31 Days To Clean - The Reboot

I'm doing it.  I'm going to work along side Sarah Mae to get my house in order.  Except, she'll be working on her house, but, you know what I mean!  Anyhow, I got the 31 Days to Clean ebook last year, right around the time that we moved in with my parents.  I started reading it, but didn't finish, as the tasks didn't seem to apply to me.  This time around, we are in a large rental house (the largest we've ever had), and it's all getting away from me.  Let's see what Sarah Mae has in store, shall we?  If you're interested in joining, too, see her blog post on the subject.

TOS Review: Write Shop

Write Shop is an "incremental learning program" created to help your child navigate the steps of the writing process:  pre-writing, brainstorming, writing, and revising.  There is a Write Shop option for every level from Kindergarten to high school senior.  I was given Write Shop Junior, which is for grades 3 and 4, but also reluctant 5th and 6th graders.  Have I told you about my reluctant Wonder Boy?

The spiral-bound Teacher's Guide is wonderful.  It includes a guide to help you choose which level is right for your child - handy when you feel your child is ready to move on, or if you want to introduce another child to Write Shop.  There are also helpful sample schedules to aid in planning.  Each lesson is designed to take 2 to 3 weeks to complete.  I love that it is truly a guide - it walks the teacher through each part of the lesson with suggestions of activities to do to help reinforce new skills, rather than simply being a copy of the student book with answers.  I guess that would be harder to do in a creative writing curriculum, anyhow, as the "answers" would be different for each student.

The student Activity Pack is actually two items in one.  The left side is the student workbook, and the right side is materials for the flip books which are created for each lesson.  There is also an optional Time-Saver Pack, which has pre-printed bits and pieces for the various games and activities that go along with each lesson.  The creators of Write Shop are very aware that, at the Junior level, children often need some sort of hands-on activity in addition to the book work to really make the lessons stick.  Hands-on activities definitely seem to appeal to students like my son.  He would much rather have a video or game to play than do a worksheet any day!

The one thing regarding Write Shop that I think may not appeal to everyone, especially if they have children in the late elementary grades or older, is that it is not a program you can just hand to your child and have them do independently.  It is meant to have teacher participation, at least at the Junior level.  I do know that Wonder Boy seems to really be lagging in his writing skills, so we will be working through Write Shop Junior this summer and spending a little mother-son time together.  I know our hard work will pay off, even if he'd rather zone out in front of a tv all summer!

Write Shop - all its levels - can be found at www.writeshop.com.  The parts of the program are sold separately, and since the materials are available in both print and digital options, prices vary.  And guess what - permission is given to copy the workbook pages (I just love it when curriculum companies are realistic like that!).

***Disclaimer:  I received a set of the Write Shop Junior materials in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.

5 Days of... Preschooling with Pinterest: Day 5

***Note to self:  Do not schedule your post, then forget to check that it actually showed up on your blog - for two whole days.  That will be the time that you apparently hit "save", rather than "publish".

Here we are, at Day 5 already!  Today I have decided to share with you some Preschool ideas that I really like, but didn't feel fit in a category together - aside from this "miscellaneous" category, that is.  I hope you all have enjoyed this series, and that you have also checked out some of the other great themes being explored on the other participating blogs!  If not, just click the "5 Days of Blogging with the Homeschool Crew" button in the side column, and have fun!

• First up are the science/discovery bottles at Laguna Parent Participation Preschool.  They are made of reused Gatorade bottles, and are filled with all kinds of interesting things to explore!
• Along the same line, have you seen the jelly fish in a bottle?!?  It's at Bhoomplay's Blog, and it looks amazing!  It's hard to believe it's just a bit of plastic grocery sack in there! 
• Oops, here's one more bottle activity!  Pink Pistachio shows how to make sensory bottles.  I just love the Aquapod bottles she used, and already have some of those sparkly pom-poms.
• If your little ones love sidewalk chalk as much as my kids, you may want to check out how to make your own at Minieco.co.uk.
• I think this physical activity cube looks useful - see the details at Little Family Fun.  [Clicking through the link on the pin gets you an error message from Pinterest - but you can still go through the pin, and I promise that it does NOT go to spam or something inappropriate, as of 05/18/2012!]
• Have you introduced your little one to paper dolls?  Polly White's Picasa album has several sets of vintage paper dolls, including a Goldilocks set.
• Need more ideas?  Check out Quirky Mama.  Activities there are sorted by age from baby up to middle school!

That's all I have to share with you right now, but be sure to check out my preschool ideas board on Pinterest.  There are more ideas there, and I will continue to add to it!

TOS Review: Go Science

When I received a couple of volumes of Go Science from Library and Educational Services, I gave them to Wonder Boy to watch, as he loves all kinds of science-related videos.  He watched some, but didn't seem to devour it like he has with others.  I asked him what he thought of it, and he told me that "the guy seemed to shout a lot."  When I asked him to explain more, he said it seemed that the microphone didn't always work well, so the guy was shouting.  Hmm...

So, I popped in Volume 3 (the first one I received) to see what he was talking about.  Right away, I noticed that the host, Ben Roy, is very enthusiastic and animated.  I also noticed that the volume did seem quite loud.  I found myself turning it down several times.  Unfortunately, there were then segments that were very quiet.  I believe this stems from the fact that the clips were originally taped individually as part of another show, and not all at once.

Another reason I think that Wonder Boy (age 12) was not as captivated by the Go Science videos is that they seem a bit simple compared to a lot of the science videos he watches.  The link I am giving you states that they are for ages 6-14, however, if you have an account with LES you can see that they are listed for ages 5-11.  I feel that the lower age range is more appropriate. 

In spite of what my son thought, I found several things that I really liked about the Go Science DVDs.  One of the phrases that Mr. Roy says often is, "That's interesting to me."  You can tell that he means it, too.  He really seems to love science and explaining it to kids.  I also love how he takes a moment in every segment to connect the science concept to God and give the kids a bit of spiritual application.  Mr. Roy's catch-phrase is, "Every time we learn something about science, we learn something about our Creator:  God!"  I really appreciate the reminder to the viewer that God and science are not mutually exclusive.  Although Wonder Boy may be too old for these videos, I will definitely be saving them for Little Miss and #5.  I think they will really enjoy them!

Go Science is distributed by Library and Educational Services (LES), and can be found at www.libraryanded.com/goscience/.  List price for the entire set of six Go Science DVDs is $79.95.  If you happen to qualify for an LES account, you can purchase them for less!  By the way, I've had the privilege of being able to shop in person at a couple of LES' mega sales - they're awesome!  If you do qualify for an account with them, you will definitely want to sign up to get their newsletters!


***Disclaimer:  I received two volumes of Go Science in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are those of myself and my son.

5 Days of... Preschooling with Pinterest: Day 4

Let's talk about the busy-ness of it all.  If you have a preschooler, then you know there are times when you want to keep them a little... independently busy, shall I say?  Maybe you need to help an older child with their school work, finish making dinner, or just have a few minutes of quiet.  What's that?  You don't want to necessarily plop them down in front of the tv?  Well, fortunately for you, I have some "busy" activities on my Preschool Pinterest board!

• The Princess and the Tot does up what looks like a different tray for her little guy for each day of the week.  If you have a little one like mine, who wants to be on the couch as much as the "big" people are, then a tray would be great because it gives them a surface to work on, and helps contain any small items that might be part of the activity.
• Have you heard of busy bags?  Second Story Window has loads of ideas to help you fill bags for your little one.  They also host an exchange!  Busy bags are great because they are portable, meaning that you can take them with you if you know you will have to wait somewhere that will challenge your preschooler's ability to behave - like a doctor's office or a government office.  The Princess and the Tot also has some ideas, as well as an alternative idea to the typical zip-lock bag as container.  Money Saving Mom has some ideas on her blog, as well.
• Does your little one like to do worksheets?  You can find lots of preschool printable packs at 2 Teaching Mommies.  You can find more at Over The Big Moon.  
• Maybe you just want some coloring pages?  I love the animal pictures from Louise Elliott Design.  Each animal features regional folk art patterns!  There are some cute religious coloring pages at Karla Dornacher's site.

Make sure to come back tomorrow for Day 5 - anything goes!

5 Days of ... Preschooling with Pinterest: Day 3

Ok, I promised you a post on dough and other squishy things today.  Play-doh is something else that little kids (as well as big kids) seem to like.  However, it can be annoying to shell out money for it, then have it dry up quickly.  Also, watching your child eat it, then not wondering what exactly is in it is nearly impossible.  That is why I have greatly enjoyed making my own dough for my kids to play with!  Let's look at my pinboard of Preschool ideas, shall we?

• First of all, I love, love, love the recipe for play dough from adelynSTONE.  I followed her instructions exactly, aside from using sunflower oil (instead of vegetable) and adding a little bit of lemon essential oil.  I was just trying to add a pleasant aroma with the lemon oil.  Unfortunately, it didn't seem to really add a lemon scent to it.  However, I just pulled out all of the containers I had, and discovered something interesting:  the one that my older two made, without lemon oil, was moldy!  The other two that I made - back in December! - are completely mold-free, and still as pliable as the day I made them!  The moldy one was made in February or March.  I did use regular food coloring for mine, and also added some matching glitter I happened to have.  Aside from the glitter, this recipe is entirely edible!  I just took this picture of the doughs I made almost 6 months ago - they're much more sparkly in person!

Galaxy dough on the left, regular dough on the right

•  The second dough I made was galaxy dough.  This is just a fancy name for black, sparkly play dough.  I came across this pin, then read through the post on Fairy Dust Teaching about how to make it.  I took her suggestion to add a whole bottle of black food coloring and a bunch of glitter, and applied it to the basic recipe I used above from adelynSTONE.  I am still impressed with the deep shade of black, and love the glitter - though I wish I'd had some moon & star shaped glitter to add to it.  I had to settle for black, purple, silver, and Prisma.
• Now that you've got a good basic dough recipe, there is no end to the varieties you can make!  There is "cloud dough", which is basically dough made with white flour and no coloring.  You can make "snow dough", like this one from Ten Kids and a Dog.  You can also make scented ones like the gingerbread dough from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.  There is no end to the themed doughs you can create!
• How about moon sand?  Did you know you can make your own version of that, as well?  Just check out the recipe from Irresistible Ideas!  Obviously, this one is NOT edible.  Also, corn flour = corn starch.
• Lastly, for a bit of a twist on "squishy", check out the matching game from Tutus and Turtles. 

***A note about using baby oil in play dough - I don't suggest it, though some recipes out there call for it.  If your child eats the dough, a food-grade oil is much safer for them.  My opinion is if you wouldn't put it in their food, don't let them put it in their mouths.

Come back tomorrow to learn about busy-ness and how to create it!

TOS Review: Judah Bible Curriculum

This has been a hard review to do.  I was excited when I heard about the Judah Bible Curriculum.  As I mentioned before, I have been looking for a different Bible curriculum for my kids, but had not found one that I liked more than the one we've been using.  Based on the description on the Judah Bible Curriculum website, I felt like it might be what I've been looking for.  I loved the idea that the Bible is the only text book for the curriculum, that it stresses that students will learn to truly study the Word for themselves and internalize it, and that the one curriculum can be used over and over again from Kindergarten through adulthood.  The best part was that you can use any translation of the Bible you choose.

When I began going through the website, recordings, and downloads that were provided, I was disappointed.  It is a bit less "curriculum" than I expected - there are schedules of what to study and when, and blank worksheets.  However, I'd never heard of the "Principle Approach" to homeschooling, and there seemed to be so much focus on it and government throughout the materials that I feel like it was made unnecessarily complicated, and extremely so.  I was so thoroughly distracted, trying to figure out what the Principle Approach is and whether or not it's something I want to attempt, that I was never really able to sit down and try this with my children because I just wasn't confident that I understood any of it.  The very basic idea of it - reading the Bible together and seeing what you learn from it - sounds like what we already do, when we actually have a time of family devotions.  However, when I begin to think of the notebooking aspect of it and look at the worksheets and other instructions in light of my children - especially Wonder Boy -  I just don't see it being a good fit for us.

If you are unfamiliar with the Principle Approach, or want to be able to use a Bible curriculum with minimal effort, I would not suggest the Judah Bible Curriculum.  This program is very teacher-intensive, and not meant to be used "right out of the box."  Reading through the materials, I felt like I needed to attend a conference on the curriculum before teaching it.  Fortunately(?), there is an eight-session audio seminar included with the materials to help you learn how to use it!  If you are uninterested going through a seminar on how to use a curriculum prior to being able to use it, then this is not for you!

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate what the creator of the Judah Bible Curriculum has tried to do.  I do plan to spend some time with it over the summer, to see if I can discover something I want to use with my children.  I still love the description of the curriculum and what it says my children will get out of it.  I'm not giving up on it yet, but I'm also still unsure of whether or not I'll truly figure it out and then be able to get my children to understand.

If you are interested in the Judah Bible Curriculum, you can find it at www.judahbible.com.  It is available in both a print version for $74 or a download for $44. 

***Disclaimer:  I received the downloadable version of the Judah Bible Curriculum in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.