"Help! I'm Homeschooling and I'm Freaking Out!"

Yep. That was me about 8 years ago. Fresh out of the "I'm gonna homeschool!" box with absolutely no clue how or where to start. Thankfully, I had a great friend who was not-so-new to homeschooling. She dished out tons of practical advice to help steer me along the right path....

1. First things first: Visit the Home School Legal Defense Association's website. Here you'll find your state's laws regarding every aspect of homeschooling; required subjects, testing and reporting requirements if any, as well as links to local support groups.

2. Research homeschool curricula. A great way to do this is by reading reviews such as those found on the TOS Homeschool Crew's Blog. Our helpful crew has reviewed a ton of great products over the past 2 years, with more coming in all the time. This should definitely be one of your main "go to" resources! (Yes, I'm slightly biased.)

Other things to consider are your ability (or willingness) to teach, your child's learning style, your budget, how many children you have, and how much time you have in the day to devote to homeschooling. The answers to these questions will help you determine which product is right for you and your children. For example, if you're a real hands-on, artsy, craftsy kind of gal then Lapbooks or even Unit Studies might be a way to go. However, if you're more like me and would rather give your child their list of assignments at the start of the day (because whenever you use glue, it always ends up horrendously wrong), then a more structured "school like" program would be better.

3. Ask, ask, ask! Chances are, you know at least 1 other homeschooilng family. We're everywhere! (Great. Now I sound like my husband whenever he talks about The Grateful Dead and his fellow Dead Heads..."We are everywhere!" Ugh...)

But seriously, even if you don't happen to know of any other homeschooling families, there's still the internet and good ol' Yahoo Groups. I joined a few of these in the beginning too, and the support from all those fabulous ladies was incredible! They were such a blessing!

4. Purchase a packaged curriculum. I know...I know. Packaged curriculum is often seen as the "unkosher" way to go; consistently viewed as the enemy of all creativity, the killer of that great homeschool pioneer, rebel-with-a-cause spirit. But can I tell you a little secret? Lean in close...They really do make things a lot easier in the beginning (and even later!). Honestly with this approach, there's no guesswork about which math, or which spelling program, etc. It's all right there in front of you. Easy breezy!

Some places such as ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) or CLASS (Christian Liberty Academy School System) provide grading and record keeping services as well. Granted, these aren't free but they're quite economical versus other complete programs. We used ACE for Kindergarten, as that was what Sierra's private school was using, and then switched to CLASS for the next 2 years. After that, we moved onto the "wing it" approach, which was soon followed by The Jubilee Academy, an excellent online program.

Once you get your bearings and adjust to the new homeschooling lifestyle, you may consider dropping the package deal and just "winging it". However, there is no shame in a little hand-holding at the beginning!

5. Subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Not only do you get some fabulous freebies with your paid subscription, but you receive a plethora of helpful tips, advice, timely encouragement, product reviews, spiritual nourishment, e-newsletters, freebies and more. The Old Schoolhouse magazine is far and away the bestest of the best in homeschooling magazines. (I really do feel this way and have always felt this strongly about it, even before the TOS Crew started. This is not just a shameless plug. So there.)

And there you have it, folks. My Homeschooling 101 Advice, in a nutshell. ;)

To read what my fellow Blog Cruisers had to say, please click here. :) The Blog Cruise is the TOS Crew's first blog carnival, which features fun, helpful and highly informative Q & A's each week.

Culture Shock (Or The Kids Visit a High School)

On Friday night, we took Sierra to a local high school basketball game. This excursion was facilitated through her Youth Group, which was partnering with another ministry team.

She and her fellow "groupies" decorated T-shirts to wear while they cheered the home team on to victory, and were highly encouraged to wear as much blue/white (the school colors) as possible. Sierra, who's never one to miss an opportunity to get extra funky, streaked part of her hair with Atomic Turquoise Blue dye for the occasion. ;)

We arrived at the high school just after 7pm. The parking lot was already pretty full, and we really had no clue where we were. All we knew for sure was that we were meeting in the gym, and this school was/is HUGE--over 1,500 students on a sprawling campus.

Found the gym--yeah! (Note to self: follow the noise!) As we headed in, I turned to Ethan and Abby and said, "You know, I think this might be the high school you guys would go to if you went to public school."

Abby stopped cold, mid-stride and asked in a panicky voice, "Do I have to?!"

Man, that was great. :)  I laughingly replied, "No, silly! Sheesh!" At that moment, we were enveloped by a throng of students and parents. We could hear wild cheering and yelling already coming from the gym. The band was tuning up. It was your typical high school game! :) It really brought back all sorts of memories for me...some good, some less than stellar. But all of it made me think to myself, "Man I'm glad that time in my life is over!" :)

As we dropped Sierra off and made our way out of the building, Abby mumbled "Get me outta here!"

Oh, and Ethan and Sierra's reaction? Well, Ethan kinda liked the whole crowd vibe. (He's like his father.) Sierra on the other hand said, "Umm...it was really big. And really loud. And yeah. Really loud!"

Okay, so 2 out of 3 ain't bad. ;)

Just Another Day in the Life

Some people think I have it all together. Gee, if only you could hear my daughter's hysterical laughter at that statement.

But to be honest, I get a good chuckle out of it, too. :) Because I clearly *don't* have it all together, nor will I ever on this side of humanity. So I decided to give you all a glimpse into my day. This will serve as proof that I do not have it all together, nor should you ever-- in a bizillion years--think that I do.

Now, just to forewarn you, my life's pretty boring. You may want to secure a jumbo size cup of coffee before you begin reading. :)

Oh yes. One last thing. Dean's hours have changed so I now get up at....

6:45 AM: After forcing my legs to stand, which are still quite sore from the previous day's workout, I make my way out of the bedroom. I grab 2 fresh towels from the linen closet (these are for Dean), turn off the security alarm, start Dean's coffee, then head into the bathroom to wash up.

6:58 AM: Now it's time to wake Dean up, who by no means "gets up" when I first tell him to. He prefers to roll around and groan until 7:10am. By then I'm rolling him--literally--out of bed, and making the bed as I go. It's quite comical, actually. :)

7:12 AM: Dean's in the shower. The bed is made. Time to feed and let out the dogs! From now until Dean gets out of the shower, I scan my To Do List which is usually written out the night before. If I think of something to add to it, which in this case I do (we're out of dish soap, dog food and almond milk), I take care of that now. Then I fire up my email and check to see if anything majorly important came in overnight.

7:30 AM: Dean leaves for work. After changing into my workout clothes, it's time for me to hit the "gym" (aka: the living room). On this day, I did an oldie but goody--The Firm Volume 1 w/ Susan Harris. She..is...vicious!

8:35 AM: Workout is officially over. Time to hobble my way to the shower. Ugh...

9:00 AM: It's time to print out the day's homeschool lessons. It's also time to get my work day started! I throw a load of laundry in, check the email, edit then post this week's Featured Member column on the TOS Crew's Facebook fan page (Try saying that ten times fast!), and finally--eat breakfast.

9:30 AM: Ok, kids. Time to get up. Like it or not. I whip up the last of the eggs for their breakfast and hustle them along. We have to go to the store and I've got a lot of writing to accomplish. Chop chop!

10 AM: The kids are either eating, brushing their teeth, or cleaning their room. I'm still trying to light a fire under them as they're still kinda d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g themselves along. Very frustrating.


Meanwhile, I throw another load of laundry in, and try to call my sister. Today is my nephew's 11th birthday. She doesn't answer. Figures. Oh well. I'll wash up the breakfast dishes instead.

10:20 AM: My mother emails me and asks if I'd forward her some recent job postings. For some reason, her work's network is blocking access. Imagine that! ;) I pull those together and send them along. "Hey, are you guys ready to head to the store yet?"

10:30 AM: I finish writing up a little press release for Dance Retailer News. I then shoot this over to Rebecca, my amazingly fabulous boss, via email.

10:45 AM: After threatening my oldest with "If you're not ready by the time I am, you're staying home and babysitting your siblings", we're finally heading out. :) First stop--Albertsons, then Trader Joe's. (They're in the same strip mall.) Then finally, the pet store to pick up a bag of dog food. It's a nice, brisk 4 block walk. Invigorating really, given the chill in the air.

11:30 AM: Finally, home at last! Whew! Ok, back to work, everyone! Ethan and Abby begin their Latin, math, and typing assignments; Sierra works on her One Year Adventure Novel, Traditional Logic, typing and math. We also begin reviewing a new graphics program, courtesy of the TOS Crew. It looks pretty cool! I'm impressed as are the kids.

12:28 PM: Lunch break. I eat mine at my desk. Because I can. That and I'm hammering out what I hope will be the final draft of my article on Edward Gorey. I'm too picky for my own good sometimes. (Sigh) Then I have to work on the Summer Intensives series. I'll upload both the Gorey article (gee, that sounds odd) and the summer piece as drafts to the Vala blog later today.

12:42 PM: Second attempt at calling sister. I figure by now, my nephew should be home from school. They're on the east coast. Unfortunately, there's still no answer. Fine. Be that way. I also check over Ethan and Abby's assignments. So far, so good! :) I then assign everyone their respected chores to complete once their lessons are done. Back to work...

1:12 PM: Chores! Woohoo! Everyone's busy cleaning something: bathroom, bedrooms, dishes, sweeping, garbage, dusting, putting away the laundry...

1:35 PM: "Yes, Ethan and Abby, you can now play the Wii..." Sierra occupies herself with Sorority Life on Facebook or something like that. I'm still writing the summer intensive piece. Didn't like the previous draft. It sounded funny. I'm also simultaneously checking and replying to the 23 emails that are waiting for me. Gee, I'm popular today! :)


I then place a call and leave subsequent message with the Jillana School and New Mexico Dancewear. I'm hoping to pick their brains regarding the summer intensive series. I also make a note to work on my blog disclosure policy, per helpful reminder from a dear friend of mine. ;)


2 PM: Finally made my last revision to the summer intensive piece and tucked it away as a draft on the blog. Ditto Edward Gorey. Whew! Now it's time to get a few TOS Crew reviews drafted up!

3:20 PM: Dean will be home from work soon, so it's time for me to freshen up! :) I also time to pull the kids off their computers and games. They've dinked around long enough.

3:28 PM: Daddy's home! A quick hello, how are you, how was your day? Then he's off to the pharmacy to drop off his Rx (that he forgot to do on the way home). I stay behind to wait for his computer repair client--who is due to show up by 4pm. Yikes! Good thing Walgreens is close by!

3:50 PM: Dean's back home. It's time for Abby to eat a little something before getting ready for ballet class. She's going to try the Level IV class this evening and is very excited! :)

4 PM: Dean's client has arrived. Time for me to feed the dogs. Oops. I should've done that at 3pm! Now they're starving and looking at me like, "Gee, thanks a lot MOM!" Once I'm done with that, I go back over my To Do List to see what else I'm forgetting.

Sierra comes up to me and asks if I have a plain white T-shirt she can have for tonight's Youth Group. Apparently they're going to be painting said shirts in preparation for cheering on the local high school basketball team on Friday. I don't have any plain white shirts. :( Nor is there time to get one. Youth Group is tonight from 7-9pm. Sorry, sweets!

4:15 PM: Time to do Abby's hair. Nothing like winding 3 feet of hair into a bun! (Ok, maybe 3 feet's a bit of an exaggeration. But not by much!)

5-6 PM: I sit and watch Abby take class. I love watching her dance! It brings back so many fond memories for me. :)

6:20 PM: Back home and it's time to start supper. Tonight's feature here at Cafe` Opper--chicken stir fry, courtesy of Trader Joe's. Sierra picked it out, so she'd better eat it.

6:37 PM: Arguing with Sierra over her supper. I want her to eat before she goes to Youth Group. She insists she's full from her little fruit cup which she ate at 4pm. Whatever...eat or don't go. Your choice. (She finishes 13 minutes later.)

7-9 PM: Youth Group. Now it's time for me to kick back, relax, and read some of the library books I have waiting for me. :)

9:10 PM: Sierra's home. Her leader picked up white T-shirts for everyone from the thrift store. Hooray! Problem solved. Wait...wasn't I forgetting something...???

*Gasp* I never did get a hold of my nephew to wish him a happy birthday! UGH! Too late to call now. (Huge sigh) I also never got around to that disclosure policy. (Ahem) Oh well! Add it to the list for tomorrow.

Right now, I'm going to watch an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter with Dean before crashing. You know, I've never noticed how Dog's hair reminds me of one of those fancy folded napkins. You know what I'm talking about, right?  One of these..... 

10:45 PM: Time for bed. G'night world. See you tomorrow....

Review: Christian Keyboarding

As everyone who happens to either own or use a computer knows, typing is an extremely useful skill. Sure you could hunt 'n peck your way around, but to really get your thoughts out fast, you need to know how to type.

Somehow my youngest picked up on typing very rapidly and only partially utilized the "hunt 'n peck" strategy. (Figured she must've picked it up via osmosis.) My older two children didn't use any correct finger placement, nor did they desire to.

Then of course, there's me...I write all the time and live through my keyboard. I naturally wanted my children to learn how to type, but I hadn't found the right program. I didn't want "fluff" and I didn't want "boring". I just wanted something simple and straight to the point.

Enter the following review product, Keyboarding for the Christian School by Leanne Beitel. This program arrived just in time to satisfy my pickiness every requirement. (I love it when that happens!)

Keyboarding for the Christian School is an e-book program that teaches the touch typing technique. The lessons and drills are reminiscent of my old high school keyboarding classes, which I always enjoyed. There isn't anything "fluffy" or "silly" about these e-books at all; just straightforward, honest typing. Perfect!

The e-books come in two versions: K-5th grade and 6th grade and up. However, there is little difference between the two as far as learning the basics and practice drills. In fact, the only difference (at least through lesson 32) was that the elementary version contained color-coded home row keys and the upper level did not.

Now as the title suggests, this program was originally designed for Christian schools. Therefore, you'll find various verses and Psalms included throughout each volume for typing practice.

Both versions contain timed drills (which we really liked!), formatting and enumerated lists. The upper grade version also covers topics such as:

• Writing a bibliography
• Personal and business letters
• Proofreader's marks
• MLA and APA academic reports and more

Keyboarding for the Christian School--Elementary Version contains 87 pages and is available for $12.95. The upper grade version contains 107 pages and is available for $15.95.

However from now until February 28th, the publisher is offering a great package deal: Purchase BOTH e-books for only $22.00! Not too shabby, I say! :)

Try Before You Buy

Take advantage of the free sample lessons by clicking here. (Don't you just love freebies? *Wink*)

Final Thoughts:

We used both e-books over the past several weeks and really enjoyed them. Granted, my oldest still isn't too keen on the whole "keep your fingers on the home keys" but I know it's helping her in the long run. :) Also, my younger two have noticed that their fingers naturally gravitate toward the home row keys without even thinking about it.

For additional practice, I had the children update their blogs each week using the correct finger placement. (Sneaky, eh?)

While I personally would have never even thought to cover such things as a properly formatted bibliography, I was glad to see that at least *someone* was!

Thank you, Leanne Beitel for creating such an easy to use program. :)

We give both versions of Keyboarding for the Christian School two delighted thumbs up!


To read what my fellow TOS Crew Members had to say, please click here. :)

*As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a copy of both e-books for free. No additional compensation was given and my opinions are strictly my own.*

To Love, Honor and Vacuum: No Wonder Boys Hate School

This is such a terrific post! It absolutely wraps up everything I've been saying for years in regard to boys and school. :)

To Love, Honor and Vacuum: No Wonder Boys Hate School

Discoveries--The Good and the Disturbing

My little corner of the world is still very dark and quiet. The children are still snoozing away (Oh, the joys of being homeschooled!), Dean's off at work, my workout is finished, and now it's time to get some computer work done before the troops emerge.

Today's workout only consisted of a 30 minute ab routine. (Big whoop, right?) Yesterday I did a 55 min. tape plus an additional 20 mins on my bike. That doesn't sound too bad--in theory. However, I was going for a full 30 mins on the bike but wimped out. :) Oh well. So today I decided to focus on my jelly-belly and maybe do a cardio routine later on. We'll see. A friend of mine and I are keeping each other accountable in this area. Granted, our consistency isn't as it should be, but we're trying--we're making the most out of every day--and that's all that matters.

Guess what? Ethan's discovered a new hobby. Thanks to a homeschool class at Games Workshop, he's fallen in love with the whole Lord of the Rings model/game-making/role-playing thing.

When I first told Dean about it he was shocked and said, "What? He can't do that!" "Why not?" "Because we used to make fun of those nerds back when I was in school!" (Oh brother!)

My son is certainly not a nerd. At least not in his Mommy's opinion. I love how he's found a new passion (outside of video games) and am more than willing to encourage his endeavors. Thanks to my friend Rachel, Ethan is taking their "Academy Class" once a month w/ his buddy, Nathan. This was their birthday gift to Ethan. Wasn't that sweet?! Ethan totally loves it! He's made 4 characters so far and can hardly wait for the next class.

Oh and for the record--once Dean saw everything that came in Ethan's starter kit and all the detail that goes into painting these little things--he now thinks the activity is pretty cool. :) One more thing; Rachel and I've noticed how this can quickly become a rather expensive hobby. (Ahem) But we've both decided that we'd help our sons get started but after that---they're on their own!

Moving on!

I've discovered two new things about myself.

1. My chai habit's getting cheaper. Sort of. I can no longer drink The Good Stuff without it irritating my stomach. I switched from The Good Stuff to the Close Second Stuff, but even that's bothering me now too. So I've moved onto the Not So Bad Once You Get Used to It. (*Sigh*) So unfair...

   2.   I find myself "forgetting" things quite often. Much more than before. Perhaps I'm just taking after my mother and sister. (No offense you two.) But I've always been a disciplined, structured, list-making person. Still am, really. But even if I write a task down, I'll still forget. Even if I just read it! Or worse, I'll forget to write it down in the first place.

Last week, I forgot to do something crucial for Dean and while it isn't earth-shattering (or ending), the ramifications are going to be a pain to deal with. I also forgot when Ethan's Academy class was to take place and had to email Rachel (repeatedly).

I also forgot to take the trash cans out to the curb for pick up, do all the laundry (figure that one out!), and forgot to do school among other things. ("Gee, you kids sure have a lot of time on your hands today...hmm...")

This is so hard for me because *I'm not supposed to forget*. I'm the one who "never" forgets even small details like birthdays. But I forgot to phone my brother in law on his birthday. I knew it was his birthday earlier in the day, but then I decided to call in the evening, then later forgot. By the time I remembered, it was too late to call with the 3 hr time difference.

Then I forgot my son's birthday was coming up until the moment he walked up to me and said, "Mom guess what? My birthday's a week away!" (Blink) In my defense, his birthday plans did coincide with my Uncle Bret's passing, so I'm using that as an excuse. In fact when Ethan reminded me, I was in the middle of making the DVD presentation for Uncle's service.

I then forgot to invite people until 3 days before the party. Then realized I forgot to invite everyone I was supposed to. (Not good.)

Then to make matters worse, I kept forgetting Sierra's birthday. Or rather, kept forgetting to make plans for it until the last minute.

I forget what I've written down, what I've done, and what I still need to do. It's downright scary sometimes, especially when I consider that my Grandmother--who was like my mother and sister--now has Alzheimer's. (Gulp) My mother says she has "Half-Heimer's". Hmm. Maybe I've got Quarter Heimer's?

Is this just an age thing or a family thing? Guess we'll have to wait 'n see! (But by then, I'll forget what I'm waiting for...) 

Review: Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services

Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services (EDUDPS) offers a host of unique products designed to make the most of your homeschooling efforts. They offer everything from tests and assessments, literature-based writing curriculum, an in-depth college and career planning guide, to a comprehensive vocabulary program that can be used for all grade levels.

Founder and author, Jill J. Dixon "holds a Bachelor of Science in English Education (magna cum laude) and a Master’s Degree in Special Education (summa cum laude)." She's amassed 27 years of teaching experience in the private and public sectors, as well as 16 years homeschooling her own four children. She opened EDUDPS in 1993 to offer "educational consulting, tutoring, and testing services to parents, schools, and homeschool support groups" and presently serves as a "national consultant to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association" among other endeavors.

Our family received digital copies (E-books) of 4 products: Write With the Best Volumes 1 and 2, Roots and Fruits, and The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers.

Write with the Best Volume 1: Modeling Writing After Great Works of Literature, is a descriptive writing program for grades 3-12. The premise is that in order to become a great writer, one must study great writing. (Works for me!)

This program is broken into nine units, each covering a specific writing aspect (or genre), which is then represented by an excerpt from a classic tale or poem. (No separate book purchase necessary! Woohoo!)

Topics include:

• Writing a descriptive paragraph (focusing on a specific object, place or character)
• Writing a dialog
• Short Stories
• Fables
• Writing a friendly letter (a lost art these days)
• and finally aspects of poetry (rhyming verse and a ballad/narrative poem)

Excerpts from such famous works include Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Vernes' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and more.

Units consist of 10 lessons, which take between 15-45 minutes each to complete. Prep-time is basically "zero" as daily objectives are included (reading the passage, learning the parts of speech, using a thesaurus), with the entire e-book presented in a clear, easy-to-follow manner.

We didn't delve into this book too deeply yet, but so far we're really enjoying it. The lessons and schedule are short enough to implement into our busy day without feeling burdensome.

This terrific resource is available on sale in E-book format for only $14.95 (regular price is $19.95), $22.45 (Pages Only, 3-hole punched, no binder), or as a 3-Ring Binder for $24.95.

To learn more, you can download sample pages by clicking here.

Write with the Best Volume 2 is designed for 6th-12th graders and covers elements of expository and informative writing. As with Volume 1, Write with the Best Volume 2 incorporates excerpts of literary classics to illustrate its eight distinctive units (genres). Each unit provides 10 days worth of lessons, which take approximately 15-45 to complete.

Genres and corresponding excerpts include:

• Poetry - Free Verse from Emily Dickinson
• Business Letters from Helen Keller
• Persuasive Essays from Thomas Paine
• Expository Essays from Francis Bacon
• Literary Critiques from Edgar Allan Poe
• Newspaper Articles from Ernest Hemingway
• Speeches from Marcus Tullius Cicero
• Dramatic Monologues from William Shakespeare (my personal favorite!)

This is a phenomenal program that I was very happy to receive, especially since Sierra loves to write. I love how both Volumes 1 and 2 break down heavier literary concepts, making this program not only effective but enjoyable (for teacher and student alike!).

This volume can be purchased in Ebook format on sale for only $18.65 (regularly priced at $24.95), $27.45 (Pages Only, 3-hole punched, no binder) or $29.95 (3-ring binder).

Samples can be viewed by clicking here.

Next up is Roots and Fruits. This comprehensive vocabulary program for grades K-12 teaches the English forms of Latin and Greek roots and prefixes. In only 15 minutes per day, younger children (K-3rd grade) learn one root per week, while older students (4th and up) learn 2 roots per week with corresponding vocabulary words.

Suggested activities are provided for each weekday and include:

• Writing the roots on a large sheet of paper (the idea is to keep the roots visible throughout the week)
• Looking up the meanings of the roots and vocabulary words in the dictionary
• Using vocabulary words in sentences
• Using provided "games" to test retention

The games are actually pretty neat and were my favorite part of the program. Two of my favorites were "Beat the Clock" (matching game) and "Goofy Sentences" (self-explanatory).

Roots and Fruits is a great way to teach vocabulary in a simple, non-intimidating format. Dixon's writing style throughout is one of a cherished friend, never pushy or over-the-top.

You can purchase this great product in E-book format for only $11.25 (regular price: $14.98), $17.48 (Pages Only, 3-hole punched, no binding) or $19.95 (Comb-binding).


You can download samples of this program by clicking here.

Last but not least is the The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers. This nifty volume arrives jam-packed with over 200 pages containing a wealth of necessary information to plan your college years with success. Examples include:

• Various assessments and questionnaires
• Job profiles (including those specifically for stay-at-home Moms!)
• GPA calculation
• CLEP and AP tests
• ACT, and PSAT/SAT testing information and a whole lot more.

My oldest daughter, Sierra is developing a passion for cooking and baking (don't know where she gets that from!), so the section on Culinary Arts was especially helpful to us, as were the personal assessments.

This well organized and extremely useful tool is available for $39.95 (softcover) or on sale for $26.20 (E-book). Regular price for the E-book is $34.95.

To get an idea of just how spectacular this product is, please click here to download your free sample pages.

Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of products from EDUDPS. Mrs. Dixon provides an outstanding amount of information in several neat little (and some not so little!) packages. Her prices are affordable and her style is friendly, caring, and supremely helpful. Whether you're a homeschooler, or send your children to public or private school--or are perhaps looking for a way to teach your struggling or disabled learner, EDUDPS has something for everyone.

Their products are fantastic, their customer service exemplary. Visit their website today to learn more about this great company.

We award EDUDPS two Snoopy-dancing thumbs up!

Review: Nutrition 101 - Choose Life!

 

 

Think back to your old health, biology, and Home Ec. classes in school.

Remember learning about how all the different body systems worked together, how our bodies develop as we age, and (the best part!) how to make an éclair er…I mean… a healthy nutritious meal? Well, let me assure you that all of that knowledge combined doesn’t even come close to the amount of material found in this next review product.

Published by Growing Healthy Homes, Nutrition 101 – Choose Life! is a massive (read: HUGE, 448 pages worth) “3 –in – 1 family nutrition and health program for all ages that presents the major body systems, how they function, their common health issues, the benefits of good food and the consequences of bad food.” This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill health curriculum. This baby’s golden!

Bible-based and unit study-esque in approach, Nutrition 101 – Choose Life! is broken down into six easily-digestible (Ha! Get it?) units:

• The Brain and Nervous System (I thought this one was really cool)
• Digestion and Elimination (for some reason, this one was my kids’ favorite. Go figure.)
• Respiration and Olfactory
• Muscular and Skeletal Systems
• Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
• Endocrine System and Emotions

Each unit contains a series of discussion questions, grade/age appropriate activities (hands-on, written, and oral), a “power recipe” that correlates to the lesson (example: the first recipe is guacamole, because avocados are good for the brain), and recommended additional resources, such as books or websites, for further study.

My children and I have enjoyed working our way through this book, and have enjoyed impressing Daddy with our newfound knowledge even more! (“Hey, Dad? Can you name all the parts of the brain? I can!” or “Hey, Dad? Do you know how long you should chew before swallowing?”)

Presented in an informal yet engaging manner, and filled with colorful charts, graphics, photos and lively text, Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is by far the most thorough health/biology curriculum I’ve ever seen! Honestly, I learned more from this product in the past few weeks than in 12 years of health class. Don’t believe me? Check out the free sample pages available here. 

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is available on CD for $79.95, a book for $99.95, or as a combo (book/CD) for $129.95.

Now, before you get sticker shock, please note that you can use this product with your entire family, for many years to come. It covers everything you’d need to know about keeping your body healthy “as unto the Lord”.

Like I said, this product is absolutely golden! I love the format, the colors, the activities—everything! I especially enjoy the fact that it doesn’t just “say” what foods are healthy, it actually explains why. Operating without this crucial knowledge will cause us to destroy ourselves from the inside out.

I highly recommend this product to each and every homeschooling family out there. You won’t be disappointed! To learn more about this product, please visit their website by clicking here.

And with that, we jubilantly award Nutrition 101: Choose Life! two thumbs up! :)

Review: ABC Teach.com

I'm a big-time fan of worksheets. Whether this stems from my years in school or just an insane fascination with the printed word (or a combination of both), I cannot say for sure. All I know, is that I tend to do an awful lot of worksheet printing around here, and my ink and paper costs reflect that.

For several years, I've been aware of and used ABCTeach.com, but never their paid membership subscription. However, as part of the TOS Crew, I was provided with full, free access to their website in exchange for this review.


What it is:

ABCTeach.com contains an extensive library of printable worksheets on virtually every subject imaginable, for Kindergartners on up to the upper elementary/junior high level. (Although there seems to be much more available for the elementary-aged students verses the older ones.)

The website offers everything from your basic "readin' writin' and 'rithmatic" sheets, to themed worksheets, book report outlines, handwriting practice, coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, flashcards, and more.

For the classroom teacher, the site provides nifty items like bulletin board trims, incentive charts, name tags, and certificates, plus lesson plan templates, power point presentation templates, and portfolio evaluation sheets.

While the site offers 5000+ free worksheets, paid members receive access to over 35,000 additional worksheets and teacher helps, with new items added each week, plus have access to their Worksheet Generator. (Umm...wow! Talk about a huge difference!)

What it costs:

Obviously, the free option is self-explanatory. With this option your access is very limited, but there are still several great worksheets to choose from. The free worksheets also contain ads, and there's no getting around them. Free users also do not have access to their Worksheet Generator, which is a bummer because it's so neat. (I loved the word shape one the best! It worked out really well for my "I hate spelling" son.)

Membership Package: $40/year or $70/ for two years, for 1-9 students. Larger groups receive a reduced rate of $35-25, based upon number of licenses. Groups of 100 or more are offered their "Super Site Licensing Price".

Paid members receive access to every single worksheet available, plus the Worksheet Generator, and your worksheets are ad-free. For more information, please click here.


Final Opinion:

I have to say that while I'm a fan of worksheets, I do have a problem paying for them. However, after using the paid membership service for a few weeks, I find myself torn in regard to the $40 price tag. Yes, it's still a bit much for our family's budget right now, but perhaps say around tax-return time, I may reconsider.

I was very impressed with the differences between the free vs. paid offerings, and my younger two children looked forward to the many different worksheets (I think they were bored with the other ones...oops!). Several times, I just let them scroll through the site and pick out one or two worksheets they wanted to do for fun. (Yeah, we're weird like that...) But in all honesty, they loved it.

Overall, I'd have to say that ABCTeach.com is a worthy site. While worksheets may not necessarily be every homeschooler's "thing", I do think that even the most die-hard, anti-worksheet family would glean some benefit from utilizing this website.

It also may not be the most economical option, depending upon your family's budget. However, when you consider all you get for $40 a year, especially for the younger grades, it doesn't seem too bad.

Therefore, I proudly award ABCTeach.com 1.5 thumbs up. :)

Does a Jet-Pack Have One Hump or Two?

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother teaching my kids. I mean, really. Take today's lesson for example.

We're continuing with our unit on desert life; everything was going great up until we reviewed camels. The difference between the two types, what makes them so unique, etc.

I then reminded the children that camels were often called, "the ships of the desert". This made Abby giggle and say, "Hmm. All they need is a jet-pack!"

And of course, that just made everyone bust up laughing.

(Get it? Ships? Jet-packs? Both modes of transportation. Even if the one is a stretch...nor does one have anything to do with the other. But that's what makes this so "Abby", and therefore, funny.)

Lesson time over.

Thanks, Pookie.

BIOTA!!

We did pretty well with our school work today. I think everyone enjoyed themselves, as evidenced by the way they all kept giggling.

Anyway, here's what we did.

For our Bible lesson, I simply had them narrate the order of events in Joseph's life, and discussed different aspects of such.

Spelling consisted of learning the "i before e except after c" rule. (This was for Ethan and Abby. Sierra obviously, already knows this.) There were technically 21 words on their list, but I cut those in half.

(Wanna know what's really cool? Since the rule rhymes, Ethan totally got it. It's amazing the power a "sing-song" holds. I mean, the boy hates spelling, writing and reading. But he was getting it and enjoying it. Woo hoo!)

Ok, so ummm...moving on. ;o)

Our vocabulary lesson consisted of words associated with deserts (semi-arid, arid, hyper-arid), as well as the words fauna, flora, biome, biota, climate and weather. I had the children write each word and definition in their notebooks, and did a little oral quiz as we went along.

We began geography by coloring a map of Ancient Egypt and labeling it. Then we learned about hemispheres, the Equator and Prime Meridian, and latitude and longitude. We'll go over these more each day, as we just touched on them briefly. (And because the younger two were starting to lose focus by then. At some point every day, everything just becomes super-duper-funny to them.)

And finally for math, I simply handed each child their respective Multiplication Charts, and had them answer problems individually. Then once they were sufficiently warmed up, we ran through the tables as a race. (Make it a game and everyone's happy.)

After lunch, Ethan kept saying "biota...bi---Oh--taaahhh! Plants and animals in a certain biome is a....biiii---Ohhh---tahhhhh..." in this weird, low, creepy voice. I figured if I ignored it, it'd go away.

Oh, contraire.

He then decided to shout, "BIOTA!!" every few minutes. Like he had Tourette Syndrome or something.

Made the hair on the back of my neck stick straight up. Shhooom! :-o

But hey, at least he remembered. I guess that's all that counts. :o}

Beginning "A World of Adventure" and a Prize Abby Moment

We had a good first day w/ the new curriculum, "A World of Adventure" from Learning Adventures.


We began by reading Gen. 37 (Joseph) and discussing it. (Pretty neat discussion, actually.)


Then we ate our snack "Egyptian style". Fresh fruit at a low table, crouched down, using only your fingertips to eat with. We then dipped our fingertips into bowls of water to wash. (By doing this, we discovered we really enjoyed the modern-day paper towels much better!)


We took turns reading and looking through the stack of books about Egypt and deserts we got from the library. Then during our vocabularly lesson, we learned that "chronos" means "time", so we placed the events of Genesis 37 in "chronogical" order.


Then, we finished things off by playing a round of the board game that came with it. ;o]


They actually did pretty well, considering the questions covered everything in the Egypt Unit (99% of which we haven't got to yet). But since they're in multiple choice format, I gave them 2 chances to get it right. Because I'm nice like that.


And during the game...Abby--oh my goodness. One of her questions was:


"There are several different types of soil in the desert. These include desert pavement, salt, desert varnish, desert cement, and living soil. Which one looks like a cobbled street?"

A. Salt

B. Desert Pavement

C. Living soil


She was clearly lost, so I broke the question down to:

"Which one looks like a street? Salt, desert pavement, or living soil?"

This is how things progressed from there.


Abby: "Soil can't be living!"

Sierra: "Yes, it can!"

Me: "Ok, enough. Let's not confuse things further, Sierra. Abby, which one makes sense? Salt, pavement or soil? Think about the street outside."

Abby: Staring at me with a befuddled expression.

Me: "What's another name for street?"

Abby: "Uhhhh.... Cement?"

(Sierra and Ethan: giggling)

(Abby now giggling)

Me: "Yes, you're right. But think about the question a bit more. Which one of these things looks like a "street"? Does salt look like a street? Does dirt? Does pavement...?" (Honestly, I was practically giving it away.)


Abby: "Pavement? What the heck is pavement? I don't know what pavement means!"


Me: (Blink...blink...blink)


(Sierra and Ethan: burst out laughing)


Me: "Uh, Abby? (trying very hard not to laugh, but failing miserably) Honey, I can't break it down any further, because then I'll just end up giving it to you straight out." (I'm feeling an odd, pounding sensation creep into my skull.)


Sierra: (Laughing) "And if you don't get this right, I'm going to eat you!"


Abby: "No, you're not!" (Laughing even more)


Me: "C'mon, Abby...which one do you choose?"


Abby: "Uhhh....soil?" (sheepishly)


(Sierra and Ethan: ROARING with laughter now. Me? I'm just staring at my child. In shock.)

Abby: "No, wait...uh....pavement?"


Me/Sierra/Ethan: "YES!!!!"


Abby: "Yeah, I got it right! I get to move ahead! Oh yeah...Oh yeah..." (Moves pawn around game board, doing a happy-head-bob.


Dear Lord, give me strength.....