Sunday Evening Mood

I think Crosby has the right idea. If we hide, maybe Monday won’t be able to see us. Hope you all have a great evening!

HiGASFY Art History Video Series - A Crew Review

 

Before I had children and began homeschooling, I was a preschool teacher. My favorite activity to do with my students was always, hands down, art. I love art. The creative expression and even escape that the subject affords has always been what draws me. Of course, art is more than drawing, painting, and sculpting. We can't forget Art History. There is much to learn about the various periods, styles, and artists. But let's face it, the subject is often, well, boring. I've taken a few Art History courses that were snooze fests. It doesn't have to be that way though, and this review proves it. HiGasfy Art History Video Series provided us with a 3 month subscription to their HiGasfy Art History Video Series to use, and let me tell you, it isn't a boring college class.

What kind of a name is HiGasfy? That was certainly my first question, lol. It's actually an acronym. It stands for Have I Got A Story For You. The lessons are video based, and our host is Mrs. Beth, former flight attendant, and retired teacher. She has a little buddy named Gasfy (what a coincidence!), who is a little paint drop that joins us for the lessons. You'll notice of course that the name of this is HiGasfy, and she starts each episode by finding her little friend and saying, "Hi Gasfy!". Very cute.

This program for grades 1-8 teaches 4 periods in the world of art:
- Renaissance Series
- Baroque Series
- Impressionist Series
- Post-Impressionist Series

There are 12 video lessons for each of these periods. Each series follows the same general schedule. First, the video is watched, and lasts anywhere from 20-30 minutes. The art period is introduced, and students will learn about making a personal portfolio. They will study an artist, and his works. There are then  opportunities to create art for themselves. The last part of the series includes a power point presentation to assess completed skills. There are lesson plans for each series, and they are well organized and thorough. Even the most nervous Art History teacher will find their confidence using these plans, as everything is laid out clearly. Simply read and then carry out the instructions. Included in these plans are slide shows that feature famous works of art, flash cards, and worksheets. Students will enjoy activities that include I Spy (finding hidden objects in paintings), Word Searches, Vocabulary Words, and Crossword Puzzles. There are options for every learning style.

I liked the videos very much. Mrs. Beth has a great way about her that elementary students will appreciate. She engages the students with photos, graphics, and interaction with Gasfy the paint drop. I really love this program. I only have one complaint, and that is that my daughters are now in high school, and beyond the age range of this series. That won't stop us from enjoying the remainder of our subscription though, and we will! Those of you with kids in the elementary grades should definitely check this out. I bet you'll love it too!

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Let the Mother Play!

This quote stands out to me lately. I have felt the shift in my attitude, the fatigue in my soul. I don't know about you, but as a mom, I often feel overwhelmed with the never ending To Do list. Laundry, dishes, dusting, schoolwork, repeat. My solution tends to be to stay up later, or get up earlier to get it all done. Maybe that isn't the answer. Maybe I need a regular break. Maybe I need to pencil in time for me to read, craft, or take a day trip. I know those times when I've done just that have left me feeling refreshed. So...I think I'll do just that.

Weird

I saw this photo online, and it made me pause, because I often say something similar to my daughters.  We seem to be the only homeschoolers in our neighborhood, and the public schooled girls behave quite differently than my girls do. I don’t say that with arrogance. There is a pecking order in the schools that kids often conform to in order to survive. That sounds dramatic, but having been a public schooled kid myself, I remember the struggle. My daughters don’t have that stress. They don’t need to pretend to be someone they aren’t in order to be accepted. Once in awhile, one of my girls is tempted to hide her true personality in order to be liked by these girls. When that happens, I tell her that her ability to express who she really is, is a gift. I tell her to never be afraid to be herself. Those who are true will show themselves, and I bet that those that make fun secretly wish they had the courage not to conform. So...embrace your weirdness!

Easy Grammar Systems - Ultimate Series Grade 9 - A Crew Review

I've noticed that Language Arts is a subject that frequently comes up among homeschooling parents. It's one of the areas of study that students seem to either strongly like or strongly hate. Whichever category you and your kids would sort yourselves into, we can all probably agree that it is necessary to have the basic skills that writing, grammar, and all of the sub categories that make up Language Arts. I've mentioned a time or two before, that my girls and I are on the pro side of this subject. It tends to be the easiest for them to complete during the school day, and they typically complete the year's work a month or so before the other courses. Even so, there are still areas that can always benefit from review, so when Easy Grammar Systems provided our family with their Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 9 Teacher Edition and Test Booklet to use, we were happy to give it a go.

The format of this program is interesting, as the text is the student workbook and teacher key all in one. The lessons are designed to be short and sweet, as in, ten minutes per day. I can hear all of the kids cheering now! The daily work has a specific sequence that aims to teach a concept, review it, and then apply it. So, there are 5 parts to be completed each day, and always follow the same pattern. This is how a daily lesson looks:

Question 1 -  Capitalization errors to be corrected.

Question 2 - Insert the correct Punctuation.

Questions 3 and 4 - Teaching, Review, Application of Grammar 

Question 5 - Sentence combining.

How's that for simple? Get up, ten minutes of grammar...and done. Sweet. Families teaching one student can use this book as an all in one option, that is, students can write directly in the book, and parents can access the key in the book to correct. You may reproduce the pages if you prefer not to write in the book, or if you have more than one student. There is a separate booklet for the tests. In keeping with the simple format, this book has a no frills look. That means that there are no illustrations or graphics, simply the text in black and white. It's all business, so to speak.

As this is a book for 9th graders, I've been using this with my 9th grade daughter. She's a natural self starter, and likes to jump right in, so she grabbed the book and ran with it. Initially, she liked the simple, to the point structure, and the speed at which she could complete the lessons. Also, being a creature of habit, the consistent format of daily assignments meant no unpleasant surprises. As she's been working through this for a month or so now, she does find herself wishing that there was a little more teaching throughout the book. She doesn't have trouble completing the work, but does prefer a more extensive teaching approach. We also both agree that we do like a text that includes more color and illustrations.

This is a good option for those that want a grammar program that gets to the point with no frills. It's also great for students that may get frustrated easily with the subject, because with only ten minutes per day, it's a quick job. This might also be a nice way to supplement a program that you're already using, for days when you need a shorter lesson, or when you want to review. Will we keep using this? Yes, we will, along with a few other materials that we are working with. It's a solid program, check it out.

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BetterRhetor College-Ready Writing Essentials Full Package - A Crew Review

When I began high school  many, many years ago, the worst assignment that I could imagine was one that required extensive writing. At that age, I had such a difficult time with that particular exercise. What do I write about? How do I put together an outline? Why do I even need an outline? What in the world will I say for three or more pages? Oh man, those assignments were the worst. I remember only one or two class periods where a teacher actually walked the class though the process of putting together a paper. It wasn't until college that something clicked in my head, and I not only overcame the fear, but I began to enjoy stringing together my thoughts and writing them out, or typing as the case may be. Sadly, I'm not alone in my past struggles, as a large percentage of high school students do not enter college with adequate writing skills. Our communication skills are so important, and as a homeschooling mother, I have always wanted my daughters to learn to write well, and when the opportunity to review the College-Ready Learning Essentials™ Full Package  from BetterRhetor came up, I was ready.

This course was created and used in high schools, colleges, and universities, and this course has been structured to work with small groups and individuals. It will take students through the steps of writing in an easy to follow outline. The package is broken down into 5 sections, with 25 lessons:

- Overview- 1 lesson

- Planning - 10 lessons

- Drafting - 8 lessons

- Revising - 4 lessons

- Finalizing - 2 lessons
Students will write their own 3-5 page research supportedpaper by the end of this course.

There are also two bonus features at the end of the course that include key terms, and a guide to the culture of college academics. My daughters and I found these very interesting and helpful.

This course is great for anyone in high school or college who needs to learn the basics of communicating through writing. Even if you as the parent and/or teacher feel less than proficient at writing, there is no need to stress. In fact, sit in yourself, as you'll learn along with your student. It is organized very well. You will not need to do any manual tracking, because the program automatically does that for you, informing you of the percentage of the course that you have completed. The only tools that you need are your computer, and access to research materials.

Students will learn how to select a topic, research, outline, take a position, critique other papers, and have their own work critiqued, how to counter argue perspectives, and revise their work. That's only a sampling of topics that are covered in this package. It covers everything that students will need to excel in college writing. It is so much more than anything that was ever taught to me. Isn't that sad?

I've been using this with my 10th grade daughter. To say that she is a reluctant writer is the understatement of the century. She hates to write, mostly I believe, because she lacks confidence. That is slowly changing as she learns these skills. The 25 lessons can be used in a 5 week period, but I'm taking it slower with my daughter. We're working 3 days a week. As with anything in life, as she gains more knowledge and skills, her confidence is growing. She may not love writing, but it isn't the great monster anymore, and that's saying something. The assignments consist of a lecture of sorts, which is the lesson to be read, then a pdf to complete. We break down each part into a couple of days work.If your students are more confident, or older, you might work at a faster pace. This pace is working for us as we incorporate it into our other school work.

I'm pleased that we've had the chance to use this package. It arrived at a great time in my daughters' point in their education. I'll be using this with my 9th grader as well. If you have a student in need of writing skills, or maybe you need a brush up for yourself, this is a great option to consider.

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Fall Prep

It was a very productive weekend for me. I buckled down, and took care of a bunch of household chores that have been overdue in needing to get done. Saturday found me outside much of the day, trimming hedges, and cleaning the yard up for Fall. It's always a big job, but it feels so good to have everything tidied up.
On Sunday, we went to church, and then spent the afternoon cleaning up the house, which also felt like it was neglected over the summer. Washing, dusting, vacuuming, you get it. We also started getting out a few Autumn decorations. I'm not terribly excited for Fall to arrive, after the nasty Winter we had this last time, but I'm trying to be festive, lol. I do love a clean home though. People have said that clutter causes anxiety, and I can say that for me at least, I feel so peaceful with a cleaned up place. Now then, it's time to get back to another busy week!

Zeezok Publishing - Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades - A Crew Review

A somewhat frequent topic of conversation regarding education, is whether or not to cut art and music programs in schools. I cannot fathom why it would be considered. The arts offer us so much beyond traditional academics. They teach children and adults alike about generations that precede us. We appreciate not only the beautiful works of art, and pieces of music, but the history and culture of the musicians and artists. They also provide an avenue for students to create art and music themselves. This is yet one more reason that I love homeschooling. I have no worry that these programs will be cut, and we are free to enjoy them as we like. But what program should you choose? I can help you there, thanks to Zeezok Publishing , who provided our family with Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades . 

Included in this set:

-Music Appreciation Book 2 for the Middle Grades

-Frederic Chopin - Early Years

-Frederic Chopin - Later Years

-Robert Schuman and Mascot Ziff

-Adventures of Richard Wagner

-Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray

-The Young Brahms

-The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky

-Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet  *We received this as an ebook*

-Edward Macdonald and His Cabin in the Pines

This collection is recommended for grades 5-8, but as with most curriculum, may be used for slightly younger or older ages as ability allows. It may also interest you to know that for the intended grades, this program meets the national standards for music appreciation. It also uses a variety of learning styles, so you should be able to find any number of activities within the student book to appeal to kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learners. I'll touch on some of those in just a bit. 

Table of Contents.

Handy QR codes allow access to music.

Easy to follow schedule.

Work sample.

I like that the student workbook has the 3 ring binder holes punched out in it, so you can keep your work in a binder if you like. This workbook is visually appealing too, with lots of color and illustrations throughout the pages.  They also have included scan codes, so if you have a scan app on your mobile device, you can scan any number of them, which allows you to hear a particular piece of music. The schedule is well organized, and easy to follow.  Students will read from one of the musician biographies, and then work through the activities that follow. Included in those assignments are comprehension questions, music tracks to listen to, character qualities of each musician, vocabulary words, and family history. They will also learn about each musician's country of origin, the culture, the political climate of the time, and even recipes that the artists may have enjoyed. As I mentioned above, there is an activity to suit a variety of learning styles.

Tidbits of Interest.

Vocabulary, Geography, and more.

Traditions and recipes.

The font in the biographies is larger, so for us, and my 9th grader, who has been using this, it's easy to get through fairly quickly. Yes, my daughter I older than the intended grade range, but it's still filled with pertinent information that spans across the ages, and it simply means that she'll get through the series at a faster rate. I've also had my 10th grader looking through the biographies, but it's my 9th grader who is using the student workbook. Again, the material is intended for a younger group, but much of the material can be appreciated by any and every age, so why not? Both of my daughters are musicians, so they can read and play the music that is sprinkled throughout the books, and they have played some of the pieces in their band, which is fun.

Quotes.

Visually appealing pages.

My 9th grader likes the material well enough. She enjoys the sections titled Tidbits of Interest, that provide extra details of the musicians' lives. Also, being a foodie and budding chef, she is very interested in the many recipes that provide her with opportunities to cook and bake. Overall, this is a really nice program that would be a wonderful addition to any family's studies. In fact, this is great for those teaching several different grades, as it can be adapted so easily. I recommend it enthusiastically!

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DIY Pincushion Dolls

Isn’t this cute? My youngest daughter loves to craft, and found an idea to make pincushion dolls. They’re very simple, and she’s in the process of making a bunch. She used round clothespins for the body, and glued yarn to the top to make hair. Then she drew on the face. She cut out squares of fabric, and used a running stitch to pull it in around the doll, stuffing it with polyfil before closing completely. A cute bow around the perimeter, and done! A cute gift!