The Curriculum Choice

Live and Learn Press: Biology Learn N’ Folder Notebook

Hands On, High School, Lapbooks, Science 3 Responses »

Nov 122009

Learn N' Folder Notebook

Lapbook style learning in high school? Absolutely!

I have two very visual boys who tend to shy away from normal question and answer, fill-in-the-blanks style learning. When we started high school science with a “real” textbook, I was hesitant about using the review questions in the way they are presented.

Complex vocabulary included with flashcards the student makes himself.

After a little research, I found Live and Learn Press’ Learn N’ Folder Notebook specifically designed to follow the Apologia text Exploring Creation with Biology. I downloaded the free sample which gave me a complete unit to preview. I was impressed with the way they presented the On Your Own questions, the vocabulary, and then review questions into a lapbook sort of format and decided that we would give it a try.

The notebook uses a variety of study ideas.

I will admit that I print out the pages and do all the cutting and folding for their notebooks. I happen to enjoy that sort of work so it is not a burden to me at all. In fact, some evenings my husband and I will sit and make the notebooks together as we chat and enjoy each other’s company with our hands busy folding the various parts of the book.

The boys love all the fun graphics.

As a learning tool, I am very pleased with this product. Filling in the little books and folds with information makes it much more palatable for my sons as we work through the modules. They seem to retain the information better and reviewing the information is much more productive in using the Learn N’ Folder Notebook. They can also quiz themselves before a test using the notebook pages.

The Live and Learn Press Learn N’ Folder Notebooks are not cheap, the biology notebook is $30 for the ebook version, but in our family they have been worth every penny we spent. Sure, they could write out their answers on lined paper with a pencil, but using the Folder Notebooks has made the learning a little easier and definitely more fun.

Makes self-quizzing easy.

I highly recommend the products from Live and Learn Press to go along with your Apologia texts. There are Folder Notebooks for the elementary level texts as well. We will be using their Chemistry Notebook next year to help us organize our study.

Helps with study techniques

For more information on our biology study, please pop over to my Biology Squidoo lens for loads of ideas and suggestions.

Squidoo: Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com and her business is found at http://www.harmonyfinearts.com. I would love for you to join us for the Outdoor Hour Challenges: http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.

Come Look With Me-Art Book Series

Art, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Preschool 3 Responses »

Oct 292009

To most of us, modern art is a mystery. I admit freely that most of the abstract modern art that I have been exposed to does not move me emotionally. I find myself trying to “understand” it and make sense of it but there is very little to understand about art like this.

Untitled Mark Rothko

I really have to go out on a limb here and say that I am not the only one left scratching their head over this sort of painting. Granted not all modern art is this expressionistic. If you want to prepare you children for a museum visit where you know you will be seeing some modern art, I have a suggestion.

Painting On One Page, Questions and Background on the Other

Come Look With Me: Exploring Modern Art by Jessica Noelani Wright is just one book in a whole series of really great children’s art books. Each two page spread has one page with a color art print and one page with questions to use to discuss what you are looking at as well as background information about the artist and the artwork. Other artists presented in this book are Grant Wood, Georgia O”Keeffe, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Andy Warhol.

stack of books

Perhaps you wish to expose your young children to paintings and artists but don’t know where to begin. You might be interested in checking out more in the Come Look With Me book series. Our favorite is Come Look With Me: Animals in Art.

Come Look With Me! Animals in Art by Gladys S. Blizzard is a book we have enjoyed tremendously over the years. This is a great art appreciation book for young ones, having text that goes along with the prints and questions so you can discuss each painting with your child. Some artists included in this book are Edward Hicks, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, and even some prehistoric art.

My son was inspired to draw his own cat after reading the book. I always encourage my boys to draw something from the art appreciation books that we read. In a way it is copying, but I think imitating an artist’s style helps them learn to solve their own drawing or painting problems. Art is just a way of solving problems. You learn to make things look real, you learn perspective, you learn balance, you learn design, and so much more when you are drawing or painting.

Simple but effective. As the parent, you don’t have to be the expert.You can use these books one at a time, one painting at a time to introduce in a casual and enjoyable way the delight in great art. Some paintings you will really love and some you will not at all. That is the beauty of art, there are no right or wrong answers.

Paintings Large Enough to See Details

The books in this series have artwork large enough for you to really see the details. The book could be displayed very easily as part of your picture study. There are just enough questions for each painting to get your child really looking at and observing the artwork presented. Even though these books are fairly short, you could take the featured artists and expand your study by viewing more of their paintings online before moving on to a new artist.

spines

Check your local library before purchasing any books in this series since you may find that you can borrow these popular books instead of purchasing them. I love them so much that I have quite a collection on our art shelf.

Look for these additional titles:

Enjoying Art With Children -Manet, Renoir, Picasso, and more

World of Play -Bruegel, Homer, Rivera, and more

Exploring Landscape Art with Children -Van Gogh, Roussseau, Bierstadt, and more

The Artist at Work -Turner, Millet, Monet, Degas, and more

American Indian Art -Native American artwork including paintings, beadwork, dolls, and other art objects

Art in Early America -Peale, Catlin, Heade, Audubon, and more

This series of art books can be used as part of your picture study plans, art appreciation plans, or just as an enjoyable way to share art with your children.

Handbook of Nature Study

Charlotte Mason, Science 7 Responses »

Oct 152009

“In nature-study the work begins with any plant or creature which chances to interest the pupil….Nature-study is for the comprehension of the individual life of the bird, insect, or plant that is nearest at hand.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 5

The Handbook of Nature Study has become my best friend. It hasn’t always been that way. In fact, I purchased it, could not figure out how to use it, and promptly sold it to a fellow homeschooler. I thought about this book from time to time as other homeschoolers would write about it on their blog or I would see it mentioned in nature study groups to which I belonged.

A few years later I took another crack at it using a copy from the library…..just look at that thick book! This time I was determined to use this huge resource in our nature study plans. I started at the beginning of the book and read through the foreword and then the preface. I tackled Part I of the book and suddenly it all clicked into place in my head. I had been trying to use this book as a field guide and that was not the purpose intended at all.

Anna Botsford Comstock did not set out to write a really long book about nature study but rather it was written as a collection of leaflets published as part of the Home Nature-Study Course for teachers. These lessons were compiled into one volume in the Handbook of Nature Study and published originally in 1911. The lessons were written not for young students but for the teachers.

The lessons are written to give the teacher an overview of a topic and then to give some suggestions for observation to use with the students. There are lists of questions to pick from in the study of each topic. These lessons, although written in the beginning of the 20th century, are still pertinent today and our family has used them to discover a wonderful world right outside our own back door.

This book can give you years of nature study ideas and even though it is written with a focus on eastern United States subjects, it can easily be adapted and used in all parts of the United States, North America, and beyond. I have seen it work worldwide in a variety of habitats by families that take the basic idea and apply it in their own way.

One Way to Use the Handbook
The Handbook of Nature Study can be used in a variety of ways. When we first started out we used the suggested nature study rotation from Ambleside Online which focuses on three aspects of nature per year. This worked very well for us and I know it has helped many families organize their nature study. If you choose to use this sort of schedule, make sure to read the introductory twenty-four pages in the Handbook of Nature Study before you get started with specific topics from the book. I always recommend underlining or highlighting thoughts that you want to incorporate into your family’s nature study.

For instance, you can choose to study mammals in autumn, birds in winter, and garden flowers in spring. Each week you pick a focus subject within the overall topic and read a little about it. Then using observation ideas given in the lesson, you can complete your nature study lesson using subjects you observe in person. The beauty of this system is that you can personalize your nature study to fit the interests of your family. You can spend as much or as little time on a topic as you find interest.

The Outdoor Hour Challenges-Another Way to use the Handbook of Nature Study
As many of you know, I use the Handbook of Nature Study every week and share our plans and results using the Outdoor Hour Challenges. The challenges were born when a blog reader suggested I lead a weekly nature study plan using the Handbook of Nature Study. That was nearly two years ago and we are still going strong, never running out of ways to include the information in the book with our weekly challenges. If you want to know how to get started with the Outdoor Hour Challenges, you can follow this LINK.

How do the challenges use the Handbook of Nature Study?

I suggest a few pages to read in the book before you take 10-15 minutes of outdoor time with your children.
Each challenge gives you a focus but I always remind moms to be flexible and follow the child’s lead if something more interesting comes your way. You may be out looking for oak trees but a woodpecker decides to let itself be seen. By all means, observe the woodpecker!
When you come indoors, take a few minutes to talk about what you saw during your nature study time outdoors.
Use the Handbook of Nature Study, either the table of contents or the index, and look up more information to follow up a child’s interest.
Make time for a nature journal entry if you desire. I encourage a sketch, a label, and a date. It is a simple as that…really.
The Handbook of Nature Study can be used before your study as a way to prepare for your outdoor time and then again afterward as a follow-up for any particular interest.

I highly recommend this book and I believe it should be on every homeschoolers science shelf as a resource and inspiration. The purchase of this book will give you years of topics to incorporate into your science and nature study plans. For younger children, the Handbook of Nature Study can provide the foundation of a solid knowledge of the natural world. There is an online version available as a free download HERE.

“A teacher does not need to know much about nature to use this handbook. The information is there for the novice and the expert alike. All that is needed is an inquiring mind, senses to observe, and a willingness to think about nature on a personal level.” Handbook of Nature Study, foreword to the 1986 reissue.

Additional blog entries you might like to read:
Beginner’s Tips

Picking a Nature Study Focus

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.

Spelling Power

High School, Junior High Language Arts, Language Arts 8 Responses »

Sep 172009

Spelling Power cover When we first started homeschooling, spelling was one subject that I thought I could easily handle with a workbook. We trudged through many years of Abeka spelling books and then switched to Spelling Workout for a few years with the youngest boys. By the time I reached my third child, spelling lists and tests had begun to try my patience. It seemed silly for them to be studying words for whole week that they already knew how to spell. It did not seem like an efficient use of time so I started to look for some new method of working on spelling.

In my research I discovered Spelling Power and I ordered the book. I tried to look at the cost of the book as an investment, an investment in the last spelling system I would ever have to purchase. Turns out it was an investment in building confident spellers.

The system is easy to start at any age, ability, or time of year using the Quick Start Steps in the beginning of the book. The Spelling Power system uses a placement test to place each child at the appropriate level in the book. Your child then starts working on a short list of words by pre-testing the next list in the book and eliminating any words they already know. So each list of words is made even more manageable and your child only studies words he is unfamiliar with each week. A thorough study of spelling is done in 15 minutes per day.

Spelling Power uses the 5,000 most frequently used and misspelled words. Each Spelling Power level is organized around spelling rules. Your child is memorizing the spelling rule as he goes along. DSCN7315 For instance you can have a list built on the rule, “Consonant letters are often doubled after a short vowel in short vowel words such as egg, fluff, sniffle, and mess”. Each day that you work on this list, you review the rule and work on a few more words. Most rules are covered in multiple levels so you will have plenty of review of each rule as you work from year to year.

Each word shows up on several lists so there is also a built in review. This is something that really drew me to Spelling Power. The ability to test retention in a painless way is already designed into their spelling lists. There is little chance of your child only learning a word once for a test and then forgetting it.

The Spelling Power study plan is based on providing various means of getting the word imprinted in the brain using a preset method each day. Each day’s activities starts with having the child pronounce the word correctly with the assumption that many times a child misspells a word because he is not pronouncing it properly. The method is the same for all ages from the youngest to the oldest. Once you learn the routine, your spelling is the same from year to year.

Daily Study Sheet The daily routine goes something like this and even though it sounds like a lot, it only takes a few minutes to do with a short list.
*Pronunciation-say the word properly out loud
*Cover and Spell-write the word, cover it, write it again, check it
*Tactile Spelling-use your finger to trace the word on some textured surface like sandpaper or rough clothing
*Visualize Word-close your eyes and mentally spell the word on your mind’s “chalkboard”

After this process, you then complete a short activity to cement the spelling into the child’s memory. The Appendix of the Spelling Power book lists dozens of short spelling activities. Each year that we used this book, I would go through the lists and pick appropriate activities for the boys to choose from each day to study their spelling words. These activities are in addition to the process listed above.

I made index cards with each of my approved activities and they would choose from the stack of cards how to study each day. Here are a few we used over the years. (Please note that you can purchase a whole box of spelling activity cards to go along with your Spelling Power book if you don’t want to make up your own cards.)
*Write your words with dry erase markers on the window or mirror.
*Write your words on the sidewalk with chalk.
*Use the Scrabble letters, sticker letters, or a labelmaker to spell your words.
*Pronounce and spell your words into a tape recorder.
*String your words with the letter beads.
*Write your words in sentences.
*Use graph paper and make a “crossword” with your spelling words.

The whole spelling process took ten to fifteen minutes a day. I know that seems like we did a lot in a short period of time but with an average of five words to study each day, proper training, and having your activities organized you really are very efficient.

No more mindless workbooks or studying words they already knew how to spell. Spelling became easier and less stressful for all involved.

The book provides all the spelling lists from beginner to advanced in one volume. All the master worksheets are provided using various line spacing so you can print off appropriate pages for young and old.

Now that my boys are finished with Spelling Power and in high school I rarely need to correct their spelling. If they happen to misspell a word, I can usually point it out to them and have them correct it. The rules learned in Spelling Power have trained them well enough to get even complicated spellings correct or at least really close so they can look it up in the dictionary.

This multi-level, multi-year program is self-paced and a great value for families. It was the last spelling program we ever purchased.

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

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.

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

How To Make An Overall Plan for The Year

Encouragement, High School, Mom Helps, New to Homeschooling, Organization, Philosophies 5 Responses »

Aug 292009

Often I am asked by new homeschoolers about how to make an overall plan for the school year. They are looking for the nuts and bolts of putting lots of great ideas together because they tend to get overwhelmed by whole process. I shared the following ideas with a friend and I hope they help and encourage readers here at Curriculum Choice.

I try to emphasis to new homeschoolers that your “school day” extends far beyond the usual school hours. By making good use of that concept you can fit some school related learning into every day of the week and move some of your ideas and projects into the evenings or over the weekends so your whole family can participate.

My Steps to Pulling it All Together

1. Consider what you want to teach. What are the main points of the lessons? What are my goals for this particular year? The process of putting these thoughts on paper in a simple form gives a touchstone when considering what books, resources, and other options to use.

Take an inventory of what materials you have on hand

2. Gather your materials to see what you have and what you might need:

Textbooks or workbooks (if you are going to use these)
Library books (look on your local library website and browse their catalog of books)
Games and Kits
Online activities (Google the topic with “lesson plan” after it or “activities” or “unit study”)
Field trip ideas
DVDs from Netflix

I usually keep a notebook page for each subject as I am planning and record my ideas on paper as I go.

3. Decide which materials best suit your child. Try to figure out which aspect of what you are learning is going to be most interesting to them.

Active learner-Short activities, lots of movement, limited table time.

Some Children Thrive on Reading Lots of Books

Visual Learner-Picture books, videos, lots of art activities.
Avid Reader-Keep a list of books that can fill in your schedule and don’t forget books for subjects like science, history, and biographies of artists and musicians.
Project Learner-Kits, models, lapbooks, and notebook pages are great for this kind of learner.

4. Divide the text, books, activities, and field trips into the desired amount of time. I prefer to move slowly through a book and have them give an oral or written narration every day. When your children are young, working up to one paragraph per book selection per day is enough along with a drawing or a map or something that is interesting to them. I never try to do it all. (see #6)

Combine writing, art, and science into one project

5. Look for ways to connect subjects:

History and literature (historical fiction)
History and art and music (learn about artists and composers from the history time period)
Science and art (drawing diagrams or labs, drawing animals found in your neighborhood)
Math and science (measuring things for labs, cooking)
PE and math (times tables while jump roping, counting repetitions, count as you bounce a ball)

6. Have an overall plan but be flexible.
Decide if any areas are needing extra attention for this school year, make those a priority and perhaps complete them earlier in the day.

Off Season Traveling is a Great Experience

Take the opportunity for field trips-This is one reason for home schooling in the first place. Taking field trips when everyone else is back in school is so enjoyable and far less crowded.

Plan for interruptions-Divide your books into 34 or 35 weeks instead of 38 so you have some wiggle room.

7. Have a plan for things to do when your child is sick:
Educational videos while laying on the couch.
Read out loud to your child.
Listen to classical music while they rest.
Play quiet games.

8. Make use of your time spent traveling in the car:
Listen to books on tape.
Listen to folk music or classical music.
Have a box of books they can read to themselves.
Have a stack of math facts flashcards (keep in a Ziploc.)
Have a stack of sight words to read (keep in a Ziploc.)

Hopefully this post has helped you in some way, either with a few ideas to get started with or a some new ideas to try in your homeschool.

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

The Easy Spanish-Charlotte Mason Style Learning

Charlotte Mason, Foreign Language, High School, Highschool 11 Responses »

Aug 202009

front-cover This past year we finished up The Easy Spanish or El Espanol Facil! Level I. I found the link through the recommendation of a friend and after watching the introductory video explaining how the program fit a Charlotte Mason style of learning, we decided to investigate the book further. The approach is multi-faceted with listening, narrating aloud, and then writing in Spanish. It is also multi-leveled so you can offer Spanish to all your children with one book and one plan.

I was looking for something fresh to try. We had tried a textbook approach and we had started Rosetta Stone Spanish but neither of those options felt like it was a good fit all by itself. I purchased The Easy Spanish and got started with it right away with my boys.

In my package I received a thick spiral bound textbook with two audio CDs. One of the CDs has pages to print out and use with your children as needed.

Personal Dictionary

The textbook is arranged in lessons with corresponding sections on the CD. The textbook is so well organized that my teenagers could work independently and work at their own level of activities. The lessons are written on multiple levels so this plan could be used in a family with children in different grade levels. Their website suggests that with younger children you work through the lessons at a slower pace and take 2-3 years to complete this level. Older students (teens) she suggests 1-2 years depending on how much time each week you take for Spanish.

Each lesson starts with a story that weaves English and Spanish together. You can read it in the text and listen along with the CD. After the story, the CD pronounces the vocabulary and leaves time for your child to respond. There is always a follow-up activity and there is always a time during the week when your child will narrate back in Spanish the general idea of the story from the lesson. There is a special notebook activity that is really a year-long project to have the child tell all about themselves in Spanish. All the notebook pages are included on the CD.

Personal Notebook Page

The program includes scripture memorization as part of each lesson. Most lessons also have cultural notes that teach more deeply about the culture presented in the story. Geography is also a part of The Easy Spanish program.

If your children are older, there is a specific part of the lesson for independent learners. My boys worked with these assignments and I think it has helped them progress more than anything else. The high school age child is also encouraged to start a journal in Spanish. This was difficult at first but as they built vocabulary, it became easier. Each student is also encouraged to make their own Spanish dictionary with the vocabulary words from each lesson.

One of the CDs also contains Spanish songs to sing along with the lessons. See the link to samples below.

The student is given a weekly assignment sheet where he can check off each particular aspect of the lesson each day. I found this to be a great tool for me to use with my boys, helping them to become more independent.

Independent Learners Go Deeper

Links to Samples: Song, Lesson, Lesson 2 in both PDF and MP3. I highly recommend that you print out the lesson and go through the MP3 files to really get a feel for the simplicity of using this Spanish program.

I also highly recommend that you go to their homepage and watch the introductory video. I found it very helpful to understand just what was included in the program and an overview of how it words.
The Easy Spanish -Video

So, of all the Spanish programs we have tried so far, this is the best I have found as far as learning practical vocabulary and encouraging the boys to actually have conversations. Using the independent activities, the Charlotte Mason activity, and the journal activities has helped them with their vocabulary and verb work.

Personal journal for independent learners

We used The Easy Spanish! everyday of the week, about twenty minutes per day.

If you are looking for a Spanish program for your family and you want it to have a Charlotte Mason flair, this program is worth looking into.

Here is what their website says:

Phonetic, incremental, conversational Spanish & high frequency words
Spanish Scripture, songs, games and coloring pages
Great for homeschool co-op groups
Digitally mastered enhanced CD for audio and computer
Printable activity sheets: no purchasing consumable activity books or photocopying.
Teaches language and grammar through literature based entertaining storylines
Does not require prior knowledge of Spanish
Set outline of skills per quarter
3 year program for younger students
1 to 2 year program for older students and 1 year Fast track option for teens
Cultural flavor of Mexico and South America with optional projects
Use of Tomatis and SAMONAS sound theories to facilitate learning
Follows Charlotte Mason Method, Bloom’s Taxonomy and high order theories by Dr. Jeanne Chall
Edited by and featuring the recorded voices of Native Spanish Speakers from Nicaragua and Venezuela

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

Have you heard about Eeboo?

Art, Charlotte Mason, Preschool, Science, Writing 5 Responses »

Aug 092009

Brenda and I had the privilege to review products from a new-to-us company with a funny but memorable name, eeBoo. We decided to combine our reviews into one entry so you can see a variety of their items and get two different perspectives about a line of products that is sure to become one of your favorites too.

Here is Brenda’s review to start us off.

I’m always on the hunt for new companies to add to my list of favorites to buy high quality games and toys from. It makes it easier to go into a toy store or shop online when I have a pre-approved list of companies, and it helps me narrow down my searches. Eeboo has been added to my list.

wall_birds1 Eeboo has an amazing assortment of products for young minds. I was fortunate to be able to review some wall cards and a story game, provided by this excellent company. The wall cards are perfect for my budding bird-lovers. They are beautifully illustrated number cards that have birds from 1-10. These cards are durable and look lovely displayed on a wall.

Now, if your tot doesn’t have an interest in birds, how about trains? Eeboo has counting trains too. Their wall cards don’t end with counting numbers, they also have a wide assortment of alphabet cards like animals, tools and flowers. There are several ways that I have thought about using these cards since I can’t display them all and I also happened to buy the tool alphabet set at a toy store while on vacation this summer. I thought about sliding the cards into page protectors in a binder to make a book, and displaying just a few at a time while we are learning that letter or number on an IKEA curtain wire including clips for 4.95, in the school room.

I’m definitely going to use these cards with the my little girl when we begin bird watching for our nature studies. I have collected a hand full of field guides to help us discover which birds we are watching and these particular cards will give us a head start because they have the names of the birds on them. The illustrations are also perfect for having young ones draw a bird in their nature study book, cause we all know birds don’t usually stick around and pose for a picture for too long.

tms_forest

Eeboo also has the perfect tool for budding writers. Tell Me a Story cards have brought hours of fun and laughter for my 5 year old daughter and I. The first time I opened this game, she devoured the box. We had to go through every card! The directions come with several games to play but her favorite is when we both take turns choosing a random card from the pile and add on to our silly story…and add…and add…and giggle.

We have the Mystery in the Forest edition, and I’m so happy to discover that there are 3 more editions. I’ve secretly bought her another one for her next birthday.

My “school” plan for using this pre-writing tool is choosing a few cards for her to dictate (or tell me a story about), while I write it down for her. Then I would read it back to her and have her draw a picture to go with her story. This would also work well with my seven year old son. I have also found that if I leave these cards in the dining room that my other children find them and start coming up with their own games to play with them. I can see why Tell Me a Story cards have won the Best Toy Award, because they are very versatile.

Written by Brenda, a classical eclectic mother of 5. You can find her writing at Tie That Binds Us about her homeschooling journey.

Now it is my turn! Our family decided to test these products out together…including our teen boys and my daughter Amanda! Thumbs up from everyone!

Screech Owl at Dusk. Robin Cheer Up. September Serenade.

eeboo-pencils_nature Don’t those color names make you want to go grab your nature journal and start sketching? Even before we opened the pencil box, we all noticed the beautifully illustrated tin they were packaged in. The watercolor style painting of birds on this eeBoo pencil set is attractive and so inspiring that you will want to open them up and get started. The sturdy tin box will be a great way to transport the pencils in a backpack on our hiking adventures. We all appreciated among the twenty-four pencils in the set that there are three shades of yellow, three shades of green, and four shades of brown. When you work in your nature journal it is wonderful to have a variety of natural shades to choose from when you need just the right color for a wildflower you find or to sketch a tree seen in a meadow. We will be adding these colored pencils to our list of items to take on our nature rambles, using them when we are inspired out of doors.

Speaking of nature journals, our family was also asked to review their Nature and Observations Notebook. We loved the size and feel of this journal. It is spiral bound and has a variety of features that give this special journal a little something extra.

eboo-ntbk_nature
12 glassine envelopes for field specimens and pocket to store them.
128 Pages including: Sketch Pages and Note Pages
10 fold-up sheets for stationery
2 sheets of stickers for specimens envelopes and stationery
The envelopes are perfect for holding pressed flowers and you can store them in the pocket on the inside of the front cover. The journal also includes beautiful specimen labels to attach to each envelope. Very handy! The journal has pages that are both lined and pages with sketch boxes to encourage you to illustrate this memory book. At the back of the journal there are 10 removable pages to be used as stationery and they come complete with stickers to seal the stationery closed. This is one complete nature journal! eeBoo also offers a travel journal and a summer journal .

Summing it all up, our family decided that the beauty of the eeBoo products is what attracted us at first but after using the pencils and their nature notebook we love the quality and versatility of the products as well. We look forward to filling our nature journal with colorful sketches. Thanks eeBoo!

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

Classical Music Start-Up Kit

Art, Charlotte Mason, Classical, High School, Highschool, Music 3 Responses »

Aug 062009

I have been listening to classical music for quite some time. Many of my friends say classical music is not their cup of tea so they don’t expose themselves or their children to the variety and sound of classical music. In my experience, it takes a few times listening through a particular composer to get the feel for his music. Lumping all classical music into one category is a big mistake since the sounds and styles of each composer are so different.

Starting when the children are young is the best way to develop an ear for classical music but don’t despair if your children are older and you still want to give them the opportunity. It is never too late. My husband never listened to classical music until we started composer study in the Charlotte Mason style. He now can recognize and appreciate many different composers.

cm-start-up-two-disks I found the perfect CD sets to introduce your family to the general overview of classical music. The series is called The Classical Music Start-Up Kit, volumes one and two. The first CD covers the years 1500-1825 and the second volume covers 1825-1945.

They call it a kit but really it is a CD with a booklet “instruction manual”. You can listen and enjoy the selections or you can listen, enjoy, and then pull out the booklet and read about the composer, the time period, and the music itself. I had my boys listen to the CD several times and then we went back and read a bit about what we were listening to after they had some exposure to the music.

I have learned to fit in our listening as we go about our daily routine. We listen to the music in the car while we are driving to our appointments or errands. I put the music on when they are working on art projects. I listen to the music during the day while I work on the computer. You would be surprised at how many times you can find to listen to one or two of the selections each day.

You can click the link to Amazon.com below and there you can actually listen to samples of the music from each CD.

Classical Music Start-Up Kit Volume One

Classical Music Start-Up Kit Volume Two

Each one of these volumes could be the basis of a term’s music appreciation. Here is what the introduction says for these kits.

“Each volume requires two to three hours of listening and reading. If you’re new to classical music, this CD and instruction manual may be easier to absorb if you plan several shorter sittings…..It is not essential for you to have read Volume One before beginning Volume Two, but if you go through these CDs in order, you’ll have a better overall understanding of classical music.”

These CDs are a great starting point for a study of classical music. You can use the selections to pick composers you want to listen to in more depth in the future. If you find a composer you like and want to stop and dwell on his music, you can be flexible and do that as well.

There is no right or wrong way to get started with music appreciation. The most important thing is that you start!

cm-start-up-disk-and-manual

I love to keep things simple and the Classical Music Start-Up CDs with the accompanying instruction manual are an inexpensive and painless way to expose your children to great music. These CDs are appropriate for all ages of students. In fact, I use them in my high school music appreciation plans on Harmony Fine Arts. These plans are free and you can download the PDFs to use with your children.

You can also listen to both of these Classical Music Start-Up Kits on Naxos.com if you are a subscriber. You can also listen to samples on Naxos.com for free.

Volume One: Catalogue Number 8.550779

Volume Two: Catalogue Number 8.550835

Enjoy!

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

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