Camp Season Is Here!

Camping is a very big deal on my husband's side of the family. Summer weekends typically have my girls clamoring to get to our trailer. I did not grow up camping like my husband and his family, and there is generally very little desire for me to spend a lot of time engaging in this warm weather activity. I will often happily send the girls off for an overnight, while I enjoy the bug free atmosphere of my home, lol.

Having said that, there are aspects of camping that do appeal to me. Since we moved last year, our trip to the campground is 45 minutes closer, so I don't mind trekking out for the day, and dunking my feet so to speak in to the world of camp. This past weekend found us cleaning up the trailer, inside and outside, as well as some general yard cleanup. It's looking good, and who knows, maybe the girls will get me out for at least one overnight.

Swings, and the canteen

Cleaning up the inside...

More cleaning

Sweeping up the debris

The entrance for a mole who decided to create a giant hill in front of our trailer.

A+ Interactive Math - Family Math Package - A Crew Review

Math is the one subject that gives our family a headache challenge, and it can be a difficult task to find a curriculum that is a good fit. I feel like I am ever searching for that perfect one, the holy grail if you will, of math curriculum. So, I was excited to have the opportunity to review the Family Math Package from A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.) . Poor Math, it's a course that often gets a bad rap. Even though it has hardly been a favorite part of my daughter's educational experience, I have always encouraged them to see the subject as a way to teach them how to think differently, and that it aids in their brain development. They love hearing me say that again and again, ha!

A little about A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.) , specifically the Family Math Package ...

This is an online computer program, with access for students in kindergarten through Algebra. The packages offer options for 1 student, or up to 10 students. The courses are designed to keep it streamlined, flexible, and easy to use for parents and students. Do you struggle to plan lessons, administer tests and quizzes, track progress, etc. ? Well, this program does all of that for you. You also have the ability to move up or down a grade level as you find necessary. Worksheets are available in pdf, if like my daughters, your student prefers a physical paper to complete their work. Progress reports keep track of areas that are strong, as well as areas that need a little more practice. The multimedia lessons are interactive, with cute animation and sound effects. The instructor has a female voice, and speaks fairly slowly, which is likely to be a great help for students that need a more relaxed pace as they learn new math concepts. And reference sheets, I can' forget those! There are a LOT of colorful reference sheets from prime numbers, to order of operations, to exponents, that can be printed out and tucked away to review as needed.

Using the Family Math Package ...

The first step is getting acquainted with the layout of the website. It can seem a bit daunting at first, but once you've made it over that slight learning curve, you'll be good to go. First you'll sign in, and click the launch icon, which will bring up your student's page. There is a short video tutorial to walk you through all of the steps. Once you've watched that, you can begin your lessons. On the left side of the page is where the lessons are located. It says Table of Contents. There is a numbered list of the topics to be covered. My girls are working through Pre-Algebra, so the first topic is Numbers Review. If you wanted to find those lessons, you would click on the Numbers Review, then on the "+" sign, which will open up all of the lessons under that topic. You can then work through each one.

For each lesson, there is an interactive video lesson to introduce the concept. That  is followed by a short set of questions to check comprehension. Once those have been completed, you can move on to the independent questions. You will also find printable worksheets to accompany each lesson. These can be found at the toolbar near the top of the page. Incidentally, this is also where you'll find access to the progress reports, quizzes and tests, lesson plans and more. As a parent, you will need to manually update each lesson's status, as in whether it is "in progress", or "completed". At the end of each lesson, there is a pretty, and colorful certificate of completion that can be printed for your records.

View your child's progress-they do it for you!

A sample of the printable worksheets

Reference sheets!

Just a few of their certificates

During this review period, we put aside the math curriculum that we had been using, and worked only with A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.) . Both of my girls worked fairly independently 5 days a week, with me close by in case they needed any help. The lessons are pretty short, about 15-20 minutes long. That seems to be a perfect length of time for my daughters, as they can get frustrated quickly with certain math topics. Overall, they gave me positive words about his program. They like the length of the lessons, the progress certificates, and the interactive aspects of the course. There were only two things that they might like to see different. The first is the rate at which the instructor speaks. It's very slow. I think that this is great for students who need more time to absorb the information, and for certain lessons, my daughters agreed that slow was helpful. For those areas where they understood the work with no problem, having to wait for the dialogue to be over before they could move on was a little frustrating. The other part that they would like to improve is the way to log in. There are several pages to "launch" before getting to their  main page, and they would like a process that could happen in maybe just one click. That was it as far as what they would change, and they are so small, that I count this program as a success for our family. My oldest definitely wants to continue with it. And if the kids are pleased with their math course, so is this mama!.

Other  Crew members reviewed this same program, as well as the Adaptive Math Curriculum Online . That program differs from the Family Math Package  in that it first requires a placement test. It then provides questions and problems at the tested level. It finds any learning gaps, and then creates an individual plan for the student. Like the program that we reviewed, it  offers the same interactive lessons, records and tracking features. Courses are available for grades 1-6, and Pre Algebra. Both programs are really good, so go take a look, and choose your course!

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Weekend Review

It's been a busy and productive weekend, with some fun sprinkled in here and there. Happily, Spring decided to make itself known, with its arrival of some lovely weather. My husband had Friday off, so we kicked off our weekend with a visit to out city's favorite ice cream place. Yum! They seriously have the best frozen treats ever!

Saturday brought workday at the camp where our family has a trailer. Every year, a group of seasonal campers trek out to the campground, and get it cleaned up for the new season. Cleaning out the cabins, bathrooms, putting down picnic tables, picking up debris...you get the idea. Before the day gets going, there are always donuts and coffee. Good thing that we had so much exercise this weekend, with all these sweets!

We all enjoyed meeting our new furry friend Sadie, who belongs to our camp hosts. She's a huge fan of belly rubs!

After church today, it was time for some yard cleanup at home. Mulch, weeding, seeding, and simply enjoying the beautiful day.

Sowing  grass seed.

                                                                        Hyacinths.

Daffodils

Irises.

And now, I'm tired! Off to bed, because it is a school night, and tomorrow is a busy day. Enjoy your Sunday evening!

HelpTeaching.com - A Crew Review

Hey fellow homeschooling families, do any of you need Help Teaching one or more of your classes? If you're anything like me, I'll bet that the answer is yes, because let's be honest, who would refuse a resource that offers a wide selection of worksheets, tests, lessons, and a wealth of extra resources for students in Pre-K up to Grade 12. Our family has been reviewing Help Teaching Pro , from HelpTeaching.com ,which is one of three membership  options that this website has available. Speaking for myself, there are plenty of teaching circumstances where I can use a little something extra to drive a lesson home as it were, whether it might be a word search, comprehension questions, or drill sheets. Are you interested? Yes? Well then, grab a cup of coffee or tea, pull up a chair, and let's get some help with our lessons.

Alright, give me a second to take a breath before I get going, because this site is overflowing with printable lessons, games, activities, and tests. Okay, thank you. Now then, let's begin at the beginning. There are three membership/subscription plans. The first level is the basic membership level, which is free. This is the most limited of the three, and I would think is good for a parent/teacher to start with in order to consider the material and  see if it fits their particular need. At this level, you'll be able to create as many tests and worksheets as you like. The downside of this level is that you may only create up to ten questions for those lessons. Should you find that this is a resource that your family will benefit from, you might move up to the Pro level, which is what our family has been reviewing. At this level, the available features jump dramatically. You still have access to an unlimited number of tests, worksheets, and lessons. But unlike the basic membership, here you'll find that you can create up to 100 questions per worksheet, provide images for those questions, save your tests, as well as unlimited online tests and lessons. If aligning your homeschool with Common Core is important to you, these lessons do just that, and at the Pro level, you'll be able to search for lessons according to those standards. The third tier of subscriptions is the Group Pro level, which would be appropriate for schools and businesses. This has all of the benefits of the Pro level, plus the ability to share your tests with a group. It also offers use for up to thirty users.

That takes care of the subscription options, so I'm going to move on to the content that you'll find at HelpTeaching . I don't think that any subject has been left out. There are worksheets for:

English Language Arts
Math
Science
Life Skills
Health
Social Studies
Seasonal/Holiday
Vocational
Early Education
Art/Music
Organization
Physical Education

And those are only the main headings. Within each title, are dozens of subcategories where you can select the specific area that you require. For example, under the English Language Arts section, there are worksheets for Grammar, Reading, Writing, Comprehension, etc.. The categories make it simple to locate the subject that you need. Please understand though, that many of these worksheets have been created with the assumption that previous study on the subject has occurred. Many do however serve well as stand alone additions to refresh or enhance your school work. So for the Spring season, you might print out the Butterfly Garden study, which is a comprehension exercise that can work with a variety of lesson plans. Of course, don't forget, that HelpTeaching allows you to generate your own questions, so customize to meet your school needs. It's a win win situation really. If you need a worksheet quickly, print it out. But then also create lessons and tests specific to your instruction. Many of theses lessons include short videos as well, for those times of independent learning. There are also extra links that the site provides to continue studies. Seriously, there is a LOT of content available here. The fact that it spans Pre-K to 12th grade is really convenient too. You'll find everything from Phonics, to 100 Middle School Word Lists, to SAT prep, and most everything in between.What a great source for multiple grade families. There seems to be an ever increasing selection of worksheets becoming available too. I continue to uncover new finds that are of interest to our family.

We used HelpTeaching Pro mainly as a refresher to our homeschool. The word search generator was a nice way to reinforce weekly vocabulary words. We all enjoy those in our family. We also took advantage of the English Language Arts program through a lot of their informational passages and literature based questions. My daughters were each over the moon when they discovered worksheets that accompanied the Hunger Games, and A Wrinkle In Time. They actually whooped! I'm sure that you'll agree that anything that creates that enthusiasm is a welcome addition. Those, and some of the Music sheets were very popular. They were jazzed (No pun intended) to discover worksheets that featured two of the instruments that they play. The girls found them fun, yet challenging. It's funny, because while we enjoyed pretty much every worksheet/lesson that we attempted, I was even more pleasantly surprised by the level of conversation and well, hilarity that ensued as my girls completed them. They worked on them independently, but we were all around the table together, and their opinions and perspectives were wonderful. I wouldn't have expected such fun resulting from the work from this website, but it's been an enjoyable perk. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that EVERY time I print out work to complete, the girls BEG me to create another one. You betcha, ladies! My only regret is that I don't have anymore littles in the house so that I can use the Early Education lessons. I may need to find one to babysit, hee hee. There is no end to the possibilities with this website, as new ideas pop up all the time. Suffice it to say, HelpTeaching is a winner in this household. You're already here, so why not click on the links and see what they can offer your homeschool?



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Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Do you have any recipes that take you back to your childhood? My mother is an amazing cook, and there are many dishes that my family has enjoyed for decades. Tonight, I decided to try my hand at one of my favorites, breaded pork tenderloin. I was thrilled that it turned out perfect! So, I thought that I would share it with you. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Pork tenderloin, or boneless pork chops
Breadcrumbs
Eggs -1 or 2, beaten
Flour
Butter

Slice pork tenderloin into 1 inch slices

Dip in flour, eggs, breadcrumbs

Breaded pork is ready to brown

Brown both sided

Bake for 40-45 minutes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In 3 different bowls, add flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. If you use a whole pork tenderloin, slice it into 1 inch medallions. Dip each piece into flour, eggs, and then breadcrumbs. Melt a little butter in  a pan. Brown a few pieces at a time, on both sides. Add more butter as needed. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place browned pork on sheet, and bake in oven for 40-45 minutes, until cooked through. Yum!

Watchman Pictures - Princess Cut - A Crew Review

The girls and I enjoyed this review from Watchman Pictures, who graciously provided us with a copy of the Christian movie, titled Princess Cut . I'm sure that I'm not alone in the frustration that comes with trying to find family friendly entertainment that features Biblical themes, and encouraging messages. When this DVD arrived in the mail, and I saw that Dove Foundation logo on the cover, I was confident that this would be a movie that fit the above list. So the girls and I did something that we rarely enjoy on a school day, we grabbed some snacks, found a comfy spot on the couch, and enjoyed a movie day! Allow me to set the scene...

The movie opens with a young man digging, and then burying what looks like it might be a ring. Who is he? Why is he burying a ring? Who does it belong to? We don't find out right then, because the scene changes, and we have our first meeting with Grace, a young, 20 something girl who is with her best friend, looking at engagement rings. Grace is enamored with a young man named Stewart, and she's hoping that someday soon, a beautiful "princess cut" ( Is that name ringing a bell?) ring will adorn her finger, when he proposes. Meanwhile, Grace's parents are becoming concerned over their daughter's increasing attachment to this boy, who's intentions, and more importantly his character, have them unsettled.

Sadly, for Grace, her dreams are dashed when Stewart's true colors are revealed, and she sets about a journey to find the love that her heart is longing for. It's far from a smooth ride, for Grace, as well as her parents, who want to protect her from further heartbreak. Speaking of her parents, what is their responsibility in this situation? There are Biblical lessons for their whole family, as they realize that they have been neglecting the most important areas in their respective lives.


The storyline increases in intensity with the arrival of a mysterious young doctor to the farm next door. Additionally, another young man pursues Grace, but something doesn't feel right. Through some honest soul searching, Grace is trying to determine if God really cares for her needs at all.

I would love to give more details, but I fear that I would ruin the entire plot for you, making it unnecessary to watch this for yourselves. I can and will say, that the movie will leave you feeling uplifted and encouraged. Princess Cut is a movie that can spark some meaningful conversations with your children about marriage and dating. It was interesting, as it kind of broached the subject of dating vs. courtship, but without the specific terminology. It does an effective job in bringing up the questions regarding parents' roles in guiding their children towards "Mr. or Mrs. Right". And you might just find out what happens regarding that buried ring!

Although the theme of the movie is more dramatic, there were a smattering of humorous moments here and there. For example, at one point, little brother Drew takes it upon himself to put an ad in the paper, in search of the right guy for his big sister, Grace. The results of that escapade had both of my girls giggling. I was also pleased to watch my daughters' reactions to various events in the movie that showcased bad behavior vs. Biblical behavior. The most hilarious reaction to one particular scene where a character responds poorly, was when my youngest daughter declared with a tone that was indignant, "I would have given him up like a bad job!"

Princess Cut  is a wonderful movie for the whole family. This is a DVD that you can trust to be free of so much of the yuck that is prevalent, even on prime time. I would especially recommend that families watch this with their tween and teen children, to inspire conversations on dating and marriage. I will admit that yes, parts of it are a bit cheesy, but honestly, what's wrong with that? I'll take a film with a  clean, positive message over one that I have to censor my kids from any day of the week. Both my 12 and 14 yr. old liked it too, and it did raise some talking points for us, as to what we should look for in a spouse, what characteristics to look for, and which ones are deal breakers.
So, you know, the weekend is almost here, why don't you pick up a copy, and enjoy a movie night?

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Memoria Press - First Form Latin - A Crew Review

Salvete, amici Latinae (that is, hello friends of Latin!), we are now almost into the middle of the month of April, and if you are beginning to plan for the next school year, this is a great time to review a fantastic Latin curriculum from one of my favorite companies, Memoria Press . I love to learn new languages, and I jumped at the opportunity to begin the process of learning Latin, along with my daughters. What a great way to study the roots of the English language. The program was created by Cheryl Lowe, and features a "grammar first" approach, using the trivium model. For those of you that are not familiar with that term, it refers to learning by ways of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This is supposed to aid students in the greater retention and understanding of the language. 

We received the First Form Latin complete set, which is meant for use with students in grades 4-9. It is one in a series of award winning programs. Previous experience in the language is not a prerequisite. While this may be used as a follow up to Prima Latina and Latina Christiana , this can also be used very successfully with the beginning Latin student. In fact, I was encouraged, and even relieved, to read the Introduction page in the teaching manual, which assured prospective teachers and students that it is never too late to learn Latin, and to take it at a pace that is comfortable for the learners, and most of all,  enjoy the process. 

Now then, this set includes:

- Student Text

- Workbook - Consumable

- Quizzes and Tests - Consumable

- Teacher Manual

- Answer Key

- Pronunciation CD

- DVD set of 3 discs

- Flashcards of vocabulary and phrases

On the day that this set arrived in the mail, I had barely opened the box and looked through the materials, when I knew that I had to quickly order one more set of the consumable books, because I definitely wanted to use this program with both of my daughters. The extra books arrived quickly, within a couple of days, which worked out just fine, as I needed a day or two to read through the teacher manual and student books, and lay out our schedule. As an aside, you will want to take the time to look through all of the materials and plan ahead, as it might otherwise feel overwhelming at first. There are several components of the program to mesh together, and you'll want to have a solid lesson plan. Fortunately, the teacher manual offers assistance in that planning, and walks you through the order of it all.

Along with the planning tips, the teacher manual walks you through the techniques in presenting the material. The book explains what to say as you teach, and the reasons behind the proffered methods. This was and is so helpful for me. Each part of the lesson- the reciting, vocabulary, workbook, all of it- is all available for you, including suggested ways to give the quizzes, a syllabus, and games to play with your students, most of which require little to no teacher prep. This section is invaluable to me! I love how Memoria Press sets you up to succeed in your Latin education!

This program has been designed to be divided into 5 parts, or a school week's worth of work. For us, that meant working on the material 4 days a week, especially at first when we were finding a routine. Smaller bites, if you will. You can fit it into three days (at the least) as you move along. Right now, a little bit on most school days is better for us.

Day one: Present the lesson. I, the teacher begin by greeting the girls with, "Salvete, discipuli (Hello, students), and they respond with, Salve, magistra (Hello, teacher). Then there is recitation and review of previous lessons and vocabulary. This includes conjugating verbs, prayers, etc.. Again, teaching guidelines are available. Did I mention how much I love those?!

Day two: Workbook. Self explanatory. This is the student workbook exercises, and can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a half hour, depending on our understanding of the lesson. For us, this isn't completely independent work. I sit with them, and we do it together, at least for now. This could, and probably will change as the girls get older, and gain increasing mastery. The manual encourages the neatest handwriting or cursive as possible as students work. This reflects the purpose of Latin- precise, accurate, and detailed. Even that small aspect is one that I love.

Day three: Oral drill.  There are textbook drills and the DVD drills. Do these! It sounds obvious, but these will reveal retention in your students.

Day four: Quiz/Test. Self explanatory, right?  As with most subjects, you'll administer these with the skills and abilities of your students in mind. Progress is what is important. Don't forget, "Errare est humanum." (To err is human.) See how easy it can be to impress others with this impressive language? Lol.

There is a fifth, part that is optional, Lingua Angelica , and/or Famous Men of Rome . We haven't used these yet, but they're on the list of what to include in the immediate future. They discuss Christian Latin, and stories about Rome's history, and I know my daughters will love them. And also, I want them, they look fantastic 😍.

It makes me laugh, because the first response that I received when I told my oldest, who is 14 years old, that we would be studying Latin, she said, "Why? Isn't that a dead language?" I had been explaining that no, it isn't, and has so many applications in our modern day, when we opened the student text book, and what did the first introduction page say but, "Forget the old canard, Latin is a dead language. Latin is not dead, it's immortal!" Ha! Our whole family was in stitches!

We used, (and are still using) First Form Latin in the way that I laid out above. We pull out the flashcards with every part of the lesson to reinforce our vocabulary. The DVD's are an important part of our week as well. We do the student text first, and then watch the DVD lesson. The instructor, Glen Moore, does a nice job presenting the lessons. He injects humor into his presentations here and there, and has an all around nice manner about him. There are convenient  little visuals that pop up during lessons, and it helps to watch them after our personal book time. I like the reinforcement that happens from being able to go through the lesson again after we've learned it in the book. If there is any part of the material where  I don't feel as strong as I would like, I know that we'll be going over it again with his instruction. Oral drills are also found on the third DVD.  Watching these, and listening to the pronunciation CD is vital to us, so that we know that we're learning and reciting everything correctly. We also bring the CD with us in the car, as we drive a lot, and it's a great opportunity to reinforce it all.

I am so impressed with this program from Memoria Press . This is one of my favorite parts of our homeschool day. Yes, I do have a natural interest in languages, but it's more than that. I love the organization and detail that went into creating and planning these lessons. With no background in Latin, I am happy for all of the help that I can get. Not only are the days laid out for me, the encouragement that is provided in the text is really great. They want  you to succeed, and with all that is included in this set, there is no reason that shouldn't happen.
My youngest is the more enthusiastic of my two as it relates to pretty much anything educational, but even my 14 year old has fun with it, and I think that it's because there is a variety of ways that are used in each lesson. She likes the DVD lessons and the games. I will be the first  person to urge you to research this company, and order a set for your homeschool.

Before I close, I also want to include links the other products that Crew members reviewed. If you have a variety of age ranges that you're teaching, looking at some other levels may be helpful.

Traditional Spelling 1 - Grades 1-2

Traditional Spelling II  Grades 2-3

Music Appreciation I

Prima Latina  Grades 1-3

Latina Christiana  Grades 3-5

Second Form Latin  Grades 5-10

Third Form Latin  Grades 6-11

Fourth Form Latin + Henle I Grades 7-12

There is something for every age level, so check them out today!

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