Home Run , by Travis Thrasher - Book Review

 

 

I always love to review a good book. This particular novel appealed to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, March has arrived, and is actually on its way out, yet Spring continues to elude us. So I'm yearning for the sun and warmer weather. And a book about baseball? Yeah, you betcha, bring it on! Baseball is one of the few sports I understand and enjoy :) And if I can't actually have the nice weather, I can at least read about a subject that takes place in such a season.

Home Run is a novelization based on an upcoming movie to be released on April 12, and after reading it, I cannot wait to see it! I just loved this book.
The story features character Cory Brand, baseball star. From a public perspective, he's a winner all the way around. This all star player has everything anyone could want, talent, money, fame, women.  . .

Yet none of those things can keep his past from chasing him. A very public accident sends him right back to the town, and the past, that he's been running from for so long. Cory now has an opportunity to clean himself up, face his mistakes, and heal some important relationships.
But he wants to run.

 There are a few little unexpected twists here, which is always fun. Cory does not have an overnight change of heart, and the recovery is kind of two steps forward, one step back.

I like the honesty of this book. Life is hard, and often messy. Some Christian books are on the fluffy side. They can gloss over the struggles real people have, as if Christians don't have these issues. But we do. There is alcoholism, and drug use, and promiscuity. Life is, well, real. And I like that Home Run not only portrays that, but points the way to our only Hope.
That's the very word that I would choose for the overall theme. Hope. That's what I was left with on the final page. Great book. Definitely a book to put on your book list.





Website: http://www.homerunthemovie.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeRunTheMovie?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HomeRunTheMovie

More info: http://www.davidccook.com/catalog/Detail.cfm?sn=125960&source=search

About the Author

Travis Thrasher is the author of more than a dozen works of fiction, including The Solitary Tales series, Isolation, and Ghostwriter. His writing is known for its honesty, depth, and surprising twists. Thrasher lives with his wife and daughters in Chicago.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Adventus MusIQ - a review

 I am married to a guy who hails from a musical family. He grew up traveling the country and other countries in fact, with the rest of his talented , musical family. Most every one of his siblings is involved in music at some level. I did not have that experience, and part of me has always felt that I had missed out because of it.
When we had children, my hope was for them to have the opportunity to learn at least one musical instrument. Which brings me to the subject of this post.
As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I have the privilege of trying out some wonderful homeschooling products and resources. This month has been no exception. I was delighted to find that my dream of music lessons for my girls would indeed come to pass with the review of MusicIQ Homeschool brought to us by Adventus .

This innovative program works with kids ranging in age from 4 yrs. to 18yrs.. How many programs can say that? These are the lessons available:

* Children's Music Journey Volume 1

* Children's Music Journey Volume 2

*Children's Music Journey Volume 3

*Piano Suite Premier

*Ear Training Coach 1-2

*Ear Training Coach 3-4

We were given downloads of each of these, and will be working our way through them all.
Our children have basically no musical training, so we've been learning with the very first, Children's Music Journey Volume 1, which is geared for the 4-10 yr. old set.
 
Before we began, we needed to purchase a keyboard, and we did so through Adventus . You will need a MIDI keyboard to use this program, and we figured why not buy through this company since it comes with the cable and all, and works with the curriculum. It was easy to set up with the computer, and the program helped us with getting the settings working correctly.

And the lessons began. There are a variety of "teachers" in this program, mostly famous classical composers like Beethoven, Bach, Joplin, and more. My 7 year old has really gotten a kick out of these characters, and it makes me smile every time she graduates to a new section, because that means a new composer, and every new composer instantly becomes her favorite teacher.

Before each lesson, the composer plays a piece of classical music and shares some light information on its origin. Bite sized pieces that have been just right for my daughter. Then the lesson begins. I like the gentle progression of this program. High and low notes are first introduced as a bird and a whale, and proper fingering is demonstrated with the 2 pointer fingers.

The program allows the student to play back the correct notes to the teacher, including either encouragement (Superb job!) or gentle correction at a mistake (Careful!). There is always time to try again to play the right key. The lessons then end with more of the classical music piece, again, small doses of the more famous selections to familiarize the student with these works.

After the main lesson, the student has the option of choosing from a menu that includes practice with "Miss Melody", a games section, an improvisation section for creating their own songs, and a library for further information, lessons and such. It is necessary to practice with Miss Melody before progressing to the next lesson.

The games are engaging and fun, with the goal being hitting the correct notes, "composing" their own piece of music, proper finger positioning, all of the basics. I still have the image in my head of my sweet girl in her nightgown, in the midst of a lesson. She was standing up and had herself staged like a rock star at the keyboard while composing her own song. The delight on her face was obvious. She was having a blast! So how about a few of her thoughts on this product?

Quite simply, she loves it!  The composers crack her up, and she really likes the history of the music as well as the composers themselves. The lessons are providing enough of a challenge to spur her on without frustration. She's breezing through with enthusiasm. She can't wait to share what she's learned with her dad at the end of the day, and the fact that she's kind of re-teaching it as she explains her lessons are showing us that she's retaining the information. This looks to be a music curriculum that our family will be using and enjoying for quite a while.



Adventus

MusIQ Homeschool

Ages: 4yrs.- 18yrs.

Price: Monthly subscription $10.95 per month. You can also purchase one of several bundles that give you the software outright. The complete bundle has every level as well as a midi keyboard for $489.95
Lower priced bundles also available, depending on your budget and needs.


 Our Crew members used a variety of levels with this program, so to check out the others,
Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew

A is for Anarchy, Art and Amazing Grace

What a week! And it's not even over yet! I knew up front that it would be challenging, because my husband had a business trip scheduled for the first part of the week. I was sooo not looking forward to this. But I figured we would make it through and keep busy with all of the regular activities. Life had other plans. . .

A IS FOR ANARCHY

Yeah, that sums up the week (snicker).

Monday began with a furnace that just decided to quit. Good for me, I did not panic. And after a little fiddling, as well as a call to my husband, it clicked back on.

Then came my wrestling match with the Yorkie, who was delighted to find a tiny chocolate candy in one of the girls' bags. I knew he wouldn't give it up easily, and he didn't. It took putting him in a headlock, and the eraser side of a pencil to get it out of his stubborn jaws- well the wrapper anyway.

With all of that behind me, I was able to focus on getting all of us to the doctor to get our sick and very cranky little girl checked out (which brings us to another A word- antibiotics). That meant an extra trip to the store for meds, juice, and other sick kid necessities. After getting our schoolwork finished, we managed to make it through our crazy night of dinner, dance classes, and eventually bedtime- which was long and drawn out thanks to previously mentioned sick and cranky little girl.

Tuesday gave me hope for a fresh day and attitude (hey, I've got lots of A words) Didn't last long. Child number 2 began acting a little funky. I knew when she fell asleep, it was coming. Fortunately, we had everything we needed to get through.
But I could forget about sleep that night, because naturally, our newest sickie wanted to sleep in my bed. After a sleepless night of temperature readings, Tylenol, and then being kicked and smacked in the face by a restless patient, Wednesday arrived.

And that brings me to the next A word:

A IS FOR ART CLASS

Or no art class. Because a sick kid means no art class. Blah. I could have used a breather today. But I didn't have long to lament that thought, because. . . the furnace went out again. On the first day of Spring. It also happens to be the coldest day this week. Sigh.

More fiddling. Got it on again.

Then, more cranky little girl number 1.

But things are looking up. First of all, it's nap time, yeah! And My husband comes home tonight- yeah! So my last A word is:

A IS FOR AMAZING GRACE

Amazing grace because in spite of my headaches so far this week, it could have been worse in all of these annoyances (yet another A)
I really felt the prayers being sent up for me, and in the midst of the chaos, I felt the strength to get through.
We were able to get in to the doctor, and medicine to get back on track. The furnace could have completely gone out. And a lot of other little things. God is good through all of the daily messes.

So, a little more tea, a bit of chocolate, and I will await the arrival of my guy.

Until next week, when we'll move on to letter B.

TouchMath - 2nd Grade

This month, we've been taking a new Math Program for a test drive in our family. Before we dove in, I was scrolling through the Touch Math  2nd Grade program and was immediately impressed with what I saw. I could not wait to try this out!

What caught my eye up front was the thinking skills that this program helps to develop. I've said many times that Math is not a subject that my kids sail through without much effort. We've had to slow down and take some time to revisit different points of it, and we are making good progress. But what I really want for the girls is not just a memorization of the facts necessarily, but for them to understand the process, the reasons behind it all. Touch Math really offers a solution to this problem. Let me take you through the program and hopefully, you'll see what I mean.


We received a 4 unit, downloadable Math program. Each unit focuses on a different goal.

Unit A: Adding and Subtracting Within 50

Unit B: Adding and Subtracting Within 100

Unit C: Adding and Subtracting Within 1000

Unit D: Time, Money, Measurement, Data, and Geometry


The units begin with the Module Overview. This includes well, the overview, Common Core State Standards, Objectives, Prerequisites, Vocabulary, and Materials you'll need. Very helpful, I think. There are also quite a few worksheets with each unit, and each one has "Instructional Strategies" to help you present the material. This is done through questions, comparisons, skip counting, etc.. Then at the end, there  are questions to ask to make sure your child understands what she just did.
And a word about the worksheets, they are coded on the upper left with either an apple- which signals that you will help your child through it as needed, or with a pencil- which means your child should be able to work independently.

The suggested time frame for working on this is 2.5 times the age of your child. We found ourselves in this general area, maybe slightly more. The material was challenging for my girls, but in a positive way. They don't really love to have to think too much about Math, and they often get frustrated when they are first presented with a new concept. Once it is explained to them however, the light bulb goes on, and they usually proceed happily.
And this is what I like so much about it. They are thinking!

The lessons conclude with an assessment chart to track the student's progress. I am finding it fairly easy to work with.
My girls have never had a problem using worksheets though, so that is something to keep in mind about this if you have children who don't. There are a LOT of worksheets.
Fortunately, this is a program that caters to all of the learning styles. So if whether you have a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner, this could be the curriculum for you.

Which brings me to the second part of TouchMath , the manipulatives. You could do the program without these, but then would be missing out on an important part of the lessons. Especially if you have a more kinesthetic learner.

We received a big box of manipulatives to go along with our downloadable program. Oh, did the girls' eyes light up at the sight of that box!

First are the TouchNumerals. These are so much fun to work with! (I almost said play with, and I guess that's true too ;)) These large foam numerals also come with foam dots to place on each of the numeral's touchpoint. They can be used for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, greater than/less than. I love that these can be used over so many lessons. They are by far, the most popular manipulative with my daughters.

 Next up, the Flip Cards. There are a LOT of cards! These have activities for adding and subtracting, greater than and less than, money, multiplication, measurement, shapes. . .trust me, you will have plenty to do using these. Now where to store them all. . .

The Math Fans are really fun to handle. This is almost a program in and of itself, and comes with a CD of lessons and activities. These will help with counting, one to one correspondence, place value, fractions, and lots more. My girls love using these, and we'll be using them for many lessons to come with all of their applications.

The TouchPoint Posters are inviting and colorful. Great for those tactile learners, these teach children to touch and count each number in a specific motion. It takes a little time to get used to it ( it did for us anyway). Each numeral has a certain number of touchpoints.

The TouchPoint Tutor 2nd Grade software gives your student  online practice and activities. It gives tests, and you can work in any order, making it flexible that way. My girls love to work on the computer, and this is a nice break from worksheets on occasion.

The Skip Counting Poster and CD set made me so very happy! The girls have had some trouble skip counting in the in between numbers - 6's, 7's, 8's. . . and this is just what we needed.
I haven't yet, but I will be laminating these before they get all bent up.

The Desktop TouchLines just provide an individual reference for the touchpoints. They come in a pack of 24 perforated strips for easy separation.

Last but not least, the Student Number Cards. These are also perforated for easy separation, and are great for extra practice.

This has been a very beneficial program for our family, and I would encourage you to check them out.

TouchMath

2nd Grade Program

Price: Each unit is $59.95, or you can buy all 4 for $199.95

Manipulatives:

Flip Cards -$ 19.00/set

Math Fans - $239.00

Touch Point Posters - $43.00

TouchMath Tutor 2nd Grade Software -$99.00 - year license

Skip Counting Poster and CD set- Primary - $79.00

Desktop TouchLines -$19.00

Student Number Cards $24.00 - set of 10
 

Our Crew members reviewed several different grades of this Math program, so. . .
Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew

A St. Patrick's Day Birthday

This weekend , we celebrated one of my sweet girls' birthday :) She has been hoping for a Barbie cake for some time, and this was her choice:

Another pic with the Birthday girl and her cake:

 

 

 

Of course, no birthday is complete without presents:

 

She was very happy with her gifts :)

 

 

I love this kid!

 

EGM Educational Systems, LLC (READS)

I'm sure that I've mentioned before in a post or two, that I have a family of readers. This thrills me to no end. A trip to the bookstore is just as much of a treat as one to the toy store. No, really! Most of the items that make up my daughter's birthday list are books. I love that.
And to be honest, I don't always think about the comprehension aspect of their reading, because usually, they are so excited about the latest book that they can't wait to recount the details with me.  But there are still times when I wonder if the kids really understood what they just read. It's more likely with a school related book. I try to ask open ended questions to see what material has been retained, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it's enough.

And then, what should we receive in the mail to review, but the  READS Parent/Child Reading Comprehension System from EGM Educational Systems, LLC .

This is what our package looked like:

The purpose of this fun package is in its title. It is designed to help readers with comprehension and spelling. And they do it in a child friendly manner. Forget the same old textbooks and such, this program is open ended, and may be used with any book your child is reading. So what's in there?

Inside a resealable plastic pouch are question cards (and a handy ring to keep them on), the Speedy Speller book, a reward/incentive chart and stickers, a magic finger, a reading guide strip, and the parent manual. Now what do you do with all of those items?

The question cards are just that, cute little illustrated cards that have various questions on them. You may use these in several different ways. Before your child begins to read, have them choose  a couple of questions. Then as they read, they will be paying close attention (hopefully) to find the answers. Examples of these include, "While you are reading select 3 interesting words. Be able to talk about them when you finish your reading." Or, "Tell or draw about what you pictured in your mind while you were reading."
When we selected that last question, this is a picture that one of my girls drew of a sled dog race that was occurring in the book she was reading:

We like the question cards a lot. I found that they did help the girls pay  more attention to the details. Sometimes they choose a card, and sometimes I do. And there are simpler cards for the beginning reader as well as the more experienced ones.

The Speedy Speller book contains a generous selection of common words that children need help spelling, from A-Z. Even better, this little book has plenty of blank spaces for your children to write in any and all words that they need might help with. I think this is a great idea, as my girls will come across a word or two as they read, that they have trouble pronouncing ( and spelling). Writing them down soon after reading helps them remember it next time.

The incentive/reward chart with stickers is self explanatory, I think. This probably works best with the younger readers. There are spaces on the chart for the current month and the days of the week. You can decide how you want to reward your child when they read a certain amount. We use this part the least. My girls are pretty good readers now, and they have never needed to be pushed to read. They always want personal reading time. But incentives are still fun, and they still enjoy stickers.

The next two items are both basically for tracking each sentence. The first, and my daughters' favorite, is the magic finger. It was the first thing they noticed when the package arrived. All your child does is slip this over a finger and use the long pointy nail to follow along with each sentence. It helps keep your place on the page. Here are a couple of pics of it in use:

                                             They always wanted to be the first to use it :)

The other little gadget is the reading guide strip. It resembles a small ruler with a transparent middle. This blocks out the sentences above and below the one being read, helping your child keep their place. I think this is another piece that is good for either younger readers or any child that is easily distracted by everything else on the page. My girls used it cheerfully enough, but they found they didn't need it, and felt it worked best when they read at their desks. Otherwise, it slipped around a little too easily for them. Still, they gave it a positive review.

The last item to mention is the parent manual, which, of course, instructs you in using this system. What I like best about the READS Parent/Child Reading Comprehension System is the ease of the whole program. Anyone can use this, parents, teachers, homeschoolers. It may be used with read alouds,  for personal reading time, whatever you prefer. The items are simple, but appealing to a child's senses. Even better, it may be used across a range of ages and grades, making it a good investment. I think for all of that, the price is fair too.
Check them out, won't you?




EGM Educational Systems, LLC

READS Parent/Child Reading Comprehension System

Ages: Grades 1-4

Price: $19.95




Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew

ARTistic Pursuits

Ahh, art. I just love it. It's one of those subjects that relaxes me, soothes my spirit. It might be anything from painting and drawing, to collage and sculpture. It feeds me.
I don't even necessarily need to be the artist either. Flipping through a beautiful art book, or walking through an art supply store can provide the same effect for me. So you'll be able to understand why I was thrilled to have the chance to get a sneak peak at the new  K-3 Book 3 Modern Art and Sculpture
brought to you by a very favorite company of mine, ARTistic Pursuits .

This book is geared for the early elementary student, grades K-3rd, as the title reveals.  It's a wonderful all in one curriculum for anyone who might feel intimidated at teaching art, either its history, technique, any or all of it.
The writers lay out exactly how to use and present the material in the first pages. The lessons are just the right length for a young student's attention span too. Short, but clear, and to the point.

There is also a convenient list of art supplies that you will need up front. I kept a copy of it in my purse so that when it was time to move on to a lesson with materials I might need to purchase, I had a handy little copy with me when I was out and about.

Getting back to the lessons now, each one gives an overview of a particular artist, theme/subject. A famous painting is featured, and students are encouraged to identify various aspects within it. I like this a lot, as we can and did (and do) take as much or little time as we want to with this, depending on the kids' interest on a given day.

Then comes the best part - hands on art fun! The lesson ends with a short demo of an art technique, and then you're off to create your personal work of art. Forget the crayons and glue, you'll be working with the big girl supplies - watercolor paints, oil pastels, gouache paints. . .oh, the joy of it!

At about a month into the lessons, we are all loving it. Our main medium right now is gouache watercolor paints, and the girls have made some pretty cool paintings. They've done some portraits, still lifes, and have experimented with a few different painting techniques using lines and shapes.
They just finished up a series where they paint an object in 3 different seasons to contrast the look of it.

And while we're enjoying the gouache, the girls are looking forward to getting through the book a little further, as that's when the sculpting begins. Can't wait!

I think this book is great for the targeted age range, and there is enough direction and information offered to provide a nice foundation in art. The grunt work has been done for you, as far as the lesson planning is concerned, making it quite teacher friendly. All you really need to do is purchase the supplies and get to it.

I can also say that seeing these famous and lovely works of art has inspired me to expand on the lessons and take a field trip to the Art Institute. Check them out, and see if you don't become inspired too :)



ARTistic Pursuits

Early Elementary K-3 Book 3 - Modern Painting and Sculpture

Ages: K- 3rd Grade

Price: $47.95


There are other wonderful books in this series, and you'll want to read about them too so. . .

Click here to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew