Memorial Day Weekend- Part One

It's been a very hot weekend in our area, so our initial Memorial Day weekend plans to tackle the loads of yard work were drastically reduced. Seriously, we were dripping with sweat from simply standing outside. Yuck. Oh well. Our family took part in a wonderful church service this morning, with a meaningful message to commemorate this Memorial Weekend. After returning home,  we managed to begin planting at least, and if we can drag ourselves out of bed early enough tomorrow morning, we'll get our edging and mulching done as well. How are you spending your weekend?

It's hot, but the bubster still needs his walk.

Basil

Tomatoes

Sweet peppers

Strawberries

Cucumbers

Hopefully, we can get these hostas divided too!

Home School Navigator - A Crew Review

Hey homeschooling families, let's talk about Language Arts. Is it a strength for you to teach, or is it an area where you struggle to pull it all together? Speaking for myself, this is a subject that I have always been drawn to. Reading, spelling, and writing have tended to be some of my strengths when I was in school. Now, as I am teaching these things to my daughters, I still tend to prefer them over other courses. Even so, it can be a challenge to find the right program that meets educational requirements. If your children either struggle in this area, or simply don't like this part of their school day, the challenge can be even greater.

Our family was given a free subscription to the Home School Navigator Reading and Language Arts Curriculum to try out for a time. That's a bit of a mouthful, so I'll break it down for you.
Home school Navigator  offers six different levels of curriculum, based on the age and reading ability of your child. They provide 36 weeks of lessons, with a TON of instruction that is included.
Included in your subscription are:

-Teaching guides broken down for daily, weekly, and yearly use.
-Handouts and corresponding answer keys
-Review games
-Word Studies
-Vocabulary words
-Interactive book studies
-Video libraries

Getting started is a breeze, as the instructors have created many mini videos that take you through the basics of this course. To begin, there is both a parent video, and then a student video that provide a quick orientation.
The material is organized well, and the teachers offer practical tips to categorize and put in order the many printable pages. You will need at least one, preferably two notebooks, and a binder.
Each component of the lesson, whether it's grammar, writing, independent reading, or other categories, will have a short instructional video to get your student going. I am so impressed at the amount of work that has gone into this program. They make it very easy to implement. Grab your materials and get to work! I also want to mention that there is so much here, but remember, you are the teacher, so you decide which parts that you would like to complete in your home school. I appreciate that the instructors make a point to reiterate that as well throughout the activities. Select what you need, leave out what doesn't work. Their goal is to offer an outline with a variety of activities to choose from. After seeing all of the choices, there were few that I would leave out.

Student Intro Video

Parent Intro Video

The highest level offered here is Indigo, which is where we settled. That would equate to about a fifth grade reading level. My girls are in 7th and 8th grade, so 2 and 3 grades higher, and their reading skills are above that, but we still found value in using this program. The first month focuses on fairy tales and folk tales, and the books and materials were at an earlier learning level, so those were a snap to look over. The second month found some more interesting lessons, as the focus turned to the book, Holes. That has been interesting, because they break down the book and provide activities that branch out, using the various themes from their reading selections. These include learning the author's style, conflicts, inferences, short research projects, identifying roots, and more.

By the time that this course is completed, your student will have studied genres in, mythology, historical fiction, persuasive text, biographies and autobiographies, author's, poetry, and realistic fiction. I only wish that they offered options for junior high and high school, as it covers so many areas.

My girls worked on this most weekdays. They do well with many aspects of a traditional schooling approach, so the videos, worksheets, journals, and binders were a good fit with their learning styles and personalities. I wish that we had been aware of this in some of their earlier grades, as they have moved beyond much of the work. I hope that parents with younger students will take a close look at Home School Navigator as they choose a Language Arts program. I know we would have enjoyed and benefited from it.

What we found challenging:

 Next to nothing, actually. There was only one thing that I might improve, and it didn't have to do with the lessons, but with the site itself. Once subscribed and registered, it isn't immediately obvious where to click to get to the lessons. The first few times that I visited took me a while to remember how to access my material, but once I figured it out, all was fine. Apart from that very small issue, this course is put together beautifully.

Our final thoughts about this program:

There are so many fantastic components to this Language Arts curriculum. The amount of material is overwhelming, in a most positive way. When I consider how much time and energy was put into creating the various activities, guides, charts, diagrams, vocabulary...and on and on it goes. Even the printable sheets  themselves are attractive in their design. There are colorful, cute illustrations and designs that make them visually appealing to students and teachers alike. If you need it, it's in there! I do believe that Home School Navigator has thought of everything. This is a great option for families that are looking for help in planning Language Arts lessons, because they've done all the work for you. All you need to do is grab the accompanying books, and get started. The fact that this is a digital product can also be great for families that want to save some space. Print only what you need, as you need them. Has this review piqued your interest?  If so, then follow the links and download a sample lesson today!

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For My Friend

The year was 1985. I had just moved to a new city with my mother. The new school year began the very next day. It was my freshman year of high school, and I didn't know anyone. I was nervous, to say the least. Walking into the freshman hall, as I was looking at my schedule, and trying to figure out where my classes were, I looked up, and saw a mature looking young lady who was also making her way down the hallway. "Excuse me, miss?  Can you tell me where this class is?", I asked, pointing to my schedule. Imagine my surprise when I found out that she was as new as I was, and a freshman to boot! Lorri and I became fast friends, brought together through freshman fear. In years to come, we would laugh and laugh about that first meeting.

That was 33 years ago. I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that so much time has passed. I often still feel like that anxious young 14 year old.

Our friendships had many ups and downs. There were a few significant hurts, but even in those, we managed to keep our bond. We spent countless weekends hanging out, having sleepovers, laughing together, confiding our fears, imagining the future. We were opposites in many ways. I was shy, fearful, introverted. She was confident, extroverted, and strong.

After high school, our contact dropped off for a while. In the meantime, I had come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. A couple of years later, Lorri and I reconnected. How wonderful it was to find out that she had decided to follow the Lord as well. I invited her to my church. She did come, and become very involved in various groups there. We were young adults by then, with different interests, and busy lives, that pulled us in opposite directions. For the next 20+ years, our communication was relegated to a postcard here, an email there. Facebook came along, which made it a bit easier to stay up to date.

One day, an email appeared in my inbox with the news that everyone dreads. Lorri had cancer, and would we all please pray. Many of us prayed. Lorri suffered, and she fought as much as she could. Sadly, after a time, doctors told her that hospice was the only option left. She took her last breath on this earth on April 10, 2018.

I was able to visit Lorri one more time a few weeks before she passed. She had trouble speaking at that point, and communicated with a pad of paper and a pen. I was apprehensive about seeing her. What should I say? Would it be awkward after not seeing her for so long?  She was in the ICU at that point, but it was quickly apparent that her mind was as sharp as ever. We reminisced about the old days. Some memories left us with tears in our eyes. But what struck me the most was that for all of our history, the hurts, the distance, it didn't matter. We were sisters in Christ, we still held a connection. We parted with smiles and affection.

Today, I said goodbye to Lorri, at least for now. This morning, this grey, drizzly morning, I gathered with Lorri's friends and family to remember her life. I wondered how I would hold up, and was surprised at how calm and collected that I felt. Until the very end. The pastor encouraged everyone to exit in rows, and offer an encouraging word to Lorri's mother and brother. It was soon my turn to offer my condolences to her brother. I said hello, and quipped that perhaps he didn't remember me, because we hadn't seen each other since high school. He did remember, and gave me a hug. His wife asked how I had known Lorri, and so I began telling the story of how Lorri and I had met in the high school hallway. Up until that moment, I had kept my composure, but at that moment, the grief was overwhelming, and the tears flowed. I mumbled something lamely, and excused myself. 

Lorri's death is a loss. Even with the years of distance, she was an important connection with my childhood. We knew each other before and after coming to know the Lord. The good, the bad, and the ugly. She was too young. But God.

I will see her again. Given the choice, I doubt that she would leave Heaven to come back here. She is face to face with Jesus. Her faith is now sight. 

So this is my tribute, my goodbye to my friend. I'm glad that I knew you Lorri. I can't wait to see you again, in Heaven.

Love, Laurie

Kids Email - A Crew Review

In our modern age of convenience, where we have every type of technology available to us, it's difficult to remember a time when that wasn't the case. When I take a moment or two, and consider my childhood versus that of my daughters', the difference in advancements still amazes me. We live in an age of instant gratification, whether we're speaking of shopping, researching information, or getting in touch with friends and family. I remember waiting days, and often weeks, for letters to arrive from my favorite cousin/best friend. I had two options available to me. I could either wait for the mail, which was often painfully slow, or rack up huge long distance phone bills.  Forty years later (ouch, has that much time elapsed?), I am still struck with wonder as I use social media to chat with friends who live across the ocean! No waiting! Yes, life is very different for our children today, who have no idea what it's like not to have such luxuries. Email is one such example. It has all but replaced old fashioned letter writing. Now, I will admit that I still love a handwritten card or letter, but it's wonderful to have the ability to instantly connect with someone, whether for personal or business purposes. As it relates to our children, they need to learn how to navigate all of the technology in a responsible manner. That can be scary, as we frequently hear frightening stories of predators preying on the innocence of a child. 

The good news is that there are safe ways to introduce kids to technology, which brings me to the subject of this review. My daughters have been using Kids Email Safe Email for Kids from the company, Kids Email . Why do kids need their own version of email? Why not just set up a regular type of account for your children? Well, there are very good reasons. Spam, ads, viruses, uninvited contacts, and yes, predators. 

What makes Kids Email stand out from a typical email account:

* No ads! 

* No spam!

* Parent monitoring - Parents receive notification for every email that comes in, or goes out.

* Mail Queue - This feature notifies parents when an unapproved contact sends your child an email.      You may then approve or block/delete that contact. 

* Time limits - You decide at which times your child is allowed to log in. There is also a setting that      allows you to "ground" your child from email use for the time that you decide.

* Block feature- This allows you to block anyone that you choose.

Setting up your account:

You'll do an initial registration, after which you will be contacted via your email with instructions detailing how to activate the account. Then, you will be directed to the Parent Control Panel. There, you will select all of your settings, what you will allow to be sent to your child, regarding links, images, etc., who can email your child, and what times of day your child is allowed to log in. When choosing your child's email address, the last part of it will be either @kidsemail.org, for younger kids, or @kmail.org for teens. I'm sure that older kids appreciate the more grown up option. Once these steps are completed, your child can begin emailing! Their homepage looks like a typical email page, complete with settings that they can change to customize to suit their personality. For my youngest, that means a daily change to fit her mood, lol. 

Kids Email Safe Email for Kids has been a fantastic option for my daughters. I had been considering when to open email accounts for both of them, but put in on the back burner, so to speak. So this review opportunity arrived at the perfect time. Both of my girls are loving Kids Email, but it's my youngest who is particularly enthusiastic. She gets on the computer throughout the day, checking in with me, her dad (my husband), friends, and family. I email her everything from simple notes to say hello, to her daily assignments and chores. She loves having the ability to converse with her dad during the day. Her best friend in the world recently moved to another state, and this has been a great way to keep them connected. I receive notifications for every incoming and outgoing email, which also includes a copy of each email, so I can keep tabs on her communication.

The notifications and settings work very well. When two different friends sent emails, they were not on the approved contact list yet. Before they could go through to my daughter, there was a notification in bold lettering (so I couldn't miss it), and I had the option to approve, approve and add to contact list, or delete and block. It's great, it really is.

This email option also has the benefit of being available as an app for your phone or tablet, so yes, you have access anywhere that Internet service is available. Is this sounding like a good fit for your family? Well, here is another incentive...you can try it free for 30 days, with no obligation, no credit card, no contract. If you like it after that period, you can set up a monthly or annual account. To borrow a corny phrase from commercials in a bygone era, what do you have to lose? Set it up!

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, fellow moms!!  I hope that you had of love from your families. We enjoyed a somewhat busy weekend. Saturday found us traveling a bit to a nearby state to meet my mom, brother, and sister in law, for an early Mother's Day breakfast. That night, we drove back to our hometown, and met my in laws for dinner. An entire day without cooking, hurray!

It's funny, but in all honesty, Mother's Day is not that big of a deal for me. It's my daughters and husband who were concerned about making today a day of celebrating. My youngest could barely contain her excitement. She was so excited about choosing just the right card and gifts, and was fastidious in her wrapping and presentation. She completely cracked me up when she handed me her carefully selected card...

Now, you cannot appreciate the scale of the card in the photo, but it's something like 2 feet tall, lol! She was so jazzed!

My oldest, on the other hand, is completely opposite as far as personality is concerned, but just as interested in giving me a good day. Her card, well,  the text that she wrote on the envelope actually, was so true to her disposition...

In case you find this hard to read, it says, "Unfortunately, this envelope is pink." She is not a fan of most things pink and/or glittery, ha!

Not to be outdone, my husband picked out the "perfect" gift for me...

Lol! This is quite accurate - pretty much anytime I ask my husband a question about...anything, he almost always knows the answer. He LOVES this mug - and I do too. 

Suffice it to say, it was a good day. I am blessed to have a husband and daughters who make me feel loved and appreciated. In addition to the cute cards and some thoughtful gifts, my daughters cleaned the bathrooms, and living room, while my husband took care of the yard work.

We then enjoyed a lazy evening in front of the tv. Our little bubster enjoyed the snuggle time too...

I hope all of you had the chance to spend time with your families today. Until later, Happy Mother's Day!

Books, Books, and More Books

My daughters and I are suckers for pretty much any kind of book sale, so we were excited that our local library was holding their annual sale this past week. It's been a bit of a nutty week, between school work, extracurricular activities, and trying to tackle the endless mountain of dandelions that are attempting to take over our lawn. We didn't want to miss it though, so we set aside our garden gloves, and enjoyed a few minutes of browsing through the boxes of books.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, I forgot to bring extra cash, so we came back with far less than we probably would have if I had remembered to bring more than the few dollars that were in my wallet. Still, we were pleased with our purchases. I'm actually looking forward to reading a few of these myself, even though they are for the middle aged set. I was always a sucker for author Eleanor Estes, and her series about the sweet Moffat family. Yep, as this year is winding down, and the activity level is temporarily amping up, I think that one of these books and a cup of tea is just what this mama needs.

CodeWizardsHQ - A Crew Review

Waaay back in my junior high and high school days, I remember the computer classes that were available to students. The technology was new, the computers were big and bulky, and it was generally a novelty. In this modern culture, the digital age, computers are simply everywhere. Unlike us, our children have grown up with technology that once was only imagined on children's programs like that old one, The Jetsons, lol. It's now the norm to enroll our kids in coding programs as a part of their educational experience, and that's what brings me to this review today. My 12 year old, tech loving daughter, had the opportunity to participate in a coding class this past week, and she's pretty excited about it! CodeWizardsHQ offers live classes for any and all students, and not only for homeschoolers! Classes are available for everyone, as you can see here on their General page, and then there are also those offered specifically for Homeschoolers .

General information about CodeWizardsHQ :

The classes are for students approximately from 5th to 12th grades, depending on interest and ability.  You'll need a computer with a microphone and a speaker, and a reliable Internet connection. Also necessary is a browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer. You can use a headset with microphone, which may make everything sound a little more clear, but it's not a must have. We used the microphone /speaker installed in our computer which worked perfectly fine.

These live, one hour  classes are small, with 6 to 8 students involved. The teachers are experienced in coding, and provide hands on projects as they instruct. Kids may be enrolled at any time throughout the year, as new classes begin each month. There is no commute time, as classes are online, and should you miss a class, they are recorded, so you can watch it at another time and easily get caught up. No experience is required to take these classes, and support is readily available through email, and their various resources.

Our experience:

Speaking for myself, I am anything but a computer/tech wizard, so I wasn't sure how I would like the class. I am definitely old school in many ways, although I'm trying to catch up. My 12 year old, on the other hand, had been asking me just a short time prior to this review opportunity, about learning how to code. We both went in with optimistic attitudes.

On the day of our class, we logged in, and the instructor, Sam, helped everyone get acquainted and comfortable. He was encouraging and friendly, stopping frequently to make sure that everyone was tracking with the lesson. The project that my daughter's class worked on was a short comic strip. I'm going to be honest here- it didn't take long for me to feel very lost, lol. HTML really is a different language! My daughter and I briefly looked at each other and were whispering to each other, "Ahh, what?!". My daughter asked for a little help, and Sam was very patient and helpful. He came back often to see if anyone needed more instruction. I was amazed at how quickly my girl caught on. She did learn the hard way, that she needed to save her work and images. I'm sure you can guess what happened- she lost a few pics. You can believe that she remembered to save her work from then on!
She is very interested in continuing with coding. I'll share some photos here:

This was a one time, one hour class that we participated in, and both my daughter  and I agreed that it would have been beneficial to take the classes that usually come before this one, if only to have the meaning behind the computer language. Having said that, my daughter really enjoyed it, and wants to keep going. Education in STEM is important in our modern age, and getting the information to our kids when they're young is a big advantage. Our instructor underscored this fact as he told our class that because he had taken these classes from the time he was in about 7th grade,  he was ahead of the game in this technology by the time he was in college.

                                    This video provides more information about the program: 

All in all, this was a great class for my daughter. One of the privileges of homeschooling my kids, is to watch them find their passions and talents. STEM is one of those for my girl, and I'm thrilled to have been introduced to CodeWizardsHQ . I can't wait to see where this road will take her in the future. Take a look for yourself, and see if it's an option for your family!

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YWAM Publishing - Heroes of History - Billy Graham - A Crew Review

Attention everyone! This is it! I have found my new favorite book series! As a bonus, these are not, like many books, a light read, meant only to distract or entertain, oh no. This biography series is rich with fascinating information pertaining to many historical figures.  I love to learn the stories of people, and all of the events that worked together to impact the character and personality of an individual. As it relates to education, they can be a wonderful addition to your studies. We received Heroes of History - Billy Graham - America's Pastor  from YWAM Publishing , along with the accompanying Study Guide to review, and wow, is it fantastic! This book is part of the Heroes of History series, where you can find some amazing biographies.

You would have to have been living under a rock not to be familiar with the name Billy Graham. But how much do you really know about this faithful man of God?  He really was, as someone described him, America's Pastor. Born on November 7, 1918, Mr. Graham  grew up in Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. In his early years, Billy Frank, as he was then known, wasn't necessarily interested in spiritual things. It was his mother, Morrow Graham, who was diligent in presenting the Bible to her children. That began to change when Billy was thirteen. His father had an accident that would leave him in a coma for a time. His father did recover thankfully, although the process was slow. The accident caused his father to turn towards God, and soon he was gathering men for a prayer rally. Billy didn't want to go, but later overheard his father mention a man that had attended named Vernon Patterson, who had prayed and "asked God to raise up out of the Charlotte area someone to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth." How cool is that, and of course, how prophetic!

As you read the Bible , have you ever noticed that after coming face to face with the Lord, their name changes? Abraham, Sarah, Paul...Well, that was also the case with Billy Graham. Prior to his conversion, he was, as you saw above, known as Billy Frank. Just before he turned sixteen, he made the decision to turn his life over to Jesus Christ. After that, he dropped the name Frank, deciding that the name Billy Graham "sounded cleaner".

Oh, I could go on and on about everything in this intriguing biography, but I suppose that would leave you without a reason to read it for yourself. The rest of the book tells of  many of the circumstances that lead to his worldwide ministry, including how he met the love of his life at Wheaton College. This is one of  my favorite parts of the book, as it happened in my hometown area of Chicago, Illinois. You'll read about how he came to work with George Beverly Shea, his launch of Youth For Christ, his work across the United States, and then throughout the world. It is amazing to  me to read about the countries where he traveled, where there was such an opposition to the gospel, and yet he was there to see walls broken down. One account came from a trip to the Soviet Union (as it was called back in the day). There was such tight control from the government that the people could not speak freely about Christianity. When citizens would meet Billy Graham, they would draw a cross in the dirt to identify themselves. As of yet, that is something that is hard to imagine in our free country.

This book is a very easy, and compelling, read. There are 17 chapters, and I was through the first 4 really quickly, as in, under an hour. Obviously, speed isn't the goal, I say that to highlight how engaging the book is for me. Both of my daughters and I agreed that this reads like a story, and really it is, isn't it? We all read it separately, and then discussed it together. That worked well for us, but you may find it works better as a read aloud. I think that for us, we were able to digest the details a little better by reading individually. After completing this one, I have my eye on a few more. Heroes of History - Laura Ingalls Wilder - A Storybook Life , and Heroes of History - Ronald Reagan - Destiny At His Side , are both on my short list.

A photo of Billy Graham and family that we came across while looking up more information about his life.

Thoughts from my 14 year old:

"I give this book high praise. Usually, I find biographies dull, but this one feels like I'm reading fiction. The way that the story is presented makes me feel like I'm there. It's easy to read, and very interesting. Unlike other books, I don't find myself dreading it."

Thoughts from my 12 year old:

" I like the way the book is presented. You're sucked in, and cannot stop reading it. I love the fact that they make it feel like a fiction book, like a story. It gave an interesting perspective on Billy Graham's life. I like that not only included dialogue from Billy Graham, but also the people he came in contact with, the people that he lead to Christ, and his friends. I felt like I was there, witnessing the events."

In short, we loved this book, and are ordering other titles shortly. And there's more to this (and the others) story, all found in the accompanying Study Guide . Did you know, that you can use the titles in this series to create an entire history curriculum? How cool is that? In this guide, there are a few guides that detail just how to do this, whether you homeschool or not. It includes the schedule, titles to use, themes to cover, and a lot of activities. It has me considering that option, at least as a part of our history studies, next year.

Of course, now we have the date of his death- Feb. 21, 2018

Another way to use this guide, is as a Unit Study. Like most Unit Studies, this provides activities in the  following areas:

* History
* Geography
* Essay Writing
* Creative Writing
* Reading Comprehension
* Public Speaking
* Drama
* Art

The guide is really a great big outline of possible activities to be completed. Big as in, 74 pages of ideas. It's wonderful, because there is something for practically any age. There are ideas to build a display corner, where you gather a variety of objects, books, articles, memorabilia, to create a display of the title that you're reading. "Key Quotes" have been put together to use for memorization, discussion, or display. We used them as handwriting practice, and they also happened to spark a few conversations. Chapter questions provide reading comprehension, and vocabulary practice. There are maps and timelines to fill in. Book and resource lists provide other opportunities to research.  Are you beginning to see how many different learning opportunities there are when using this guide along with the book itself? I'm pondering which additional titles that I'm going to use this summer, and which activities we'll use this summer, in between our school years.

This book and its study guide have been a refreshing addition to our schoolwork. The spiritual content has been encouraging and convicting, and a great way to expose my girls to heroes of the faith. we're looking forward to building our library with more books from YWAM Publishing !

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