Complete-A-Sketch

 Art, Hands On, High School, Highschool  1 Response »
Oct 012009
 

My boys unanimously agree that they like the Complete-A-Sketch workbooks from Insight Technical Education.

These have been a great tool for both my sons as part of their drawing skills curriculum. The workbook is set up so there is a small completed sketch in one corner and then there are several guides marks on the larger portion of the page where the child will duplicate the sketch from the top. The back of the book describes it as “complex dot-to-dot”, but I have found them to be challenging for my very technically apt middle and high school age boys.

They have learned to use a straight edge and circle template with these workbooks. I have expected neat and careful work. Even so, these assignments are considered “fun” by my boys.

We have completed:
Orthographic Volume 1
Perspective Volume 3

We will be ordering and completing the Advanced Complete-A-Sketch program later this year. One aspect of this program that I especially like is that now you can purchase the books as an ebook. The ebook version allows me to print a page for my son on demand which will be very handy.

Here are some samples.

Here is a “before” sample.


Here is an “after” sample.

I would recommend these workbooks for middle school age students and above. I purchased my Complete-A-Sketch curriculum from Rainbow Resource. If you purchase the print edition, I would recommend getting one workbook for each child since this is something you can not share.

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom.  She also blogs at http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com and her business is found at http://www.harmonyfinearts.com.

High School Electives: Driver’s Education and Auto Shop

 High School, Highschool  3 Responses »
Sep 032009
 

We have two teenage boys in our house and you know what that means. Driving a car is just around the corner. We found two resources that will help us prepare our teens for the privilege of driving. I hope if you have an up and coming teenage driver that you will check these programs out.

DriversEd.com-The leading provider of online drivers education. Ensuring you’ll get your permit the first time!
We found DriversEd.com online driver’s education class and my son highly recommends it for teens in any state to prepare for their learner’s permit.

Here are some of his thoughts:

I was able to make good use of my time and go at my own pace. There were animated sections, videos, and lots of places to get involved with the lessons. I was glad I was not just sitting and reading from the screen. I think this course prepared me for the written test at the DMV. I would definitely recommend this program.

As parents, we  wanted him to have a thorough knowledge of the rules of the road before we went in to take the written test for his driver’s permit. I watched over his shoulder quite a bit as he worked through this program and I was very happy with the quality of the lessons. I also appreciated that there were plenty of opportunities for him to take practice tests to build up his confidence. There also was accountability built into the system so I could be as hands-on or hands-off as I wanted. The added benefit of taking an online course for Driver’s Education is that he was able to complete the program in his free time and it was far cheaper than the classroom version offered in our local area. There are courses for each state so you will need to pop over to their website for a complete listing of each state’s requirements and for prices.

auto_upkeep_homeschool_kit

My husband and I have had the goal of offering our sons an auto shop type class once they hit their teen years. I stumbled upon Auto UpKeep doing an internet search and then read the review on Rainbow Resource. I was convinced to give it a try.

We are in the third chapter of the book and both my son and I are finding it to be an excellent program. It is a great mix of reading, researching, and lab activities. Each chapter has lab activities to perform with a car in real life. This program is going to prepare my son to not only complete light maintenance for an auto but it also includes chapters on buying cars, safety, and emergency information. He will be learning how to change a tire, change the oil, check the spark plugs, and many more things that every person should know who owns a car. I highly recommend this program which includes a workbook, lab sheets, and tests in the homeschool kit.

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom.  She also blogs at http://www.harmonyartmom.blogspot.com