means I had to do some remodeling of how I organize things.

I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the remodel on Sonlight's part.  However, I am still a huge fan of Sonlight, so I'm working with it.  For those who don't know, the changes were basically taking the notes for each week and placing them behind the schedule pages, whereas previously the notes were sorted by each book.  Also, in Core D and beyond, LA is included with the notes.  What this means for me is, 1. a lot of flipping, as we don't always stay on schedule for each book, so now I have to flip back and forth between weeks, and 2. a very cluttered (to me) notes section, due to the LA I don't use mashed in there with everything else.  I am very visual, and it was becoming very difficult for me to smoothly use my notes.

So, I got brave.  I colored all over my IG.  First, I scribbled out all of the notes for LA.  I really hesitated with this, because it just seems... wrong... to scribble in an IG!  But, it's mine, so I might as well make it work for me, right?  And since we don't use the LA at all (tried it, quickly realized it didn't fit us), I'm not losing anything by scribbling.

Scribbling done, I then went on to color-code (yes, there's a similar theme with my previous method!) the different note sections.  History notes are highlighted in green.  Read-Aloud notes in Purple, and Reader notes in pink.  I don't highlight the Bible notes simply because I rarely use them.

Here's an example of what I mean:

This way, even though I still have to flip around the pages, my eye easily falls right to the section I'm needing to see, rather than trying to scan through everything with little differentiation.  For some reason, the headers they provided just weren't enough for me.

I still don't love it as much as I loved the older IG's, but I'm happy to have found something that works to make the new IGs less cluttered and frustrating to use!

And speaking of Sonlight, we're now doing 3 Cores - Core F for Isaac and Ezra, Core A with Joel and Nathan, and we're finishing up Core P 3/4 with Judah and Rachel and about to move into Core P 4/5, sometime in June.  Despite my less than thrilled feelings about their IG changes, we still LOVE Sonlight.  I was talking about a different curriculum a few weeks ago, and one of the children said, "Mom!  Don't switch from Sonlight!  We'll miss all the awesome books!"   That about says it all, for me!

Treasures of April

I didn't do much blogging this month, but thankfully, many others did!  These are some excellent posts from around the web this month.  I didn't get a chance to list all that I had found!  It was a good month for encouragement and food for thought!

Counting the Hours at Five in Tow

A Cheer for Small Things at Mom Heart

How to Live a Life that Matters at Women Living Well

For When You Think You're Failing Motherhood at gypsymama

Stay at Home Moms "Don't Work a Day in Their Lives".  Really? at ...to Love, Honor, and Vacuum

We've Shown Them the Proof at Vactruth.com

Protecting Boys from Pornography at The MOB Society

Your Children Want YOU! at The Power of Moms

The Clean Air of Gospel Mothering at Grace Full Mama

Be Holy Because God is Holy at A Christian Worldview of Fiction

Spirit-Led Parenting: How Motherhood Calls Us to Lay Down Our Lives at Keeper of the Home

The Everyday Question of Motherhood at Desiring God Blog

Home Apprenticeship at Small Town Simplicity

A Tangled Web - {When You Feel Like You Have to Do it All} at The Better Mom

Ready to Fight the Real "War Against Women"? at lifesitenews.com

The Bad News about Homeschooling at Encouraging Beautiful Motherhood

Ten Days of Intentional Parenting at finding joy

Homeschool Odds and Ends for Sale!

I am terrible at getting rid of stuff... but eventually my bookshelves might just explode or collapse if I don't give it a try.  Here are a few things that we're not using, or that I have duplicates of that I don't need... check and see if there's anything you can use!

Vocabulary Cartoons, Elementary Edition - like new - $8 (see my review here!)

Rod and Staff Reading Level 4 (Exploring with God) - good condition

• Teacher's Manual - $5 
• Student Reader - $10

Rod and Staff Spelling by Sound and Structure, Grade 2 - good condition - Teacher's Manual - $3

Wordly Wise, Book C - brand new, never used - $6.00

Writing Strands, Level 3 - like new (no writing inside) - $11.00

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry - like new (no writing inside) - $20.00 (read my review here!)

Before Five in a Row - brand new - $28.00 (read my review here!)

The Story of the U.S.A. - Book 2: A Young Nation Solves Its Problems - brand new -$7.00 Sold

Shipping is $2 for one book, and $0.50 for each additional book. I accept paypal or money order, and will ship via Media Mail.  Email me at mrs.mike1998 at gmail dot com, or just leave a comment here to let me know you're interested - I won't publish the comments! ;-)

7 Quick Takes Friday - Volume 15

I've really missed blogging lately!  Can you believe this post took me almost 3 weeks to write?  True story!  That's just the way life has been lately! Here's a brief summary of what's new in our world...

At the end of January, Nathan turned 5!  He's already lost two teeth (our earliest tooth loser yet!).  He has started "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and is doing really well, so far.  He was already reading a few Bob Books before then, so I am hoping the momentum gathers and reading is something that comes easily for him.  I find Nathan rather fascinating, because, in our houseful of playmates and noise... he's the introvert.  He is perfectly content playing by himself somewhere quietly while the rest of the gang are doing something else!  I had always heard one of the "pitfalls" of big families was that the children don't learn how to enjoy quiet or entertain themselves due to the constant presence of others, but Nathan proves that idea wrong!  He definitely has a knack for building complex things with legos - sometimes more complex than his older counterparts build.  I love watching him grow and can't wait to see what God has in store for him!

The little girl had her FIRST birthday and I hadn't even blogged about it yet!  How does that even happen? (Um, I'll tell you how it happened - it's called having 6 kids and being pregnant with the 7th!)  We didn't do anything big - I'm a lazy mama and don't do birthday parties until the child is actually old enough to remember them!  But it was an absolutely beautiful day, so we did celebrate by spending some time enjoying the outdoors.  She's getting so big - she's got 6 teeth, loves to climb on anything and everything, and is definitely teaching us a bit about what people mean when they say "girls are different".  There's a little more drama in the house than there used to be!  But going along with that is a lot more sunshine and sweetness, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't marvel at the fact that we have a girl!  Yes, still!

On her first birthday!

I am now 16.5 weeks pregnant, and outgrowing regular clothes.  But, I'm also at the awkward inbetween stage where maternity clothes are sort of too big and look kind of frumpy!  So, please excuse my lack of fashion for the next few weeks, if you happen to know me.  Not that I'm the queen of fashion to begin with!  I can now feel the little one move for sure, which is such a nice blessing.  No matter how many times I've felt it, I'm always excited and thankful when it happens.  I haven't gained any weight yet, for which I am super thankful for, since I started this pregnancy out with an extra 15-20 pounds of weight still leftover from Rachel!  I don't tend to fret over my weight too much, but that small detail made me a little nervous.

We are planning another homebirth, for which I am super excited.  I was thrilled for the first one, because I had wanted to try it for so long and was finally able to, and I'm just as thrilled for this one, because now I know how wonderful of an experience it can be!

Our 20 week ultrasound is next month, and I am so looking forward to it.  We're not finding out the gender, of course, but we've decided to leave all the children with a friend and actually make it a "date night", of which we only do about 2-3 times a year!  Usually we bring the whole crew to the ultrasounds, but at this point we will no longer all fit into the ultrasound room!  And I think it will be fun not having to deal with squirmy toddlers and restless preschoolers.  And, of course, I am always excited to see the little one.  The miracle of pregnancy and growing a baby becomes more and more amazing to me with each pregnancy.

Here's my growing belly!

According to general statistics, I have approximately 23 weeks left of this pregnancy... and according to my schedule, I have approximately 21 weeks left of school.  Um, yikes!  Looks like after our maternity leave, we won't be starting out fresh with a new year as I had hoped... we'll be wrapping up the loose ends of this one!  Which is... OK... but the OCD organizer in me really, really wanted to get everything tied up in a nice neat complete package BEFORE baby came!  But there really is no way that I can see that happening.  So, we'll just keep plugging along and just see how things go.  That is so hard for me! I think it's good for me, too, though.

Last year, I am sad to admit, we did not manage our finances as well as we should have.  After spending many years with no debt at all, we got ourselves into a bit of debt.  This year, after watching our tax refund go to paying that debt (instead of more useful things, like savings, or home repair, or any number of other things money is good for), we agreed that things had to change.  So we've gone back to a "cash only" lifestyle.  And, WOW!  What a difference that has made in just the two months we've been doing it.  It has definitely taken some adjustment - mostly a mindset adjustment - remembering that just because we think we "need it now" doesn't actually mean that we "need it now" - things can actually... wait!  But the savings has been tremendous!!  Several hundred dollars a month!!!  That's a big deal.  So even though it's been a little difficult, we're sticking with it, because it WORKS!

 

I love this boy!  This was how I found him the other day, during his nap.  Needless to say, that was not how I had put him to bed!  He is always a source of laughter in the house!

And no, those aren't the ones he was actually wearing at the time!

I think this has been the best winter I can remember. I think we had, maybe 10 days or less, total, of temperatures that were cold enough to make me uncomfortable (below 45 degrees or so). It has been wonderfully mild.  We have taken full advantage of this, and spent as much time as possible OUTside!  Yesterday was our first official nature walk of the season - and it was a wonderful 73 degrees by the time we finished at noon.  I love this kind of weather, and I'm especially excited about Daylight Savings Time starting!  Sunlight and I are friends :)  Here's some pictures of our nature walk!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world!

Flashback

A little over 4 years ago, I posted about our yummy project for studying Nests in My Father's World Kindergarten.  Last week, with a new set of littles, we revisited the fun!  Of course, the big kids had to join in... and it amazed me when I compared the "then and now" pictures.  When we did it the first time, it was just Isaac, Ezra, and Joel (and they were so little!). This time there were two (actually, three, but she didn't get a nest) extra participants!  Wow, how 4 years changes things!  Here's some pictures of the yummy messiness:

Nathan, Joel, Ezra and Isaac, waiting to start!

Rachel got to try a chocolate chip.  She didn't like it!  I'm not sure whose daughter she is!

And it begins!

One of the completed masterpieces!

Judah loved the mess (and the chocolate!)!

Treasures of February

10 Essential Supplies for Homeschooling Boys at The Homeschool Classroom

The Day I Quit Homeschooling at Heart of the Matter Online

When Daddy Clears the Land at Lambs in His Arms

Mad About Babies - What's Sex Got to Do With It? at Salvo

Top 10 Reasons to Birth at Home at FastTopTen

20 Ways to "Reset" When the Kids are Having a Hard Day at The Pennington Point

Inside-Out Approach to Parenting our Challenging Child at The MOB Society

The Return of Motherhood Glam at finding joy

Digging Out of the Pit of Guilty Motherhood at Passionate Homemaking

100 Ways to Encourage a New Mom at the gypsy mama

The Mommy Truth at Family Matters

10 Things to Remember When your Child is Disobedient at Raising Godly Children

Homeschooling with Morning Sickness

As you may have gathered from my last post... we're expecting baby #7!  Which is a convenient excuse for my lack of blogging. And cooking. And cleaning. And... basically anything that requires more than lying on the couch! 

I am a little over 10 weeks now, and morning sickness has definitely dominated my life for the past 6 of those.  However, as any mother knows, when there are other children in the house, it's not so easy for mama to be stuck on the couch.  Especially when several of those children are school-aged and mama is the teacher!  So I thought I'd share a little on how school goes when I'm sidelined.

Basically, we just simplify.  This is rough for me, as I am a checklist kind of girl, and get a sense of accomplishment when I can get to the end of the day and see that we've done everything.  But the Lord has taught me so much in this area, mostly through periods of morning sickness - that my value and my worth is not based on my accomplishments!  So it is OK to let things go in necessary seasons.

My method of homeschooling makes this really, really easy.  First, I eliminate the subjects that need my one-on-one focus (for us, this is Spelling and Writing).  Since they are "minor" topics anyway, I have no concerns about dropping them for a while.  Second, my independent work assignment sheets allow the big kids to continue moving ahead with their work - they're not waiting around for me to direct them, and filling them out requires very minimal effort on my part.  The one difficulty I have run into is checking and going over their work everyday.  Since Fridays are light days for us and the boys don't have any independent work then, I've been waiting until Friday to meet and go over the week's work.  It's not ideal (especially when there's several days of material they've made errors on and have to go back and fix!), but again, this is for a season, so it works for now.

Thirdly... Sonlight!  I can do Bible, History, Read-Alouds and Science (excluding experiments) all from the couch.  Not only that, but their awesome Instructor's Guides make it literally "open and go".  I do not have to plan, I do not have to stress about getting things together, I do not have to hunt around for extra materials.  I keep everything I need for 6 weeks in a basket next to the couch.  So. Easy.  I mean, unbelievably easy.  I honestly believe that with any other curriculum, I'd be totally out of the game and nothing would be getting accomplished.  But Sonlight has made it really, really easy to keep on trucking.  Have I mentioned that it's really easy?  Maybe Sonlight should steal Staples' logo.

I will say that there have been some weeks in which only independent work has gotten done, or only our Sonlight portions.  That's me letting go of perfection and surviving the day.  By now I've learned that this truly is just a season, and it will pass (no matter how dreadfully long it seems to last!) so I try not to let discouragement catch up with me.  I try to keep this mindset for all areas of living during this time.  Yes, we may be eating more processed meals, or simple things that children can fix.  The house looks like it has been cleaned by children, well, because it has.  But as long as we stay on top of dishes and laundry, things run pretty well.  And let me say, having older children is such a huge blessing!  It is incredible to see the fruit of the hard work of teaching chores and obedience when they were younger!

I am praying that in a few short weeks I will be back on my feet and running things at "top speed" again, but for now, I think we're all appreciating the simplicity!

TOS Crew Review - World's Greatest Stories

"The World's Greatest Stories" are an award-winning series of dramatic audio CDs that tell the stories of the Bible, using the direct words of Scripture itself. Narrated by dramatic storyteller George W. Sarris, the Bible comes alive through his skill and passion.  Available in both NIV and KJV, there are 23 stories contained in 6 Volumes:

• The Prophets - The Blazing Furnace, The Handwriting on the Wall, Daniel in the Lions' Den, Elijah and the Prohets of Baal, and the Prophecy of Jonah
• The Life of Christ - The Real Story of Christmas, The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus, The Healing of the Blind Man, Things Jesus Said and Did, and The Real Story of Easter
• Beginnings - In the Beginning, A Lame Man in Lystra, A Jailer in Philippi, The Story of Ruth, and The Raising of Lazarus
• Joshua and Esther - The Battle of Jericho and The Book of Esther
• Joseph and His Brothers - Genesis 37:2-46:7 and 46:28-50:26
• Defeating Giants - David and Goliath, Naaman the Leper, Micaiah the Prophet and Jeoshaphat the King, The Sacrifice of Isaac, and Gideon and His 300 Men

(You can hear samples of each Volume here!)

For this review, I received a copy of The Prophets. We opened it up while we were heading for a little day trip about 2 hours from our house, and we finished listening to the whole thing (each CD is about an hour long), the kids BEGGED to hear it again!  They loved the voices and drama that were infused into the Bible stories.  I loved that it wasn't just a version of a story, it was straight, pure Scripture, presented in a way that captured my children's attention and really brought to life the emotion of every scene.

Each CD is only $7.95 and shipping is free if you order 6 or more, which, in my opinion, is a very reasonable price.  My children love audio stories to listen to in the car, at bedtime, or while doing chores, and The World's Greatest Stories are a wonderful way to pour pure Scripture into their hearts in a way that is engaging, exciting, and fun!  I definitely recommend them!

Be sure to see what other TOS Crew Members thought by checking out the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer:  I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here  on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other  compensation in regards to this review.

TOS Crew Review - Pitsco Medieval Machines

 

Pitsco is a company that specializes in educational, hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) products and curriculum, including products specifically designed for homeschoolers.  For this review, I received the Medieval Machines Pack, which included a Trebuchet Kit, a Catapult Kit, a Siege Machines book, and counterweights for the Trebuchet. 

The entire kit, as packaged.

Catapult

Trebuchet

This pack is specified for Middle School ages and up, so Isaac (5th grade) was just on the younger side for this pack, but he and I had no trouble putting the kit together.  It would have been more of a stretch for my younger kids, however, so the age designation is very appropriate (unless you have a younger child who is very into and experienced with models and kits).  The instructions were detailed and thorough, but not difficult to follow.  The hardest part was waiting for the glue to dry on each step!

Unfortunately, because we were out of town for over a week during Thanksgiving, we did not complete the Trebuchet at the time of this review, but we did complete and use the Catapult.  It is a huge hit!  The pack comes with clay to make little launching balls out of, and the kids enjoyed seeing how big or small the balls had to be in order to fly the most effectively.  The Catapult is quite sturdy and has held up to use in this household of boys!  I full expect the Trebuchet to be the same, and we are looking forward to trying it out soon.

Here are two videos of our first tries with the Catapult.  We did it outside just in case, but we have since used it inside very safely!  The first one hit something and didn't go far, which is why we did a second video - hopefully between the two of them you can get a good feel for the Catapult!





The Siege Machines book includes a history of each machine, and then various experiments to try with each one, as well as space to record observations and results. Science concepts that are taught include Mass, Tension and Torsion, Force and Motion, Gravity and Levers, (plus more) and Mathematical concepts such as averages, metric conversion, and prediction.  I, personally, love how so many topics can be covered by playing with a fun toy that my boys love!

The Pitsco Medieval Machines Pack is available for $21.95. To build the kit and utilize some of the activities, you will need basic household items such as glue, scissors, and a ruler.

Also available are Teacher's Guides for both the Trebuchet Kit and the Catapult Kit that include multiple hours worth of STEM activities and lessons.  For added savings, you can get everything included with the Medieval Machines Pack, plus the two two Teacher's Guides and extra clay in the Trebuchet & Catapult Pack for $64.95.  Be sure to check out many of the other Science, Technology and Mathematical products Pitsco has available for Homeschoolers! 

Also see what my other Crew Mates thought over at the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

TOS Crew Review - Keyboard Town PALS

Keyboard Town PALS is a typing program for children ages.  Different from traditional typing programs, which focus on speed + accuracy, Keyboard Town PALS approaches typing instruction in a unique and innovative way.  

Keyboard Town PALS focuses on a gentle learning approach, not focusing on mistakes and no time pressures. (Click here for a more in-depth look at their method and reasonings.)  The lessons consist of 8 videos, each about 6-7 minutes long, so the entire course is about an hour. (The website promotes: "help kids learn to type in an hour!") In the videos, the letter keys are introduced as characters that live on Main Street, Uptown, or Downtown, based on each letter's location on the keyboard.  All of the letters' characters' stories intertwine, creating a town of friends on the keyboard, hence the name "Keyboard Town PALS"!  As the video progresses, the student is encouraged to type the letters in a text box below the video.  Within a very short time, the student is typing entire words, as well as spacing and punctuation.  You can see a sample lesson here.

Keyboard Town PALS is available both online and as a CD-ROM, for the price of $39.95, and is available in English, French, and Spanish.

Unfortunately, for us, this program wasn't one that we enjoyed.  Before I explain why, I want to remind my readers that just because something hasn't fit our family does not mean it would not fit yours!  Each family is different and has different needs and methods that work best for it - that's the beauty of homeschooling, being able to meet those needs individually.  So, please read over my comments keeping that in mind.

I, personally, don't agree with the overall philosophy that Keyboard Town PALS endorses.  I believe that "Mistakes are opportunities to learn" and should not be overlooked, but gently corrected, so that (especially in learning a skill such as typing) the new skill is learned the correct way.  Since there was no correction offered in Keyboard Town PALS, a student could easily be typing incorrectly and it would not matter. It would seem to me that would only cause a development of incorrectly learned habits that would have to be "unlearned" later down the road.  

Also, part of the reason no correction is offered is because the instructional portions are just videos.  This means that the typing that the student does is not interactive in any way with the instruction, so a student could potentially sit there and waste all their time doing nothing at all or fooling around, unless a physical instructor (teacher or parent) was standing over their shoulder making sure they stayed on task.  Even with a diligent child, management would still be needed as there is no way to monitor the student's progress.

My reviewer for Keyboard Town PALS was Joel (6.5 years old), and he did not enjoy the program, either.  He thought the main narrator, "Sunny", was (in his words) "freaky", he was frustrated by the fact that he could not use the backspace to fix a mistake when he made one, and that the program would not wait for him unless he paused it, which caused his fingers to lose their spots on the keyboard.  

Overall, Keyboard Town PALS was just not a good fit for our family.  I have heard from other reviewers that it is a great program for special needs children, and perhaps younger children that just need a basic, gentle introduction to the keyboard.  To read for yourself what other reviewers thought, please check out the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.  I highly encourage you to do so, and not just take our negative experience as the only perspective!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

TOS Crew Review - Ooka Island

Ooka Island Adventure is a 3-D interactive reading program designed for ages 3-7.  Ooka Island is a virtual world in which children participate in different activities designed to teach phonics, word blends, sight words, and early reading.  All of the activities are designed to be fun and engaging, while also educational.  You can read about Ooka Island's philosophy, methods and features here.

The student starts their island adventure by creating an avatar.  This avatar then travels to different areas in the island, completing various tasks and challenges, for which they receive "Ooka Mist" - a currency they are able to spend later on.  Activities include the "Cave of Sounds", in which they have to listen for as well as visually find different phonic sounds, "Alphabet Mountain" in which they climb a mountain by jumping from letter to letter in alphabetical order, and then skateboard back down, also identifying letters, and "Z-Doo", in which the student rides on a watercraft vehicle and has to practice saying various sounds at checkpoints, plus many more! There is also a visit to the "Popcorn Library", where the student hears a book being read to them, and then has to answer some basic questions about the story, as well as learn sentence structure and sight words.  As the student progresses in their lessons, more and more parts of the island become accessible, teaching more and more complex skills, such as phonics blending and sight words. 

After about 20 minutes of lesson time, the student is rewarded with "Free Play" which lasts about 8-10 minutes.  During Free Play, the student can visit "Pencil Playground", where they can play with elves, change their avatar, listen to music, or spend their Ooka Mist on other fun things.  The student can also choose to go play some more of the learning activities during Free Play - which, surprisingly, was a popular choice here!  That goes to show how fun the learning activities are!

Check out videos on The OokaTube to get a more in-depth look at the program!

Nathan (4.5) was my reviewer for Ooka Island, although ALL the boys enjoyed watching Nathan play.  He eagerly asks for his "Ooka Island" time every day (even on the weekends!) and I feel that the program has definitely strengthened his progress in reading.

We did find a few small potential drawbacks that I wanted to address.  First, to access the program, it must be downloaded, and it is a very large file.  It took several tries to get my computer to complete downloading it, and once it finally did, it took over an hour for the entire download.  (Also note, that even though it is a downloaded program, web access is still required to play - not a drawback for me, but just something to keep in mind.)

Second, there area  few games that said a microphone was needed for voice recognition so the student can practice saying the sounds.  The games are actually still fully functional without the microphone, so if the student doesn't have one, that's OK.  However, we noticed that even with the microphone, Nathan could say whatever he wanted into the microphone, and the game still continued as if he were saying the correct thing.  I didn't understand this, but the FAQ's on the Ooka Island website somewhat addresses this (and also leads me to another point):

At Ooka Island our goal is to help all young learners achieve reading success. We wanted to make the game accessible to all children, so the game is playable without a microphone or headset. If a child plays without a microphone, she/he will not miss out on any features or activities on the Island.

Not having a microphone does not change the game play experience but it does change the data that we are able to process during play. Without a microphone we are unable to record and process speech using voice recognition. Without this data we are unable to produce a report in the Ooka Lighthouse that displays progress in the Z-doo (Voice Recognition) activity.

It says that the voice recognition feature is used to produce a report in the Ooka Lighthouse, which is supposed to be the parental control spot, where I would be able to see Nathan's progress.  However, at the time of my writing this review, the Ooka Lighthouse was not yet functioning, so I can't comment on how well it is laid out or how useful it is.  That was a bit disappointing for me, because part of using a computer-based educational program is the ability to track my children's progress, since I am not teaching them directly.  I am looking forward to when I can get a look at it!

My final drawback was that I felt the lessons were a bit too long.  I'm not a fan of my 4 year old sitting in front of the computer for a half an hour at a time.  I know many people don't have a problem with that at all, so its a particular issue I had, and may not be something that concerns others at all!

However, despite these drawbacks, overall I feel that Ooka Island is an early reading program that is effective and engaging, and I would recommend it!  You can actually try it yourself for 14 days free, to see what you think!

Here is the pricing list for Ooka Island:

(Please note that if you are a large homeschooling family with more than 4 children that would be using the program, they recommend buying an annual school license.)

Here's a promo code you can use to save 30% on a monthly subscription!

Check out what other Crew Members thought of Ooka Island by heading over the the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product  specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of  the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to  this review.

Treasures of October

I haven't had much time this month for blog-browsing, so I know I've probably missed a bunch of really great posts!  However, here's a few that I've enjoyed!

Good Mom, Good Kids? at Owlhaven -if you only read one post in this list, this needs to be it!

Living By Whose Standards? at Preschoolers and Peace

Imperfectly Perfect at No Greater Joy Mom

Why I {still} Homeschool at lifeingrace

From Steady Mom:

• Do This Today and Change Everything
• What Choosing Peace Does NOT Mean

The Do Not Forget Things at BOOKS and BAIRNS

When the Milkshake Runs Low at Femina

Ask Auntie Leila:  Six Strategies for Sibling Rivalry at Like Mother, Like Daughter

Three Things I've Learned About Homeschooling for Kindergarten at The Homeschool Classroom

From The Happy Housewife:

• Debunking a Few Myths of Homeschooling
• Five Minute Pick-Up

Toddlers, Tiaras, and Fig Leaves at Give Them Grace

15 Ways to Affirm Your Kids at Encouraging Words

An Honest Look at the Postpartum Period at Lambs In His Arms

All Work and No Play:  Why Your Kids are More Anxious, Depressed at The Atlantic

From Passionate Homemaking:

• 24 Ways and Reasons to Keep a Family Journal
• Time is of the Essence
• Impacting Your Child's Blueprint

From Better Mom:

• A Child's 10 Commandments
• Grace in The Moment

TOS Crew Review - Memoria Press First Start Reading and Classical Phonics

Memoria Press is a company that produces Classical-style curriculum for Christian homeschoolers and private schools. Their program for teaching children to read encompasses two products - First Start Reading, and Classical Phonics. Both can actually be used independently of each other, but work wonderfully when paired together.

First Start Reading includes 3 student workbooks and one Teacher's Manual.  The Teacher's Manual walks the instructor step-by-step through each lesson, giving a script of what to say, as well as helpful hints to encourage the students.  It is written to a classroom environment, but is easy to adapt to a one-on-one homeschool instruction situation.  The student workbooks focus on learning new phonics sounds and then learning how to blend those sounds with earlier learned sounds - in fact, by the 5 Lesson, the student is reading their first simple sentence!  The workbooks include handwriting practice for each sound, word, and sentence, helping to make the curriculum mutli-sensory - hearing, seeing, and writing the letters.  There is also a space in each lesson for the student to color pictures and draw their own pictures, incorporating the material taught in the lesson.

Here are some sample pages of the Workbook:

• Lesson 1, Book A
• Lesson 3, Book B

Classical Phonics is a handbook of phonetically organized word lists (that coincide with the order of sounds and words taught in First Start Reading), which can be used to help a student practice the new sounds and words they've been learning, or to test them on what they already know.  Below are some sample pages (you can click to enlarge the images):

I used First Start Reading and Classical Phonics with my 4.5 year old, Nathan.  While I felt the method of teaching was good (teaching several phonics then moving into words that use those phonics), for us, the workbook required a little too much writing coordination for my little boy.  He got frustrated by his lack of ability to write well, and was not overly interested in coloring or drawing pictures.  All of these things I find typical for a boy his age, at least in my house, so I don't know that those things would be a struggle for an older beginning reader, or perhaps a girl.   I didn't see this as a negative against the curriculum, just more of something that made it not quite the right fit for us.  Overall, I thought the quality of the program was very good, and would recommend it to those who have young early readers who enjoy handwriting and drawing! 

The Classical Phonics book was a helpful, non-workbook way to reinforce what we worked on in First Start Reading, and could easily be used on it's own to teach basic phonics and reading. However, it is not scripted like the First Start Reading Teacher's Manual, which doesn't intimidate me, as I've taught reading a few times by now, but if you happen to be one who wants some guidance as to what or how to teach, I'd recommend First Start Reading.  But, if, like us, you have a student who is hesitant to do a lot of writing, and you feel confident teaching early reading without a script, Classical Phonics is a great tool!  I feel both programs together give the perfect blend of styles and reinforcement.

First Start Reading is priced at $29.95 (that includes the Teacher's Manual and all 3 Workbooks), and Classical Phonics is $14.95.  Both are included with Memoria Press' Classical Kindergarten Curriculum, as well.

Be sure to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of First Start Reading, Classical Phonics, and other Memoria Press materials, by checking out the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

TOS Crew Review - Educating the WholeHearted Child

Educating the WholeHearted Child (3rd Edition), by Clay and Sally Clarkson, and published by Apologia Educational Ministries, is a 375+ page book written for Christian homeschoolers, as well as parents who are considering homeschooling.

Educating the WholeHearted Child is broken down into four main sections:

• Home - focusing on building a relationship with our children and the reasons to choose homeschooling
• Learning - discussing various homeschooling styles and how to choose the best for your family
• Methods - going into detail about the "WholeHearted Learning" model of homeschooling and how to teach various subjects
• Living - how to balance homeschooling and "real life" - remembering that so much of learning takes place during those "real life" times!

These are followed by 40 pages of resources, including planning pages, character traits, chore charts, and book recommendations. (Click here to see the entire Table of Contents.)   I was not able to completely finish reading the book before this review was due, but after delving into many chapters and skimming the rest, I know without a doubt that it is an absolute treasure-trove!!

Clay and Sally Clarkson's hearts for families is so evident in their writings, you can't walk away from this book without being encouraged and revived in your homeschooling journey!  For just a small sample of how rich this book is, please be sure to read the first Chapter and get a feel for yourself. 

This review has actually been a bit difficult to write, because all I can think of saying is, "It's awesome!  Get your hands on it!" and how many times can I say that in different ways without sounding like a sales pitch?!  But, it's true!  I would not only recommend, but highly encourage all Christian Homeschoolers, new, veteran, or even "just considering" to read this!

Educating the WholeHearted Child is available from Apologia Educational Ministries for $22.  It is well worth it!  Apologia also offers many other Christian books for parents and children, as well as curriculum.

Also be sure to see Clay and Sally Clarkson's ministry page, "Whole Heart Online" for more encouragement!

You can read other TOS Crew Member's reviews on Educating the WholeHearted Child at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.  I think you'll be hard pressed to find a negative one! ;-)

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

TOS Crew Review - Visual Latin

Visual Latin is a unique video-based Latin course, designed for ages 9 and up.  Created by two homeschooling dads, Visual Latin offers two levels of instruction -  Level 1 and Level 2, with each level containing 30 lessons, enough for about two year's worth of Latin instruction together.

Each lesson is broken down into three parts - Grammar, Sentences, and Reading.  Each of those sections is taught in a brief video, usually about 6-10 minutes long, and followed by an accompanying worksheet that gives an overview of the lesson and some work for the student to do to practice the lesson.

What makes Visual Latin unique?  Several things:

• Humor plays a big part in each lesson - Dwane, the instructor, has a wry, witty sense of humor that keep the kids interested
• Lessons are short and not overwhelming
• The format is realistic - instead of memorizing complicated conjugations, the lessons use more of an immersion method - grammar is taught, but then the students get to see it and use it in sentences and reading, seeing and experiencing how it actually "works"
• Because it is in video format, it is easier for the students to get a feel for the language, by hearing it and also by having an experienced Latin teacher demonstrate it's usage.  It's like having a private Latin tutor!

(For more reasons from the creators' own thoughts, be sure to check out "The Unique Design that Really Works"!)

For this review, we were sent a DVD for Lessons 1-10 (lessons can also be purchased as downloads in HD m4v and iPod m4v formats).  We followed the recommendations included with the video - we watched the video for one section of the lesson, and then did the accompanying worksheet.  Since each lesson is broken down into 3 sections, we did Latin 3 days a week.  The amount of time spent on Latin each day was probably no more than 15- 20 minutes, if that.

I was very curious to see how Visual Latin would go over for us.  I've never really had a desire to teach Latin, and wasn't sure how enthusiastic the kids would be over it.  And the whole idea of Latin instruction that could be humorous?  I always sort of perceived Latin to be a rather serious, stuffy language, so I was skeptical! 

However, after watching just the introduction Lessons, I was more eager to give it a try.  The kids warmed up to Dwane (the instructor) right away.  He's... funny!  In a very witty way that makes the kids laugh, but isn't corny for grown-ups.  He comes across as a very down-to-earth and enjoyable teacher.  He also addresses the students directly, which I think the kids enjoy.  I also appreciate that he is a Christian, homeschooling dad.  He makes many references to God, as well as jokes about homeschooling.  That makes me feel as if he understands how to relate well to the students he's teaching.   Here are some screen shots (the kids call Dwane "the guy in the blue shirt"- you can see why!):

But aside from the instructor's personality... what about the lessons themselves?  I've been very pleased!  At first I was nervous that some of the grammar concepts would be over the boys' heads, but they took to them without any problems.  I think much of that has to do with not just having it taught, but them actually reading it and having to use it in real sentences makes it much more natural.  Right away they started noticing words that they've learned from their Spanish lessons and seeing similarities.  They think it's almost like a secret code, and enjoy trying to decipher new words they're introduced to.  I find that I'm eager to delve more into learning some Latin myself!

All in all, we've been quite please with Visual Latin and will be continuing the lessons.  That says alot, considering I thought we'd never "do" Latin!

Get a glimpse for yourself - you can view a Sample Lesson, or even download some Free Lessons (4 Intro Lessons and 2 Regular Lessons).  Be warned, though - you might just get hooked!  Who knew learning Latin could be interesting and fun?!

Want to know a few more details?  Be sure to check out their Q&As!

DVDs contain 10 lessons each, and can be purchased singly for $30 a piece, or an entire level (30 lessons), for $80, for single family use (they also have pricing for co-op/class use).  Downloadable lessons are $25 for a 10-lesson set for single-family use.

If you are looking for a enjoyable, easy-to-learn Latin course, I definitely recommend Visual Latin!

See what other TOS Crew Members thought of Visual Latin by checking out their reviews at the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.