All About Learning Press Readers

Elementary, Language Arts, Living books, Preschool, Reading No Responses »

Oct 072011

My beginning readers are children who have been raised on a wide variety of literature, from Dora the Explorer books (which do not really count as literature) to classics like Heidi and everything in between. As they have begun learning to read one thing I have tried to find are beautiful books on their level. I’m sorry, I’ve seen those beginning readers where the whole story is 3 or 4 words repeated in different combinations with varying punctuation. You know, ones that say:

“A cat?
A cat.
A mat.
A cat sat.
Cat on mat.
Cat sat.”

My children very quickly made it clear that those insipid readers were not worth their time and effort. I heartily agreed. On the other end of the spectrum you find beginning readers that include a whole list of ‘sight words’, words the child is simply expected to memorize by sight so they can read a story. Most of these sight words are, in fact, able to be decoded once you learn the spelling rules, but with a beginning reader I want to find beautiful stories that do not depend on a list of sight words outside the child’s reading level. Imagine my excitement two years ago when I discovered the readers put out by All About Learning Press, publishers of the All About Spelling curriculum.

We own all the readers available at this point. They are beautiful! The illustrations tell an often funny story, one that goes beyond the beginning reader text. Even at this very early level a story is not limited to 3-5 words repeated over and over. Currently there are 3 readers for level 1 and two available for level 2.

Our most recent purchase is the Run, Bug, Run! reader. In the 157 pages the only words that were not ‘short vowels’, and therefore completely decodable for my beginning readers, were “the” and “A”. A quick talk about open syllables and closed syllables explained why the vowels had long sounds. My 5 and 6 year old both love these readers. Even the 3 year old is beginning the sound out letters from this reader. The artwork is simply beautiful, and the stories are original and sweet. (You can read a sample story HERE.)

Every family has different tastes in reading material. Finding books for beginning readers can often be frustrating. If you are looking for beautiful books for a beginning reader be sure to check out the samples for each book in this series!

Tristan is the happily homeschooling mother to 6 blessings age 9, 6, 5, 3, 1, and 2 months old. You can drop in and visit anytime over at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool.

I Can Read! Made by God Series by ZonderKidz

Reading No Responses »

Oct 052011

Book Series: I Can Read! Made by God.

Age Recommendation: 4 to 7

Use: Reader Books; Level 2 Reading with Help

Publisher: ZonderKidz

When I see ZonderKidz, I take notice. I have purchased many books from ZonderKidz in the past and have never been disappointed. I love the quality and the interwoven faith in the books. Couple that with the I Can Read! series which is known having titles win the Caldecott and Newbery Honors and carries such titles as Little Bear, you know you will have a winning series. The series is Made by God, where children will read about their favorite animals. As a mom to animal lovers this series is a no brainer.

In the Series:

Jungle Beasts: Featuring the panther, anteater, elephant and Iguana you cannot go wrong in engaging your child. Do you know how many ants an anteater can eat in a day? My little student and I did not until reading this book.

Barnyard Critters: Cows, goats, pigs and chickens are the stars of this book. The illustrations are simply adorable. If you thought pigs enjoyed the living in dirt you may want to check this book out!

Curious Creatures Down Under: This book features my favorite animals; the koala and the platypus. In addition your child will learn about the echidna and the kangaroo.

Polar Pals: Coming to the party are the emperor penguin, arctic tern, polar bear and the arctic fox. The penguin is another favorite animal in my home. Did you know the emperor penguin is the largest penguin in the world?

Forest Friends: I have to applaud the book for making raccoons look cute. After having one tear apart a portion of my roof I was not a big fan of the raccoon. Additionally, your child will read about moose, porcupine and the fox.

For only $3.99 each, my budget is as happy as my new student learning to read. Another favorite feature is that every book has a verse in the beginning. As you teach your child to read the books you can use that verse for memorization. A great series to add into your creation lessons or bible study.

Richele is an eclectic homeschooling mom to four reflections of God’s love whose greatest accomplishment thus far was teaching physics, folding laundry, and playing Candyland simultaneously. Find her blogging at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

Disclosure: Set was provided for the purpose of review.

Time 4 Learning

Elementary, Online, Preschool, Reading No Responses »

Sep 192011

What Is Time 4 Learning?

Time 4 Learning is an online curriculum for PreK – 8th Graders. It can be used to complement their current curriculum or as an entire curriculum in itself to cover language arts, math, science, and social studies.

My Thoughts:

The Positive –

Age appropriate “cartoons” teach the lessons. Lorelei (age 4) and I tested out several different grade levels to see the differences in each. As the grade level goes up, so does the appropriateness of the “cartoons.”
The lessons were fun for Lorelei. She generally enjoys school and learning anyhow, but these were easily presented as games for the most part.
The ability to move at your own pace within grade levels and even beyond.
Easy enough for a 3.5 year old to know how to move to the next lesson and within lessons (easy navigation)
Slow and repetitive (great for younger or slower learners)
Parents are able to see progress reports for their child’s work and set time limits for child to be on the program.
Enhances computer skills
Provides lessons plans and extra printable worksheets

The negative -

Parents can’t select certain lessons to show or not show on a child’s page – would be a helpful option so the parent can let child do “assignments” instead of possibly wandering. Also, would be helpful to not repeat lessons already learned.
Repetitive and slow – great for slower learners, not so great for those who catch on more quickly.
Not what I would consider a complete curriculum – except maybe the Pre-K could possibly stand alone. Time 4 Learning lesson plans are correlated to the learning standards for all 50 states, however I believe there are some things that need to be hands-on and covered in more depth.
Not enough reaction time before the lesson will begin repeating itself. Lorelei would sometimes get very frustrated because she didn’t have enough time to make her decision and click.
Price – Their prices are always available to change, so please check to see what their current pricing is set at. Currently (at time of posting), their program cost about $20 per month for the first child ($14.95 for second child). So, for us, that would be $240 for one year.

My Final Thoughts:

While Lorelei did enjoy the program, it wasn’t right for our family after we considered the yearly cost and the completeness of this particular program compared to what we needed for her. However, if it was less expensive, we might consider it as a “fun activity” to complement her learning. Also, I’m not very comfortable with her being on the computer for a large amount of time – whether it’s schoolwork or not.

Is it for you and your family? You decide. Check out Time 4 Learning and their lesson demos for free!

Disclaimer: I received Time 4 Learning as part of a review. Like always, my thoughts and opinions are my own and are not swayed in any way.

Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Primary Arts of Language: Reading

Elementary, Language Arts, Phonics, Preschool, Reading 1 Response »

Sep 142011

Wow. What a curriculum! Primary Arts of Language: Reading by Jill Pike of Excellence in Writing has put together a fantastic set of materials for teaching reading to your little one.

Using the “blended sound-sight” method of phonics skills and sight words-based education with a playful, game-like approach, children are intended to have fun and progress rapidly at the same time.

There are four stages to the program:

Foundations – Phonics rules and sight words are introduced through games and manipulatives. This stage is very parent-led with mom or dad teaching how to play the games, use the manipulatives and use time wisely. Later in the program, your child will become a more independent learner through the intensive training you offer during this stage.
Activity Time – This stage continues in adding new phonics rules and sight words to your child’s “arsenal”, but also expects independent and partner time to practice the games and manipulatives previously learned.
Discovery – This stage comes after your child has a good grasp of phonetic decoding skills. Your child is given small stacks of word cards daily and asked to independently work on decoding (reading) the words. Once decoded, he comes to you to read them aloud.
The Library – In this final stage, you simply provide appropriate books from a list of easy, medium and hard books for your child to read. He is expected to read the book aloud with you and again on his own at first, until progressing to simply reading on his own or aloud to siblings.

As all of the stages are progressing, there is a general theme of daily activities followed: poetry, journal, phonics and printing/composition. A poem becomes the “centerpiece” of each lesson with the same poem being used for several days. During this time your child will develop rich language, comprehension strategies, memorization skills and begin to internalize writing techniques. Phonics skills are taught and practiced in a variety of ways:

The Phonetic Farm is a full-color folder picturing a farm in which your child adds sticker characters to help remember and organize all the phonics rules he’ll learn throughout the program. (It’s super-cute and lots of fun adding the stickers to the folder!)
Phonics Games of all sorts are provided for lessons and independent practice of phonics rules. You’ll find the games printed in the back of the teacher’s manual for your to cut, color and paste. So that putting together all the games isn’t overwhelming, you’re encouraged to create the games with your child as each is introduced.
The Sight Word Card Game is created by you on index cards and used in various ways suggested through the lessons to increase your child’s sight word recognition.

The author has also written The Primary Arts of Language: Writing (which I’ll review at another time for you) that should be used concurrently with this curriculum if your child is old enough to learn to print – around five. She suggests that you use the two programs concurrently even if your child is a little younger, limiting the handwriting expected if necessary. The journal and printing/composition portions of daily lessons come from the writing curriculum.

You are provided with a Teacher’s Manual that includes very clear and concise daily lessons plans for 80 lessons. It also includes appendixes of a scope and sequence chart, phonogram chart, poems used in the lessons, alphabetical list of words used in readers, homophones list, chart of words in each discovery card pack, and a list of readers to check out or purchase. The discovery cards are also printed on green card stock in the back of the book for you to cut apart.

A book of Phonetic Games provides you with “game boards” printed on regular paper that you cut, color and paste into folders. Game pieces for each game are printed on card stock. Again, you must cut and color the pieces, then decide how you will affix the pieces to the game board for use over and over again. (A baggie or envelope attached to the back of the folders works well.) You make the games as they are introduced in the lessons, so the construction isn’t overwhelming, and in the end you have an arsenal of phonetic games that your child will be expected to practice throughout the program.

The curriculum set also comes with a DVD-ROM including the author walking you through the program step-by-step as well as many extras like MP3 seminars. But, the best part is two full PDF books of 200+ student worksheets to supplement the daily lessons, as well as four printable early readers.

I tell ya, even with the extra bit of effort it takes to put together the games and print off the student pages from the DVD-ROM, this curriculum is worth it! My little guy is in K4 (will be five in a few months) and is responding well so far. We’re taking it slower than her suggested schedule but he’s doing great and loving the games!

Watch for my review of the companion writing program soon!

-Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three kids in high school, middle school and K4. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers and other creative curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

(Cindy was given a free copy of this curriculum for review upon her request. As always, she shares only her honest opinion.)

My Father’s World: 1st grade

Art, Bible, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Geography, Grammar, Hands On, Language Arts, Living books, Music, Nature Study, Phonics, Reading, Science, Spelling, Unit study resources 3 Responses »

Aug 222011

What immediately drew me to My Father’s World is that the curriculum is the fact that it is fairly stand alone. You purchase either the basic set or their deluxe set, and you are ready to go! I adore this as our little library in this rural community really doesn’t have the variety or selection of books that we were used to in San Diego. This means filling in blanks or filling out a curriculum is a challenge now so a curriculum with most of the absolutely necessary books included was a huge plus to us.

However, like the true bibliophiles that we are, I wanted the option of having more, should we be able to find them. True to the Charlotte Mason element, the curriculum is surrounded by the “living books” concept so the usage of books is completely up to you. I love that they include this in every year.

About My Father’s World

My Father’s World isn’t just a Charlotte Mason style offering but rather a unique fusion of sorts, merging both “the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview and international focus.”

My Father’s World offers grades K-2nd grade as a more independent, semi-stand alone element and then moves into a family 5 year cycle that works around a central theme. The 5 year cycle is specifically geared for multiple ages, for grades 2nd-8th so there is savings to be found as families with more than one child use the same program to teach all children in 2nd – 8th grade.

Year One	Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures
Year Two	History: Creation to the Greeks
Year Three	History: Rome to the Reformation
Year Four	U.S./World History: Exploration to 1850
Year Five	U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

They also offer a bridge year called Adventures in My Father’s World, which is geared for families 2nd or 3rd graders who have no siblings in 4th – 8th grade.(We will be doing this program next year as I have a 4year old and a 7 year old.)

Our Adventure

Currently we are working our way though My Father’s World, 1st grade. I adore this program as it is laid out in an easy to follow, daily workbook fashion. It’s easy for me to combine the integrated social studies, science, art and Bible elements with both kids, while focusing independently on the phonics and math. My boys love that they are learning together, doing the same things, despite their age and grade differences.

The curriculum does include a 1st grade phonics-based reading program that focuses on the Bible and more fun, hands-on math activities. We include our own K4 phonics and and additional math program (Math U See) for both boys as I found their math not as intensive as I think it needs to be for the grade.

One major element we always seemed to miss with our previous years curriculum was the arts; we simply didn’t always make time for them.

With My Father’s World, art, music, crafts,hands-on learning is a major part of the curriculum. Everything is planned out and outlined for you to see the day before so you can prep easily, using common household items most of the time. My boys have enjoyed this more consistent addition to our learning and I have found they have better attitudes and have better lesson retention.

The only cons that I have experience thus far is that the 1st grade teachers book is only formatted with a daily lesson plan. It lacks the easy, one glace, weekly grid that their latter versions offer. I also felt the math that is included is a bit weak for the age group so we needed to supplement an additional math program. Ultimately, minor things that we easily rectified.

For a full curriculum, It’s fairly affordable, especially when you compare it to larger, more known companies. For the 1st grade curriculum, you can elect to get their basic package for only $136.oo or their deluxe package for $239.00. As the years grow in complexity, so does the number of books included which will contribute to a steady raise in the overall costs. However, remaining competitive and within reach for most families.

Overall, My Father’s World, or MFW, has been a blessing to our household. It’s affordable, fun, engaging and the children really do learn.

Poetry for Young People

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Language Arts, Literature, Living books, Reading 2 Responses »

Aug 192011

“I dwell in Possibility/A fairer house than Prose,/More numerous of windows,/Superior of doors.” Emily Dickinson, “I dwell in Possibility”

Poetry is a flexible area of study. It can be studied on its own, and for its own merit. On the other hand, born of cultural, historical, and personal experience, poetry can enhance the study of any subject. For me, the trouble with poetry is how to narrow it down. There just seems to be so much of it to choose from.

The Poetry for Young People series provides an excellent introduction to a number of poets. Each volume contains the poetry of a specific poet or area of poetry. The poems are chosen for their suitability to a young audience, and as poetry representative of the poet’s body of work. Illustrations accompany the poems. A short biography, also sensitive to the needs of a young audience, opens each book.

I have found this series useful in two ways. It has been a simple task to browse these pages to find a poem to enhance a particular study. As the poems have been chosen because they are appropriate for children, I need only choose the poem that best suits my needs.

More often, however, I choose a poet to study for a month or six weeks. As a family, we read several poems each week until we have finished the book. The Poetry for Young People series makes this process very simple, as each volume contains a nice number of poems. Each book serves as a gentle introduction to the work of a poet.

This may be the year for poetry study at your house!

Raid your local library for the Poetry for Young People series.

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a
good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and the wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason,
with a touch of the traditional.

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide To Teaching Reading

Phonics, Reading 4 Responses »

Aug 172011

This school year I am teaching my 5 year old, Evan, to read. In my short two years as a homeschooler, I had somehow collected about 8 books to teach reading, as well as a huge boxed reading curriculum. We went through the most widely recommended curriculum with Emma, now 7, and she hated them all.

Since we had such a difficult time with Emma, I wanted to try to avoid that with Evan. I went through all of my options and really looked at how each curriculum chose to teach a child to read. I then narrowed my choices down to three and went through them all, going through the lessons as if I were teaching Evan from them in that moment.

I quickly chose to go with The Ordinary Parent’s Guide To Teaching Reading, written by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington.

Although Evan has been watching Leap Frog videos for over a year, and knows that the letters have their sounds, he has really been learning a lot with this curriculum. I see him really “getting it” in a short time. He enjoys sitting down for every lesson, and we often do two at a time.

What a lesson looks like:

Evan and I take out our flashcards and review the sounds learned in previous lessons. I then introduce the newest letter and it’s sound and write it on our little white board. I then let him show me how to form the new letter. (He really enjoys that part.) We then follow the instruction laid out in the lesson and review what we have learned.

What I like about the curriculum:

The different methods for teaching reading are explained. I had tried them all, except explicit phonics, which this curriculum uses.

No distracting pictures that give clues to what is written on the page.

The progression made sense to me.

Constant review of previous sounds in the beginning

Exceptions are addressed later in the curriculum, as to not confuse your child.

The price.

What I would change:

Simplify the pages. I would prefer that there be a separate teacher’s guide, and then a student text with what they need to read. I plan on highlighting each lesson to cause me less confusion in the future.

So far, that is my only negative. We are only 13 lessons in, and we have only been doing the alphabet sounds at this point, but I like it over every other program we used for Emma when I was teaching her to read.

The price for this curriculum is around $20.00 on Amazon. You can also purchase and see a preview of this curriculum on the Peace Hill Press website, as well as read some helpful information from Jessie Wise.

We also purchased, and I highly recommend, the flashcards that are available from Peace Hill Press. I printed mine out on card stock. They are really helpful, saved me the time making my own, and are only $5.95 to download. We also use them to play the memory games suggested at the end of each lesson.

I believe that after a long and expensive search, with The Ordinary Parent’s Guide To Teaching Reading, I have finally found the right curriculum to teach my children to read.

Now if I could only find “the one” for math!

Educational Apps

Language Arts, Mathematics, Mom Helps, Nature Study, Online, Preschool, Reading, Science, Spelling 1 Response »

Aug 102011

Technology continues to advance, and with it, comes many opportunities to learn. Today, cell phones have become much more than just a way to call someone. But, did you know that beyond Facebook and Angry Birds (a game), there are some really great learning gems available for smart phones?

5 Great Apps For Education

Super WHY!

Originally just a TV show, Super Why! has transitioned to a kid-friendly App! This app features the four main characters from the TV show as they teach the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing, and reading. Our family uses this app often as its graphics are great and the games make learning fun! $2.99* See More.

TEACH ME

TEACH ME currently has three apps out – toddler, kindergarten, and first grade. The kindergarten version teaches Math (addition and subtraction), Spelling, and Sight Words. However, my FAVORITE part is that it allows for multiple users and tracks their progress. That, and it’s really affordable! $.99* See More.

Project Noah

For kids of all ages, Project Noah is a great app for citizen scientists everywhere! With this cool app, you can add a photograph of an interesting creature you’ve found, or you can access the database to learn of and about different organisms in a specific area. You can even help track migrating species or document endangered wildlife! This great app takes learning to a whole new level and gets kids excited about exploring nature and teaches on the go! FREE* See More.

PBS

PBS.org now has apps for ipad, iphone, and ipod. You can now preview or view full episodes, as well as check out your local station’s schedule! While not quite as an impressive app as the previous ones, this app could still be invaluable to your planning time if you’re constantly on the go (or someone is using the computer)! FREE* See More.

Storyrobe

Use photos and videos from your library to create and share stories! This interactive app lets you record your voice through the microphone or you can use the 3rd party mic to get the story going. From telling the story of an event in history to tracking the growth and development of a butterfly to teaching Kindergarteners parts of a story…this app has unlimited potential! $.99* See More.

So, tell me… What are some of your favorite learning and education apps?

*Prices at time post was written.

Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Epi Kardia

Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Phonics, Reading, Science, Unit study resources, Writing 4 Responses »

Jul 152011

Epi Kardia.

In Greek, it means “at the heart.”

To me, this curriculum gets right to the heart of what we want homeschooling to be in our family – a Christ-centered relationship and discipleship between parents and their children.

My Family’s Story

I’m continuously searching for the “best” curriculum for our needs, which are ever-changing. Unfortunately, my small town leaves a lot desired when it comes to curriculum availability. And, because I’m an incredibly visual and hands-on person, it’s hard for me to commit to buying things that I can’t thumb through.

I was recently given the chance to take a sneak peak at the Epi Kardia curriculum by the company. It, along with a few others, had been bookmarked in my “check out later” file – so when the chance came along, I was giddy. No lie.

Epi Kardia is a literature based Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling. What does that mean? Well, Epi Kardia uses the Bible to take your student through history. But, wait. If you think your student is just going to be memorizing passages, you are so wrong. The folks at Epi Kardia have broken down a structured learning plan for each grade. For example, if you choose the first set in the 1st Grade plan, you’re child will be learning about: The Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance & Reformation.

With each topic, the Bible along with a variety of other christian and non-christian (but approved by Epi Kardia) books are used to help teach your child more about the subject he or she is supposed to be learning. Because of it’s Charlotte Mason approach, Epi Kardia also includes a lot of copy-work and handwriting exercises. It’s so impressive to see how they’ve really brought a myriad of important subjects (Bible, History/Reading, Science, English/Phonics, Arts) together in a wonderful education plan.

Quick Breakdown

The Pros-

Teaches Bible, History/Reading, Science, English/Phonics, Arts (some programs similar to this one do not teach science)
Included is a book list, complete with ISBN numbers
The plans leave plenty of time for “projects”
Costs about the same as its competitors’ programs ($250 for printed, $200 for CD)
Requires little planning as it’s all done for you!

The Cons-

It’s a Charlotte Mason approach, so if your child doesn’t learn well with this method, it may not be right for them. (Although, if you’ve never tried it, I’d recommend it!)
It didn’t have quite as many projects as I’d like – I’m VERY hands on and project-oriented, as is my oldest. But, this is easily remedied, and an extra project or two can be added to our schedule. However, for those of you who aren’t insane about crafting and projects the way I am, they have the perfect amount. Enough to teach a point without being overbearing for your schedule.
You’re actually going to have to go to the library or amazon.com to get the books. Everything you need is not included in these plans (meaning, you’ll have to buy or borrow books from their book-lists).
The website can be a little confusing (navigation and figuring out which package entails what).

Would I use it?

Yes, yes I would.

Learn More:

To learn more, you can visit their website, check out their scope and sequence, or view a sample.

Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Tapestry of Grace

Classical, Elementary, Geography, Hands On, High School, History, Lapbooks, Literature, Middle School, Reading, Unit study resources, Writing 19 Responses »

Jun 132011

Have you found a curriculum you and your children absolutely love? One that is a perfect fit for everyone’s learning style? A nice match for the age range of your household? That, my friends, is how I feel about Tapestry of Grace.

I am fresh from representing Tapestry in a booth at my local homeschool convention. The three of us booth hostesses were not selling Tapestry that weekend. We were simply there to help, to answer questions and to share how we use the curriculum in our homes. Three days worth of talking Tapestry with fellow homeschoolers! So, what I am sharing here is not only my family’s years of experience with Tapestry but also what I learned were the biggest questions for newcomers to this curriculum.

Those that walked up to the booth, brand new to Tapestry or those who had never heard of it before asked this most often: What is it? Will you explain it?

Tapestry of Grace is a classical approach, Biblically-based, unit study curriculum for the whole family. Tapestry covers eight subjects. Everyone learning together – each child on their own learning and skill level. Here are the subjects Tapestry covers:

History
Writing
Literature
Geography
Fine Arts
Church History
Philosophy
Government

So you need to add: Math, Grammar and Science

Tapestry of Grace is a unit study approach. Four eras or year plans of history. Four units each year. Everyone studying the same topics. The history cycle (from the Tapestry site):

Year 1 covers the Ancient World.
Year 2 covers the Medieval World through the American Revolution.
Year 3 covers the 1800′s
Year 4 begins in 1900 and ends with current events.

Weekly plans: Kristen does a wonderful job of describing how the weekly plans are presented in her Review of Tapestry of Grace. She describes each section: the threads, reading assignments, weekly overview, writing assignments, student activity pages, teacher notes and glance into next week.

Here’s a peek at how Tapestry works in our home: When we first started with Tapestry of Grace I had a 5th, 4th and 1st grader. Plus a three-year-old and an infant. We spread one year of learning over two years. I love this pace. Especially with little ones under foot and older ones needing to concentrate on independent work. Tapestry gave us “a map for the journey.” The following words are from Marcia’s Somerville’s blog, Love the Journey, several years ago.

This was us before Tapestry: “…using traditional homeschooling curricula, instead of preserving family unity, each child is put into his own little car and travels each day his individual roads. Mom becomes more of a traffic cop trying to keep all the bumper cars on their tracks than the driver of the family van.
After: Using Tapestry, everyone travels together and explores the landscape of Classical Education from a Christian perspective in one family van that mom and dad really do drive.“

Everyone learning together. Really? Yes. This year, I had a 7th, 6th and 3rd grader. Plus, of course the preschoolers learning as well. One week the older two had a shared writing assignment. They were to write a radio show. Set in the early 1900s, they worked together on a story of the Wright brothers. They recruited their two younger sisters as additional characters and sound effects technicians. Sixth grader used the radio equipment that was his great-grandfather’s. (Do you see?)

Tapestry addresses all our different learning styles:

Hands on projects: I have one child that particularly flourishes when she gets to do a book report on a display board. Woven throughout Tapestry assignments are art and activity projects for individual students as well as for the whole family. The lapbook supplements are wonderful for those that enjoy hands on learning as well.

Auditory learners – can listen to audio books for literature and history studies. Many of these we borrow from the library.
Independent learning – My eldest likes to load up her books and tuck herself off in a corner. There are plenty of opportunities for those that work best on their own – which is the aim for the transition from dialectic (roughly middle school) to rhetoric (high school).

Even learning for mom and dad! Marcia Somerville explains Tapestry this way: Picture your family getting in the family van and heading out on a cross-country trek. There is something on the journey for everyone. For mom, extensive, weekly teacher notes give you all you would ever need for grades K-12 all the years of your homeschooling journey. For dad, a Pop Quiz. This CD is easy to listen to on a work commute, giving an overview and highlights of the learning going on at home.

If you are new to Tapestry, their website is a wonderful place to start:

Download a free, three-week trial of Tapestry. Explore Egypt with your family and explore Tapestry of Grace at the same time. This is what we did when considering Tapestry. It helped me, as the teacher, see how the curriculum works. And it got the children all excited!
Marcia Somerville’s video explanation of the map of humanities. Hear directly from Tapestry creator and author about the journey of Tapestry of Grace. She regularly posts on her blog specific Tapestry information as well as general homeschool encouragement.
Also on the Tapestry of Grace site, under the Explore Tapestry tab, you can view explanations of the cyclical plans, weekly plans. learning levels, the three big ideas. Pull up a chair and spend some time here.

Learn from fellow Tapestry users:

An extensive online community – forum, photo gallery, find a co-op, find a friend.
Harmony Art Mom – a friend and mom using Tapestry of Grace through high school. She shares all of her practical Tapestry tips, topics, techniques. How much I have learned from Barb! Please read her review Sonlight vs. Tapestry of Grace here on the Curriculum Choice as well as other Curriculum Choice reviews.
More on the day to day Tapestry of Grace in our home, including preparing for a new Tapestry of Grace year, here.

But I feel overwhelmed by Tapestry of Grace. How do I make it work? Never have we ever done all of the subjects each week. Tapestry is truly a smorgasbord. When I open that week plan, I zone in on the learning levels for my children and ignore the rest. Even then, depending on the week, we may choose to only tackle the core history assignment. Other weeks, as we are wrapping up a unit, we may concentrate more on the arts and activities, doing assignments and larger projects together as a family.

We never finish up each and every assignment for the week. This curriculum serves you and your needs, matching the season of your life. There is so much to choose from! You don’t have to check it all off. Yet, that is also one of the beautiful benefits of Tapestry. You can tailor it by topic for your family, changing it to your children’s needs, matching the books you already have on your shelf. Dig deep or skim the surface. Rich learning either way.

Cost: One time investment. When you buy a year or even a unit of Tapestry of Grace you have it to use over and over again. Cycling through with each child. Your youngest ones have the chance to learn at the different levels up to four times.

How do you like your curriculum? Tapestry is available in print or digital form. Or, you can purchase both for each unit. I made the transition from print to digital last year. I found it easy to have everything on my computer to click on and reach – all in one spot. However, my two new Tapestry hostess friends both preferred having the digital version on their computers AND the print version to hold and flip through.

What about all those books? Oh the books we read! Each unit is rich with living books. Buying all the books for each unit is an option. However, I can purchase the ‘spine’ resource we will be using that year or that unit and reserve the rest at the library. Most of the books are available there. If not the first resource listed, then I usually already have the books listed on the alternate resource page in each week’s reading. Or can find them at the library. For years 3 and 4, Story of the World was listed as an alternate resource. Already had that on my shelf!

Bookshelf Central is the spot to load your cart up on books. You can select the books you need for all learning levels the entire year. Or you can fill your cart with just the books you will need for your grammar students for unit one. The online cartoon character, Grace, leads you through the Buying Guide step by step.

Optional Supplements:

Lapbooks: available for each unit, either on disc for you to print. Or pre-printed on colored paper for you and your child to assemble. Some families purchase a lapbook for each child. In our family, we use the lapbook as a review at the end of the unit. Each child picks several topics to work on and research. Click here.

Pop Quiz: Dad can listen on his commute to work. Supper time discussion can be about all the learning going on at home. The children and I have also used Pop Quiz CDs ourselves as an overview – in the car – going from place to place during the week. Click here for more information.
Map Aids: all the maps you need to print for one year in one place. Available in disc form or as an add on to Tapestry DE. Click here.

Writing Aids: A resource for all ages. One time purchase to be used as a supplement to Tapestry writing assignments or as an independent writing handbook. We turn to this guide to see what is expected in an assignment. What is a book report? How do you organize a display board? All types of writing graphs, wheels, diagrams and more to print to aid in the writing process. Click here.
Evaluations: Tests and quizzes to see how much your children are absorbing. The Tapestry site says, “Evaluations are unique because they test in keeping with the Tapestry style–integrated and multi-sensory!” Click here.
Government Elective: Available for rhetoric students. Key documents for further study. Click here.
Online Classes: for dialectic and rhetoric students. Click here.

Unit Celebrations: a celebration brings closure to a unit of study. These can be extensive or simple. Children can dress as a character from the time period they’ve studied and put on a play. Invite grandparents, friends and neighbors to view display boards, reports and school work. Celebrate all you’ve learned. Here’s an example of a unit study from our Year 4 studies and our Year 2 studies.

Continuing Education: I feel that continuing education and encouragement for mom is important. I look forward to the sessions at homeschool convention each year. As well as just seeing the sheer number of homeschoolers that fill that convention hall! With Tapestry of Grace, I’m learning right along with my children. All the resources I need to teach them at my fingertips. Extensive teacher notes from K all the way through high school.

As one heading into our fourth year of Tapestry, let me suggest: Take a summer or holiday break to get to know Tapestry. Take your time navigating their website. Download the free, three-week trial and have fun trying it out with your children. Trying it on is how we all find out if it fits.

In summary: Tapestry brings us all together for learning. As a family we are learning history – HIS Story – beginning with creation and leading to present times. And, when we are all learning together that means less work for mom. I’m not teaching those eight subjects times my five children. I’m teaching them once. Tapestry reaches the needs of all my children and gradually builds independent learners. All it takes is a few steps into the buffet of options available each unit, and the children are off and running on their own.

This year, as I officially start one more of my children on the Tapestry road and transition another into high school, I have the confidence and tools I need. I’m looking forward to teaching my kindergartener, 4th, 7th and 8th graders all together. And I’m sure the three-year-old will be joining in often. So, yes, I’d agree with the Tapestry of Grace slogan, Love the Journey.

And, once more I strongly suggest you download a free, three-week trial of Tapestry. See how it works for your family by actually using it. Print it out and hold it in your hand. We did it that one summer and then knew it was for us.

How about you? Have you already attended or do you plan to attend a homeschool convention? What questions do you have about Tapestry of Grace?

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She regularly shares about Tapestry of Grace at Hodgepodge. She also contributes a blend of writing at parenting, homeschool, frugal living and allergy sites.

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