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Showing posts from May, 2012

TOS Review: DVD: Dive into Diversity

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When I started planning our school year, I pulled resources together for a science unit studying oceans and sea creatures.  I called it “Under the Sea.”  Then I found out the TOS Homeschool Crew was going to have an opportunity to review DVDs from Dive into Your imagination .  We would be able to give our preference for which dvd we would like:  Dive into Diversity , Who lives in the Sea? , What Makes a Fish, a Fish? Much to my joy we were assigned to this review and we received Dive into Diversity. Much to the disappointment of Supergirl,  I postponed our Under the Sea unit so that we could include the Dive into Diversity DVD and the Educator Guide that Annie Crawley generously provided in PDF format. Let me speak just a bit about the Educator Guides.  These are HUGE (over 300 pages for the guide for Dive into Diversity !)  They are jam packed with information and activities. The sections include: “How to use this book”, a section devoted to each “chapter” of the DVD, Treasure Ch

TOS Review: Heritage History: British Middle Ages

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If you know me or if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I prefer a literature based approach to learning history. History comes alive when you use living books, that is books generally written by one author who has love and enthusiasm for his subject.  I am so thankful to the Crew for introducing me to Heritage History .  The girls and I have been studying the British Middle Ages from the Heritage Classical Curriculum . Heritage History Classical Curriculum is a literature rich approach to studying history.  They “put the story back into history.”    In the Curriculum Guide , you can read about the philosophy, approach and even the recommended sequence for teaching.  In addition to the website, this guide is also included as a PDF file on the Classical Curriculum CD.  I also recommend exploring the FAQ page .  As a TOS Homeschool Crew member I received the both the British Middle Ages Classical Curriculum CD ($24.99) and a printed color copy ($24.99) of the British M

TOS Review: WriteShop Primary Level A

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For the last several weeks, Supergirl and I have been using WriteShop Primary Level A as part of our LanguageArts Studies.  Or rather as part of her studies. As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, we received the E-book version of the Teacher Guide and Student Activity book.   From the Website: “ Book A is recommended for kindergarten or first grade. It may also be used with reluctant second graders. The program accommodates pre-writers as well as beginning and developing writers, teaching the skills of the writing process at the very simplest level.” Primary Level A is available in both e-book ($24.25 ) and print formats ( softcover with plastic coil binding $26.95 ).  You’ll also need the reproducible student activity pack which also available in both e-book ($4.50) and print ($4.95) formats.  For this level, I prefer having the e-book for the activity pages but I think I might have preferred the print version for the teacher guide, however, I am not unhappy with the e-book versio

Day 5: Home Organization: Meal Planning

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I had not really planned on writing a post about Meal Planning as part of my 5 Days of Home Organization but as the week drew closer I found myself pondering and re-visiting some old ideas.  Having a plan or being organized with menus can make the difference between eating home cooked food and living off of fast food.  It also means the difference between insanity and staying sane.  I have come to despise the question “what’s for dinner?”  If I have to stop and think about it, I get grouchy and irritable.  If I have meal plan I can just say “go look and see for yourself.” I have found that if I do not know what is for dinner by the time we’re eating lunch, I can practically guarantee that I will not be cooking and that we’ll be eating some type of take out. I’ve written about meal planning before.  I wrote about setting up and creating a rotating meal plan.  Part 1 talks about rotating menu plans and in Part 2 I walk you through how I set up my rotating menu plan. There are seas

TOS Review: CAPJAXMATHFAX

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It can be quite a challenge to find products that will drill math facts to mastery and still keep the interest of the student. I want something that will be fun and keep the interest of my students but I don’t want them distracted by playing games that entertain more than they educate.  Enter CapJaxMathFax .  CapJaxMathFax is a software that you download.  An annual license is $29.95 and is good for up to 10 students.  You may, for an additional fee, choose to purchase the program on a cd.  You can try CapJax using the Free Evaluation version .  When I first  installed the software but before installing my license, I noticed a message that told me to look for a secret code while playing.  I could then use the secret word code to receive a discount when I purchase a license.  (Please note I did not purchase a license, one was provided for me.)  In addition to the program, you can also purchase buttons to award your students. From the Website: Meet Captain Jack : “Starboard Training

Day 4: Organizing the Home School Stuff

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Earlier this Crew year, I blogged about organizing my home school . It was part of a Blog Cruise.  I wanted to write again about organizing supplies.  Not just our school supplies but my office type supplies. There are three kinds of stores that I could spend hours and hours wondering and browsing.  They are not clothing stores.  Not shoe stores either.  Office Supply stores, Kitchen Gadgets and Books.  Consequently, my husband rarely takes me to the outlet mall.  (Truth be told he’s a sucker for the Kitchen Gadget and Book stores, too!) I love pencils and pens and all those neat little gadgets like clips and pins and containers to hold everything.  And the perfectionist who wants everything to match and be perfect drools and covets paper trays, markers and clipboards. Reality is not so pretty but I still have a need to be able to find a working pen or sharpened pencil without having to scrounge through the cushions of the couch.  Mugs and baskets make perfect containers for pens an

Day 3: Home Organization Laundry and the Linen Closet

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Originally I thought… hmm.. I should do one post for the Linen Closet and a second post for laundry.  But then I found (since I really talk too much anyway) that I had more to say than I thought I did so I need to combine topics.  And then I realized my laundry system isn’t really working now so maybe I don’t want to draw attention to it.  If I reveal my laundry secrets then you’ll know I’m not perfect. (and if you’ve been reading my Home Organization posts then you’ll know I really struggle with that inner perfectionist.) Well since we’re talking about laundry (and you’ll know I’m behind in laundry cause the linen closet picture has a big empty space.  That’s where the clean towels would go.  You know once the ones in the clean basket are folded and the ones in the hamper finally make it through the washer and dryer and get folded).  Oh right we were talking about laundry.  As with all other areas of my life,, I’m perfectionist.  Fortunately, I’ve come a long way when it comes to w

Finding What You Need in the Kitchen Pantry

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I’m just not sure I’ve mentioned enough just how much I hate not being able to find what I need.  I open the pantry door and grunt in frustration because I know the coconut oil is there and I need it.  But I can’t find it.  And then I have to move stuff around and things start falling on top of me.  AAAAAHHHHH!  You do not want to witness my melt down when that happens.  And when that happens, the girls know it’s time to clean the pantry. The really nice thing about having a pantry organization system is that, when things start to “fall apart”, it takes a lot less time and effort to restore the system into good working order.  I have a family of humans.  I love them but they are not perfect (and that really rubs the perfectionist in me the wrong way).  This means that no matter how much I have strived to teach them to put things back in the “proper” place at some point things get “shoved here or there or anywhere”.   I don’t think there is only one right way to organize a pantry and

5 Days of Home Organization: An Introduction

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About a year and a half ago I wrote a post for the TOS Blog Cruise for the theme "organizing your home school". I started that post with an explanation of why I need organization. I think it only fitting that on day 1 of a 5 Days of Home Organization that I again share why I need organization. And I think I need to explain something very important. Being organized and having it all together are TWO DIFFERENT animals. I may have several areas in my home that have some semblance of organization but I do not have it all together. With my perfectionist streak I am my own worst enemy! I get frazzled, flustered and frustrated when I cannot easily find what I am looking for.  If I need a pillowcase, I want to be able to just open the linen closet and grab one.  If I’m looking for the letter opener I want to be able to go to the bin and have it waiting there just for me.  When I open the pantry to find the glass jar of chives, I want it to be with all the other spices.  I don’t

A Perfect May Day in the Pacific Northwest

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When I was growing up, September was my favorite month of the year.  Not just because that’s my birthday month.  In Minnesota, the September weather is nearly perfect. The heat of August has passed.  The cold of November is still far away. The trees begin to display their gorgeous colors. Since moving to the PNW, my favorite month is May. In May we have a taste of truly perfect weather. Not too hot. Not too cold. Not rainy.  Just an abundance of glorious sunshine. In the 11 years we have lived here I’ve noticed a pattern.  May is beautiful.  Gorgeous. And then June reverts to cold and rainy.  We wonder what happened to summer? And then sometime after the 4th of July we get roughly 6 weeks of summer.  It is days like today that remind why I love the PNW so much and why May is my favorite month. I think the high today was the lower to mid 70’s.  Earlier in the day there was a refreshing breeze and having the windows open just felt wonderful. Later in the afternoon it warmed up enough

TOS Review: Go Science DVD’s

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I think Supergirl’s favorite way to learn is watching DVD’s.  One of the first words she learned to sign was “movie”.  Recently we’ve been watching two Go Science DVD’s. provided by Library & Educational Services. For each crew member selected for the review, Library & Educational Services (LES) gave a choice of two (yes TWO!) of the 6 available DVD’s for Go Science.  I chose Volume 4 ( Chemistry, States of Matter, and Life Sciences ) and Volume 6 ( Water, Space and the Solar System ) Description from the website: “ Even kids who claim an aversion to science will be engaged by the high-energy science demonstrations of Ben Roy! Ben teaches science methods at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the former director of a science program on television. With this expertise, Ben captivates, motivates, and inspires students to be excited about science, while providing effective instruction based on science phenomena. Each of the 67 spectacular demonstrations of physi

It’s coming! It’s Coming! 5 Days of… Blog Hop

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My dear readers, you may have noticed that occasionally I participate in the TOS Blog Cruise.  Well our Cruise Director, Marcy has organized a TOS Blog Hop!  Starting May 14th and running for 5 days the TOS Crew will be doing the 5 Days of… Blog Hop!  Each of the participants will be blogging about one topic or theme for 5 days.  I’ve heard that there will be topics such as “Using Technology in Homeschool”,  “Graduating a Homeschooler”, “Boy Scouts.”  I’ll be blogging for 5 days about Home Organization. Each of my posts will include a link to the TOS Homeschool Blog Post where you can hop between blogs.  At last count I thought I heard Marcy say “65 crew members”.    So carve some time out of your schedule.  Line up your beverage of choice and prepare to Blog Hop for 5 Days! Look for this Graphic in my sidebar to see my posts: Look for this Graphic on the participating blogs and in participating posts.  Oh and yes I’ll have it on my sidebar so you can easily find the rest of the b

The little red furry monster

In June 2004 Honeybear and I took all four girls and we headed east to visit family in Minnesota.  While back “home” we visited the national cemetery to see my father’s grave.   My grandparents (my mother’s parents) are buried not to far away in the same cemetery. When we went over to pay our respects to my grandparents, my children made a shocking discovery!  Elmo was dead.  I had hysterical children who couldn’t quite make the connection that the little red  furry monster was NOT their great grandfather and therefore Elmo the monster was not dead. It’s become a family joke of sorts.  This morning, 1 month shy of 8 years since that trip and we have this conversation: Me to Supergirl: “What’s the name of the first book with Edmund and Lucy?” Supergirl: <shrugs shoulders> She doesn’t want to say it. Me: “Is it the tiger, the wizard and the closet?” Supergirl: <giggles and points to Turtlegirl “You tell her” Eventually we get her to say the word we want to hear “wardrobe”

The Forgiven Duke (Book review & Giveaway!)

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Last February I had the opportunity to read and review The Guardian Duke   by Jamie Carie.  The Guardian Duke is the first book in the Forgotten Castle series.   I very much enjoyed the adventure part of the story and two of my daughters loved the book.  So I had to jump at the chance to read and review The Forgiven Duke.  We received confirmation that I would be receiving an advanced reader copy on Tailorbear’s 13th birthday. She was so excited.  She declared the book her birthday present!   This book releases July 12, 2012. Here’s some websites you may be interested in: http://jamiecarie.com/books/the-forgiven-duke http://www.amazon.com/Forgiven-Duke-Forgotten-Castles-Novel/dp/1433673231   http://jamiecarie.com/books/the-forgiven-duke About the Book: Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon - the path of least resistance - Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St