Placemaker by Christie Purifoy - A Book Review

"Many of us long to put down roots in some particular place, but we guard ourselves against heartbreak by waiting for a perfect place."

I love words. I love the written word. I love the way that put together, words form stories that can move, inspire, admonish, encourage, and even cause us to travel through time. Reading a particular work from an author offers a glimpse into his/her personality. I've read many books from many authors over the years, and they come in all manner of styles. My favorite genre is usually the one that I'm currently reading. So, I suppose that would make Placemaker- Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, And Peace this week's winner.

Using images of trees, flowers, and gardens, Christie Purifoy details how we can put down our own roots, wherever we find ourselves. She uses her personal experiences to illustrate how all of us can glorify God in even the smallest ways.

I enjoy the writing style of this author. There is a richness in her vocabulary. There is a sense of rest in the pages that made me want to grab a hot cup of tea, and settle in for the afternoon. I felt as if I was being reminded to find joy in the simple things, and let the main thing be the main thing. That main thing is God, and He is our home.

A Break From the Busyness

It's closing in on midnight, and I'm finally taking a breath after a busy and stressful week. The past 7 days threw a few curve balls, with birthday parties to attend, schoolwork to finish, extracurricular activities to get to, oh, and a hospitalized family member, as well as a late season snowstorm. What can I say? I'm tired. The kids have gone to bed, and I'm taking a moment or two to settle my thoughts before I retire as well. Tomorrow brings a clean slate, and I hope to be ready to get at it. Have a great evening!

Techie Homeschool Mom - A Crew Review

Every once in a while, I think about the pioneers of homeschooling that paved the way for this education choice. They didn't have it as easy as we do in this day. There were not the abundant resources, conferences, and general support that is pretty much everywhere now. In fact, in many areas, home educating wasn't even legal. I am so grateful for those first parents' determination to make homeschooling a viable option. Over the past 30 years, we homeschoolers have come a long way. With all of the technology that we have at our fingertips, it only stands to reason that online courses would become the norm. It's easy to see why digital curriculum would be appealing. This choice means no shipping costs, and virtually no wait time to get started. I know that I appreciate the convenience, and I have and still do purchase quite a bit of online and downloadable material. So, when I had the opportunity to review the Ancient Egypt Online Unit Study from Techie Homeschool Mom , I was interested to see what it would be all about.
Beth Napoli is the name and creator behind Techie Homeschool Mom . A self described "Geeky homeschool mom", she began researching the best online resources for her children. She found that she enjoyed the discovery so much, she needed to share her finds with her friends, who greatly appreciated the efforts. Voila! A business was born, and not just a business, but a chance to provide anyone and everyone with an education in the latest technology. 
Depending on your style, you may love online classes, or really dislike them. Some folks like the community experience, while some prefer a more relaxed, go at your own pace approach. My little crew prefers the go at our pace route, which meshes perfectly with this study of Ancient Egypt. There is no pressure to attend at a certain time, or on a certain day. You choose your schedule. The course is broken up into bite sized sections. There are short videos, book suggestions, websites that provide deeper research, and a variety of crafts and activities to complete. A Final Project on a topic from a list of choices can be completed to wrap up the Unit Study.
You will be taken through 10 sections before that final project:
- Before you start 
- Egyptian Civilization 
- Hieroglyphics
- Rosetta Stone
- Egyptian Daily Life
- Inventions and  Technology of Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Egyptian Clothing
- Famous Egyptians
- Pyramids
- Mummies
- Final Project

I really liked the convenience of this course. Not only could I choose our own pace, but the online aspect made it possible to take this on the go. I could have my daughters watch some of the readily available videos as we commuted here and there. There are some interesting activities to engage in also. We particularly enjoyed looking up and researching Hieroglyphics, studying that alphabet a bit, and then creating a Cartouche. The pyramids and mummies have been of interest to my daughters too, with the latter being an absolute favorite of my 15 year old.

The challenge of this course was the necessity of having to sign up for Canva and Curiosity to do certain projects, and view certain videos. I understand and appreciate that a part of this study is to provide access to various technology. However, I don't like or want to sign up for all kinds of extra services necessarily. With the exception of picking up a book or two, or gathering materials for a craft project, I prefer a curriculum to have all I need within it, without asking me to join sites that I am not familiar with. I also don't want my daughters wandering all over the Internet searching sites that I have no familiarity with. But others may have a different view. To each his own. 
I decided to use this as an extra supplement since I didn't want to sign up for extras or trial runs. We enjoyed the videos and information we read. Grabbing some books was no problem for my book lovers either. Overall, I did enjoy the study. The format allows much freedom and opportunity for extra study. There should be something for most any homeschooling family to aid in their studies. Click on the links for more information.

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Happy Easter!

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen."

~ Luke 24:5-6

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!! HAPPY EASTER!

CrossWired Science - A Crew Review

Alright, let's talk about Science. As a Christian, the main aspect of any curriculum that we consider using in our studies, is whether it comes from a Biblical worldview or not. There are some good, solid choices available, but honestly, many of them are rather dry. I realize that not every subject is going to be fascinating for every student, in fact sometimes we need to just grit our teeth and get it done. But Science, well, we're talking about God's creation, and the way He put absolutely everything together. With that in mind, shouldn't that create some enthusiasm in us to see what He's done? If you find yourself or your kids in the meh category regarding this subject, I hope you'll stay with me for a few minutes. CrossWired Science has graciously allowed us to be beta testers, and review 2 parts of their up and coming online Science program, Sound and Fluid Dynamics . I'll tell you right out of the box, that it is ah-mazing.

I think that I can say with confidence, that homeschoolers love curriculums and resources that can be used with a variety of ages, and this program does just that. The main audience for this material is 4-18 years old. But they'll tell you that anyone from toddlers to scientists can benefit from this instruction. The lessons are presented in short videos, ranging in time from roughly 2-10 minutes, give or take. Lessons are taught by founder Don Miller, and his female sidekick. They present lessons using animation and graphics, fun sound effects, cool photos, and music. They will capture even the youngest viewer's attention. An example of lessons available:

Fluid Dynamics:

- Aerodynamics

- Hydrodynamics

- Bernoulli's Principle

- Vortices

- Aileron's and Their History

- Bird Flight

- Insect Flight

- Dolphin Hydrodynamics

- Fish Swimming

- Rocket Aerodynamics

Sound:

- Ultrasound

- Infrasound

- Decibels

- Microphones

- Vocal Chords

- Voice Making

- Larynx

- History of Sonar

- Whale Songs

-Musical Instruments

Those topics only scratch the surface on what is available, and more content is being added all the time. 

Now, working through the lessons, how are they put together? I told you above, that they are video based. There are two options to choose from, First Timers and Second Timers. Basically, the former is for younger or newer students, while the latter is for older or more experienced students. The difference between these two levels is in the difficulty/complexity of the questions and activities provided after the video is over. For this review, we chose to go the First Timers route, and kind of jumped around. We immediately loved the engaging videos. They are fast paced though, so you have to pay attention, or you'll struggle with the quiz that follows. Quizzes have 10 questions, and they may seem obvious at times, but they can be tricky in their wording, so if you skim it, you might miss a key aspect of the question. Your results are calculated immediately, and they show you where you were wrong when you miss one, which I like. I hate wondering what I missed.

We liked these videos so much that I called my husband in to watch with us, because I knew he would love them too. He is Mr. Science and I figured he would be a great gauge on this material. Well, he loved them too, and as we watched, he would nod and say, Yeah, that's correct, yeah, that too, cool...

Many lessons also provide downloadable worksheets that can be used following a lesson. You could use these with, or instead of the quizzes, or as review work. There are also plenty of experiments to try, because what is science without experiments? We are working towards this one, the RV airplane, because My husband just happens to love airplanes, flying, and building RC planes. He just bought a foam plane for this purpose- perfect timing! 

 You can make this as detailed as you like. This might be a stand alone curriculum for families that complete all of the worksheets, quizzes, experiments, and reading. Or, you can use this to supplement a curriculum that you are already using. It can work for anyone. I like how they have and are making this an all encompassing program, spanning across subjects. If you look through the many resources, activities, and experiments that are suggested, you will find something that appeals to everyone. As a family of book lovers, and of reading in general, I love two of their suggestions in particular. They suggest books from YWAM, which offers fantastic products that we love, as well as Creation Magazine, which again, is a favorite in our home. But there are many more suggestions beyond that. 

I'm glad that they continue to add more content, because this program is a keeper for us. I appreciate the heart and goals of this company. There are quite a few, so you can read them on their site. But, in short, they seek to show others the glory of God, teach them about His creation, and make this curriculum affordable, easing the financial burden for parents. We can all get on board for that, can't we? I cannot say enough positive words about this resource, so I'll just urge you to click on the links and see for yourself. 

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Stopmotion Explosion - A (Very Cool) Crew Review

As a member of the Homeschool Review Crew, I have been blessed to try out many wonderful resources and products. This latest review is a contender for our absolute favorite. Stopmotion Explosion provided us with their Stop Motion Animation Kit to use, and my 13 year old daughter is hooked. It's funny that often, adults will joke that their young children have an amazing intuition in knowing how to work with technology, while many of us older folks struggle a bit. My daughter certainly fits that description, and constantly amazes me with her seemingly instant grasp of smart phones, computer programs, and such. I can't tell you how many times I can heard throughout the day calling to her to help me untangle some technological mess I've created. So, it was no surprise that she grabbed the kit, and went straight to work.

This kit includes:

- 1080p HD Video camera with internal microphone, manual focus, and clip
- Stopmotion Explosion book
- Stopmotion Explosion Quick Start Guide
- Software CD

What does this kit do? Simply put, it's a way to create your own films, but without breaking the bank to do it. Using the included software, or by downloading the Stopmotion app, you can put all of those lego, Shopkins, cars, and/or whatever other figure collection that your kids have been accumulating, and create fun little movie shorts. Do you remember the old programs that we would watch as children, like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, or more recently, the Wallace and Grommit Claymation movies? Those are examples of this technique- Stopmotion. But with this kit, instead of being a passive consumer, you can become a filmmaker as well.

If you have the patience, you can start with the book, which has close to 300 pages of helpful information to get you on your way to becoming a famous filmmaker. I joke when I say this, because reading the book is a must. Rather than being a kit you would find in the discount store, there is a history and art to creating movies. You and your students will learn so much in these pages, including:

- The history of film
- How movies work
- What is an Armature, and how to build one
- How to create a story
- Storyboarding
- Cameras
- Lighting

I could list the Table of Contents for you, but suffice it to say, there is a ton of  information, tips, and techniques in the book. This could be a great group activity for Clubs, Co-ops, youth groups, and whatever group you can think of. This isn't simply a toy, but a fun educational activity, for one child, or a group. Here are some examples of topics in the book:

This is from the Quick Start Guide

My daughter was so excited to begin, so she pulled out the Quick Start Guide first, and got going with the actual book later. With this little pamphlet, you can be creating your first film in a jiffy. So, we recruited my husband to help with getting the software loaded onto the computer. There is a CD included, but sadly, our computer does not have a CD Rom player. The download went just fine. My daughter had already been planning out her movie, so we just needed to capture it on film. That's when we hit a wall. The camera kept freezing up on us. It would run for 5 seconds and stop. We would start over, only to have it happen over and over. There seems to be an application on the computer that will not allow the camera to function properly. We're still working on that, and hope to figure it out.

But, all was not lost, because we were able to download the app on my phone, and that has worked just fine, beautifully actually. In fact, my girl absolutely loves this new found hobby. She purchased various poster boards and papers for backgrounds, as well as an inexpensive tripod to keep the phone steady, and has been spending many afternoons coming up with fresh story lines. The app provides great instructions, and walks you through the steps easily. We don't have the sound effects that the software on the computer provides, but the clips are still fun. The only issue is that now I find myself either without my phone, or have my phone drained of its battery, because my daughter enjoys this so much. Let me show you some screenshots from the app. It lays everything out step by step, so it's easy to follow.

This last one is just one page of the clips that my daughter created.

So fun! Now, would you like to see some of the movie clips?

This has been such an entertaining kit that our whole family has enjoyed. You might be looking for a gift, a project, or a cool learning tool. This is a worthwhile option for those and more. We love it, and maybe you will too.

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Palm Sunday

It's been a cold and snowy Palm Sunday for our area today. Still, it didn't keep us from trekking to church to celebrate Palm Sunday. In the midst of some frustrating circumstances in our lives these days, it's good to meet with good, loving, God fearing people. We collected our palm leaves as we walked into the sanctuary. Our pastor delivered a solid message, and we reflected on  Luke 19: 28-40, and took communion together. A good service. 

It will be a week filled with preparations for Easter Sunday, but I hope to take time and reflect on the greatest sacrifice that God provided for us. I hope you take that opportunity to reflect too.

"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

~ Luke 19:38

Everyday Education - A Crew Review

I blinked, and my daughters grew from tiny newborns, into young ladies, seemingly overnight. Those older folks who used to stop me in the grocery store were right when they would remark, "Enjoy these days, they pass by so quickly...". I would politely smile and agree, but I didn't realize how spot on those words were. Where did the time go? The topics of conversation no longer center on favorite preschool shows, or when we can go to the park. Nope, now it's all about favorite bands, school assignments, and... what do you want to do with your life when you graduate high school? Wow. High school brings new challenges to both parents and students, and for homeschooling parents, we're thinking, what do I do about a transcript? My oldest started her freshman year this past September, and that was on my mind. How do I put it all together? This review of Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide To High School Paperwork from Everyday Education was a timely arrival, and I'm happy to share it with you.

This is a fourth edition of the resource, and has not been relegated to homeschoolers, as even some private schools have put it to use. As I made a cursory look through the nearly 140 pages included in this e-book, I was quickly impressed, and truth be told, relieved. Everything that you need to know is included, and I could see that yes, I would be able to begin the daunting task of the high school transcript. 

The book is divided into 6 parts:

Part 1- Meet the Transcript - This will introduce you to everything you ever wanted and needed to                                                     know about this piece of paper. You'll find out, what it includes, who                                                     will see it, and how to begin putting it together. 

Part 2 - Plan With the End in Mind - You'll have help deciding what courses should be studied, skills                                                             and habits to develop at this stage, standardized tests, college                                                                 alternatives, and several more valuable strategies.

Part 3 - Keep Simple Records - This section provides all of the information necessary to keep track of                                                     your student's classes and schedules. There is also information to                                                           help with special needs students.

Part 4 - Grades, Credit, and the GPA - The title says it all, everything you need to determine grades,                                                                  and assign credits.

Part 5 - Create the Transcript - Once again, it's all in the title. This is where you'll find the how to's to                                                    create your transcript.

Part 6 - References, Resources, and Reproducibles - There is a glossary here, many, many, suggested                                                                                      resources that include books, tests and test prep,                                                                                      reproducible forms, and blank transcript forms.

When I learned that I would be reviewing this resource, my initial thoughts were, that sounds alright, and I was mildly interested. When I actually received the e-book, and begin looking through it, my enthusiasm rose dramatically. Everything that I need is right here, and walks me through the process. I wouldn't say that I was worried about putting a transcript together necessarily, but it definitely has been on my mind as we have entered the high school years, and now having this, I'm feeling confident that we can get this done well. 

I printed the entire book out, and put it in a binder, and it is now a faithful planning companion, lol. Until I saw the 138 pages printed out in their entirety, I didn't completely appreciate how much is in this bad boy. I started out by flipping to sections that popped out at me at first, but now I am going over it more slowly, and enjoying the wealth of tips. I was happy to see that I'm on the right track in my course planning, but there are some great tips that I'm now using to include in our paperwork. For example:

- Dual college credit

- Volunteer opportunities

- Start a Microbusiness

- Develop special interests

- Learn Through Travel

I've always loved homeschooling for its flexibility, and now that we are in these teen years, I'm seeing more and more how many opportunities we have. If I sound cheesy in my excitement for this resource, well, sorry, not sorry! I'm really pumped about Transcripts Made Easy , and I love showing it to my homeschool friends. It is my companion when we go to extracurricular activities, and I have time to chat with other moms. Even if you're students are still in the elementary grades, it's not too early to begin planning. This e-book will take the stress out of the process, and help you develop a great transcript. Don't wait, get your copy.

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