Posts

Showing posts from March, 2012

TOS Review: Amazing Animals By Design

Image
I love being part of the crew.  As a crew member I often get the chance to discover great books that I just never would have known about.  Amazing Animals by Design by Debra Haagen is one of those finds. As part of the TOS Crew, I received a copy of this book in PDF format.   I have a Simple Touch Nook but I wasn’t sure how well this would work.  As soon as I received my PDF copy, I uploaded it to my e-ink technology Nook. Though the formatting wasn’t perfect, and the pictures were black and white, it was very easy to read and allowed me to read the book while snuggling on the couch or while on the go at McDonald’s.  I’m not usually happy with PDF’s on my NOOK, but this worked really well. Because the drawings are adorable and look even better in color, I did take the time to read it to my daughter from the laptop.  We sat at the table with the laptop between us and savored the pictures.  Supergirl loves the book so much that she asks her sisters to read it to her as well.  Here T

A New Season

Image
I took a little break from blogging this past week.  But it’s been an eventful week worthy of a couple of different blog posts. Last week the calendar announced “First Day of Spring”.   That first day of spring wasn’t very spring like here at all but towards the end of week we did have some gorgeous spring like days full of sunshine.  But this post isn’t about spring. As a mother I entered into a new chapter or season of motherhood:  all of my children are teenagers.  At least chronologically.   I have been a mother for nearly 17 years and I gave birth to my last baby 13 years ago. On the first day of spring, my “baby” girl celebrated the anniversary of her birth.  She became an “official” teenager.  Her age now ends with the word teen.  She’s thirteen. I look at her and though I can see the beautiful, thoughtful, kind and caring young woman she is becoming, I still see my little girl. The baby who demanded to nurse every 2 hours, the daring toddler who had to explore the whole wor

E is for Eating

Image
I’ve been silent for over a week on my blog.  It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say.  (If you know me “in real life” you know I always have something to say <grin>) Nor has it been overly busy here.  Oh we’ve been busy but not so busy that I couldn’t take a few minutes and write a blog post. No,  we had some pretty big stuff happening here and I’ve been trying to process.   I don’t usually post twice in a day especially when I’ve been, to use a theater term, dark for so long but look for another post later today about the new season in my life.  So now on to the topic at hand.  I really am enjoying the Blogging Through the Alphabet meme that Marcy is hosting over at her blog Ben & Me .  Today is the end of the E week. I’ve been struggling to find something that begins with the letter E.   Elephants?  Everything?  Expectations?  Wait.  I haven’t blogged about Bountiful Baskets or shared some of my photos of the great edible fruits and veggies.  E is for Edible? Um.

TOS Review: Progeny Press Literature Guides

Image
I prefer a literature based approach to learning. That means we read a lot of books here at Aletheia Academy.  But I don’t just want the girls to read great books.  I want them to learn from great books.  Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature offer the opportunity to go deeper with a great novel. From the Notes to Instructor : “Progeny Press study guides are designed to help students better understand and enjoy literature by getting them to notice and understand how authors craft their stories.” We received two study guides in the PDF format. Customers can choose PDF format and receive an email with the PDF attachment.  Others forms include CD and Booklet.  As a convenience, Progeny Press also carries the novels for the study guides. The TOS Crew could choose between several study guides as well as between Middle School, High School or one of each.  I choose to do one Middle School study guide ( The Bronze Bow $16.99 ) and one High School study guide ( The Screwtape Letters,

Guest Review! Screwtape Letters Study Guide

Image
As I sat down to write my review for Progeny Press I began to question the girls.  I needed to get a better feel for the study guides.  They used them.  I just looked them over.  Turtlegirl suggested that she write the review.  So this is her guest review.  Turtlegirl’s Review of Progeny Press study Guide for the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis . My mom was given the opportunity to review The Screwtape Letters study guide from Progeny Press. C.S. Lewis’s epistolary novel is well known for its spiritual and cultural legacy. Since I was already supposed to read the book and answer questions about the book for school, my mom and I decided it would be good for me (and BooBear) to shoot for this review product. The Study Guide consists of a single PDF file thing (Mom, what’s it called again?) that enables the typing up of answers on the computer, instead of having to print it out. [Tess Notes: We received, the interactive study guide, the answer key and a read me file for the intera

D is for Daughters

Image
A, B, D….  Did you notice I skipped C?  Yup.  I missed last week’s Blogging Through the Alphabet and that was the letter C.  So I’m going to sneak in a quick little C blurb.  You won’t tell on me, right? C is for Cell Phone.  Cell Phones have been around for years and years.  My first cell phone was a shared phone and was really more of my husband’s phone  It was 1998 and we decided it would be good to have so that we could get in touch with Daddy very easily.  We have had one or two cell phones ever since.  We’re not really cell phone people.  We have the phones mostly for convenience and emergency.  I could almost live without my phone and most days I do.  But since there are times I do need a phone, I was rather bummed when my daughter informed my husband that my cell phone was now cleaner than any phone should be.  And dry too.  Yup, it went through the washer and then through the dryer.  Honeybear and I set off to the store to replace my phone.  We came with an upgrade for me,

TOS Review: the Art of Argument

Image
Last year, as part of the TOS Crew, I had the opportunity to review Song School Latin from Classical Academic Press .  We loved the introductory Latin program so I was really excited to see CAP on the upcoming Vendor list for this Crew year.  I was even more excited when I found out it was for the logic program The Art of Argument. From the Website: “ The Art of Argument was designed to teach the argumentative adolescent how to reason with clarity, relevance and purpose at a time when he has a penchant for the "why" and "how". It is designed to equip and sharpen young minds as they live, play, and grow in this highly commercial culture. This course teaches students to recognize and identify twenty-eight informal fallacies, and the eye-catching text includes over sixty slick and clever, “phony advertisements” for items from blue jeans to pick-up trucks, which apply the fallacies to a myriad of real life situations.” Though targeted for junior high students, thi

DVD Review (and Giveaway!) The Woodcarver

Image
I enjoyed John Ratzenberger years ago on Cheers and more recently my family has loved his voice work in the Disney Pixar movies, so I was excited to see his name as the Woodcarver is this new DVD from Faith &Family Films available from Christian Cinema. About this movie :”Matthew Stevenson is a troubled kid from a broken home. When he vandalizes the local church to get back at his parents, Matthew has to repair the damage to the church to avoid criminal charges. While working at the church, he meets Ernest (John Ratzenberger), an accomplished wood carver who created the intricate woodwork decoration that Matthew destroyed. Ernest has become something of a hermit, but reluctantly comes out of reclusion to help repair the church. Now Ernest and Matthew must work together to preserve the church's beautiful antiquity, and along the way, they also manage to restore their faith in God and in life.” I have a nearly 13 year old daughter who is going through the “contrary stage”.  You k

The Library: A (practically) unlimited source for Science materials

Image
Marcy, our Crew Leader that hosts the weekly TOS Blog Cruises, has posted a list of upcoming topics/questions.  I was really excited when I saw this question “What’s your favorite science resource?” The first thought that went through my head was Schlessinger Media.   I discovered educational DVD’s produced by Schlessinger media at my local library.  I am sure that if you searched the web you could find the website and maybe even order some great DVD’s but I love just checking them out for free from my library.  I use these videos as supplements.  I especially love the All About Series for grades K-4.  My girls loved them. When the girls were younger, I would search the library for DVD’s to match the topics in the science curriculum. My second thought for my favorite resource is even broader: the library.  My library has “theme packs” and I would sit on the floor and flip through them looking for specific science related topics.  I still browse the non-fiction shelves for books for

TOS Review: Creek Edge Press: Chemistry

Image
Tailorbear (age 12, 7th grade) and I are polar opposites when it comes to teaching and learning.  She wants to jump in with both feet and explore her own interests.  I want everything laid out nice and neat with structure and plans and an answer key. While looking over the Creek Edge Press website, I knew I had to express interest in reviewing this for the crew.  Not because it fits my style.  It doesn’t.  It doesn’t appeal to me.  It’s too open ended. It’s not structured enough for my taste.  But I knew it would appeal to Tailorbear. I hoped it would meet her “I can do it myself and let me just jump in with both feet” style. Creek Edge Press utilizes task cards.  Each card contains “discovery-oriented activities designed to facilitate engaged learning.”  The course we reviewed, Chemistry and Great Scientists Task Cards, explores “the world of atoms and molecules.  Investigate tasks open up the periodic table through an in depth study of the families of elements.  A survey of grea

Manic Monday oh wait it’s Wednesday

Image
It’s early for me.  It’s only 6:30 am.  I’ve been up for half an hour now.  The house is quiet.  Somewhere down the hall my husband is getting ready for work.  I hear the heat kick on and I hear the air being forced out.  The girls are still sleeping. I have a to do list a mile and a half long but I’m not sure where to start.  It’s Wednesday and I’m looking forward to going to Liturgy tonight.  There’s things to do to prepare for church (Such as make sure we all have  clean clothes and get the soup prepared ahead of time so it can stay warm in the crock pot until we get home.). And I have things like look over review products to figure out a plan to use them.  (Just got THREE new homeschool products to review for the Crew.)  And I’ve got some reviews coming up (look for Creek Edge Press in the next day or two), so I have some research and writing to do for those reviews. ************************************** Here is hours later.  The sun is shining brightly.  I’ve washed two loads

Great Lent 2012: A Time of Reflection

Image
  When I was growing up Lent was a time to be endured. I confess it had little meaning for me and I strongly disliked it.  I remember one year crying about Ash Wednesday.  I didn’t want to go to church.  I didn’t want ashes on my forehead and I certainly didn’t want to start eating fish on Fridays.  I like my meat thankyouverymuch. I don’t particularly care for my mother’s tuna noodle casserole (with potato chips on top) nor was a big fan of cheese pizza (pizza? Yes.  With pepperoni preferably).  I didn’t understand why I couldn’t eat what I wanted.  All I understood about Lent was that I couldn’t eat meat on Fridays. Lent had no meaning for me. My focus was only on how I could live through fish sticks and fish sandwiches at school for lunch on Fridays. And then I grew up, became Protestant and rejected Lent altogether.  I had some friends who “gave up something” (usually chocolate) but none of them could ever tell me *why* they were avoiding chocolate or why they willingly ordered

TOS Review: K5 Learning.

Image
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a 6 week free trial of K5 Learning, an online learning website.  I was given access for 4 students, however, only 1 of my students falls in the grade k-5 range. Subscriptions are available for monthly ($25 for first child $15 for additional children) or annual ($199 for first child, $129 for additional children) terms.  Prices are US dollars.  A K5 subscription includes “ 4 modules: K5 Reading and K5 Math (curricula based lessons), K5 Math Facts (an adaptive program for developing instant recall in math facts) and K5 Spelling (an advanced spelling and vocabulary tutor) .” From K5 about the program : “ K5 Learning was conceived primarily as a supplemental aid for after-school study, and doesn’t provide a full curriculum for homeschooling. Our intent is to help kids build reading, math and study skills through independent study.  K5 is designed for use at home, after-school, on weekends and during the summer, and can also be used in

B is for (not) Broken Bones

Image
I had originally planned to write my Blogging through the alphabet letter B post on Books.   I like books.  I have lots of books.  I was even going to post pictures of bookcases. But I spent the late morning/early afternoon at urgent care getting x-rays of my foot to make sure that when I smashed my toes, I didn’t actually break the bones. I have no idea exactly how it happened.  I mean I know what happened.  I know how my foot (my toes specifically) got hut but I don’t know the WHY of the how.  I mean how does one NOT know where one’s foot is?  How does one get so distracted that when one is pulling the chair forward, she puts it down (with full force and full weight in the chair) ON the foot.  How?  How did I do that? I guess I just wasn’t paying enough attention to what I was doing.  One of the girls was talking at me.  I was trying to get my breakfast and I had some computer work I was doing. We don’t have the official report from the radiologist but it does look like I only m

Great Lent: The Prayer of St. Ephrem

Image
Some friends of mine are hosting a “blogging through Lent” event.   I want to participate in 40 Days of Seeking Him but I won’t be blogging about Lent every day.  I started, though with my post about Forgiveness Sunday . Today I want to focus on a prayer that I need to spend more time with, that  I need to be meditating and praying more. During Great Lent,  Orthodox Christians spend more time attending services.  One of the most beautiful services is the Presanctified Liturgy which is served on Wednesday and Friday evenings. During the service we say this prayer: The Prayer of St. Ephrem O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. This is a prayer that I need to pray daily, not just during Lent but throughou