Weekly Wrap Up–The Nevada Edition

It’s officially fall, wohooie!  The leaves are changing, there’s a nip in the air and we’ve had to break out the sweaters and long pants.  I love this time of year!  Our fall vegetables are doing nicely.  The cool weather crops are coming in and we still have some summer crops producing.  Although, with the threat of frost this weekend, it may be the end of my tomatoes and peppers! 

Also this week, Lindsey had two more teeth pop loose…doesn’t she remind you of a little jack-o-lantern?

We were cooped up a lot this week due to rain, but hopefully we’ll be getting more outside time in the next few weeks!  We will be cutting our week short for a field trip adventure on Friday, so I’ll post my weekly wrap up a day early.

Geography/history:  Our focus was on Nevada this week.  The girls were really impressed by the size of Hoover Dam (via photos of course); and Death Valley was pretty interesting, but Sacagawea was the hottest topic of the week.

Books and DVD we used:

Nevada; by Suzanne M. Williams
Nevada, The Silver State; by Krista McLuskey
Nevada; by Ann Heinrichs
Death Valley National Park; by David Petersen
Hoover Dam; by Craig A Doherty and Katherine M. Doherty
Hoover Dam; by Elizabeth Mann
Sacagawea; by Monica L. Rausch
Sacagawea, Heroine of the Lewis and Clark Journey; DVD
The Shoshoni; by Dennis B. Fradin
The Shoshoni; by Alden R. Carter

Science:  We were learning about magnets this week.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a regular old bar magnet these days?  My goodness you’d think I was asking for an alien implant device when I went to the hardware store!  Geez…but finally in a little mom and pop hardware store I found a lovely 2 inch purple bar magnet, and so we were able to complete our science experiments.

Reading:   Olivia finished up Pilgrims Progress and is now reading Anna’s Blizzard by Alison Hart.  Lindsey is starting on the Beehive Readers by All About Spelling/Reading.

Math:  I dodged the bullet, again!  Olivia moved into more complicated division this week and it went really smoothly!  (Thank you Jesus!!)   Lindsey is progressing well, but is a bit careless in her subtraction so we need to work on that area more.

Ballet/tap:   Nutcracker magic is in full swing already!  This year, there are three performances! Olivia has two roles again this year.  She’ll be a mouse and a baker, and performing in all three performances.  Lindsey’s debut will be as a gingersnap and she will only be in the Saturday matinee.  You can’t imagine the amount of giddy we have going on here!

Awana:  Lindsey got her new Sparks book and completed her first memory verse (from memory from last year).  Olivia completed her introduction booklet and is now ready to order her first TNT book.  My kindergarten class is just too cute!  We only have 3 regular girls so it’s a small, but fun group.

That’s pretty much our week.  Nothing too exciting, but productive.  I’ll post a link to the Weekly Wrap Up when it’s available.

I Wish I Knew That–I Used to Know That–Book Reviews

I really like these little books from FSB Media!  The hardback binding, cute black and white illustrations and writing style make learning fun for the kids and for me!   Not to mention, if you’re a big Trivial Pursuit fan, or plan to audition for Jeopardy these books are a MUST have.

The little snippets of information are enough to stir interest in subjects like ancient languages, famous writers, black holes, chemical compounds and major world conflicts .  Explanations, definitions and wording is written in a simple enough format to easily be understood by all.

One important disclaimer I must share it that the books do contain evolution theories in pretty large doses in their science information.  So for that reason, for those of us in the Creation Camp, I don’t suggest allowing younger children to use the books without close parental involvement.

I Wish I Knew That – Cool Stuff You Need to Know by Steve Martin

Want to add more than 100 tidbits to your knowledge base -- on subjects spanning art, literature, and history to geography, science, and math? I Wish I Knew That lets you discover all the cool stuff that will put you at the head of the class. Impress your teachers and classmates with the answers to questions such as these . . .

• How does a black hole work?
• Is a cold war really ever cold?
• What is the world's tallest mountain, largest sea, and longest river?
• How did the mathematical greats come up with the modern decimal system?

. . . and there's more. With this fun, easy-to-read guide, you'll zoom through science, whiz through history, make short work of Shakespeare, and speed ahead through the rest.

I Used to Know That – Stuff You Forgot From School by Caroline Taggart

Take an entertaining trip back to the classroom with I Used to Know That. Witty, engaging, and fun, this little book will appeal to the student in each of us. A one-of-a-kind collection of hundreds of facts learned long ago, it includes:

• Our Changing World: Test your knowledge of the latest geography.

• Prose and Poetry: From Shakespeare to diphthongs, English class will come alive again here.

• Math and Science: Quotients, phalanges, and protons . . . do these long-forgotten words take you back to high school days?

• History: As Santayana once said so well: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

I Used to Know That Geography – Stuff You Forgot From School by Will Williams and Caroline Taggart

Did you know that the Himalayas are still growing? That the Antarctica is a desert?  It's hard to know all there is to know about geography and its ever-changing landscape. But with I Used to Know That: Geography you'll be able to update your classroom knowledge and examine both the physical and human aspects of the world in short order. Inside you'll explore . . .

• Our physical world -- rivers and coasts, plate tectonics, changing climates, the "ring of fire"

• The human world -- causes of the American dust bowl, population expansion, and industrial growth

• Charts and maps -- the countries of each continent, capital cities, and populations

• Geo Gems -- surprising facts about our world

So whether this book becomes a trip down memory lane, a voyage of discovery, or a companion for future crossword puzzle clues, I Used to Know That: Geography offers something for anyone with an interest in our planet and the people who live in it.

^{Disclaimer:  I received free copies of all three of these books for review purposes only.  I received no other compensation for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.}

$500 Gift Card Giveaway at HSLDA

HSLDA needs your input to help them better serve you and the homeschooling community! Follow the link below to their short, six-question survey and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $500 Visa gift card.

http://www.hslda.org/Survey/mvt/Default.aspx?rid=5922

^{Survey and drawing entries must be submitted by October 9. Winner will be drawn on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, and will be contacted by email. If we do not receive a response within 72 hours, a new winning name will be drawn. Must be age 18 or older to participate. By entering this contest, you agree to have your email address added to HSLDA’s email list. You may unsubscribe at any time.}

Frugal In It’s Simplest Form

Today I’m the guest blogger over at Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling.  Here’s a snippet of my post.

Shortly after the birth of our second child, we found ourselves on a VERY strict budget. To be honest, we had $25 a week to feed the four of us and that included diapers, hygiene products and all the cleaners and paper products. Granted the baby was breastfed, and Olivia was around 3 and not a big eater, but still $25 didn’t go far in the natural….

To read the rest of the story head over to Frugal In It’s Simplest Form at  Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling.

Weekly Wrap Up–The West Virginia Edition

Oh my word what a busy week!!   I feel like the little energizer bunny…go go go!   Because we were so busy (doctor appointments, revival at church, ballet auditions etc.) we skipped science, spelling and First Language Lessons to allow me to have time to breathe and pee.

Geography/history:   We touched on West Virginia this week.  I was hoping to pop across the mountain for a short field trip but that didn’t happen either, oh well.   The girls enjoyed the books by Cynthia Rylant a great deal!

Books we used:

West Virginia; by Barbara A. Somervill
West Virginia; by Domenica Di Piazza
The Bird House; by Cynthia Rylant
Appalachia, The Voices of Sleeping Birds; by Cynthia Rylant

Math:   Olivia began working on division last week and this week we moved into division with more than one number in the dividend. Truthfully I was concerned that it would cause a major math hiccup, but not so!  Olivia sailed right through, much to my delight!!  Lindsey started learning about nickels and counting by 5’s.

Reading:  Olivia is working her way through Pilgrims Progress.   Lindsey has read way ahead in her current reader Tip Toes.

Writing:   Lindsey’s cursive is getting a lot neater.   This week we focused on her lower case q’s, z’s and x’s.   Olivia finished her first semester of Writing Strands and is loving her Cursive Writing Skillbook.  The fact that she’s writing and reading about animals makes her enjoy and retain it!

Latin:   We began working on lesson 6 of Prima Latina.  The focus of this weeks lesson was nouns.

Ballet/tap:  Auditions for Nutcracker were held on Saturday.  We go tomorrow to find out the roles and also for costume fittings.  Both girls are giddy with excitement!   Having moved to ballet two nights a week has been great for both girls.  Lindsey is more challenged and enjoying it a great deal and I can see a visible improvement in both girls skill levels.

Awana:  This was our first week back to Awana.   Olivia moved into the T&T club and Lindsey is a 2nd year Spark.  I’m teaching the kindergarten Sparks (even though I don’t attend the church, they asked me if I’d like to help out which I thought was really awesome).

Piano:  Olivia continues to do well with piano.  We’ve moved her lessons to Friday afternoon this year and that works much better for us.

I’m also hosting another great giveaway this week.  One reader will receive a free copy of the On the Go Planner.

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to visit the Weekly Wrap Up!

My Memories Winner Announced

I apologize to everyone for not getting the winner posted on Tuesday the 20th as I’d promised, but I was literally on the road all day and didn’t get home until almost 11pm.  So forgive me for being late!

Drum roll pleases……..and the winner is…. Sheri Salatin!  Congratulations and I’ll be contacting you shortly with the info about your prize!

If you have ever wondered how I pick the winner, I’m very old school.  I look at the total number of entries, then tell one of the kids pick a number between 1 and the total number.   Not very sophisticated, but it works for me!

On The Go Planner Giveaway

Are you still trying to find the perfect planner; one that incorporates family, school, errands…you know life, ALL of it not just schoolwork?  Well here’s a great purse size planner from Home Educating Family Publishers!   The On the Go day planner is the perfect size to toss in your purse so that you can have access to everything at one time.

The best part?  It can be yours FREE!!  Winning can’t be easier.  Simply leave a comment below and I’ll announce a random winner on October 4, 2011.

Contest closes October 3, 2011 at midnight (EST).   Contest is open to U.S. residents with a U.S. mailing address only.  (Sorry folks but over seas shipping is just too high!)

Weekly Wrap Up–The Kansas Edition

This week was the end of our first grading period.  (Only five more to go!)  The only reason I do grades at all is because Abeka has grading period sheets.  I do find that it’s helpful in giving me a more accurate picture of where the girls are in their classes. 

We had a small life altering happening this week.  Nothing horrible, so relax!  We did however add another new member to the household, a 7 week old beagle/blue tick mix.  He’s lovely, although his tummy isn’t adjusted to his new world just yet.  Read my post from earlier this week to find out how we came to get Shalom.

Now on to the school work!

Geography/history:  Kansas was on our road map for the week.  The “famous” person from Kansas was Russell Stover (of chocolate fame) and we couldn’t find a single book about him at the library.  So we ended up studying chocolate instead.

Books we used:

Sarah, Plain and Tall; by Patricia MacLachlan
Kansas; by Deborah Cannarella
Kansas; by Jenifer Nault
Kansas; by Charles Fredeen
Kansas; by Rebecca Olien
Chocolate From Start To Finish; by Samuel G. Woods
The Biography of Chocolate; by Adrianna Moranelli

Science:  We worked on learning the parts of a plant and the job of those parts.  We did some labeling and checked out some of my flowers in the gardens.

Math:  This week was MUCH better.  My review week apparently helped a lot.  Olivia moved into division and is doing well with it and multiplication now.  Lindsey’s new skill was counting change (dimes and pennies together).  So far so good.

Latin:  This was a built in review week so we went over our first 4 lessons, a lot.

Spelling:  Olivia finished lesson 5 in AAS.   Lindsey completed her 2nd list of spelling words this week as well.

Ballet/tap:   Dance started back up this week.  Both girls are really enjoying the twice a week classes.  This weekend is Nutcracker auditions!

Piano:  Olivia started back to piano last week.  We moved to a new day and time and that seems to be working much better with our schedule as well.

I’m also hosting a wonderful giveaway this week.  One super lucky winner will receive a free download of My Memories (digital scrapbooking software).   Enter to win by reading my review/giveaway post here!

Be sure to visit this weeks Weekly Wrap Up when you get a chance!

Shalom

You know, I’m all for spontaneity, but only in small, non life altering doses.   Yeah, so that didn’t work so well for me this past weekend.

On Saturday we decided to go to a horse show in the town where my brother and niece live.  We thought it would be a nice family day together, and it was!  The weather was perfect, and the three girls had  a blast together.

The horses were gorgeous and the costume category was a scream, LOVED the Mad Hatter!

And then I walked away for a few minutes and came back to find THIS…

Yeah, well.  The short version of the story, this guy showed the girls a puppy, a FOR SALE puppy that happened to have 5 siblings.  So we took the pup back to the owner and asked the price.  It was too much, and I didn’t have any money (seriously I spent my cash on lunch).  The girls had robbed their piggy banks in hopes of finding a super concession stand…so I counted the money they had brought.  Combined it was $30….considerably less than the man was asking for the pups.  But me, not wanting to be the bad guy told the girls that if he’d take their $30 they could have the pup.  You see where this is going, don’t you?

They asked for the deal, the man declined and I was eager to go back to watching the horses…far far away from the pups.  So I said “ok girls, the man said no, so lets go.”   It was then that Olivia, my complacent, non confrontational child said “I don’t care!  My sister and I only have $30 and we are going to buy that puppy!”.  The crowd snickered and I was about to scold Olivia for being rude when this man says “Well then little girl, I guess you just bought at $30 pup.”

WHAT???  Did he NOT see me shaking my head NO behind them when they asked?  Does he not know that I’m NOT an animal person?  Why of all days does Olivia pick NOW to be assertive???  Seriously??

A dog of course needs a good name when it’s added to the family (ahem).  I told the girls they needed to pick a name that would reflect the behavior they want in the dog.  So Olivia said “I know, PEACE….no wait, that’s what my name means.”   I offered “Shalom” as it means the God kind of peace – nothing broken, nothing missing peace.   It was  a hit.

So here we are with a beagle/blue tick mixed dog. Did I mention that this is the most laid back, PEACEFUL and calm puppy I’ve ever seen?  He was house broken the first day, with no accidents.  Too bad his bladder is the size of a grape and must be emptied every 2-3 hours at night, but I guess you can’t have everything.  By all appearances, the girls are thrilled, wouldn’t you say?

Math Blaster Winner

 

We have another winner!  Congratulations Hope!!!   Check your email for a message from me!   Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter!

My Memories–Review and Giveaway

Yes, I belong to the cult of scrapbooking.  Alright, it’s not really THAT bad, but we scrapbookers take it pretty serious.  I’ve never worked with digital scrapbook software before, so I was really excited when the folks from My Memories contacted me to review their software.

You don’t often see me say “I love this product”, because I’m picky like that.  However, this one get’s an official LOVE button!  Everything about My Memories is easy, from downloading the software, navigating around and getting started with little or no help.

You can quickly ad hot spots to your creations connecting your photo layouts to videos, music, websites and more.   For those of you who aren’t into scrapbooking (shame on you), possibilities are limited only by your imagination.  Personalized cards, calendars, bloggy buttons are simple and quick and totally the way you want them!  What grandparent wouldn’t love their own bound photo book of your latest bundle of joy?

I created these two layouts in about 5 minutes, and that’s without reading the tutorial.  This is by far one of the most user friendly software products I’ve ever worked with.

The software is normally only $39.97, BUT My Memories is offering a $10 off coupon to all of my readers!  Go to the My Memories site and then enter your special offer code of STMMMS5881 to get save $10 off the regular price!

THE GIVE AWAY:

One super lucky winner will receive a free My Memories Suite download!   To enter, go to My Memories and look around, come back and leave a comment telling me which digital paper pack is your favorite!   For an additional entry LIKE My Memories on Facebook.  Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway is open until midnight on September 19.  A winner will be chosen at random on September 20.  Good luck, and happy scrapping!

 

^{I received a free copy of the My Memories software for review purposes only. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.}

Weekly Wrap Up–The One Where Lindsey Turns 6

You know, 6 didn’t sound so old when Olivia was that age, I suppose that was because Lindsey was still a “baby”.  But now that the “baby” is 6 is sounds so much more like “I’m getting my own apartment any day now.”  Sheesh!   Despite my chagrin over the age, we had a lovely party on Saturday with a few close friends and the grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Didn’t the bakery do a great job on her cake?

If you’re interested in reading about Lindsey’s birth story, you can read my post at S.A.H.M. I Am!

The only bad thing about planning an entire year of lesson plans out in advance is that life happens and messes up your plans.   Then you have to back up and punt (which was originally the title of this post).  Mental note, next year don’t put a DATE on the lesson plan pages. 

Monday of course was a holiday, so my hubby was home, and I ended up on the sofa with a major sinus issue that knocked me out of commission, no school.  

Tuesday got started late.  We ran to the library, had lunch and then I was flat wiped out.  I headed back to the sofa with my cup of tea and let the kids watch movies.  So yeah, no school.

Wednesday we really cracked down on math.  We did a lot of foundation strengthening in both girls.   Lindsey also worked on her cursive letter formation.

Thursday was another review day.  I feel like we finally got a couple of things to click for Olivia.  Lots of extra online worksheets were used this day, but I think we’re good!

Friday was Lindsey’s 6 year checkup, and coincidentally the spouse was on vacation that day.  (Planning your 3 weeks of vacation days a year in advance is also annoying since you don’t know when you’ll want to take a day off…but his employer doesn’t get that.) So yeah, no school then either.

I’m also having a giveaway this week for a free three month online membership to Math Blaster!   To read my review and enter for a chance to win, click here.

Linking up with the Weekly Wrap Up!

Math Blaster–Review and Giveaway

At Math Blaster, your kids will begin their training as Blasters in the Intergalactic Space Patrol. With membership, your kids can achieve top ranks and unlock even more fun features and games!

• Earn high-tech gadgets like the B-force Blaster Glove
• Enjoy the complete selection of avatar pieces
• Play member-only games and unlock bonus levels

From simple addition to more advanced topics like fractions and equivalents, Math Blaster makes practicing math fun! With membership, your kids will have access to our complete selection of math challenges.

• Unlock new levels based on 1st - 6th Grade curriculum
• Build speed and accuracy in high-speed challenges
• Reinforce math lessons learned in the classroom

New planets, math challenges and alien races are constantly being discovered at Math Blaster! With membership, your kids will be invited to join the Intergalactic Space Patrol on every mission.

• Use math to save robots in exclusive Bolt Cruncher levels
• Tame exotic aliens with brain power in Alien Wrangler
• Access more challenging HyperBlast and Zapper levels

Membership to Math Blaster also dive you  membership to JumpStart.com completely free with your upgrade. At JumpStart.com, your kids can enjoy fun-filled critical thinking games and much more!

• Explore a magical online world packed with learning
• Hatch, raise and train mythical creatures
• Practice over 100 essential skills for school

Math Blaster - The Basics Download
$27.99

Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure
$19.99

Math Blaster – Pre Algebra
$29.99

My Thoughts:

First off, let me say that I’m not a big fan of games with mythical, magical creatures.  I’m a big fan of imagination, but often graphics in games like this tend to be creepy.  In setting up your account, or your child's account, you personalize your avatar and your screen name.  You have a variety of selections that range from looking like a normal cartoon character to looking like a freaky alien.

In order to use Math Blaster, you need to download their 3D engine, Unity.  The download directions are quick and simple.  However, after downloading Unity, my computer began to have major issues, to the point I had to uninstall the program and actually do a system restore to get back to normal.

I emailed customer service and they were quick to say there had been issues with their site at the time of my installation and attempted use of the Math Blaster site.  I was given thorough instruction on how to uninstall, reinstall and clear cookies, caches’ and other items that may cause issues.

I reinstalled Unity a 2nd time and again my computer immediately began having major issues.   Again I had to uninstall and do a complete system restore to get my computer back to normal.   After this 2nd attempt I contacted customer service and was given the same information.

Now, in the defense of Math Blaster, my computer has Vista and we all know Vista can make the simplest of things a nightmare.  So I can’t truly say if Math Blaster’s 3D engine, Unity, is to blame or if it just doesn’t work well with Vista.

So having said all of that, I can’t really say much about the math aspect of Math Blaster.  Each time I’ve installed, we’ve gotten to the point where we have our creepy little avatar set up, but we’ve never been able to get far enough into it to actually see, much less DO, any math. 

I gave the folks at Math Blaster the option of retracting their offer for a review and give away.  However they graciously pointed out that they weren’t looking for a positive review each time, but an accurate review…which really impressed me.   So even though I can’t say wow their product rocked, their customer service and integrity does!

The Give Away:

One lucky winner will receive a free online 3 month membership to Math Blaster!   To enter to win, simply leave a comment below.   The contest remains open until midnight on Monday, September 12.  A winner will be announced on September 13.

 

^{Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for Math Blaster and Knowledge Adventure at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.}

We Have a Winner!

Wow, such an overwhelming response to the giveway for The End of Molasses Classes – Getting Our Kids Unstuck –101 Extraordinary Solutions For Parents and Teachers by Ron Clark!!

Ok, so I’m being a bit sarcastic!  We had one entry, so picking a winner was pretty simple.  Congratulations Kristen!  Check your email for a message from me!

Weekly Wrap Up–The Oregon Edition

At the end of last week I headed out to the Women of Faith Conference in Washington DC.  I had an amazing time, and am SO thankful to BookSneeze for giving me the tickets, and ultimately grateful to God for orchestrating an entire weekend for me!

This week was pretty routine, no natural disasters or anything!

Geography/History:  We studied Oregon (specifically the Oregon Trail) this week.  The girls really enjoyed the “diaries” that we read.  Olivia is especially fond of history, so working historical fiction into her studies really helps her to take hold of the timeframes.

Books we used:

John Jacob Astor and the Fur Trade; by Lewis K. Paker
The Oregon Trail; by Elaine Landau
A Historical Album of Oregon; by Charles A. Wills
Oregon; by Dennis Brindell Frading and Judith Bloom Fradin
Oregon: by Terry Miller Shannon
A Frontier Fort on the Oregon Trail; by Scott Steedman
Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie – The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell; by Kristiana Gregory
The Journal of Jedediah Barstow – An Emigrant on the Oregon Trail; by Ellen Levine

Math:  Olivia started simple division this week.  She did pretty well with it.  However, I want to strengthen up some of the multiplication areas before we move on.  So next week will be a remedial week.  Lindsey has moved up to the 6 addition family.  Overall she is doing well with math, but she’s very sensitive (TOUCHY) when she doesn’t grasp a concept quickly!

Science:  We studied endangered species as well as extinct animals.   Interestingly enough, while sitting at the doctors office this week Olivia found a great article in National Geographic about baby mammoth fossil that was found in Siberia.

Latin:  We’ve finished our first 5 lessons of Prima Latina.  We’re studying verbs, which goes along nicely with our First Language Lessons unit on verbs and adverbs.

Spelling:   Lindsey had her first spelling test this week and did really well.   Olivia is moving along nicely with AAS Level 3.  She has also signed up to participate in our local spelling bee, so we’re plodding through spelling lists as well.

I think that pretty much wraps up our week.  Nothing too exciting, just normal everyday life.  Next week should be more interesting as I have a few surprises up my sleeve for the girls!

Be sure to visit the Weekly Wrap Up over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers!