The End of Molasses Classes - Giveaway

The End of Molasses Classes – Getting Our Kids Unstuck –101 Extraordinary Solutions For Parents and Teachers by Ron Clark to give to one lucky viewer!    (Don’t let that over long title chase you off!).   For those of you with reluctant learners, or if maybe the teacher (ahem) is stuck in a rut this could be your answer!

I posted about this fun giveaway last week inside of a book review.  I’m thinking  (hoping) you all just missed it, because thus far I only have one entry!  So if you’d like to win a copy of this book, please go to my originial post HERE and leave a comment.

Be sure to include your email or some other way for me to contact you if you win!   Contest is open to U.S. mailing addresses only.  Entries will be accepted through midnight on September 4, 2011.  A winner will be announced on Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

Check out other great give aways at this weeks Hip Homeschool Moms Give Away Day!

Weekly Wrap Up–The Minnesota Edition

Well at least we had some excitement this week!  Granted it wasn’t anything I planned, but seriously, how often does Virginia have a 5.9 earthquake??  It was pretty freaky.   We had just finished up our school work and I’d gone into the bathroom to start cleaning.   Just as I started to spray the shower walls the whole house started to shake and “groan”.   I’m sure people who have been in earth quakes instantly recognize it for what it is, I didn’t.   I quickly looked out the bathroom window then bolted to the kitchen where the girls were working on chores.   They heard the noise, but didn’t pay attention to the shaking (how can you NOT notice the whole house moving???)   Then I headed outside to look around, still not realizing what was going on.  Yeah, I guess I’m slow like that.  About 2 minutes later my elderly neighbor called “Did your whole house just shake??”….The thought popped in (and back out) of my brain, that maybe it was an earthquake…but this is Virginia we don’t do that here, so my next thought was there must have been an explosion, but no signs of that either.    Face Book finally clued me in…duh!

So yeah, cramming 5 days worth of school work into 3 days can’t quite compare to such an event.  However, since I’m leaving tomorrow for the Women of Faith conference, and since I already had the lesson plans written, I had to….I’m OCD like that.  

Geography:  Minnesota was our focal point for the week.  The girls are still distraught over the Lindbergh baby.

Books we used:

Minnesota; by A. P. Porter
Minnesota; by Anny Heinrichs
Minnesota; by R. Conrad Stein
Minnesota; by Judy L. Hasday
Minnesota, the North Star State; by Neil Purslow
The Chippewa; by Christin Ditchfield
The Chippewa; by Alice Osinski
An American Hero, The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh; by Barry Denenberg
Charles A. Lindbergh, A Human Hero; by James Cross Giblin

Reading:  Olivia finished up “Caddie Woodlawn” and began reading "On the Banks of Plum Creek”.   Lindsey is still working through her readers and snatching up books and magazines.

Math:  Well this week went much better.  It’s amazing how different an area of school work can be when you pray about it every night before bed and every morning before lessons begin! 

Spelling:  I skipped Olivia’s All About Spelling this week to save some space in my schedule.  Lindsey started her first spelling list this week.  Her first response was “oh no, I’m too little”…but she soon got over it.  I also signed Olivia up for the local homeschool spelling bee preparation program.

Science:  We studied various animal facts this week.  We learned about classification, male/female titles (doe vs. buck for example), names for offspring and life spans.

Latin:  Still working on verbs.  This week we focused on “invisible verbs” such as love and adore.   Both girls are enjoying our new program.  Olivia is still excelling in this area, amazing, truly.

I’m also hosting a GREAT giveaway this week.  The End of Molasses Classes – Getting Our Kids Unstuck – 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers, by Ron Clark.  (Seriously, the title is a bit much, but the book is really good.) Be sure to read my review and enter to win here.

I know I’m early with my Wrap Up, but I’m almost out the door.  I’ll post a link to the Weekly Wrap Up when I get back this weekend!

Reader’s Digest Grammar Books (Review and Giveaway)

FSB Media Associates recently asked me to review several educational grammar books from Reader’s Digest.  I’ve always loved writing and all that goes with it, so it didn’t take me long to say yes! 

Write (Or Is That “Right”?) Every Time by Lottie Stride is full of simple tricks to avoid language minefields. This lighthearted, informative guide is divided into bite-size chunks that include:

• Goodness Gracious Grammar: Fun ways to tackle the parts of speech, tenses, conjunctions, and clauses.
• Spelling Made Simple: Easy techniques to learn the rules -- and exceptions -- so you can become a spelling whiz.
• Punctuation Perfection: Effortless ways to conquer those punctuation dilemmas, from exclamation points, to all the commas in between.

My Grammar and I . . . Or Should That Be Me?: How to Speak and Write It Right by Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines is a refresher course for anyone who has ever been stumped by spelling confusion, dangling modifiers, split infinitives, or for those who have no idea what these things even are. Clever, informative, and fun, this delightful little handbook offers practical and humorous guidance on how to avoid falling into language pitfalls, with lessons on:

• Sentence Structure: Let's ponder the subject or object: Is it "I" or is it "me"?

• Parts of Speech: Is it "whose" or "who's"? "Which" or "that"?

• Punctuation: So where does that comma go, anyway?

• Spelling and Confusables: There are times when the spelling "rules" confuse.

• Elements of Style: You'll find there's lots more to know about grammar.

My thoughts:

Both books are hardback 5X8 books jam packed with grammar and writing rules and rule breakers!  Neither book is written as a “curriculum”, but you certainly can use either, or both as such.   These are also great reference books for your budding writer to have on hand.  These are also great if you’re planning on being on Jeopardy anytime soon….”I’ll take palindromes for $1000 Alex!”

Write (Or Is That “Right”?) Every Time has lots of black and white illustrations that help readers visualize what they are learning, in a fun way.

My Grammar and I….Or Should That Be Me? holds a vast array of useful (and useless but fun) information.  For example, did you know that a group of owls is known as a parliament.  I’m telling you, Alex Trebek will be amazed by you!!

All silliness aside, I really like the way these books are written.  My girls liked the short explanations and easy to understand examples given.  We’re definitely adding these books to our language arts studies.

The Giveaway!

Now it’s give away time!  This same vendor sent me a copy of  The End of Molasses Classes – Getting Our Kids Unstuck –101 Extraordinary Solutions For Parents and Teachers by Ron Clark to give to one lucky viewer!    (Don’t let that over long title chase you off!).   For those of you with reluctant learners, or if maybe the teacher (ahem) is stuck in a rut this could be your answer!

Entering to win is simple, just leave a comment below.   Be sure to include your email or some other way for me to contact you if you win!   Contest is open to U.S. mailing addresses only.  Entries will be accepted through midnight on September 4, 2011.  A winner will be announced on Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

Want to see some other great giveaways going on this week?  Check out the Hip Homeschool Mom Giveaways!

_{Disclosure:  I was given free copies of these books for review purposes only.  The thought sand opinions herein are strictly my own.  I have received no other compensation for my review.}

Weekly Wrap Up–The California Edition

 

Our third week is gone, poof!   It’s crazy how quickly time is moving!  It was a pretty typical week.  Nothing too exciting going on.  We did however find out that our Activity Day program is back on for the upcoming year, so I’ll be working on projects for that.

Tuesday we went to Praise in the Park again.  Each week the announcer leads everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the National Anthem is sung before the performances start.  It always bugs me that the gentleman leading the pledge is always reading it off a card (he’s my age, he should KNOW it).  Apparently last week I made a comment about it bugging me.  So this week we get to the park and get our chairs set up and Lindsey asks if she can go speak to the man about something, so her dad goes with her.  She asked if SHE could lead the recitation for the night and he agreed.  So up on stage she went in front of hundreds of people, microphone in hand, other hand over her heart as she lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.  A proud mommy moment….and me without my camera!!

Geography/history:  California was our focus this week. The girls were amazed by the giant redwoods!  Truthfully so was I, I knew they were big, but my goodness they are HUGE!  We worked on mining for gold (painted rocks) using a pie pan with some holes poked in it and a large tub of water.  Richard Nixon didn’t leave a lasting impression, but I digress.

Books we used:

California; by Tamra B. Orr
Redwoods, The World’s Largest Trees; by Jeremy Joan Hewes
Richard Nixon, Thirty-seventh President; by Mike Venezia
Profiles of the Presidents, Richard M. Nixon; by Robert Green
Our Presidents, Richard M. Nixon; by Anny Graham Gaines
Striking It Rich, The Story of the California Gold Rush; by Stephen Krensky
The California Gold Rush; by Jean F. Blashfield
The California Gold Rush; by Mel Friedman

Science:  We studied animal classification, habitats, housing choices and dietary needs.

Latin:  This week we focused on verbs such as navigo, oro,porto, laboro and specto.  Notice that each word ends with an “o” showing that it’s a verb.  We’ve also memorized the first three lines of The Sanctus.

Reading:  Olivia is continuing to read “Caddie Woodlawn”.  This book was part of our library list from last weeks study of Wisconsin, but it didn’t come in until late in the week.  Lindsey is working through her curriculum readers, and is also picking up everything else in the house that she can attempt to read.

First Language Lessons:  We worked on addressing a mailing envelope and writing thank you notes.  The girls also memorized the poem “The Little Bird”.

Spelling:  Olivia finished up lesson 3 in All About Spelling, focusing on the 4 ways to spell the long “a” sound.

Writing:  Olivia continues to enjoy the Writing Strands, although I’m finding that she’s not quite ready for the working alone aspect yet.  So, I’m finding a little more guidance and involvement from me is necessary.   Lindsey’s cursive writing is improving, but we aren’t working on composition yet with her.

Math:   Monday and Tuesday were pretty rough days for Olivia in math.  No clue why we go through this every now and then, but it’s very frustrating when she can’t remember simple things that she’s known for a long period. Tuesday night we all added “and please help Olivia with her math” to our prayers.  Wednesday morning we prayed again before starting math and it went MUCH better.  Now why didn’t I think of that earlier??

That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.   How was your week?

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Upcoming Events

Looking for new and exciting FREE products?   Then be sure to check back here  frequently, because in the next several weeks I’ll be hosting giveaways for  Math Blaster, FSB Associates and My Memories.

Weekly Wrap Up–The Wisconsin Edition

 

Our second week back to school had some snags along the way.  Monday we were off school to take a family member to have some medial testing done.  Tuesday was one of  those math day for Olivia where her brain went to mush.  Thursday we were going to work on baking skills and the oven died.  So through it all we learned about patience, kindness and self control (me being the one having to use the self control).

On a super positive note, Olivia had an answer to prayer this week and we added a piano to our home!   Read more about that here.

Math, as I mentioned was not Olivia’s shining moment this week.  So we had to stop and do a lot of review of borrowing when subtracting, and paying attention to wording in word problems.  Lindsey is working on her addition math facts.

Olivia completed Lesson 2 in All About Spelling.  I’ve also added spelling lists from Super Teacher Worksheets.   Lindsey’s spelling lessons haven’t begun yet.

The Writing Strands program is really working nicely for Olivia.  It took her a while to get used to working independently, as she tends to get easily distracted.

Science was fun this week.  We learned about the eyes, ears, and teeth.   We did a fun experiment with a glass of water to show how the fluid in your inner ear keeps swirling after you stop twirling.  It was a great way to show the girls why you get dizzy after going around in circles.   And yeah, we also practiced going in circles until we could no longer stand up, all for the love of scientific investigation.

In geography we focused on Wisconsin this week.  We even tried a few different types of cheeses.  Our famous person was Laura Ingalls Wilder, and you seriously can’t go wrong with my girls and that topic!

Books we used:

“Wisconsin”; by Bettina Ling
”Wisconsin”; by Gretchen Bratvold
”Wisconsin”; by Jean F. Blashfield
Wisconsin; by Janice Parker
”Extra Cheese, Please! Mozzarella's Journey From Cow to Pizza”; by Cris Peterson
“I Remember Laura”; by Stephen W. Hines
”The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook”; by Laura Ingalls Wilder
”Laura Ingalls Wilder Country”; by William Anderson
”Homesteading on the Plains, Daily Life in the Land of Laura Ingalls Wilder”; by Mary Dodson Wade
”Caddie Woodlawn”; by Carol Ryrie Brink

We were going to make Laura Ingalls Wilder’s gingerbread recipe.  However, our oven picked this week to die.  So we’ll be making that sometime later I guess.   Here is the recipe if you’re oven is more cooperative than mine!

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. each ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 9X9 baking pan.

Blend sugar, shortening and molasses.

Add baking soda to boiling water and mix well.

Combine flour and spices and sift together.  Combine sugar/molasses mixture with flour mixture and add the baking soda water.  Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

The county fair started this week.  I had NO clue how many things the girls could have been participating in until this week.  So I have our handy dandy fair book and we’ll be working on entries over the winter for next year (where have I been all this time?).  In the meantime, we went on a little field trip this afternoon to watch one of Olivia’s friends show his goats at the fair.  And, yes, I did take photos…but I can’t find my camera.

Be sure to visit the Weekly Wrap Up!

When A Child Prays

People often dismiss children as being “less spiritual” because of their age.   Yeah, well, there is a reason why God says to let the little children come unto Him.     When a child prays they have complete faith that God will answer them, and He does because He sees their faith.

Don’t believe me?  Well let me give you an example.   Olivia wanted to learn to play piano.  So last year she prayed and asked God to provide a way for her to take piano lessons.   A couple from our church let her borrow their electric keyboard and we found a homeschool mom who is a piano instructor, and the lessons began.  Shortly thereafter, Olivia drew a lovely picture of herself at a keyboard with music notes in the air, and the words “Thank you God for hearing my prayer!”

Well the keyboard is lovely, and has been a blessing, but it’s not a full size one and now Olivia is needing all the keys and notes.  She asked us for a piano, and quite honestly we just didn’t have the money.  So she prayed, in faith, trusting God to meet her need.

Here is the result of her prayer, and His faithfulness to hear and answer.    

Did I mention, that it didn’t cost us a cent?  God gets all the glory, and a special couple from the local Baptist church are going to reap a harvest like they never dreamed possible!

Weekly Wrap Up–The Back to School/Iowa Edition

We had a really great first week back to school!   The first day back was lots of fun and everyone (especially me) was glad to get back into a routine!   Both of the girls are really enjoying the Prima Latina and the Start Up Science.  We also managed to squeeze in our first field trip of the year!

We studied Iowa this week.   Our famous Iowan was President Herbert Hoover.   We also studied Amelia Earhart, who lived in Iowa for a period but wasn't born there.  The girls really loved reading about her.

Books we used:
Iowa; by Sandra J. Christian
Iowa; by Jean F. Blashfield
Iowa, An Explorer’s Guide; by Lauren R. Rice
Profiles of the Presidents, Herbert Hoover; by Michael Teitelbaum
Herbert Hoover, Our Thirty-First President; by Gerry and Janet Souter
Herbert Hoover; by David A.Y.O. Chang
Getting to Know the Presidents, Herbert Hoover; by Mike Venezia
Amelia Earhart, More Than a Flier; by Patricia Lakin
Amelia Earhart Flies Around the World; by Kath Davies
Amelia Earhart, This Broad Ocean; by Sarah Stewart Taylor
Amelia Earhart, Photo Illustrated Biography; by Marilyn Rosenthal

Olivia has finally gotten to where she’s enjoying reading.  This week she read Treasure Island, along with the daily newspaper, a couple of magazines and her Bible!

Lindsey’s reading has drastically improved as well.  Now that “Mamaw” lives here, she enjoys reading to her and gets lot of extra practice. 

I hope you all had a great week!   Be sure to visit the Weekly Wrap Up!

The Gateway to Knowledge

Every now and then I stumble across a field trip idea that I’m super excited about and the kids, well, not so much.   This was one of those trips, but it did get their interest stirred about comic books, seriously.

The Gateway of Knowledge tour, from the Library of Congress was in our town this week.   The exhibit contains copies of items such as the 1507 Waldseemüller Map (the first document to use the word “America”), the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting with edits by Benjamin Franklin, and the 1962 drawings for the comic book that introduced Spider-Man to the world.

Both girls are hands on kids.  So the fact that everything was a lovely picture on the wall with nothing to touch or do wasn’t a big thrill.  Although they did LOVE getting to push the button to play the video snippets in various spots.  

Personally I thought it was a bit dull too.  However, it opened up a whole new world of information and resources at the click of the mouse!  

The First Day of School (2011-2012)

Today was the first “official” back to school day at our house.  Other than realizing I need to redo some scheduling issues, it was a very successful day.

Olivia loves the Writing Strands program.  Granted, it only had her writing a two word sentence today, but she LIKED it!

Lindsey’s day was a bit slow.   The first 6 weeks or so will mostly be review (that’s how Abeka has it scheduled).  Then she’ll have PLENTY of new things going on.  She still was very happy at the end of the day, although she requested more worksheets…shudder.

After we finished our lessons I let them both decorate a name tag for their work bins.   Lindsey’s didn’t show up too well in the photo, but Olivia’s bold colors did!

It’s going to be a great year!