Deuteronomy 6:6-7

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ~ Deuteronomy 6:6-7


Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Britfield & The Lost Crown, by C.R. Stewart - A Crew Review

I've said it before, and I'm saying it again, we are a family of book lovers. Typically, we have at least a few new titles in various stages of reading placed throughout the house. This summer was busy, chaotic even, and I realized that sadly, we were in a bit of a literature drought. We had been running around so much that there wasn't much time to seek out a fresh read. Happily, The Homeschool Review Crew was here to help. We received a copy of the new book to review,  Britfield & The Lost Crown , by C.R. Stewart.
Novels almost always appeal to me, if only because they are an enjoyable escape. What immediately caught my eye with this book though, was the setting, Yorkshire, England. My husband and I love the UK, having spent a year there as newlyweds, and our 13 year old has become quite the Anglophile herself. We spent many weekends in the Yorkshire area, as well as other places mentioned throughout the story. 




A Story set in Yorkshire, and a Yorkshire Terrier- perfect!



This story is for the teen/young adult crowd. At 386 pages long, it seems like a more lengthy read, but the typeface is larger, and I actually read it cover to cover in 2 days, taking a it at a leisurely pace. It can easily be read it in a longer or shorter period of time. That first sentence of a book sets the tone and the pace of the story. I love when the plot takes no time in grabbing my attention. Britfield does just that, and with the first line, you're transported to the room called "The Factory", which is the workroom within Weatherly, a run down orphanage. It is run by a greedy and nasty couple, Mr. and Mrs. Grievous, who, along with their subordinates Speckle, Brewster and Sludge, make the lives of the poor children that reside there, horrific. 

Twelve year old Tom doesn't remember a time when he wasn't living within the desolate halls of Weatherly. He has flashes of a memory where he is playing in a big yard, but is then abruptly taken. Sarah is his best friend, and they, along with the other orphans, are a tight knit group that look out for each other, even when it means that as individuals, they receive terrible punishments. Tom finds himself in such a position after being caught out of bed one night. Mr. Grievous takes advantage of the fact that Sarah is his best friend, and threatens to punish her if Tom doesn't confess all of the wrongdoings of the orphans. Tom determines that it's time to make an escape, and he's taking Sarah with him.



Signed copy!



What follows is an elaborate plan that takes a few bumpy turns, but results in a successful breakout. But they're far from safe. As Tom comes to know, his past includes a potentially dangerous secret. What follows is a fantastical story that takes Tom and Sarah, often via hot air balloon, through Yorkshire, to Oxford University, to Windsor Castle, and then Canterbury. They only have one piece of information, and that is the word Britfield. Thanks to a kind college professor, a few sympathetic folks, and a great deal of courage and determination, the pair uncover an unbelievable part of Tom's past.



I like the extra details that the author provides about English culture. 




I enjoyed this book, and I was happy to see that this is the first in a series. The only problem with that though, is that now we have to wait until next year to see where this revelation regarding Tom will take him and Sarah. The adventures that these best friends faced were something out of a kids' adventure film. There were a couple of things that I particularly liked about this story. The first on is the relationship that the author has forged between the orphans. Many stories tell tales of bullying within the children, but that isn't the case here. Instead, the kids have a strong connection with each other, and always look to protect those in trouble. In fact, throughout the story, Tom and Sarah never forget their friends, and think of ways that they might return and help their "family". What a great message! Love it. Another aspect that I appreciated about this book was that the history of the various places visited was mentioned and taught. It's subtle, but provides a nice background for the reader, while adding a little history/geography lesson. Very nice.



Another example about the extra English facts.




And another example.



There's even more. Parents and teachers can implement a study guide that supplements the book. It is an eight week guide, and can be used chapter by chapter. That's a nice option, particularly if you use this book as a read aloud in your school studies. You could use this as an extra activity, or as a supplement for history, geography, or wherever you find that it fits. With our nutty schedule this summer, we weren't able to use this guide to accompany, but we've taken a look through the pages. There are vocabulary, comprehension, and small research opportunities. Even if you were to use this as discussion points to talk about aloud rather than write, it's a nice supplement.

It's always great to add a new title to your reading list, and this is one that I would encourage you to pencil in. As for me and my daughter, we'll be on the lookout come Fall 2020 to grab the next one in the series. Happy Reading!

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

Coming Together




This is my dining room table this afternoon, also known as our homeschool workspace. I’ve shared  that getting everything together for our school year has been a harried affair, lol. We have a week under our belts now, and I finally feel like it’s coning together. Yay! I still have a few piles, but our school area is organized (mostly) and the table is clear. I always feel much calmer in a tidy environment. Now, a little tv time with my girls, and we’ll rest up for our second week. Have you started school yet?

Friday, August 23, 2019

My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping - A Crew Review






 It typically happens sometime in July, usually on a forum on social media. Homeschooling moms from all over, begin inquiring about school planners. Which one is the best for organizing lessons, activities, extracurriculars, and everything else we need to track in our day to day living? There is no shortage of options, whether paper or digital. As homeschooling parents, we're not only needing to plan lessons, oh no. We have bills to pay, meals to plan, extra activities and appointments to get to, you get the idea. It can be overwhelming. How do you choose the perfect planner? It would be so helpful if we could try one or more out, wouldn't it? Happily for me, I had an opportunity to do just that, when My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping provided our family with their Annual Membership Plan .
Homeschool requirements vary depending on where you live, but wherever you are, it's always a good idea to have a record of your child's education plan. This is particularly the case as they enter the high school years and you begin planning for their graduation. You will want to have transcripts, whether they attend college or not. My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping seeks to make this process easier for homeschool parents. 

When you are getting started, it can seem overwhelming, because there is a lot of information on the site, and so many options to choose from as you plan your schedule. This is where their  helpful video tutorial will come in very handy. At about 6 minutes in length, it will take you on a quick but valuable, virtual tour of where to find all of the places on the pages to get your school year together. You may even  find yourself watching it a few times as you get the hang of it, I sure did. In fact, I'll be watching it yet again. Our school year only began this week, and while I had added our classes and general information, the schedule always  needs to be adjusted here and there. 



Intro video.



Every time that I log into my account, I find aspects of this planning program that I somehow missed. Here are just a few parts your day that can be included in your schedule:

-Classes (Obviously, lol)
- Attendance
- Reading List
- Extracurricular activities
- Social events
- ACT/SAT tests
- Community service

As you input all of your information, the program automatically tracks progress. Charts will show you the attendance record, including how many you have schooled and the total days that you have to complete to satisfy requirements. Generating a transcript is easier with this program. Simply type in the pertinent information, and it puts everything together. That's great for me, as I have two high-schoolers that are preparing for college.  You will also receive email alerts that provide reminders. Also, if you like, you can use this on your mobile device, which is helpful when you're navigating a crazy schedule. You can plan from the waiting room, bleachers, or anywhere.




It's simple to add classes.




Your entire year is tracked, and you can easily see how many days per month will be school days.




Pie charts track attendance and school hours.




Easy to add classes.




You can click on any icon and have a report generated.




Plenty of reminders.




Help is just a click away.





I have to be honest, I have always preferred paper and pencil planners. I appreciate so many aspects of technology, but I still like the old school methods for some things. Because of this, I wasn't sure how much that I would appreciate about this planning system. After using this for a bit, I will say that there is plenty that I like about it. The automatic generator for attendance, transcripts, as well as the reminders are great. I will still use my physical planner, but I'm going to keep up with this one as well. If you are still looking for the right option for your school year, this is a wonderful option. You can try it before it you buy it too, as they offer a free trial. So, there's nothing to lose. Give it a go, and have a great school year!





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Wednesday, August 21, 2019

CTCMath - A Crew Review





Math. My nemesis. I kid of course, but truthfully, there has been no other subject that has caused me as much grief, both as a student and teacher, than Math. I feel as if we have sampled at least a dozen programs and/or curriculums available, with varying degrees of success. It seems that I'm on a continual quest for that perfect fit, and as such, I never pass up an opportunity to try out new resources. We had the chance to do just that when CTCMath generously provided us with a 12 month Family Membership to their online Math curriculum.

CTCMath is suitable for students in the K-12 grade range, which basically means everyone. The program is flexible, and may be used as a stand alone math curriculum, supplement, or tutor. Students learn at their own pace, so children or teens that struggle to retain math concepts can work at a slower pace, and those who desire to, may work ahead. Pat Murray is the instructor for this course, and with ten children of his own, has some solid parenting and homeschooling experience. Oh, and his lengthy years of teaching high school are a help as well. His math programs have been shared with students through the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries. 

The point behind the lessons is fairly simple, keep it short and sweet. Murray believes that most programs spend too much time explaining the lesson, thereby boring students, whereas a short and concise teaching time is more effective. He prefers to keep lessons within a 5 minute time frame, and then provide students with the chance to practice the concepts. That aspect was a big draw for both my daughters and for me. We prefer any lesson, no matter the subject, to get to the point.

Getting started is simple. Instructions are easy to follow to get your account set up, and there are plenty of helpful videos that will assist you in becoming familiar with the program. Placement tests are available if you need help in  determining which level to place your child or teen. You can also decide what percentage of correct answers are required to pass a section. We set our requirement as 80% correct to pass. There are separate accounts for both students and teachers. Parents will have access to all activity. Everything is broken down in an organized manner. You will be able to see when your child logged in, which concept was attempted and/or passed, the percentage achieved, and what is still ahead to master. 



Instructional videos



More Videos



Adjust your preferred settings



Detailed progress reports




For the lessons themselves, students can get on themselves and work through it independently, but if you or they would like a little more help, there is a lesson summary on the lesson page that can be clicked on and brought up. On that same page, you can also bring up the page of questions to be  answered, as well as the solutions, and those are available as PDF's. Detailed reports are included, that track every lesson that has been taken, which is wonderful for your record keeping needs. A new feature for CTCMath ids the Question Bank Wizard, which allows you to create your own sheets for students. While creating these, you can decide how many questions will be used, as well as how easy or difficult they will be. As students successfully complete sections, they are awarded badges from bronze to gold.



Lesson in progress



Lesson in progress



Lesson summary



Practice questions



Worksheets



Solutions



All done? Try a game to practice skills




This past month or so has not been our first experience with this program, We've used it for several years. We have appreciated the shorter, to the point lessons. We also happen to love Murray's Australian accent, particularly the way he says "Twelve", and "Good luck with your questions", lol. This is a fantastic option for families with children in  larger grade range, as the levels span everything from early addition and on up to calculus. There are only two minor things that I would comment on. I would love to see Murray use at least one more difficult problem as an example when teaching a concept, as he uses simple ones. There are times when my kids get the basic concept, but then a trickier problem comes up and we can't get our mind around it. The second would be to not only mark a problem wrong when answered incorrectly, but to show where the problem went wrong, and how it should have been worked. Both of my teens, as well as myself, understand math problems better when we can see why we went wrong. 




So, what do we think? CTCMath is an excellent program, and is one that we highly recommend. Are you interested? You can visit their website, and get set up with a FREE TRIAL to see if this will be a good fit. Go on and click on the links!




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Sunday, August 18, 2019

School Prep

When the last school year began, I had no idea how nuts the year would go. We ended up beginning a couple of weeks later than intended due to unforeseen family events. From there, the insanity continued, and somehow, we finished a few weeks into June. But a relaxing summer was not to be, with extracurricular activities and yet more family issues. Now, we begin the 2019-2020 school year tomorrow, and I still feel harried. I'm hoping, desperately hoping, that once we get going this week, I can begin to schedule in those things on my overdue to-do list that has been waiting for...well, a year. On the positive side, I have our curriculum and my daughters are looking forward to the year, generally speaking. Tonight before I get to bed, I'll tweak my lesson plans, and pretend I have it together. But that's life, isn't it? A whole lot of crazy. Here's to a new school year!

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Happy Sunday

A thought for tonight:


Friday, August 9, 2019

Memoria Press 9th Grade Literature Set - A Crew Review






Most parents and teachers would agree that a student's education wouldn't be complete without the inclusion of a solid Literature curriculum. Books, good books, provide wisdom, character lessons, linguistic skills, culture and heritage studies, and much more. Memoria Press is a company that provides such curriculum, and they provided our family with their Ninth Grade Literature Guide Set to use and review. For this review, we focused on The Canterbury Tales Memoria Press Literature Guide.

Memoria Press is a company that uses the Classical Education method. It is family run, with a Christian viewpoint. They promote the benefits of reading The Great Books as a means to gain wisdom, understand, and promote our Western Christian Heritage. 

Our Literature set includes:
- The Canterbury Tales Teacher Guide
- The Canterbury Tales Student Guide
- Henry V Teacher Guide
- Henry V Student Book
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Teacher Guide
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Student Study Guide
- Beowulf the Warrior Teacher Guide
- Beowulf the Warrior Student Book

We did not receive the accompanying novels for any of the guides.
This is called the Ninth Grade Literature Set, but being a part of the Upper School literature study guides, can be used within the range of 8th to 12th grade. You know your students, and what material will work best for them. Each of these titles that we received will take approximately 6-7 weeks to complete. We decided to begin with The Canterbury Tales. The first thing that I did upon receiving this set, was to order the novels that accompany each, or at least most of them. I didn't manage to get Henry V yet, but I have some time before we get to that one. I was fairly confident that my ninth grader would not be overly excited to begin this program, as she tends to be averse to reading the classics. I was happy though, because I appreciate the quality that I have seen with this company, and of course, she needs to have this as a part of her high school work. I also know that based on past experience, that there have been classic works that we have read as part of her schoolwork that she expected to dislike, but then ended up enjoying very much. But I digress. 
3 out of 4 novels.



Getting started is helped along with the Introduction for teachers in the guide. They provide the step by step instructions to get you through each lesson. I do appreciate that they recognize that every family/student brings different personalities and learning styles to the table, and therefore tell you straight out that you can and should  adjust the material as necessary. Memoria Press uses the Trivium and the Central One Idea to discover the intent of a work. There are four stages in this:
Stage 1 - Pre-Grammar/Preparation- This prepares the student to absorb the material by basically seeing what they already know, through questions that get them thinking.
Stage 2 - Grammar/Presentation - Here the student will get the essential facts of the story.
Stage 3 - Logic/Dialect - Using the information they have from the story, they will reason with all of the parts of the story and begin to determine the Central One Idea.
Stage 4 - Rhetoric/Expression - This final stage has the student revealing their thoughts on what the Central One Idea is. 




The teacher guide provides clear instructions in getting started.




A lesson in progress.



More of a lesson in progress.



At the start of the lessons, or really, just before, there is a helpful page that demonstrates how to mark a book using various types of lines that will symbolize various meanings. The material and lessons are laid out in a straightforward manner, with clear instructions. I'm using this with my ninth grader, and I may have my 10th grader begin it as well when we start up our new school year in the next couple of weeks. That reminds me, the student books are consumables, so you need one per student since they'll be writing in them. I appreciate the exposure to the rich vocabulary in this set. I would be lying if I said that my daughter absolutely loves this curriculum, but it is more challenging in its language, and we need to be challenged in our education. I'm pleased to know that in this material, my children are being exposed to a high quality of work. We're just finishing up this first book, and we'll be moving on to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight next. If you're still looking for a literature curriculum, see if this is a good fit for your family. 

The Canterbury Tales.



On deck- Sir Gawain.



Beowulf.



Henry V.



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Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Library and Educational Services LLC - A Crew Review






In this modern age of all things techie, you'll find that a majority of kids and teens walk around with their face buried in a smart phone. When we moved to our current city a few years ago, my daughters were astounded that NOT ONE neighborhood kid that they met (and there were a dozen) enjoyed reading a book, let alone visiting the library. That makes me sad. We love books, and promising my teens a trip to the library is as good as going to the mall - no, seriously, I'm not exaggerating. The librarians laugh when they see my girls haul their towering stacks of books to the check out counter. On occasion, either a desired book may be unavailable for whatever reason, or we might love it so much that we want to own it. In those cases, we hope to purchase a copy for the best price available. I'm here today to share an excellent site to find all sorts of books and resources to stock your shelves. For our review, Library and Educational Services LLC  was beyond generous in providing us with a book of our choice from their Who Was...? series, one CD of our choice from their Lifehouse Theater CDs series, and our choice of books from their Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books . What a delight! I was like a kid in a candy store!

We chose the following gems:
- From the Who Was..? series - Who Was Beatrix Potter?
- From the Lifehouse CD series - Rikki Tikki Tavi
- From the Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books:
   * The Reformation
   * Writers and their Times- a collection of famous authors
   * Great Life Stories - J.R.R. Tollkien, Marie Curie, Clara Barton

I'm going to back up for a moment and tell you a  bit about Library and Educational Services LLC . This company is a treasure! Putting it simply, they are a wholesale company for Christian schools, churches, resellers, and specialty stores. All of their items, that is, books, CDs, and DVDs, are carefully vetted to make sure that they stay true to Biblical values. With materials that focus on children, they offer prices that are 30% to 70% off of the publisher list prices. Homeschoolers receive the same discount that the schools have. 





Extra pages offer bonus details.




Potter actually wanted to be a scientist, and studied mushrooms.



Over the past few years, we've enjoyed various titles from the Who Was...? series, and Who Was Beatrix Potter? has now been added to that collection. These are small paperback books written for ages 8-12 years, or Grades 2-6, if that helps more. My teens and I enjoy them just as much though. With 112 pages, we read this book in about 30 minutes, give or take. These books are great as a stand alone read, or you can use them with your current curriculum or unit study. Kids will appreciate the conversational style used in presenting the biography, as well as the generous amount of black and white illustrations throughout the books. Scattered here and there, are pages that provide extra information that pertains to either the subject of the book, or of events pertinent to the time period. There is also a timeline of the life of the featured person at the end of the book. I chose Beatrix Potter because she has always been a favorite author of mine. I love to learn about a person's history, and what life events brought them to their occupation. When my 13 year old read this, her first thoughts to me were, "This is so sad." After reading the book myself, I agreed that this author did face her share of challenges in life, whether lost love, lost opportunities because she was a woman, health issues, and controlling parents. But it was a success story too, because she persevered through the storms, and achieved more than many could hope to in a lifetime. I wonder if we have become so accustomed to seeking comfort above all else, that we miss out on more opportunities to grow. That's why I love this series. It makes us think. You need these in your personal library!






The audio CD that we chose was an absolute favorite of mine in my childhood. Rikki Tikki Tavi is the story of a mongoose that lives in India. After a heavy rain, he washes up in the yard of an English missionary couple, who take him in. He enchants them with his sweet nature, and quickly proves to be a fierce defender of the family.  After hearing the English mother say to her family that Rikki Tikki Tavi is a "providence from God", he decides that he will be their protector. His opportunity comes immediately as two cobras that live in the family's garden threaten not only their safety, but their very lives. The story is 33 minutes long, and fully dramatized. All ages will enjoy this classic tale.

It was difficult to choose from so many wonderful options in the Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books. That was a mouthful! Eventuallly, I settled on a 2 different sets, and a stand alone book. Every one of these books is gorgeous. They are hardcover, and as stated, have the reinforced library binding. I geek out every time I pick one up. There is just nothing like a brand new, well made book to make me happy. 
 






Introduction.




Offers history up into modern times.




The stand alone book is Events and Outcomes of the Reformation. It is divided into 3 parts, with 78 pages. This is written for middle school to high school. The pages are sturdy and colorful, and the book offers a ton of information surrounding the Reformation. It begins by explaining Christianity, and then sets the scene for the events that surround this great time period. There are notes on the sides of the pages, a glossary, timeline of events, and extra pages of resources. It's a marvelous resource.








The books provide characters that were the author's.




Plenty of historical information.




So many interesting photos of the authors in their time.




Next, I present the Great Life Stories series, featuring J.R.R. Tolkien, Marie Curie, and Clara Barton. These also feature beautiful, sturdy, colorful pages. Each of these titles provides a closer glimpse into the featured subject. Students and adults alike will learn about the hopes, dreams, and challenges that these icons faced. The chapters delve into the history of the time with interesting sidebars, timelines, and extra resources to pursue. This is also written for middle school to high school. The writing style is personal enough not to be stuffy, and we certainly found them engaging.








More photos.




Events that relate to the author's time period.




Excerpts from author's books.




Timelines.




Real life inspiration.




Our last set is Writers and their Times. This set features 5 famous authors:
- Harriet Beecher Stowe
- John Steinbeck
- Ernest Hemingway
- Willa Cather
- Ray Bradbury

Again, these are meant for the middle to upper grades. As with the others, the pages are of excellent quality, with a mix of black and white, and color photos. You'll read about the pertinent events of the author's time, the history, and of course, the trajectory of each author's life, good and bad. There are glossaries, lists of the author's works, timelines, and extra resources. We're still working through these, and I love them. These are great just to have on your shelf, but work great in conjunction with history, language arts, or other school assignments. Every resource that we received has been stellar in content and quality. I'll be keeping their website in my favorites tab, as we prepare for this upcoming school year. With options from the youngest learners to high schoolers, there is something for everyone for your educational needs. Do visit their site, I'll bet that you love it too.








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