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

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

Sing, Spell, Read and Write

 Age, Grammar, Handwriting, Preschool, Reading, Spelling, Vocabulary  2 Responses »
Mar 072012
 

Sing, Spell, Read and Write is a curriculum that I had the joy of being introduced to in the very beginning of our homeschooling adventure. Now, I am in the trenches of this program with my second child. This child learns 100% differently than my first and I am beaming at his success with reading and writing.

What type of program is this and how is it set apart from the others? Let me explain. Sing, Spell, Read and Write (SSRW) is a multi-sensory, song-singing, game-playing, colorful and very creative program. The curriculum focuses on the language as a whole while making learning exiting and fun. SSRW covers:

  • Grammar
  • Spelling
  • Reading
  • Vocabulary
  • Handwriting

The teacher’s manual details how each lesson should go and gives an estimate of how much time should be dedicated to that lesson. The author, Sue Dickson, has systematically laid out the various objectives for each lesson. Some of the lessons may take two days, others may take up to nine days.
The kindergarten curriculum is based on a train track. Each lesson is a section of the track and at the end the child will have completed the curriculum and is on his/her way to reading and writing!

I love the colorful books that are included in this set and the fun ways that the author teaches the child how to form the letters. There are two books in the kindergarten curriculum along with fun songs that teach short vowels, sounding out words and many other phonetic rules.

The first grade curriculum is a racetrack. As the introduction song goes,

“I’m going 36 miles so I can learn how to read, 36 lessons are just what I need, 36 spots to read, write and spell. So everyone rejoice I’ll soon be reading so well!”

My children run madly around in a circle pretending to be race cars each time this song comes on. Thankfully, the next song that goes through each letter sound a-z calms them back down! There are two books in the first grade curriculum as well.

I truly believe this is one of the most thorough and enriching ways to learn to read, write and spell. The first book has each letter broken up into four pages. For example, learning letter “c”, the child would color a cat, next page practice both lower and uppercase c, then there is a cut and paste page where they need to decipher whether or not that picture begins with the “c” sound and finally, a dot to dot.

The first book takes around a month to complete, while the second book, will take much longer. I am thankful that this is not a quick program. When my first child completed step 36, I was a few days away from having our fourth child and I could have cried. We had been diligently working for the past 10 months and had covered everything from the short vowel sounds, long vowels, silent k, l, g, g, h to reading comprehension and everything in between.

My son finished the racetrack a very confident reader, speller, and writer. He took his confidence to the library checking out more books than I can count and reading them to himself any opportunity he had.

My second son, is on step 12 as I write this. He is a very kinesthetic learner. He is a very independent child and loves going ahead on his own (which is very possible with mom close by, of course!). The songs grab his attention while the workbook pages change up the rhythm of the lessons so that your child will not become bored. Each lesson is followed up by a game that has a Bingo or a Go Fish theme to it.

My son who cannot sit still long is reading! Oh yes and not only is he reading but enjoys reading. He is comprehending what is read!

The program contains:

  • 17 story books
  • CD and 6 sing along tapes (do people still use cassettes?)
  • a raceway track
  • cars for the track
  • five games
  • a treasure chest of prizes and four books
  • an assessment book

In summary: Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this curriculum. The curriculum is an investment at around $254.00- $306.00. This, however, includes both the kindergarten and first grade programs. You may reuse the resources for each subsequent child after and are able to purchase just the workbooks online for around $9-$14. After seeing how successful my children are learning and have learned to read and write I would pay this amount over and over again. I know others who have followed this program would state the same!

Finally, you can view the materials at Christian Book. Happy reading!

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Letter Writer Oceans App Review

 Apps, Elementary, Handwriting, Phonics, Science & Technology  No Responses »
Feb 272012
 

Both the iPhone and the iPad have become teaching tools. Educational apps abound, with an amazing variety of subjects available. This month, we look at the Language Arts category, with Letter Writer Ocean by Barking Dog Interactive.

Letter Writer Ocean is another engaging title; a game that uses the iOS technology to teach writing. It is geared toward preschoolers who are just beginning to write.  It teaches the correct method of writing the letters of the alphabet. You dive beneath the ocean surface to find the letters floating below.

The object of the game is to “draw” the letters correctly.  The letters float beneath the ocean’s surface, and tapping on a letter causes it to float alone on the screen.  A friendly fish guides your finger to the correct starting point.  As you drag your finger along the letter’s lines, the friendly fish follows your finger–as long as you correctly follow the lines of the letter.

 

After successfully completing a letter, you earn a starfish.  After earning four starfish, a poem about the letter is unlocked.  Tapping an open book on the screen, the app reads the poem about the letter.

There are different animated backgrounds for each letter, with undersea adventures occurring behind every practice letter.

Letter Writer Ocean is a simple app that teaches an important skill.  Our preschoolers love using it.

Enjoy this video of the game.

  • Available from the iTunes store for .99
  • iPhone app which can also be enjoyed on the iPad. “Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.2 or later.”
  • View screen shots at Barking Dog Interactive.
  • You might also like Letter Writer Space, which “does for astronomy and the space program what Oceans does for oceanography.“

~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.

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Draw, Write, Now

 Art, Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts  No Responses »
Jan 092012
 

Draw Write Now handwriting and art program helped my daughter develop her printing skills and have fun while doing it! The series consists of eight books, each with a different theme and all written at the same level. You can start with any of the eight books. I took my daughter to the nearby children’s book store and she chose Book 1 – On the Farm, Kids, Critters. It was full of her favorite animals to draw!

When we opened the book together, we saw that each lesson included a shape or animal to draw and a short story to copy. Each story included facts about the animal or shape, such as “Rabbits eat plants” or “Ducks have webbed feet.” My second grader enjoyed copying down these new facts, and of course, drawing her new animal!

My daughter’s favorites were the sheep and penguin.

Benefits:

  • This program is built on success! Each animal or shape is explained in step-by-step drawings.
  • Explanations are very easy to follow.
  • While drawing, my daughter was developing her fine motor skills! We placed special drawings into frames and, of course, posted on the frig!
  • Draw,Write Now was a good fit for my daughter because she knew how to form each letter but needed a lot of practice in her printing.
  • Drawing also helped my daughter practice following a sequence – which improved her reading skills!

Skill building: As we worked through three of these books, my daughter developed better control of her pencil. Then while copying the sentences, she began to think up her own stories! Soon she was writing down these stories and illustrating them. The following year, she wrote a story about a toucan and illustrated it for a story contest.

  • Draw Write Now is aimed at the first or second grade level.
  • Although we chose from the animal books, Draw Write Now also offers a number of science and social studies topics.
  • Each of the eight books has 64 pages and is non-consumable.
  • Draw, Write, Now also offers lined paper, books to draw in, pencil grips and grasp positioning guides and more on their site.

Below are the eight Draw, Write Now titles:

  • Book 1  On Farm, Kids, Critters
  • Book 2 Columbus, Autumn Harvest, Weather
  • Book 3 North America, Native Americans, Pilgrims
  • Book 4 Polar Regions, Arctic, Antarctic
  • Book 5 U.S, From Sea to Sea
  • Book 6 Animal Habitats, Land, Ponds, Ocean
  • Book 7 Animals of the World, Part 1, Tropical
  • Book 8 Animals, part 2, Savannas, Grasslands

In summary, I would recommend Draw, Write, Now to families with young children who know how to form letters – and want to improve printing skills in a fun and creative way!

For more information, please visit the Draw Write Now site. You might also like Shannon’s review of Draw, Write, Now.

~Written by Betsy, a veteran homeschooler who likes unit studies and offers Homeschool Consulting, as a volunteer, to new and experienced families. She can be reached on her Facebook, at Jane Sproger. 

LightHome Publications Penmanship Books

 Elementary, Handwriting  No Responses »
Dec 092011
 

I like handwriting books.  They make life simple:  Get out the book, turn to the page, write, put the book away.  Repeat until the book is finished.

This year, though, I decided that the shipping and handling on my favorite handwriting book was outrageous.  I refused to do it. What’s a homeschool mama to do?  Download handwriting books instead!

So, I tripped along to Currclick and found an alternative that has made me happy.

A-Z I Like Animals             A-Z Crawly Critters Cursive Penmanship

For handwriting we are using two books from LightHome Publications.  My first grade son is using A-Z I Like Animals and my third grade daughter is using A to Z Crawly Critters Cursive.

I was initially drawn to the animal theme that is part of both books.  The handwriting lessons and the pictures follow the respective animal themes.  My kids have especially enjoyed the coloring pages that accompany each letter.  They are accurate pencil drawings of the animals discussed in the handwriting lesson.

Both books begin with several pages asking students to trace similarly formed letters.  The manuscript book also contains a series of simple mazes at the beginning.  From that point, the letters are ordered alphabetically.  The manuscript book, A-Z I Like Animals, is a tracing curriculum, so students are given letters and sentences to trace.

The cursive curriculum, A-Z Crawly Critters Cursive, on the other hand, provides both a sentence to trace and, below it, space to write the same sentence.   Tracing the letters first has given my children the chance to learn letter formation without pressure.

Because these products were downloaded, I can print as many copies of each page as I need.  If a particular letter gives us trouble, I simply print another page for additional practice.  If everyone wants to color the picture of the yucca moth, I can easily make that happen by pushing a few buttons.  I did print both e-books in their entirety, so that I would have the pages on hand.

I may be done with paper handwriting books forever.  LightHome Publications and Currclick have not only made it easy to practice penmanship, they have alleviated those costly shipping and handling fees!

Susan is homeschooling mama to three:  a third-grader, a first-grader, and a nearly kindergartner.  Their educational philosophy is classical-ish, Charlotte Mason-y, and little bit traditional.  She likes for things to be quality and for them to be simple.

Primary Arts of Language: Writing

 Elementary, Handwriting, Phonics, Spelling, Writing  No Responses »
Nov 302011
 

This review is Part 2.  If you haven’t already read my review of Primary Arts of Language: Reading, please do so before continuing with this post.

Primary Arts of Language: Writing by Jill Pike of Excellence in Writing is the companion program to Primary Arts of Language: Reading.  While the reading program focuses on early phonics and reading skills, the writing program focuses on printing, beginning story writing, copy work and spelling.  Using the two programs combined gives you a complete and thorough language arts curriculum for the K-2nd grade student.

Primary Arts of Language: Writing is divided into three parts.

  • Part 1 introduces your child to printing using correct letter formation and story summaries.  Handwriting is taught in a variety of ways, most importantly through modeling by the parent.  (A DVD-ROM comes with the program which teaches you precisely how to teach your child.)  Letter stories are introduced to your child at the same time they are learning to write the letters to reinforce sounds the letters make.  After handwriting practice, your child gets to listen to simple stories and learn the fundamentals of comprehension through sequencing, and understanding characters, settings, plots and more.
  • Part 2 builds on handwriting fundamentals through copy work and begins spelling lessons using the very popular All About Spelling , Level 1.  (You can read my previous review of All About Spelling here or read Lynn’s review here.)  During copy work times, you will also discuss such things as punctuation and capitals.
  • Part 3 assumes that handwriting is now automatic, spelling is going well and story charting (characters, setting, etc.) is no problem.  If this is the case, your child will move into beginning composition.  These 16 final lessons are meant to ease your child into the basic units of the Institute for Excellence in Writing’s Teaching Writing: Structure and Style methods.  Your child will learn to take notes, summarize from the notes, create a story sequence and write creative stories.

You can certainly choose to move more slowly than the material suggests!  I am using Primary Arts of Language: Reading with my K4 at a slow pace.  My little guy is only ready for some of the handwriting lessons, so that’s all I plan to complete this year.  I’ll probably wait to use the remaining parts of the book until first grade, because I know he won’t be ready for copy work and composition until at least then.

Besides the daily lesson plans, the teacher’s guide also includes a scope and sequence of writing skills covered, several printable posters, charts and templates, and additional tips for teaching writing.  You also receive a DVD-ROM with video instruction on how to teach the lessons, audio seminars from writing teachers and the all-important printable student pages.

Just as the reading program, Primary Arts of Language: Writing is a fantastic program!  The only warning I might give…the reading and writing programs are meant to be used together.  My feeling is that the reading program can be started much earlier than the writing program.  I would be very weary about starting the writing program with a child younger than 1st grade, while the reading program can easily be started as early as K4.

-Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of a high schooler, middle schooler and K4.  You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers studies and other creative curricula at Shining Dawn Books.

Canadian Handwriting Series

 Elementary, Handwriting  4 Responses »
Jun 102011
 

For years we did not use a handwriting program.  Miss 18 learned cursive from Richard Scarry’s big picture books and the handwritten examples I made up for her in a little scribbler.  She was enthusiastic and learned quickly.

My son, on the other hand, was not enthusiastic.  He even had trouble printing.  When I tried to teach him cursive using my own examples, I soon concluded he was not ready.  The trouble was, he never, ever did become ready, and now he’s 16 and still finds cursive difficult.

Even though Miss 13 learned well and quickly, Miss 10 is as reluctant as her brother.

So I’ve made a decision.  Ready or not, the Little Misses are learning cursive.  If it’s hard, they can go slowly, but they will practice.  Regularly.

There are many beautiful and involved handwriting programs out there, but we chose a simple, convenient, no-frill set of workbooks with a solid track record, the Canadian Handwriting Series.

Books A to G are available, with the transition from printing to cursive in Book C.  Each book has 80 pages full of careful examples and lots of practice space.

Each letter is taught on its own page, and similar letters are taught consecutively.  Numbered letter strokes show the child exactly how to make each letter.  The first three books have dashed-line examples for the children to trace before they try to make the letters on their own.

In later books, more detailed instruction, including written description of the letters, is given.  Common mistakes are pointed out, and troublesome letters and letter combinations are carefully reviewed.  Students are even taught how to evaluate their writing and improve it:

Sometimes the practice sentences discuss Canada, so this handwriting series teaches the students some geography and interesting facts as well. However, the Canadian content is not overwhelming, at least in levels C and D which we have used.    Here’s the page on Canada at the end of level D:

All I, as a mom, have to do is encourage, help with a few tough letters when the transition to cursive is made, and correct the pages.  That’s a whole lot easier than making personalized lessons for each child!

The only complaint I have is that these books teach children to make loops in the bottom of the ‘p,’ which leads to messy-looking writing.  I’ve told my children to avoid the loops, and that works most of the time.

I’m pleased with the Canadian Handwriting Series and wish we had used them for all our children.

This inexpensive series is available from most Canadian homeschool suppliers, such as The Learning House or Heritage Resources.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate.  You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

A Reason for Handwriting

 Bible, Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts, Writing  No Responses »
Dec 102010
 

We started out this year with the intent to use a different curriculum for handwriting but, of course, life happens!  a reason for handwriting

We ended up moving across country, leaving behind the majority of our home to be shipped at a later date.  That means we left most of our curriculum as well!  Basically starting from scratch, I stumbled across “A Reason for Handwriting”. I am so glad that I did!

We chose “A Reason for Handwriting, manuscript B”, which offers slightly smaller text than the traditional first grade books, technically book “B” is a second grade level book.  I love that feature because it helps my son to really concentrate on what he is doing and it helps him develop better hand-eye coordination.

The book starts ouhandwriting timet with a review section to remind and reconnect, if necessary; then it jumps right into lesson plans.  The lesson plans are easy to follow and already setup for each day’s worth of work. The lessons are short and the pages are colorful.

What I love the most is that the curriculum is primarily focused around Bible verses.  The kids practice letters as well as whole words, which all tie into a bible verse.  It reinforces neat, tidy penmanship, light reading along with easy memorizing of scripture!

A Reason for Handwriting is available as a set with a teachers guide and consumable student workbook, or as a single student workbook. We opted to just get the workbook which we are doing fine as a stand alone product.  The set retails for $34.95; the individual workbook retails for $15.95.  However, I have found the curriculum at discount on a few sites for a low $26.21 for the set and $11.96 individual.

Overall, I am really happy with the curriculum. My son loves to do the work and looks forward to learning new scripture verses as his lessons progress.

Master Writer Quotation Copybooks

 Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts  1 Response »
Oct 252010
 

I have fairly high standards for copywork.  I like for it to be easy to use and cost effective. In addition, while I certainly care about their handwriting, I want my kids’ writing practice to consist of more than drill.  I want it to provide food for thought.  Of course, I really like it when the copywork complements our studies.

The Master Writer Quotation Copybooks by Westvon Publishing do all of these things.

There are nineteen books in the Master Writer Quotation Copybook series.  Individual copybooks contain twenty quotations in three different fonts:  block printing, D’Nealian, and cursive.  Each font is presented in solid and dotted writing with space to write the quote below it.   The copybooks are available in CD form if ordered directly from Westvon, but I opted for the instant download from Currclick.

Quotation books are compiled from the following categories:

  • African Americans
  • Artists
  • Athletes
  • Authors
  • Entertainers
  • Explorers
  • Famous Women
  • Jesus Christ
  • Kings and Queens
  • Musicians
  • Native Americans
  • Philosophers
  • Presidents 1 and 2
  • First Ladies
  • Saints
  • Scientists
  • Shakespearean Plays
  • Statesmen

I purchased the Master Writer Combo that contains all of the copybooks.  Because it includes quotations from a variety of categories, the copywork selections are useful in a variety of academic areas.  I have appreciated the ease of printing a historically appropriate quote from Aristotle and a quote by van Gogh at the same time without the need for an internet search.

Example Quotes

From the artists copybook:  “Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction stop the vigors of the mind.” Leonardo da Vinci

From the statesmen copybook:  “Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” William Penn

From the Native American copybook:  “I was warmed by the sun, rocked by winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes.  I can go everywhere with a good feeling.” Geronimo

From the philosphers copybook:  “I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.” Diogenes

From the entertainers copybook:  “No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth.” Harry Houdini

From the musicians copybook:  “Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go into the making of genius.  Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

With such a large number of quotes in relevant topics, I anticipate many years of use from the Master Writer Quotation Copybooks.

Master Writer Quotation Copybooks can be purchased from Currclick or directly from Westvon Publishing.

Susan S. is a homeschooling mama of three little ones who get bigger and livelier every day.  They delight in living books and hands-on math, and are nurturing a love for God and the amazing world that He created.

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