Wordless Wednesday - Flying High!

TOS Crew Top 10 Round-Up

My final review for the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew was posted last week! What a fun and busy year it's been! I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Crew and share my thoughts on such a variety of interesting products.

In order to clean up the blog some, I've made a page just for the reviews I've done over the past year - just click on the 2010-2011 TOS Crew sidebar picture to go to it! I've organized them all by category, so hopefully it will be easy to find what you may be looking for.

To finish up the year, I wanted to recap my top 10 favorite products... and like any good countdown, I'll work my way down to my favorite!

#10 - Maestro Classics
The kids and I really enjoy stories on CD. Set to music, they're even better! We love our Peter and the Wolf CD, and hope to get more of their "Stories in Music" in the future!

#9 - Download N' Go - Expedition Australia
While this one was my "trial review" before I was officially signed on board the Crew, I really enjoyed this product, so I included it on the countdown! I am not a good "Unit Study" homeschooler, but using this e-book made it easy to become one. It was timed perfectly for when we were studying Australia on our own, and it enriched our studies immensely!

#8 -Illustrated Bible Dictionary
We have pulled this resource our countless times to look up useful bits of info - I've been pleased by the ability it gives us to look up the sometimes random questions kids can ask about the Bible!

#7 -Positive Action for Christ
A high quality Bible Study curriculum - I appreciate how easy it is for my oldest to use independently, but it isn't just busywork - he's learning and retaining what he's studying!

#6 - Nutrition 101 - Choose Life!
My review really says it all - an excellent family resource, not just for hoemschoolers, but anyone interested in nutrition - young and old alike!

#5 - Wits and Wagers Family
A fun family game we still love to get out and play together! Some of the questions are so funny!

#4 -Math Facts Now!
My review sums up pretty well why I like this product so much. The interesting thing is, my children have come to enjoy it, too! Awesome!

Now, for the top 3 of the year....

Math Rider
We bought this after our review trial was over - the kids couldn't stop talking about how much they loved it, and my sweet husband said "If it works, and they love it this much, why don't we just get it?" 'Nuff said!

ALEKS
I love this online math program! I really appreciate that it is designed for the student to use independently, but also adjusts to the student's strengths and weaknesses, to ensure that the student is really mastering the problems, not just assigning preset worksheets. The super user-friendly parent's page is great! We actually ended up purchasing a year's subscription for the boys to use alongside their regular math curriculum.


and, my Number One favorite product of the year.....

Writing Tales!
As I mentioned enthusiastically throughout my review, Writing Tales has been the perfect fit for our family, helping my oldest to overcome "writing phobia" and start to feel more comfortable in creative expression. The ease of use and the effectiveness of Writing Tales makes it my #1 favorite review product of the year!

And the Winner is....

I wanted to thank all of you who joined in my Seeds of Character giveaway! I appreciate all of your kind comments and suggestions, and most of all... that you're here! I love "getting to know" those of you who read my blog more as you come out of lurkdom!

So, on to the main point of this post, as I know everyone is waiting with bated breath...

The winner is....

(wait for it!)

Christine, from Our Homeschool Reviews!!

Congratulations!!!

Christine, please email me through my profile with your address and I'll send your CD out ASAP!

Thank you again to all who participated!!

(Oh, and in case you're really sad that you didn't win, I have a secret! OK, it's not really a secret, but in case you didn't know... you can listen to all of the Seeds Family Worship albums online! For free! So enjoy and be blessed!)

TOS Crew Review - Wordy Qwerty

Wordy Qwerty is the follow-up program to Talking Finger's Read, Write and Type, which I reviewed earlier this year! While "Read, Write, and Type" focused on teaching a student basic reading, spelling, and typing, Wordy Qwerty takes the instruction up another level and teaches not only the mechanics of proper spelling, but the "whys" of proper spelling - the 20 basic spelling rules of the English Language.

Wordy Qwerty combines games and music to help a child learn and remember spelling rules, so it is easy for the child to use and apply them in real life work! While designed mainly for 2nd and 3rd graders to use, I believe any student struggling with a basic spelling foundation could benefit from it. For this review, my 4th grader (10 years old) and my 3rd grader (8.5 years old) used the product. It was neither too easy nor too hard for either of them, and they both enjoyed using it.

The program has 20 lessons, each outlining one or more spelling rules. Within each lesson, there are 6 games - each lesson follows the same pattern. At the completion of each lesson, a part of a "music machine" is constructed - but it isn't until all 20 lessons are completed that the student gets to see the complete machine in action! Here are some screen shots of some of the games:

As an added help, each rule is also put to music in a short song. The program sings this song, and the child also has the opportunity to sing along, too!

The musical aspect of Wordy Qwerty is extremely beneficial, in my opinion. I overheard my 4-year old singing "C says /s/ if it comes before E, I or Y...." and that is a perfect example of how songs help the rules "get stuck" in someone's head - even if they're not paying that much attention! They can easily be recalled for "real-life" spelling.

I also found that only being allowed to see pieces of the music machine was enough reward for each level, but also helped to encourage my children to do ALL of the levels, so they could see the final outcome. When one of my children finally got to it, everyone stopped what they were doing to go see what it was like - and even I thought it was pretty cool!

As a parent, I could check on each of my children's progress in my parental account. While not overly detailed, the report displays and graphs the score for each lesson. If I noticed one was a particular struggle, I would just have that child redo that lesson.

I found Wordy Qwerty to be a nice, easy way to slip in some reinforcement of spelling rules. I don't know that the kids realized they were "learning" - they just enjoyed having game time on the computer!

The price is $35 for a CD-ROM of Wordy Qwerty, or a family can purchase a 5-year online subscription for one or more student, starting at $25. You can also try a free lesson before buying, to see for yourself what you think! That page also lets you fill out a form for a coupon code for 20% off!

And, as always, be sure to see what other Crew Members thought of Wordy Qwerty 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 TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

WFMW - 3 Tips for a More Efficient Homeschool Day

It has been 3 months since Rachel's birth, and I am slowly getting back into the swing of homeschooling. We did "homeschool lite" for the first few months after her birth - only doing a few subjects a day (or week!), but now we are back into our full-time schedule, and after a few false starts, it is going wonderfully! There are lots of things I can think of that can affect how smoothly a homeschool family's day runs, but I wanted to highlight the top 3 that I recently implemented that seem to have the biggest effect in our house:

1. Everyone must get up at the same time! For us, that time is 7:30 am. I get up earlier than the kids, but all kids must be up and getting their day started no later than 7:30. That way, we can all eat breakfast together and get started on schoolwork without being held up by stragglers. This has proven to be the only way to get our day started on the right foot. If everyone just gets up whenever, I feel like I'm making breakfast for 2 hours and school is haphazard to say the least! So everyone getting up on time, at the same time, has dramatically made our day more efficient. (This rule does NOT apply to Rachel - I let her sleep as late as she needs to!)
   


2. I must stay off the computer. Must. Other distractions are eliminated as much as possible as well (phone calls, etc).


3. We cannot leave the house! Yes, I know one of the many benefits to homeschooling is the flexibility - being able to do school when and wherever we please. However, for a while, I was running errands several days a week - and trust me, hauling 6 children to a store for 3 items is not a "quick" jaunt! Just the time it takes to get everyone ready, organized, out the door, into the car, and so on is mind-boggling - what could have easily been a 15 minute trip solo turns into an hour or more! It was really eating up our day. So now, I run shopping errands on Sunday afternoons or in the evenings, and we do field trips, nature walks, library trips and doctor's appointments on Fridays, which is a very light schoolwork day for us. For me, in order to really keep things running smoothly at home... I have to be at home!

Of course, in these rules, there has to be flexibility - taking a phone call when it's an urgent matter, leaving the house to bring a meal to a new mother, letting a sick little one sleep in longer... but I've learned that I can call myself "flexible" and really use it as an excuse for laziness and chaos! So overall, having these three guidelines in place are really necessary for us. They have made our homeschooling day soooooo much easier and efficient!!

I'd love to hear your thoughts! What things do you find most affect how efficiently your day runs? Please leave a comment and share! Also, check out other WFMW posts at We Are That Family!

Redeeming the Time - How to Manage Internet Time

I've confessed it before - I struggle managing my time online. It seems so simple - just stop spending so much time in front of the computer, right? Goodness knows I've got many, many other things to do with my time! However, it hasn't been that easy for me. A quick check of my email turns into replying to a friend, checking in on a thread on a message board I belong to, reading the other threads on the message board, popping in on Facebook, reading a blog I enjoy, following a link from that blog to another blog... and so on!

Suddenly my day is gone, my children are unruly, I'm irritable, the house is a mess and dinner isn't ready! How does that even happen?! I know I am not the only person who gets sucked in like this, so I wanted to share what I've done to combat it and control it.

First, I've prayed. I've confessed it as a sin to the Lord. Yes, I said sin! No, there's nothing in the 10 Commandments that says "Thou shalt not be online all day"! But, God has given me very specific responsibilities - to raise and train my children, to keep my home, to love and respect my husband - and all of these things require careful management of my time and energy. Not to mention the numerous scriptures regarding idleness! So, to waste my time online instead of being about His work IS a sin.

After confessing and acknowledging it for what it is, I've prayed for help to overcome this sin. One of the fruits of the spirit is self-control, and I know I need a big dose of it - but I can't obtain it without His help. Oh, yes, I can try to get it on my own accord, but ultimately, it always leads to failure. So I need His help, through the Holy Spirit.

Then, I've made myself accountable to my husband. I told him the struggle I've been having, and asked him to keep me accountable. Using a Firefox Add-on called Time Tracker, I am able to see how much time exactly I've spent online each day. And my sweet hubby can see it, too! And he can very gently, or not-so-gently if needed, remind me, scold me, or otherwise guilt me into being much more aware of where my time is going.

I'm going to go ahead and be real here - there were days when my online time logged in at anywhere from 4-6 hours in a day. HOURS! Now, it wasn't like I was sitting myself down for hours at a time staring at the monitor... no, it was just those "little checks here, little checks there..." and wow, did the time accumulate! So you see, when I say it was a problem... it was a problem.

The most drastic step I've taken has been to actually implement another Firefox Add-on, called "LeechBlock". This program allows you to block certain websites, block certain usage times, only allow certain websites and usage times, and so on. It's very versatile. So, I installed it and created parameters for myself - the internet is inaccessible to me from 7:30 am until 5:30 pm, with a small 15-minute break at noon. The kids can still access the sites they need for school, but that's it. If the temptation were to become too strong, I can even ask Michael to put a password on the program so that I can't access it to override my limitations! Thankfully, it hasn't come to that.

As the days have gone by with my enforced limited internet access, the Holy Spirit has also been doing it's work and curbing my appetite for screen time. Of course, the benefits of not spending all my time on the computer has shown up in all areas of my life, as well as my family's. School is running much more smoothly, I'm able to be more consistent in training the children, not to mention the little fun things we're doing that we rarely did before because I thought I "didn't have time". I'm better about decluttering and staying on top of my chores, and meals are planned and ready on time! It's amazing all the time I have now - I feel such much less stressed and rushed all the time, because I'm not so distracted. Go figure!

I know the temptation and lure is still very real in my flesh, so I won't be letting my guard down for quite a while. But I also know that the Lord is on my side in fighting this battle, and with His help, I will overcome this! Thank you for letting me "be real" and hopefully this can help others out there who may share the same struggle!

A Giveaway!

Well, I had a post that I had spent quite a bit of time on, saved and ready to post today... however, thanks to Blogger having issues, not only was I not able to post that post, but it is no longer saved anywhere, either! Sad day! So, to interrupt the regularly scheduled posting I had, I thought I'd go ahead with a giveaway!

I realized this week that my 4th Blogging Anniversary passed me by last month! 4 years of blogging, that's wild to think about! When I first started blogging, I had 4 children and my oldest was 6! Now I have 6 children and my oldest is 10 (yes, my math skills are superb!) My! How time flies!!

What's the giveaway you ask? Well, a while back I mentioned that our family LOVES the Seeds Family Worship CDs - a fun, upbeat way to memorize scripture! Well, they've just come out with a new album - Seeds of Character! So to bless my readers for sticking with me through the good, bad, exciting, and boring... I'm offering a copy to one of you!

Here's how you can win - leave me a comment telling me any one of these things - which of my blog posts has been your favorite, OR what you think I could or should do to improve my blog (politely, please! I know I don't really have to say that! But just in case!) Or both, if you so choose!

And... (drum roll please!) A Full Heart now has it's own Facebook Page! TaDaaaa!! So, for an extra entry, go ahead and "like" my page! (To make it easy on me, please mention that you did so in your comment!)

The giveaway will close on Friday, May 20, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday the 21st! That gives you a week to enter! Have fun!!

Wordless Wednesday - Raspberry

A Quote on Womanhood

I am reading through the books that we'll be using next year for Sonlight Core E, and came across this beautiful quote on womanhood, in "Caddie Woodlawn". For a little bit of background, Caddie is a girl who grew up in the late 1800s - her father permitted her to be as wild and tomboyish as she pleased, but one day when she was about 12, she took things a little too far, and this is a discussion he had with her:

"It's the sisters and wives and mothers, you know, Caddie, who keep the world sweet and beautiful. What a rough world it would be if there were only men and boys in it, doing things in their rough way! A woman's task is to teach them gentleness and courtesy and love and kindness. It's a big task, too, Caddie - harder than cutting trees or building mills or damming rivers. It takes nerve and courage and patience, but good women have these things. They have them just as much as the men who build bridges and carve roads through the wilderness. A woman's work is something fine and noble to grow up to do, and it is just as important as a man's. But no man could ever do it so well."

I think the quote really says so much that women (and men) today have forgotten! The femininity of a woman is what sets her apart from a man - it doesn't make her weaker, lesser, or inferior in any way - it makes her unique and distinguished! It's a beautiful design God created, the way men and women compliment each other through their differences - and yet, the world struggles so hard to erase those differences, leaving both men and women stripped of this glorious knowledge, and important, necessary jobs left unfulfilled.

TOS Crew Review - Circle C Beginnings

Circle C Beginnings is a series of books written by Susan K. Marlow, and published by Kregel Publishing. They are geared toward children ages 6-8, but older and youngers alike can enjoy them, as well! We were privileged to receive the book "Andi's Indian Summer" (Book 2 in the series of 4) to review.

"Andi's Indian Summer" is about a girl named Andi and her friend Riley. Riley reads Andi some stories about Indians that scare her, and then one day, while out on a ride together, they come across some real Indians! It turns out that Indians aren't exactly as some stories portray them! The book is interwoven with historical information about the Yokut Indians, and ends with a good moral. You can read an excerpt from the book here!

Now, in a houseful of boys, you might think that stories about a 6-year old girl living back in the 1870s might not be something that was of interest to them. Think again! The Circle C Beginnings Series are set in the "Wild West" and the main character, Andi, and her friend, Riley, have many adventures - fun and exciting enough to keep a boy's interest!

Horses, adventure, and friendship are the main themes in each of the books. The illustrations are beautifully drawn, and, as I mentioned, history is highlighted in the stories to make them educational as well as entertaining! The best part is that they are written from a Christian perspective, so not only are good moral and character lessons taught, but Jesus is also presented as the One true Savior and God!

As an awesome added bonus, the website that features the Circle C Beginnings series has TONS of extra activities to go along with each book! Puzzles, illustration coloring pages, free activity packs, and lapbook kits! All of these resources make it easy and fun to integrate the Circle C Beginnings books into a unit study or history project for younger children! Or they can be used just for fun! (That's allowed in homeschooling, too!)

Ezra, who is 8, read the book by himself easily and enjoyed it thoroughly. My littler boys enjoyed it as a read-aloud, which is why it can be shared by a wide age range.

Each book in the Circle C Beginnings series is $4.99 each, or you can save and buy the bundle of 4 for $15.96. If you have a child who loves history, horses, the wild west, or adventures in general, I highly recommend these books!

Please be sure to check out what my fellow Crew Mates thought of the books, as well, by visiting 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 TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.