Homeschooling for over a decade now, Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos with five children. She shares a mixture of free art lessons, frugal and allergy-friendly recipes and all things practical at Hodgepodge. Her husband, Steve, also shares reviews here at Curriculum Choice.
Big Brainz is giving away a deluxe version of Timez Attack multiplication and division, valued at $59.99, to one Curriculum Choice reader – don’t miss it at the end!
We’ve enjoyed Timez Attack by the Big Brainz company in our homeschool for several years now. These fun, multiplication games were recommended to us by my friends and fellow homeschool moms. It’s one of those resources we turn to when we know we need a little boost in multiplication practice. And, wow, how Timez Attack has improved since we first learned about it. See, we’d tucked it away because there was some space there between our older children and our middle girl. But now, she’s the one that needs that encouragement in times table memorization and division practice.
Enjoy this video for a quick start overview in a minute and a half:
“The most powerful multiplication games ever created.”
Three of my children practice with the Big Brainz game – three different ages/grades. And what better way to practice than with a fun computer game?
But guess what else? Timez Attack now offers addition and subtraction practice, so rising 1st grader got in on the mix as well. At the start, your child practices finding the numbers on the keyboard, chooses a boy or girl player and takes a pre-test to determine skill level. What impressed me most about this offering is that the game slows down when a child misses a certain problems. I watched as Timez Addition drilled my daughter in 2 + 1 = 3 then 3 – 2 = 1.
Plus, Big Brainz just recently added division! Hmm. I sure can appreciate a program that my age range of children can use! Here’s what my rising 8th grader had to say about the newly improved version, “They made it harder to play (you have to give your answer in less time) but easier to remember the multiplication facts.”
Some things I bet you didn’t know:
available for both Windows and Mac platforms
built in pre-test and post-test
a retention component to regularly review the facts
There is a free version! You and your child can try it out and use the free version which is what we did to start with
The paid version gives your child access to more ‘worlds’ and entertainment.
Standard version: $39.99
Deluxe version: $59.99
100% money back guarantee
Comparison of the different versions and cost, plus what is included HERE.
Why would I want to pay for Timez Attack?
As your child is successful in learning the times tables, he/she will advance. The free version only has one world (the dungeon world). However, your child can practice all the times tables with the free version.
Paid version has more worlds. Some examples are rock tower, ruins with a jungle, volcano, and the machine world.
Basically, by paying for Timez Attack, you give your child more opportunity to practice and challenge what they have learned.
In summary: Timez Attack meets the needs of several different ages – in our house from age six to 14! It is nice to have a math drill resource that is fun as well as challenging. We use Timez Attack throughout the school year to boost confidence or help a struggling child get back up to speed. But we’ve also found that summer time is a perfect time to use Timez Attack for some fun review.
Special Discount Code just for Curriculum Choice Readers! Enjoy a 25% discount when you purchase from Big Brainz. Just enter code ireadcc at checkout
Now for the giveaway! Big Brainz is giving away a Deluxe version of Timez Attack Multiplication and Division – a $59.99 value!!
Homeschooling for over a decade now, Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos with five children. She shares a mixture of free art lessons, recipes and helpful homeschool habits at Hodgepodge. Her husband, Steve, also writes reviews here at Curriculum Choice.
Thank you all for participating in the Harmony Fine Arts Giveaway this week! We had an amazing response to the giveaway. Congratulations to our winners: Kathy and Jenny! Did you miss the review? You should see what all the excitement is about and read my review of Harmony Fine Arts Plans for Music and Art Appreciation. But there’s more – a weekend discount!
Special 25% Discount on Harmony Fine Arts for The Curriculum Choice Readers!
From Barb-Harmony Art Mom:
As a way of thanking you all for your participation in the Harmony Fine Arts Giveaway here on The Curriculum Choice, I would like to extend a special discounted price for ebook versions of my plans. Click over to the Specials Page on Harmony Art Mom blog to read all the details. Barb-Harmony Art Mom explains how to order so that you get the discount, plus how to get started with your Harmony Fine Arts plans.
Regular Price $17.44. Special Discounted price $12.95- A 25% Discount! Grades 1-8 are eligible for the discount.
You are in for a treat at the end. Don’t miss the giveaway!
Dear homeschool parent,
Are you like me? Do you long to enrich your homeschool with studies of composers and artists? Do you wish that someone would just do it all for you? You know, invest the time in research, find the online links, point you to the resources you need? All I really wanted to be able to do was open something up and teach. Have it all right there and not have to pull it all together myself.
It’s done. Yes, really. It’s all done for you. Barb-Harmony Art Mom has created just what you need. She, too, was like us. Here is what Barb has to say about the Harmony Fine Arts (HFA) plans she created:
The idea behind this program came from my own home schooling experience. I was always searching for a plan for picture study and composer study. It seemed simple enough to do myself but I just never did it. I also wanted to use the classical style and Charlotte Mason’s ideas for our art and music. I wanted all the great resources organized in the four-year cycle of history. I wanted it to be flexible and easy to use. I never found what I was searching for so I decided to do it myself!
This is the art and music appreciation program for busy people. We have done all the research and organizing. You are able to open our plan and offer a great program for your children.
As mentioned above, the plans are organized by the four-year cycle of history. They are presented as follows but plans for individual grades are available:
Grammar – Grades 1-4
Logic – Grades 5-8
Rhetoric – Grades 9-12
(First grade plans are a general overview and gentle introduction to composers and artists. Starting with grade 2, the plans work chronologically through the four year history cycle.)
Art Plans:
Offer three options so you can choose what is best for your homeschool.
You can simply choose picture study with links to view all the art online for easy viewing.
You can add in an art appreciation study with short activities.
You can even follow along in certain grades with the formal art program Artistic Pursuits or Drawing with Children or Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad – depending on the grade level.
Depending on which option you choose within the art plans – you can allow for one or two 45-minute art periods per week.
Composer Study:
Choose to study the composers and listen to their music or
Enhance your music study with suggested books
Included: artist and composer notebooking pages, coloring pages of famous art.
How we use Harmony Fine Arts Plans in our home: we adopted Angie and her boys at Petra School’s Wednesday habit of artist and composer study. All this means is that we push back the dishes from lunch. I open up the Harmony Fine Art Plans on my computer. I turn on the music of the composer we are studying. Or I click over to the optional online listening of Classics for Kids. We might work on a notebook page while listening.
Next, depending on the day, I might click over to view artwork of the artist we are studying. We may follow with an artist notebook page or a Draw Squad lesson. This takes 15 to 30 minutes once a week. But building a weekly habit has tuned us all in and made us want more the rest of the week.
“Can we play that again? I really like it.” 14-year-old
Six-year-old whistling along to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony when I turn on the classical music just for listening fun.
Cost: All costs are listed on the order page of the Harmony Fine Arts website. Bundles are available as well as individual year plans. I purchased the Middle School Medieval/Renaissance Plans at the start of this school year for $17.44. A whole year of study for the whole family for less than $20 – one that brings that much learning and enjoyment? What a bargain!
Print or ebook? Harmony Fine Arts Plans are available in both print or ebook format.
In Summary:What I originally intended for my middle-schoolers to study has extended to full blown appreciation for the whole family – all five children.
The artist and composer studies compliment our Tapestry of Grace studies beautifully.
For this mama, using HFA plans is easy. I just click to open the plans, click to print what we might like to compliment our studies, click to print a coloring page for the younger ones.
Not to mention, this type of enrichment is pure delight. It might just be what your homeschool needs too.
“All my music I wrote for God.” ~ J. S. Bach
I shared about our studies on my Hodgepodge site and my friend Kimberly, a pianist and life-long musician, had this to say…
“It warms my heart when I hear children learning about classical music! So many of those composers had such a love for God and were certainly gifted. When you mention Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy, etc. to most children, they have no idea who they are. It’s so sad because these musicians have had such an impact on our world. It’s wonderful that you’re sharing this education with your children!” ~Kimberly
I agree – there is so much history and part of HIS story we can learn from those gifted and Godly. With thanks to Harmony Fine Arts for creating a wonderful tool for just such an education.
Homeschooling for over a decade now, Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos with five children. She shares a mixture of free art lessons, recipes and the practical at Hodgepodge. Her husband, Steve, also shares reviews here at Curriculum Choice.
Do you have one of those too? Yes, I have a tween girl who thrives on creative projects. So when we had a chance to review the New Millenium Girls Creative Writing Bundle by Jan May, I knew it was for us.
What’s included in the bundle? (Each of the following. Each also available for purchase separately):
1. Isabel’s Secret – paperback
“Isabel is a spirited eleven- year-old girl who lives on Angel Ridge Horse Ranch in Colorado. Her Christian motto ever since she was three years old has been: “Winners never quit and quitters never win, for I serve the mighty God that lives deep within!” Isabel and her horse, Starlight, go to girl’s camp, head on a hunt to find out a family secret, all the while taking a large journey in faith.
2. Creative Writing Made Easy Curriculum
Here is just one area this writing course stands out: each lesson has three sections which include 1) learning time 2) writing time and 3) craft time.
Writing space is provided right in the workbook. “On the next page, write the beginning of your story. Try to write at least six sentences…introduce your main character and the problem she must solve.”
12 lessons which teach the basics of creative writing. Great for a beginner or advanced writer.
For grades 3-6
12 week course leads up to the student completing a story and an illustrated cover.
Includes fill-in-the-blank type writing prompts to create and develop a character.
Biblical examples for developing story ideas and choosing a theme (complete with a story web for your daughter to fill in)
“The Bible says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7) He also says that He will never leave us, so we know that we can rely on His strength to help us in our time of need. Make a list of things a person might be afraid of.”
Practical suggestions like “Use every other line when writing your story. It will make it easier when you want to add things in later.”
What impressed me as the teacher about the writing curriculum? As I helped and encouraged my daughter along I was impressed that these smaller lessons were building a habit of writing in a fun way. Building on some concepts she already knew. Introducing new concepts – with the promise of craft time to follow! My daughter had fun with writing. She and I looked forward to our times. It was ready-made mother/daughter time! But there were also days that she quietly went off and spent an afternoon writing, creating and crafting.
3. Paper Doll and Craft Book
Includes Isabel paper doll on the cover, two princess paper dolls inside, paper doll stands on back cover, 16 pages of clothes for Isabel, 16 pages of clothes for the princess (casual, evening, party, riding wear as well as hair styles), two horses and riders, How to Build Isabel’s Bedroom instruction pages.
“This curriculum can be used in your homeschool or with a group. It’s also a super summer project. It can be celebrated at the end of the course with a tea party and fashion show with the outfits the girls made for their paper dolls.”
The paper dolls made for hours of cutting, decorating and simple play time.
What did we enjoy about this writing bundle? The craftiness, of course. Paper dolls. The creative writing aspect. Developing characters, building confidence in writing skills.
What I love, as a parent, is the fun my daughter has and the Biblical foundation throughout these products.
What ages? Designed for ages: 8-12 and/or grades 3-6
Isabel’s Secret: $7.95 ~ ebook special $2.99 and also available for Kindle
Creative Writing Made Easy workbook: currently 20% for $ 13.56 ~ available for download for $7.96
Paper Doll and Craft Book: $13.56
From New Millennium Girls:
Get all three New Millennium Girl books in a bundle for $29.95 plus free shipping (through March 21st) in continental U.S. Click here.
Cool Stuff for Boys include a Revolutionary War lapbook. Plus, coming soon, Battle Cry Writing Book for Boys.
Wonderful Homeschool Writing Books and Chapter Books for Girls that Inspire Faith. Writing Books for Boys that keep them coming back for more!
“Encouraging Christian faith in the next generation” plus just good ol’ crafting fun.
“What is a New Millennium Girl? She is an ordinary girl with faith in an extraordinary God, growing up in this New Millennium. Like Joshua and Caleb, she chooses to see that God is bigger than any giants she has to face. She is mighty in spirit, part of the Joshua generation, a New Millennium Girl.
It is both a privilege and challenge to raise daughters of righteousness in this world. My prayer is that the Lord will use this curriculum to inspire daughters for His glory.” ~ author, Jan May
Free Shipping on the full writing bundle! For one week only, when you order the full bundle, you will receive free shipping on your purchase. This offer good through March 21st only.
Now for the giveaway! Jan May, author of the New Milennium Girls series is offering a spring bundle to one of our readers. The bundle includes all three books shown in the pictured and listed above. A $29.95 value!
Tricia has been homeschooling for over a decade now. She faces a daily dose of chaos balancing the needs of five children from preschool to middle school (and playing educational games) at Hodgepodge.
Here at The Curriculum Choice we are grateful to you, our readers. Today we are sending a special thank you to our top ten referrers for February. We appreciate your support!
Pinterest – Thank you for pinning our reviews! Did you know you can follow The Curriculum Choice on Pinterest? It is a visual of all our our review categories, plus more inspirational, educational pins from our readers.
You are in for a treat! Not only are we offering a giveaway but you have nine more chances to win at the sites we are teaming up with… We are all about adding in the joy of art in our homeschool. And what a fun way to view beautiful pieces of art – holding copies of them right in your hand. Playing a game? Even better! As a parent, I am very impressed with the quality of Art Ditto by Birdcage Press. The children are very impressed with the fun factor.
For ages 4 and up (all my children enjoyed it – from age 4 up to 14):
Brilliantly-colored cards. Glossy and thick – will stand the test of my rough and tumble household.
Simple memory game with benefit of learning famous pieces of art.
Includes 48 tiles – so younger ones can play with just a few and older children can be challenged by using the whole set.
Easy enough for children to play independently.
For a more advanced way of playing – pretend your are an art collector:
Eight (8) art collecting cards that show details on one side and full paintings on the other.
Cards include names of famous artists (hooray! A supplement to our homeschool studies).
Find the matching tiles and collect them on the cards.
The cards give a visual of how different artists depict birds, boats, cats, flowers, horses and more.
Need even more of a challenge? Learn words in 4 languages.
You might be interested to know:
Art Ditto won the Creative Child Game of the Year Award as well as the Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.
You can browse all the Birdcage Press art products here.
Conclusion: Playing Art Ditto over and over makes us interested in all the other products from Bird Cage press. Click over to their site for more detail and to browse other games in the art category. We loved Art Ditto so much that we ordered Go Fish for Renaissance Artists to compliment our Tapestry of Grace studies.
Happy faces! Play memory games! Collect your favorite art! And as a homeschool parent, enjoy a high-quality, educational resource for your homeschool.
*Special shipping discount code on all orders: IN12 is good until 3/31/12
Please note: I received this Art Ditto game in exchange for a review. I always give my honest opinion and love to share our family’s experiences when reviewing a product.
Now for the giveaway! The giveaway will only run through Sunday, February 26th. The winner will be announced Monday, the 27th. Birdcage Press is kindly offering one (1) Art Ditto game to our readers.
More Chances to Win! The Curriculum Choice is joining with these wonderful sites in reviewing Birdcage Press products. Be sure to visit each blog to find out about more of these great resources. Plus enter to win a different game or product at each site!
Spell Outloud — Choice of Egyptian Art Cards or Battle Cards-Military Jets
Finding Joy — Choice of Wild Cards – North American Birds or Art Ditto Game.
Jimmie’s Collage –Choice of Impressionist or Renaissance Art Game
The Traveling Praters — Choice of Go Fish for Van Gogh and Friends or 52 Amazing Places-National Parks Get Along Home — Choice of Wild Cards, Backyard Birds or Renaissance Art Game
Tricia has been homeschooling for over a decade now. She faces a daily dose of chaos balancing the needs of five children from preschool to middle school (and playing educational games) at Hodgepodge.
“Let them once get in touch with Nature, and a habit it formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” – Charlotte Mason
My family and I were privileged to enjoy this Easter study last year. We plan to enjoy parts of it again this Easter.
You can focus on the Easter story over the course of a week, a month or longer – using this ebook study in the way that best suits your family. Authors Cindy West and Melissa Leach say, “Our hope is that you will read a selection from the Bible…then get outside to find sweet signs of the Author.”
Included are:
Bible references for the Easter story
Hymn list for the Easter season
Nature ideas/walks organized to compliment:
Palm Sunday
Sweet Fragrances
The Passover
Mount of Olives
Black Friday
Burial
Resurrection
Traditional Easter Studies
Within each section above, the following is included:
Suggested books to accompany the topic study.
Ideas and suggestions for nature study. (For example, while studying the mount of olives it is suggested you go on a hike over a hill. On a scavenger hunt based on the jelly bean prayer – you and your children spend time finding something in nature to represent all the colors mentioned in the prayer.)
A notebooking or sketching page to complete a follow up activity.
Bonus features:
Where to Study Nature: offering encouragement for those living in cities to find parks plus simple ‘get out in your own backyard’ motivation.
Gearing up and Being Safe: From using common sense and having a healthy fear to ‘leaves of three let them be’ and a list of suggested backpack gear.
As a teacher I found this Easter Nature Study through the holidays to be easy to reference and use right then. All the ideas were compiled for me in one spot. The notebooking pages – I only had to print out. All I needed to do was add some books – and for the children to catch my enthusiasm.
Easter Nature Study Through the Holidays is a mini unit study available for $5.00. Visit Shining Dawn Books to learn more about any of the full-length nature studies.
Nature Study Through the Holidays Easter Mini Unit is 32 pages with seven full-color notebooking pages.
You can view a sample of this ebook at Shining Dawn books here.
A seasonal unit study such as this is a refreshing change up in routine for us. This mini book of nature studies for Easter helped us hone our senses, prompted us to get outside – and opened our eyes to His love for us!
What better way to welcome the Easter season?
Now for the giveaway!! Cindy West, owner of Shining Dawn Books and review author here at The Curriculum Choice has kindly offered five (5) copies of her ebook to give away!!
~Tricia has been homeschooling for over a decade. She faces a daily dose of chaos teaching five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.
Here at The Curriculum Choice we are grateful to you, our readers. Today we are sending a special thank you to our top ten referrers for January. We appreciate your support!
“When I see the monarch butterfly I’m reminded that there is a God…There’s no way a monarch butterfly could happen by random chance.” ~ Jules H. Poirier, Creation Scientist
Pointing to the Creator: I was struck with the incredible detail of the monarch butterfly, the exquisite design. The beauty of the Creator’s plan. Just one example of His plan is the beautiful image, above, of the milkweed plant. Crowe’s Nest explains that the journey of the monarch coincides with spring and the emergence of milkweed.
“Are you ever simply amazed at God’s goodness? Down to the very last detail. Everything. So beautiful. So purposeful and so orderly.” ~Samuel Crowe
Seeking to learn from experts: What better way to learn than from those who have devoted their life’s work to learning all they can about the monarch butterfly? Taylor, Samuel and Grace visit with Destiny Phillips who teaches the Crowe children how to find monarch eggs in a field of milkweed and other nectar sources. Ms. Phillips also:
takes the Crowe children on a field trip to the nature center where she raises hundreds of butterflies.
shows viewers how to tag monarchs and participate in monarch watch via University of Kansas.
points out the differences in male and female monarchs.
The Crowe children also include the viewers on a visit with Mr. Poirier – a Creation Scientist, author and musician. From the Crowe’s Nest Media site: “87-year-young Mr. Poirier is such a delight! With a career that includes designing the radal pulse altimeter used in the Apollo 11 moon missions, Mr. Poirier’s fascination of the monarch’s incredible navigational ability led him to do extensive research, writing several books about the amazing monarch!”
Teaching with beautiful video: the quality of the filming is impressive. We stopped the time lapse of the life cycle several times because we were simply amazed at what we saw! “Would you like to see a magnified view of the butterfly emerging?” ~Samuel Crowe
Music that praises the Father: This is My Father’s World, other hymns and classical music play gently in the background.
Fun Facts: Animated Professor Solomon, the Owl, pops in for a visit throughout the DVD, sharing the wisdom of God’s design plus simply amazing facts about the monarch butterfly. He often uses his ‘Owlvision’ TV screen to teach.
Humor! We enjoyed the clever choice of sound effects throughout. Samuel’s description of his ‘famed’ monarch netting is fun – complete with slow motion.
A homeschool unit study! You can build an entire unit study around the Life and Journey of the Amazing Monarch Butterfly DVD – right in your own backyard! Watch the DVD several times to learn not only the life cycle of the butterfly but migration, all about the milkweed plant, raising butterflies, netting and more.
“God designed the monarch to have four distinct stages of life.” ~ Taylor Crowe
Inspiration: You might even be inspired to raise monarchs. You can learn how in the bonus features of the DVD. You may even wish to create an environment in your own backyard to welcome butterflies. A backyard butterfly haven!
See what all we learned and enjoyed? Just a sampling of what is included:
Time elapse of caterpillar hatching from egg
Experts showing how to find monarch eggs and caterpillars – which plants to search and how to look on the underneath of leaves
How to net and gently hold butterflies. Plus a fun instant replay of Samuel netting a monarch!
Differences and comparison between butterflies who mimic monarch butterflies
The complete life cycle of a butterfly
Tips for tagging with 1, 2, 3 steps
After watching the DVD, my children and I were excited. They asked if we could do a study of the life cycle of the butterfly again. My daughter found paper and pencil and sketched a butterfly right then!
Here are just a few reactions from my children while we enjoyed Your Backyard: DVD
“Oh my! That’s awesome!” ~ 14-year-old
“The butterfly’s heart reforms, Mama!” ~ nine-year-old
“Mama! It turned into a butterfly!” ~ four-year-old
We decided we’d like Crowe’s Nest Media shirts like the Crowe children wear in the DVD!
We then enjoyed the nearly 45 minutes of bonus features, including:
How to raise monarchs
Ordering tags
Mr. Jules Poirier’s testimony
Behind the scenes
About the bottom shelf
Professor Solomon’s quiz
Your Backyard Trailer
This is My Father’s World
Bloopers
In summary, I am grateful to Crowe’s Nest Media for finding, researching and pointing out how much there is to learn about the monarch butterfly. This God-honoring production left us excited to learn more, smiling at a family enjoying working together and teaching, and thankful to a God who designs the heavens and the earth.
Crowe’s Nest Media is a family venture. The Crowe family created, edited, animated, starred in and produced this DVD. They are offering more exciting details for you!
Crowe’s Nest Media is offering The Curriculum Choice readers, not only a giveaway of a DVD but a discount code when you order.
A companion, downloadable, study guide will be released. If you purchase the DVD now, you will receive a discount code for the study guide. (So you can easily enjoy that unit study!) The study guide will include the following: content review, discussion questions, fill- in-the-blank questions, true & false questions, diagrams to label, opportunities to draw, essay questions, copy work selections, copy work pages for various ages, coloring pages, and opportunities for further study. In addition, the study guide will provide note-booking pages for various levels so that children will be able to create a “monarch” keepsake notebook.
Special Offer!! You can purchase Your Backyard: The Life and Journey of the Amazing Monarch DVD from Crowe’s Nest Media now for $19.95. Crowe’s Nest Media is offering Curriculum Choice readers a coupon code that will entitle you to the FREE DOWNLOAD of the study guide just as soon as it is complete. This coupon code will also give you $1 off your DVD purchase. The below coupon code is good until Friday, February 3rd:
Just use Coupon CodeCurriculumChoice at check out.
Please note: I received this DVD and the giveaway copy in exchange for a review. I always give my honest opinion and love to share our family’s experiences when reviewing a product. I also will receive a small affiliate commission if you purchase the DVD using the coupon code listed above.
Won’t you join Taylor, Samuel and Grace on another learning adventure? We did! “Be encouraged by the amazing displays of our Creator…It’s an incredible journey of discovery, all right. And we’re especially glad you are coming along with us.”
The Curriculum Choice is joining in with these great blogs, listed below, in offering a giveaway of Your Backyard DVD. You will want to visit each site and enter for a chance to win a Crowe’s Nest Media Monarch DVD!
~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.
Saturday morning. Big stack of hot pancakes on your plate. You pour maple syrup and pick up your fork. Ever wonder how that maple syrup is made? We did! And we learned the process from the Moore family on their newest DVD.
This charming DVD, More Than Making Maple Syrup, is produced by the Moore family. The Moores are a Christian, homeschooling family of twelve from the hills of Virginia. All family members play a role in the DVD – either in production or starring in the film. More than Making Maple Syrup is a delight. Beautiful Virginia mountain scenery, a family enjoying working together and one star of a two-year-old making pancakes – all on his own! The DVD features how to make maple syrup in 7 simple steps:
Selecting your trees
Choosing and cleaning your equipment
Tapping the trees
Collecting the sap
Making the syrup
Removing the taps from your trees
Enjoying your syrup
Plus we learned:
The types of maple trees.
How many taps you can place on a certain size of maple tree.
What time of year maple syrup can be harvested, the best temperatures for sap collection.
The boiling and canning process
and enjoyed:
Cuteness. “My favorite was when the two-year-old made pancakes!” ~ my nine-year-old
Children honoring their parents with “yes, sir” and “yes, ma’am”
All shared giving God the glory. Quoted at the end of the video: Psalm 128 says, God blesses everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
“Whether you want to learn how to make maple syrup, or you just want to enjoy some wholesome laughter as a family of 12 unites to accomplish a job together, we invite you to join the Moore Family in one of their favorite harvests of the year… tapping Maple trees and making Maple syrup!”
More than Making Maple Syrup is available now for $15.95 on DVD from the Moore family, just in time for tapping season in February. Visit their site, Moore Family Films.
Making maple syrup is… “pretty simple! Whether you go out and tap your own trees and make your own or just have a new appreciation for the syrup… Until next time we hope you and your family get out there and enjoy God’s wonderful creation in your neck of the woods!”
Special thanks to Crowe’s Nest Media for introducing us to the Moore family. Kellie Crowe says, “Not only will your family learn how to make maple syrup, they’ll learn how to better love one another, simply by watching the precious interaction of this encouraging family. We’re always encouraged by every production of Moore Family Films!”
We sure enjoyed this seasonal study of maple trees, tapping, making maple syrup and more! Truly this DVD is more than Making Maple Syrup. It’s a unit study by itself or a jumping off place for further study.
Now for the giveaway! The Moore family is offering one DVD copy of More Than Making Maple Syrup, available HERE, to The Curriculum Choice readers. The rules are as follows:
~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.
School Quality StethoscopeNow children can hear the lub-dubs of their heartbeats and the gurgles in their stomachs. This sturdy working stethoscope brings a science lesson or l... Read More >
We’ve enjoyed Timez Attack by the Big Brainz company in our homeschool for several years now. These fun, multiplication games were recommended to us by my friends and fellow homeschool moms. It’s one of those resources we turn to when we know we need a little boost in multiplication practice. And, wow, how Timez Attack has improved since we first learned about it. See, we’d tucked it away because there was some space there between our older children and our middle girl. But now, she’s the one that needs that encouragement in times table memorization and division practice.
But guess what else? Timez Attack now offers addition and subtraction practice, so rising 1st grader got in on the mix as well. At the start, your child practices finding the numbers on the keyboard, chooses a boy or girl player and takes a pre-test to determine skill level. What impressed me most about this offering is that the game slows down when a child misses a certain problems. I watched as Timez Addition drilled my daughter in 2 + 1 = 3 then 3 – 2 = 1.
Some things I bet you didn’t know:
Cost:
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