HMJ - 10/29/11

In my life this week…

Back to life, back to reality.  Vacation is over and we were basically finding our routine again this week.  Overall, things went well.

In our homeschool this week...

Challenge A - we have now stopped altogether.  It just moves way to fast for Jonathan and he was frustrated so often.  This week, he joined us in our Cycle 3 memory work because he doesn't have any of that background information and has done so well!  And we threw Latin's Not So Tough out the door!!  Not really but we will no longer use it in this house!



Bible
MFW Bible readings from the book of Matthew.  We are also finishing up our last week in North America.

Math 
I have some Math experts.  I think they are doing great - may have just a little to do with my love of math!

Geography
Learning the states and capitals, the equator, continents and oceans and drawing them all.


This week's focus and for the next 6 weeks will continue to be the US.

Grammar
Sarah - We began Beginning Wisely all over again because the lessons we had done were so sporadic I felt we needed to!


Stephen - adverbs and imperative sentences


Classical Conversations
Week 7

History
American History - we are using The First Americans by Joy Hakim and really enjoying it!



Science
Just our CC memory work.  Back to Anatomy next week!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Just trunk or treat at church.

My favorite thing this week was…

Teaching my 8 year old to do laundry and seeing the excitement that it brought her.  I'm starting a new laundry system.  It involves no sorting and kids doing their own laundry!!

Questions/thoughts I have…

If you get a chance, I would love a comment on my son's workload!

We're reading…

Me

• Instructing A Child's Heart
• Read Alouds:  Johnny Tremain
• Educating the Whole Hearted Child
• Beth Moore's Daniel Study

Jonathan
Carry on Mr. Bowditch

Stephen
Phoebe the Spy

Sarah
Squanto

Links to share..... 

Fun games!


Wits and Wagers
Say Anything

TOS Review: Say Anything Family Edition

Say Anything Family Edition is another game designed by the the guys over at Northstar Games.  It is played in a similar style as Wits and Wagers but the answers are yours!  With a name like "Say Anything" and a house with boys, I was a little scared to begin playing, lol.


This game is geared towards ages 8 and up and 3-6 players at a time.  Included with the game are dry erase boards, dry erase markers, a score board, player tokens, a select-o-matic spinner, and the question cards with over 300 topics.


Play can begin within minutes and again it is over pretty fast. 


The rules of play are...

1. Decide who will be the judge. The judge will not write an answer but will read the question card.
2. Every player then writes their guess on their board and lays their answer face up as quickly as possible.
3. The judge will use the select-o-matic 6000 to choose their favorite answer and lay it face down on the table.
4. Everyone except the judge then uses their 2 player tokens to guess which answer the judge picked.
5. Once all tokens are placed, the judge's answer is revealed and scores are taken.

Scoring.....

1. 1 point for each player token placed on the answer chosen by the judge.
2. 1 point for the player who wrote the chosen answer.
3. The judge gets 1 point for each player token placed on the answer they chose.
4. Game ends once everyone has asked 2 questions.  The player with the most points wins.  If there is a tie, all tying players win!

This is such a fun game to play and really learn more about each other through cunning and witty questions such as, "What magical power would be the coolest to have?".

Say Anything is available at Amazon, Target and local retail stores and retails for $19.99. 

Would our family purchase this game?  YES!  We love the ease of the game set up, the fun it is to play, and the quality of the game pieces.  We love learning and playing new games and having unique ones to share with family and friends!

Don't forget to check out what my fellow crewmates thought of Wits and Wagers Family.

**Disclaimer: I received a free game in exchange for my review. The opinions here are my honest and true evaluation!

Readers: Please Help - Need Some Feedback, Please!!

Does this look like an ok schedule for an 8th grader?  We are changing up some curriculum and any guidance would be appreciated!!  Please leave me a comment.  I NEED YOU!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Math	‡ Chp 3 – Less 21	‡ Chp 3 – Less 22	‡ Chp 3 – Less 23	‡ Test 3	‡ Chp 4 – Less 24
Geog	‡ Memorize States/Capitals - USA ‡ Draw Map – Label without looking – mark the ones you get! ‡ Update map with any missed countries ‡ Define Geography Terms and Study 1-6	‡ Memorize States/Capitals - USA ‡ Draw Map – Label without looking – mark the ones you get! ‡ Update map with any missed countries ‡ Worksheet Geography Terms 1-6	‡ Memorize States/Capitals - USA ‡ Draw Map – Label without looking – mark the ones you get! ‡ Update map with any missed countries ‡ Quizlet - Geography Terms 1-6	‡ Memorize States/Capitals - USA ‡ Draw Map – Label without looking – mark the ones you get! ‡ Update map with any missed countries ‡ Study Geography Terms	‡ Memorize States/Capitals - USA ‡ Draw Map – Label without looking – mark the ones you get! ‡ Update map with any missed countries ‡ Test - Geography Terms
Vocab	‡ Read Chapter 6 ‡ Write vocabulary words ‡ Study all vocabulary words	‡ Read Chapter 7 ‡ Write vocabulary words ‡ Study all vocabulary words	‡ Read Chapter 8 ‡ Write vocabulary words ‡ Study all vocabulary words	‡ Read Chapter 9 ‡ Write vocabulary words ‡ Study all vocabulary words	‡ Read Chapter 10 ‡ Write vocabulary words ‡ Study all vocabulary words
Writing	‡ Lesson 2 - Watch DVD	‡ Write Rough Draft from KWO	‡ Edit paper using checklist ‡ Turn in to Mom to check!!	‡ Type Final	‡ Read Final To Mom
Science	‡ Write Final ‡ Read to Parents	‡ Draw Picture – add color! ‡ Show To Mom/file	‡ Research owls ‡ KWO 1st source	‡ Research owls ‡ KWO 2nd source	‡ Fuse Outline ‡ Rough Draft ‡ Give to Mom to edit!
Rhetoric	‡ Read DCYB Chp 1 ‡ Answer Questions ‡ Discuss With Mom	‡ Read ICJH Chp ‡ Sections 1-3 ‡ Worksheet Catechism Questions 1-20	‡ Read ICJH Chp ‡ Sections 4-6 ‡ Write Missed Catechism Questions 1-20 in notebook	‡ Read ICJH Chp ‡ Sections 7-10 ‡ Pre - Test Catechism Questions 1-20	‡ ICJH - Discuss With Mom all sections ‡ Test – Catechism Questions
Latin	‡ Lesson 2 - Watch DVD ‡ Workbook Sect I & V	‡ Workbook Sect II	‡ Workbook Sect III	‡ Workbook Sect IV ‡ Oral Drill ‡ Pre - test	‡ Test
Reading	Carry On Mr. Bowditch ‡ Read Chp 13	Carry On Mr. Bowditch ‡ Read Chp 14	Carry On Mr. Bowditch ‡ Read Chp 15	Carry On Mr. Bowditch ‡ Read Chp 16	Carry On Mr. Bowditch ‡ Read Chp 17

TOS Review: Wits and Wagers Family Game

This year has been an awesome year of review for the crew!  Our family is a game family and we love to play and find new games! 

Wits and Wagers Family game is designed by the the guys over at Northstar Games.  It is a fun trivia type game that includes over 300 family friendly and fun questions such as, "How many preschoolers still think George Washington is President?".


As soon as our game arrived, we opened it and began play within minutes.


Included with the game are dry erase boards, dry erase markers, a score board, small meeples, large meeples, and the question cards.


First, you read the question card.  Every player then writes their guess on their board.  All questions will have number answers.  Then all answers are displayed.  If you are sure your answer is correct, you can add to your score by placing the small and large meeples on it. If you think another person may have guessed the closer answer, you can still earn points by placing the small and large meeples on their answer instead.  The person closest to the number without going over wins that round and then you tally the points on the score board.  You get 1 point for having the closest correct answer without going over, 1 point if your small meeple is on the closest correct answer, and 2 points if your large meeple is on the closest correct answer.  The person to get 15 points first wins the game!




We had a blast playing this game and even took it with us to grandma's house that night because we knew she would love to play too!  Wits and Wagers Family is available at local retail stores.  To find one near you go here.  It is also available at Amazon.  Prices will vary but at the time of this post they ranged from $15 to $30.  


Would our family purchase this game?  YES!  We love the ease of the game set up, the fun it is to play, and the quality of the game pieces.  

Don't forget to check out what my fellow crewmates thought of Wits and Wagers Family.

**Disclaimer: I received a free game in exchange for my review. The opinions here are my honest and true evaluation!

TOS Review: Apologia: Educating The WholeHearted Child

This my dear friends is what I like to call - my homeschooling manual.  If you do not have this book on your shelf, buy it now!  It is one of those books that you will have a hard time putting down.  You will not just read it through but you will turn to over and over for advice and help.  

Inside this huge 376 page book you will find encouragement, advice, curriculum suggestions, sample schedule for your day, books to read, and SO MUCH MORE!  

Clay and Sally Clarkson, the authors of Educating the WholeHearted Child, have 23 years of homeschool knowledge under their belts.  They first wrote this book in 1994 and this is the brand new revised and expanded edition! 

Inside the pages you will discover how to.......

• make your home and family the heart of your children's education
• train your children to become creative, self-directed learners
• enrich life and education with living books
• identify and work with each child's learning style
• help your children love to learn as naturally as they love to play
• gain confidence to teach with practical, commonsense methods

Their simple and common sense approach leave you feeling equipped to take on the task that God has laid before you in training and raising your children.  Let's face it, homeschooling is hard.  It is not everyday that I wake up saying, "I can't wait to begin".  I struggle and this book has been an uplifting and encouraging blessing to me!  My own personal cheerleader telling me to keep pushing through and to not give up.  What homeschooling parent doesn't need that!?!?

One of the things I love the most were how many scripture references were given.  There was so much emphasize on training our child's heart for Christ first and the learning will come.  So, if you are looking for a secular book of training or curriculum - this is not the book for you.  But for our homeschool, Christ will always be first!

You can check out the table of contents and a sample chapter for free.  Then, when you decide to purchase it for your homeschool library and I know you will - you can do so at Apologia Educational Ministries for only $22 + shipping!  Apologia also offers many other resources for homeschoolers including bible, science and many more products.

Gena Suarez, publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, said it perfectly.  "This book is gold for the homeschool mama!" and we all know you can't put a price on gold!

So, would our family purchase this book?  Absolutely - I would even buy it as a gift for my friends.  It is that awesome to me!

Don't forget to check out what my fellow crewmates thought of Apologia's Educating the WholeHearted Child.

**Disclaimer: I received a free membership in exchange for my review. The opinions here are my honest and true evaluation!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 10/21/11

In my life this week…

We took the week off for fall break.  We had a wonderful family vacation visiting out West.  Now, I need another week to recover from the time change and all!

In our homeschool this week...

Now off to lesson plan for next week!

TOS Review: E-mealz

So, "What's for dinner?". 

If you cringe when that question is asked, then I have a solution for you! E-mealz is a simple solution to solve your dinner dilemma with easy meals based on delicious recipes and a consistent grocery budget.

Jane DeLaney, founder of maketimeforfamily.org and E-Mealz, is a mother of four children and the wife of an associate pastor. She grew up as the third of five in a preacher's family, living in the church parsonage. Many wonderful memories grew out of the shared experience of family dinner for Jane, but she found that her life was drastically different from her mother's.

Jane's inspiration for E-Mealz grew out of her frustration with the difficulty of pulling off dinner for her own family. She says that she felt one week would be semi-sane with "a scribbled down meal plan on napkin lost in the bottom of my purse," and then the next would be sheer chaos. But she was committed to making her family life ordered around an evening meal where everyone could decompress and come face to face with each other.

E-mealz offers families just that option.  With 28 different meal plans to choose from, they have an option for available for many different families.  Plans are available for families from 2-6.  You can easily double recipes if your family is larger as well.  You can see a sample of each plan here.

You can subscribe to e-mealz for only $1.25 per week.  You subscribe for 3 months at a time for $15.  Once you subscribe, you have the choice of changing your meal plan once during your subscription.  E-mealz is also recommended by financial guru Dave Ramsey. He says, "Food is the biggest budget buster of all. I’ve wanted someone to create a practical solution to the "beans and rice, rice and beans" dilemma. Finally... E-Mealz has done it! You will save a ton of time and money. And at just $5.00 per month, E-Mealz is a no-brainer!"

I choose the Any Store Regular Family Meal Plan and then switched to the Aldi Regular Family Meal Plan to compare.  Overall, I found the 2 plans pretty comparable but would choose the any store plan for the future.  The weekly meals are very easy to adjust.  The shopping list gives you the meal number so if you are skipping one of the meals that week on the plan you just simply skip that number.  The average meal plan costs between $75-$85 if you already have some of the basic staples.

The plan works in 3 simple steps.

You can't get much simpler than that!

Out of the meals I fixed, my family loved them all!  Every week, I tweaked the menu plan to fit our family.  Our schedule during the time of this review was C-R-A-Z-Y so not having to really think about "what's for dinner" was such a blessing.  I also tweaked a few of the recipes. The one below was Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole and I left out the poppy seeds because they irritate tummies around here.

This one was Spaghetti Pie but I used a casserole dish instead of a pie pan.

Here is a picture of the week's menu plan and grocery list.

Overall, we really enjoyed the plans we chose from e-mealz.  It was a big relief for me in having menus already planned during such a busy time.  I think subscribing for 3 months at a time would be beneficial for us because of the tweaking I tend to do.  I could throw in a few of our tried and true favorites along with the menus offered by e-mealz.  It was also nice to try new dinner meals for that dinner time rut I often get in.  


Would our family purchase a subscription to e-mealz?  I can't say I would keep it going all the time but I would definitely see subscribing occasionally when I know we will have a hectic schedule coming up or just need some new inspiration.

Don't forget to check out what my fellow crewmates thought of E-mealz.

**Disclaimer: I received a free membership in exchange for my review. The opinions here are my honest and true evaluation!

TOS Review: Always Ice Cream

Sorry boys but this one is just for girls!  And shhhh - don't tell but Stephen did watch Sarah and even helped his little sister out.  :)


What on earth is Always Ice Cream?  It is a bubbly pretty website designed for girls ages 7-12.  It is full of fun and learning activities.  Basically you earn scoops by playing games in categories such as Grammar, Geography, Typing, Science, and more.  You can then spend those scoops to play other fun games.  Some of those include building your own rooms with furniture you pick out and art projects that can be completed, a pet world where you can take care of and purchase food and accessories for your pet and so much more!


Always Icecream is a site where you can rest at ease.  It is designed to be a safe haven for your girls and is completely ad free.  


From the site......
"Founder and CEO Dr. Johannes Siegler came up with the idea for Always Icecream when he was looking for an appropriate internet website for his three daughters.  In search of a site that combines safety, fun, educational value, and online networking he was unhappy with the existing sites.  That's how the idea for Always Icecream was born."


Sarah absolutely loves Always Icecream.  This is totally up her alley and any little girls that I know!  She begs to play and has had a wonderful time creating, earning scoops, spending them, and creating some more.  


Here is a video introduction of Always Icecream.



Sarah's favorite game for earning scoops was US Geography probably since our studies are focused on the states this year but it is such great reinforcement that she begs to do!!  

She also enjoys watching the informative videos where she learned to draw a cat, make cupcakes in ice cream cones, and hip hop dance!


As a parent you can link your account to your daughters so that you receive weekly updates of what she has completed. You can also reward her with scoops from you for completing chores, just being your daughter, helping you, cleaning her room, etc.  You can customize the educational content that is presented to your girls as well.  There is a community feature available where girls can chat with their friends.  You can disable this part of the account if you wish.


You and your little girl can try Always Icecream for free!  Just be warned - it is fun and addictive!!  If you decide to purchase a membership, you can do so monthly for $4.99 with the first month only costing 99 cents!  Also available are annual memberships for $29.99 and lifetime memberships for $99.99.


Would our family purchase a membership to Always Icecream?  Absolutely, and the lifetime one is quite a steal especially since Sarah just turned 8 and I could see this being a fun game for a long time!

Don't forget to check out what my fellow crewmates thought of Always IceCream.

**Disclaimer: I received a free membership in exchange for my review. The opinions here are my honest and true evaluation!