The Creation Children’s Book

 Art, Bible, Elementary, Fine Arts, Home Economics, Preschool, Reading  No Responses »
May 232012
 

The Creation is a lovely hardback children’s book telling the story of Creation in the Bible. I suppose there are numerous children’s books on Creation out there but this book has something different…

Sam's Noggin

…each day of The Creation is illustrated by way of hand-appliqued quilt illustrations!

Sam's Noggin

Author Janice Green has done a fabulous job of retelling the account of Creation in her book; each page is truly a work of art. At the end of each page, or day of Creation, there are discussion questions, as well as the corresponding Bible verses noted.

Another welcome addition to this book is the Bible quilt activity you will find at the end. This is something I would love to do with my children!

This book was a pleasant surprise for me, and if you have younger children in your home, or any age that loves a beautiful book, you will want to pick this one up!

Price: You can find The Creation at Amazon for $11.69.

Samantha is a Christian homeschooling mom of six, married to Rick, her high school sweetheart. She is interested in Bible study, photography, exercise, organizing, and sweet tea. You can find Samantha blogging at Sam’s Noggin.

Horizons Math

 Elementary, Mathematics, Middle School  12 Responses »
May 212012
 

We have really struggled with math in our homeschool. I think that it is partly because math just isn’t our strongest subject. For a few of my children it is also from not learning certain concepts thoroughly in public school.

Because of these things we have also struggled to find the right math curriculum.

We have recently gone back to the math we started with – Horizons Math. I think leaving it the first time was because of the number of children needing one-on-one help. I wish we had stuck with it!

We have been using Horizons for a few months now and the children are doing really well with the spiral approach in math.

Sam’s Noggin

Horizons Math covers much in each level. It also covers some concepts like beginning algebra sooner than in other programs we have tried. The good news is that these concepts won’t be scary later on, as they are introduced very gently.

Horizons is a bit advanced, so we are not using per the grade level our students are in necessarily. They would have been further if we hadn’t tried other curricula but we live and learn I suppose.

Kindergarten level

Sam's Noggin

I rarely have to use the teacher’s manual because Horizons does a great job at self-teaching with examples and brief explanations. The lessons themselves are in-depth and cover new concepts as well as reviewing things previously learned. I know my children forget concepts without the spiral approach, so this is a great fit for us.

Sam's Noggin

Pros:

  • Spiral approach works for our family.
  • The workbooks aren’t overly busy, with enough color to make them friendly.
  • Teacher involvement is low – I have only needed to reinforce a few concepts on the board.
  • Thorough – you won’t wonder if your child is getting enough.
  • Covers time and measurement.

Cons:

  • I would love to see the price drop a little. {I feel the full kit with teacher manual is needed for most levels but can run up to $80 without a sale.}
  • Some lessons are a little long, I mark out sections my children can skip.

Horizons Math is the strongest math curriculum we have used. See the scope and sequence, starting on page 5. Timberdoodle has a sample of each level.

I suggest using the placement test before jumping in to buy a level.

~Written by Sam of Sam’s Noggin.

Improving Thinking Skills with Mind Benders

 High School, Logic, Middle School  1 Response »
May 182012
 

We did a product review some time back and part of the suggested items for doing that review was Mind Benders. I had never heard of them but the curriculum said they were “highly recommended” and that they had actually tried removing them from the curriculum but received so many complaints that they put them back in! With that information I immediately had to get them, of course. *grin*

There are three sets of books: A (1-4) for Grades 3 – 6, B (1-4) for Grades 7 – 12+ and C (1-3) also for Grades 7 – 12+. Each book normally costs $9.99 but they are currently (as of the time of this writing) on sale for $6.99 each! (Or you can get lucky, like me, and find them for sale on a used curriculum site for a bit less as a bundle.) The set I found consisted of ALL the sets of books including the Instructions and Detailed Solutions book and the Warm Up book. In the introduction of the book the levels are considered “Easy”, “Medium” and “Hard”. Each “A” book consists of 15 mind benders while the “B” & “C” books each have 14. (There are books available for younger students as well, but that is not covered in this review.)

From their website:

Mind Benders®, our best-selling deductive thinking puzzles, develop the logic, reading comprehension, and mental organization skills vital to achieving high grades and top test scores in all subjects. They’re also great for developing real-life, problem solving skills.

Your student will carefully analyze each Mind Benders® story and its clues, identifying logical associations between people, places, and things. The key is to start with the most obvious associations, then deduce less obvious associations until everything finally fits together.

Apparently a large part of the reason one would use Mind Benders is to help increase thinking skills for standardized tests but quite honestly, we just simply enjoyed them because they were so much fun! We too, like the others mentioned in the very beginning of this post, LOOKED FORWARD to when it was time to work on more Mind Benders. I can’t explain why they are so much fun, but they are! When we first started doing them we were totally clueless (thank goodness the answers are provided!) but once we started seeing how it worked, we started figuring out the answers on our own. And then, my son and I started having competitions to see who could get the answers first!

Here are a couple pictures of our books. The first one shows A1 at the top, B1 in the middle and C1 at the bottom – this shows you a little bit of the difference of complexity from A to C.

So, you read the information on the left and use the chart on the right to help figure out the answer to each problem. Click HERE to see an up close example (then click “Click to Look Inside”).

The following picture is of the covers of our current editions (as I understand it, they are older editions):

Something the person we bought our used set from included with our set were laminated blank charts – EXCELLENT IDEA! We use an erasable marker so we can wipe it off and then we can use them over and over and over (and can change something in the middle of a problem, if necessary). You can tell from the picture below that they have been well used! *grin*

We have GREATLY enjoyed working with Mind Benders, and have been very satisfied with the change in our thinking skills! We would HIGHLY RECOMMEND these to everyone ~ as we all need to increase our logic, reading comprehension, and mental organization skills.

Here’s praying you have fun learning!

Come visit Dawn over at her blog, Guiding Light Homeschool, on Facebook and on Twitter…friends are ALWAYS welcome!

Evan-Moor’s Building Spelling Skills – 2nd grade

 Age, Elementary, Language Arts, Spelling  1 Response »
May 162012
 

When my daughter was a second grader, she loved to write and create her own sentences and little stories. I was so pleased that she liked to write but not pleased with the number of misspelled words! I didn’t want to correct each word, as that would affect her free thinking writing attempts. So I consulted with the staff at our local teaching supplies store and the homeschoolers in my group. They all agreed that correcting each mistake was unnecessary and that the spelling skills would come over time with practice. When I found Evan Moor’s Building Spelling Skills – Grade 2, I knew I had found what we needed! Easy to use and fun spelling practice for my daughter.

Features of BUILDING SPELLING SKILLS – Grade 2:

  • A well set out program, which meets state standards. Each lesson includes 10 spelling words and room to add two more.
  • Spelling words are based on the 200 most commonly used words in the English language and the words frequently misspelled by second graders.
  • They are printed in large font with black and white illustrations.
  • Lessons are centered around common phonetic elements – easier to learn!

Each  lesson in BUILDING SPELLING SKILLS includes the following activities:

  • Visual Memory Shape Activity, using the shapes of the letters to make a puzzle.
  • Spell Vowel Sounds  - Practice  with the sounds/vowels.
  • Word Study – Cut and glue activities.

The activities in this book are repeated in a predictable sequence. This helped my daughter to feel mastery and to work independently. All I needed to do was to remind her when it was spelling time, give spelling tests and to reinforce her work! We used stickers and a chart for rewards. My daughter would chose her own stickers at the local store. Friday was sticker day – after the spelling test! She loved Fridays. With time, my daughter became a good speller. She began to integrate her knowledge of English (from her reading), with the spelling skills (from SPELLING SKILLS – grade 2). Gradually there were more correctly spelled words in her writing! And this learning happened naturally. There are many good spelling programs out there but for my family, we liked BUILDING SPELLING SKILLS.

For more information, please go to www.evan-moor.com

Building Spelling Skills curriculum is available for grades 1 to 6.

Here’s to equipping the next generation with the skills to become excellent writers!

~Betsy lives near Puget Sound with her husband of 29 years, and her teen daughter. As a waldorf-inspired homeschooler, she loves using art with academics. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, writing, and being out in nature. She also offers consulting to families who would like some support for their homeschool journey.  To reach Betsy just send a message to Jane Sproger on Facebook.

 

Timez Attack Multiplication and More by Big Brainz

 Age, Elementary, Mathematics, Middle School, Online  46 Responses »
May 142012
 

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

How to find out even more:

 

Cost:

  • 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!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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.

Charlotte Mason, You’d Love This Notebooking Resource!

 Age, Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Handwriting, High School, Language Arts, Middle School, Organization, Writing  1 Response »
May 112012
 

I think the favored 19th century educator would agree  – this resource is far from ‘twaddle’.

Jimmie over at The Notebooking Fairy has made available an e-book which clearly and concisely explains the art of notebooking.  Not at all new to using this method, I was pleasantly surprised to find my definition of notebooking greatly expanded!

It’s so much more than simple lines on a paper and a drawing, graphic or clipart at the top (or the bottom, or across the page…). Notebooking is not another subject to complete, nor does it need to be done everyday.

The author describes it as “a way to integrate subject areas and a way of teaching and learning.” Incredibly versatile, having children keep a notebook of learning experiences is an excellent way to cement the knowledge gained!

Notebooking Success will equip parents with:
  • Seven solid reasons why notebooking is fitting for any learning style
  • Step-by-step instructions for creating notebooks
  • General guidelines for implementing at each grade level from 1st to 12th
  • Three notebooking pitfalls to avoid
  • Using notebooks with Charlotte Mason, Classical and Textbook styles
  • Extra resources :: 50 different things that can be kept in a notebook (organized by grade level), links to notebooking pages and more!

lang arts notebook

 {photo credit}

My favorite part of the this e-book resource was the instruction and encouragement on teaching children organizational skills by using notebooking.  While this seems obvious to me now, I hadn’t considered the critical thinking skills my children were gaining by putting their notebooks together — this section is worth a read!

Reasonably priced for homeschool budgets, Notebooking Success is a valuable resource, an excellent addition to any parent’s list of homeschooling guides and helps.

Highly recommended!

~ Written by Daniele of Domestic Serenity

Journibles

 Bible, High School, Highschool, Language Arts, Middle School  No Responses »
May 092012
 

I have been using a fabulous Bible study tool called Journibles, The 17:18 Series. I have used it as a springboard for really digging into a Bible book and studying it deeply.

I wanted to share it here because I think that it could also work well for your high school students as part of their Bible study, and plan to have my son, who will begin his high school studies this fall choose a Journible of his own.

What is Journibles?

Sam's Noggin

It’s pretty simple-it is a book that has lightly written guides- to help you write the Scriptures as scribes once did. The mind behind this tool comes from the Bible:

And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. Deuteronomy 17:18

Sam's Noggin

I love taking my time to write the Scriptures out- writing them is much slower than I would normally read, and I pick up so much more. I also feel the Scriptures that I write absorb in my mind, they feel more familiar when I go back and read again.

Journibles is a fabulous learning tool. All the pages to write are on the right hand side, with the left hand side reserved for notes, and a few prompts that you might like to use to help your study.

Sam's Noggin

Journibles are hardbound books, with sewn bindings and thick premium paper. They are meant to deepen your Bible knowledge as well as to leave a legacy.

You can learn more about Journibles from their website, and you can purchase available titles there as well. I purchased my copy from Amazon in January, but at the writing of this post the sale at Reformation Heritage Books is a better deal. You can find each title for under $13.00.

My only personal suggestion is to use my favorite pen, Frixion from Pilot. That way, if you make a mistake, you can easily erase it with friction. I use these pens for all of my homeschool planning as well.

Go for the Gold with Olympic Games!

 Age, Bible, Elementary, Geography, Handwriting, History, History & Geography, Language Arts, Middle School, Reading, Vocabulary, Writing  No Responses »
May 072012
 

Is your family looking forward to the Olympic Games this summer? My children are already talking about which events they hope to catch on TV. (My secret hope is that the stations show more sports coverage and less chit-chat, but that’s just me.) Even if Olympics fever hasn’t yet hit your house, now is a great time for Olympic Games: A Study of the Olympic Games from Ancient Times to the Present, by Charlene Notgrass and Mary Evelyn McCurdy.

Available from home education publisher the Notgrass Company, this study provides 40 lessons on Olympic history, sports education, and notable athletes. Each lesson contains some sort of written or artistic response, including creative writing, sports vocabulary, mapwork, and puzzles. The puzzles are particularly intriguing and comprise missing letter, crossword, word search, acrostic, and word scramble varieties.

Moreover, the lessons encompass a wide variety of subjects, such as Bible study, world history, geography, and language arts. I was especially impressed with the scriptural tie-ins. For example, in the section on archery, the directions read: “The Bible often speaks of bows and arrows. One passage is Psalm 127:4. Copy it on these lines. . . . Read about King David, his friend Jonathan, and what they did with arrows in 1 Samuel 20.”

The artwork is another highlight. More than mere afterthoughts, the photographs are fascinating and pertinent to the text. Vivid color photographs of events and places of interest, as well as historical black and white photos of people and places, such as Wilma Rudolph crossing the finish line in first place, are integral to the study.

Olympic Games is officially for ages 7-14, and the activities are designed for this age group. But the subject matter, related in a well-written style, is engrossing enough for older students and even adults. I myself enjoyed reading the lessons, especially those covering an Olympic timeline.

This fun and engaging study is available as both an Ebook and a spiral-bound consumable workbook; I reviewed the latter. The high quality and reasonable price makes Olympic Games an excellent value. What’s more, it would be a fantastic accompaniment to your 2012 London Games viewing!

Written by Ellen of The Blue Stocking Belle

Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics (IEW)

 Classical, High School, Language Arts, Literature, Middle School, Writing  No Responses »
May 022012
 

Wondering what your student can do with all those

wonderful writing skills they learn using IEW in the younger years?

 

The IEW system is a complete writing system that homeschooling families can build on from year to year. If your family has worked through the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style course and your older student is now looking for ways to use apply their skills to other subjects, the Excellence in Literature Content Guide for Self-Directed Study series by Janice Campbell is the perfect way to connect great literature and great writing. There are two books to choose from: American or British Literature. You can download a sample of the American Literature guide from the IEW website and also one for the British Literature guide.

These courses are written directly to the student and not the parent, allowing the student to build time management skills and allowing a measure of freedom. The author says that these courses will introduce “literary reading”, where the student learns to read with discernment.

Video introduction from the IEW website

We are just finishing the American Literature course which features nine different authors, offered in chronological order by literature movement. Each book is introduced by giving background to the author and the time period along with suggested follow-up topics to write about.  The background links and resources are a rich mix of primary sources, biographies, art, music, and additional context material in written, audio, and video formats.  The background research before reading the book is fundamental to this literature/writing course and will give the student a more three-dimensional view of the literary selection.

Points to Consider

  • Targeted to students in grades 8-11 (My 16-year-old son used this as part of our 12th grade curriculum.)
  • Units include suggested additional honors texts and links.
  • Provides models, tips for general study skills, additional writing helps, sample writing pieces, and grading rubrics.
  • We found it necessary to have a copy of the course book and the literature selections for highlighting and notes.
  • The guide does not give a daily reading plan for each book. I assigned one week for background work, one week for reading the book, and two weeks for writing, as suggested by the author.
  • There is usually more than one suggested writing topic.
  • $29.00 – My son kept notes and thoughts in his book so I would suggest that each student have their own course book.

This IEW product was a success in our family and we will be moving on to British Literature next year.

Notes and Information Can Be Written in the Book

I love that we can take the pattern from this literature guide and apply it to future books.

  1. Complete background information through internet research into the author and time period.
  2. Read the book with a writing topic in mind, keeping notes as you read.
  3. Follow up with a formal writing piece using the topics or ideas from the assignments in the course.

You may be interested in my other Institute for Excellence in Writing product reviews:

 

Written by Barb-Harmony Art Mom. I blog at Harmony Art Mom and am the creator of Harmony Fine Arts. I would love for you to join us for the Outdoor Hour Challenges at the Handbook of Nature Study.

Lynda.com Online Training Library

 Electives, High School, Middle School, Online, Science & Technology, Technology  No Responses »
Apr 302012
 

As part of our 10 Days of Lasagna Learning: Teaching Multiple Ages at Hodgepodge, I shared a post called Technology for All Ages. A few readers were particularly interested in a resource I mentioned called Lynda.com, so I thought I would share a little more here. Lynda.com is a subscription online training library. For $25.00 monthly, over one thousand courses can be viewed online.

This introductory video explains how Lynda.com works.

There are classes from beginners to experts. You can pause, rewind, view one tutorial at a time or view an entire course in one area.

Lynda.com training covers a variety of topics, including:

  • Photography
  • Photoshop
  • Home Computing
  • Web + Interactive
  • 3D + Animation
  • Developer                                                     
  • Audio
  • Video
  • Business
  • Microsoft
  • Apple
  • Avid
  • Adobe
  • Dreamweaver
  • ActionScript
  • Final Cut Pro

Learn C on the Mac supplementing Lynda.com Objective C course

Our eldest son is using the Lynda.com library to learn computer programming.  The courses are engaging, and the lecturers really know their topics. One of the best things about Lynda.com is that 10% of the training catalog is available free.  You can truly “try before you buy”. There is no long-term commitment, you may cancel the subscription at any time.

You might want to check out:

Thanks to our friends at Crowe’s Nest Media for pointing us to this great resource. We look forward to many hours of online training and instruction from Lynda.com.

~Steve keeps busy with five children and a job in information security. He has a second job as principal of the Hodgepodge homeschool and also writes for Habits for a Happy Home and Passionate Purposeful Parenting. You can find more of his technology reviews here at Curriculum Choice.

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