tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54167758721075338702024-03-05T10:43:21.984-05:00Filled with Crazyhidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-41509926819248367602014-03-28T01:20:00.001-04:002014-03-28T01:20:17.695-04:00Sophia is here! <h2 style="text-align: center;">
Welcome to the World My Beautiful New Little Girl!</h2>
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Sophia Abbigail Lynnae</div>
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Born: 12/13/2013</div>
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Time: 3:28 AM</div>
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Room: 1313 (yep, 1313, I'm not making that up)</div>
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Weight: 7 lbs 9 oz</div>
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Length: 20 inches</div>
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Eyes: Deep Blue and sometimes Gray</div>
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Hair: Blonde, very fair blonde</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpyctr62dT3ZxjYwNdia1m6vfhBqI7SZ-gP9NSZTW7cwuvPP_LGJXgr9u7AICChDN2U4wldPbYSxtN2Jfj89KzDIXpqclpA_9odQTTT7clM68IoL2eLCFoG4cx9OZvuX-PaQmB86g4e8/s1600/IMG_6260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpyctr62dT3ZxjYwNdia1m6vfhBqI7SZ-gP9NSZTW7cwuvPP_LGJXgr9u7AICChDN2U4wldPbYSxtN2Jfj89KzDIXpqclpA_9odQTTT7clM68IoL2eLCFoG4cx9OZvuX-PaQmB86g4e8/s1600/IMG_6260.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophia's first photograph taken about an hour after she was born.</td></tr>
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When I woke up for my third trip to the bathroom on Thursday morning, December 12th, it was around 3:30 am. As always, I urgently had to go! Unlike the rest of the times, I felt water leaking down my leg. Embarrassed, I ran to the bathroom and then noticed that the fluid wasn't yellow and was more than slightly sticky. I felt...ODD, for lack of a better word. I had only been asleep for maybe an hour and a half at that point. I googled "leaking amniotic fluid" and read through some of the entries. They said fluid was clear (check), somewhat sticky (check) and smelled "sweet" (um, at 4 am, I'm not sniffing that). I cleaned up and had no more leaking while I was cleaning myself up. I put on a pad and went back to bed. Of course I didn't sleep. Half an hour later, I rolled over and felt dampness. I got up, went to the bathroom again. The pad was soaked. Not leaking but wet. It was clear, not yellow and at that point I was awake enough to decide I needed to sniff it (from a respectable distance), sweet...I don't know (maybe).<br />
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I consulted Dr. Google a little more. I still felt ODD, a little off. Our as yet unnamed baby girl wasn't due until December 31st. I had never had my water "break" without a doctor helping. All three of the other kids were either born on or near their due date. I tried counting kicks but that early in the morning she was sleeping. I decided to text Doctor Kim and get a shower. I knew when she woke up she would tell me to go to triage and get checked out. I wasn't sure if at 4:30am I should go to labor and delivery triage or go to the ER. Secondly, I wasn't sure if I should eat and take my insulin or if I should AVOID taking my insulin. I woke Mark up around then because I was worried that taking a shower might start things and I didn't want to birth no baby by myself. I was not having any discernable contractions, just an occasional braxton-hicks contraction.<br />
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I worried more than a little bit about leaking fluid because on Friday, December 6th they admitted me to the hospital overnight for low fluid. It seemed like the fluid levels had went back up by Saturday and they were good on Tuesday when I went in for my normal stress test and fluid check. I hopped in the shower. Mark hopped in the shower. Kim texted me back to eat, take insulin & blood pressure medicine, and get to triage as soon as we could. We woke up all three kids, took care of the animals, and headed out. I took my insulin shots at home so that I didn't have to do that in the car, but we decided to grab breakfast thinking it would be faster than my usual egg/sausage/toast that I had cooked for the last three months. Once I take the shots, I need to eat within 10-20 minutes or I get sick from low sugar.<br />
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Unfortunately, Frisch's is never the "quick" route. As we were waiting in line, my contractions started being painful. Not unbearable, but enough to make me nervous. I could just imagine my water breaking and ruining our brand new van. How upsetting that would be! I did sit on some towels but I still worried. Frisch's took probably 20 minutes plus the drive there. I felt crummy for the first time that day with low blood sugar. We did finally get food and headed to the hospital.<br />
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When I delivered Matthew, his birth was quick and relatively easy. I went in for a scheduled induction (but was already in labor) and within 6 hours, I was pushing. An hour later he was born. The nurses joked about how if I ever had another baby, I better get to the hospital fast because his birth was so swift. Emma's birth would have been quicker even than Matthew's except when I sat up to push, her heart rate dropped. They rolled me over and stopped me from pushing until we could get her heart rate back to a good number and see that it stayed there. It added about 2+ hours to the process and caused her birth to take 8 hours instead of 5 or 6. <br />
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These thoughts were forefront in my mind as we sat waiting on egg sandwiches and driving through traffic to get to the hospital. I could just imagine having a baby on the side of the interstate. My poor kids having to help Mark deliver their sister. As this was Thursday morning the 12th, obviously those fears did not come to pass.<br />
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We make it to the hospital and snag a wheelchair to get upstairs. Then the waiting begins. By this time, I am absolutely sure that my water has broken and I had to change clothes before we left the house because of it. I have to convince the triage nurses that I have indeed though. By about 11 am, they decide to admit me. The nurse decides to have me walk to my room...ugh. She later claimed she didn't know I was leaking fluid. We are placed in Room 1313 on the morning of December 12th. Heather predicts that the baby will not be born until Friday, December 13th. (I'm still a little bitter about that!).<br />
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The news of the day is the mega snow storm that is about to hit. The headlines for the day are <a href="http://www.cincinnati.com/search/december%2013,%202013/" target="_blank">here</a>. Nothing too big, a lot of complaining about Obamacare and some chatter about football. The weather has been so snowy and this weekend was lining up to be even worse. While we were still in triage, Heather shows up having taken the rest of the day off from work. Mark's mom is on her way. We just start getting settled in. Still not really having much in the way of contractions, but I'm hooked up to monitors and they get the IV started easily.<br />
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Mary eventually takes Matthew to her house and Heather and Emma hang out for a long time. It becomes obvious that baby girl is not in a hurry to come out and they start Pitocin and eventually start a glucose drip because my sugar is playing roller coaster since I can't eat but I took my insulin. Mark and the girls go down and enjoy a quick buffet of roast beef, mashed potatoes and all kinds of other goodies.<br />
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I eventually convince the girls to go home. My parents come by after work and are disappointed that there's not a little pinky to cuddle. We promise to call them when she shows up and they head home as the snow begins.<br />
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We spend much of the day trying to rest and dealing with contractions. I'm thankful when they start the epidural. I had this secret fantasy that this delivery would be so quick and easy that I would deliver naturally without the epidural. 2 hours into real contractions and I'm talking to the nurse like a junky... "So, how long does the pain relief guys take to get here once we decide it's time for an epidural?" "Huh, depends on how many other mommas are asking at the same time? How many women in labor do you have right now? Wow, the snow is making everyone nervous and they're all coming in 'just in case'?" "Alright, call him. Seriously, like right now!" Although I had a tremendous amount of trepidation about the epidural, everything went smoothly and I was very glad for the competency of the anesthesiologist.<br />
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Dr. Kim stops by at some point to let me know she is available when I'm ready but that she is going to sleep for a while since I'm not ready to push. Time passes, my sugar keeps going down and I keep sipping juice and getting glucose. I can't have anything else because if I should need anesthesia, I have to have an empty stomach.<br />
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Sometime before the nightly news, we start pushing. It's quiet. It's calm, just Mark, the nurse, and Dr. Kim. With the other kids, there was nervousness. There were other people in and out of the room. There was a discord or buzzing. With this birth, it was very quiet. Peaceful. I tried to focus and kept my eyes shut for much of the pushing. My pain was controlled well but I could still feel my legs and had control enough to move legs around just a bit. We passed midnight and I may have cursed Heather's name slightly.<br />
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We pushed for what seemed like hours and I could tell that she wasn't coming out. My little sunny side up girl was stuck. What happens when babies are face up is they get stuck with their head at an angle that won't allow them to pass through the birth canal. Dr. Kim tried several types of manueverings to turn baby girl so that she would slip out. None of them worked. around 3:00 am, she has the come to Jesus meeting with me. "So listen, here's the deal. You've been at this a while and you're getting tired. We have a couple of options here. We can keep pushing and hope for the best but the baby's getting tired and you're getting tired and I don't like those odds. Second, we can prep and head for the OR. If you are too worn out, your water has been broken for most of 23 & 1/2 hours and we really like to have the baby out within 24 hours of it breaking. Or, we can use an extraction device. I prefer the forceps. I think we can maneuver her under your pelvic bone and get her out very quickly with them." We quickly talked over the options and decided on the forceps. The idea of recovering from surgery with a nursing newborn is just a nightmare in my mind. Dr. K has the nurse call anesthesia so they can top off my epidural because she's a wonderful doc and she didn't want me to feel the whole "giant salad tongs going into my hoohaa" thing.<br />
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We were ready to go quickly and it was very surreal. I could feel Kim slipping the huge forceps in one at a time. I could feel them turning the baby, not quite all the way and finally just ducking her under my pelvis and popping her out. It didn't hurt at all, but I could feel it. I know with the previous deliveries this was a different sensation.<br />
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They threw her up on my chest and I took an active role in cleaning her up and in the forceful rubbing that gets a baby breathing on their own. She took a few seconds and it was more than a little scary. I was thankful that her head was not super pointy as Heather's had been after a forceps delivery. With Emma they had used a vacuum extractor to pull her under the pelvic bone so she had a lump shaped like a dixie cup for a little while. Overall, she had a round little noggin.<br />
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Baby girl was finally here and although her apgar scores weren't great, she was breathing and healthy. She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. We had some wonderful time with just the three of us. We decided that the middle of the night was a wonderful time to have a baby. I immediately put her to the breast knowing that if my sugar was roller coaster-y all day that hers was as well. We had great skin to skin time without worrying about who was about to walk in. As much as I love our family and friends, it's very difficult to have the door opening every 10 minutes while you're being sewed up from delivery and trying to breast feed the tiniest baby you ever remember seeing.<br />
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The sweet nurses felt bad for us being so hungry and brought us plates up from the 3rd shift lunch buffet, so at 4:30 in the morning we were scarfing roast beef, turkey, dressing and all the fixings.<br />
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We marveled at our beautiful new girl. She was and is so pretty. More later on the loop she threw us for.<br />
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-34604880249610754432013-11-04T17:18:00.002-05:002013-11-04T17:20:08.667-05:00Mosaic Reviews: See the Light Art Projects Pointillism Fruit<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlhjIwMvwOSWT2mlHGOGTWmN4qornA1It680A7Hnp1kvmGrmsvhlbi0bFd5s-oGjH5kX9FC7te9EAOSm0KdNYMKAn8l7tx1cSHm3jnJ68dp8DYWSLjbdIjdwzbcEwCp0RFpixyl0QMes/s1600/ap_complete_4-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlhjIwMvwOSWT2mlHGOGTWmN4qornA1It680A7Hnp1kvmGrmsvhlbi0bFd5s-oGjH5kX9FC7te9EAOSm0KdNYMKAn8l7tx1cSHm3jnJ68dp8DYWSLjbdIjdwzbcEwCp0RFpixyl0QMes/s320/ap_complete_4-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our product for review: Pointillism Fruit in the style of Georges Seurat</td></tr>
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Product at a glance:</h2>
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<li><b>Product Received: <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/art-projects/art-projects-pointillism-fruit.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See the Light Art Projects Pointillism Fruit</a></b></li>
<li><b>Publisher:</b> <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/about-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See the Light</a></li>
<li><b>Price:</b> $14.99 for each individual lesson or $99.99 for the <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/art-projects/art-projects-boxed-set.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">set</a> of 9 different lessons. </li>
<li><b>Web-site:</b> <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See the Light</a></li>
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<li><b>Facebook Page:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SeeTheLightShineArt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><b>Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/SeeTheLightArt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></li>
<li><b>Blog: <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/blog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See the Light Blog</a></b></li>
<li>Pinterest: <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/toseethelight/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></li>
<li><b>Ages/grades suggested for: 10 and up (youngers may use it with a little guidance, olders may use it alone with out much help)</b></li>
<li><b>Who can use it?</b> Any one who would like to study art or add art instruction into their kids or their lives. Homeschoolers or after schoolers could both make great use of these DVD's as well as adults who want to enrich their lives with a good foundation knowledge of art method, theory and history. </li>
<li><b>Products by this publisher (paraphrased descriptions from their web-site):</b> </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full set of 9 DVD's </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/art-projects.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Create Your Own Masterpiece In The Style Of 9 Famous Artists!</a> Full set $99.99, individual lessons $14.99</b></span></h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- DRAW A WINDOW IN THE STYLE OF <em>LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- DRAW A WATERCOLOR PAINTING IN THE STYLE OF AMERICAN POP ARTIST <em>WAYNE THIEBAUD</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- CREATE A PAPER COLLAGE IN THE STYLE FRENCH ARTIST <em>HENRI ROUSSEAU</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- CREATE A FRUIT STILL LIFE IN THE STYLE OF FRENCH ARTIST <em>GEORGES SEURAT</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- CREATE AN ABSTRACT FLOWER IN THE STYLE OF AMERICAN ARTIST <em>GEORGIA O’KEEFFE</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- CREATE AN ACRYLIC OR TEMPERA PAINTING IN THE STYLE OF RUSSIAN ARTIST <em>MARC CHAGALL</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- DRAW A CHALK PASTEL IN THE STYLE OF FRENCH ARTIST <em>EDGAR DEGAS</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- PAINT A WATERCOLOR SEASCAPE IN THE STYLE OF AMERICAN ARTIST <em>WINSLOW HOMER</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">- CREATE AN OIL PASTEL SUFLOWER IN THE STYLE OF DUTCH ARTIST <em>VINCENT VAN GOGH</em></span></div>
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<li> <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/art-class-dvds/art-class-1-year-set.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Art Class Year 1 Set</a> $99.99 for full set of 36 lessons, $14.99 for 4 lesson single DVD's<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This 9 volume DVD series contains 36 complete step-by-step tutoring lessons, taught by Master Artist Pat Knepley.</span></blockquote>
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Pat Knepley’s warmth and engaging personality captures the attention of children, draws them into the learning process, and leads them through a successful drawing experience in every lesson.</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Each lesson runs approximately 15 minutes and includes suggestions for follow-up drawing activities.</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Art History is another feature of ART CLASS. Your children will become acquainted with the famous masterpieces of many artists.</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Biblical truth is integrated into every lesson!</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">NO WORKBOOKS EVER! These lessons require only basic supplies (see below). Most lessons require only a piece of copy paper, a #2 pencil, and a good eraser.</span></blockquote>
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<li>They also have <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/more-dvds.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bible Stories</a>, <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/gift-sets.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gift Sets</a>, <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/art-class-online-subscription.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">On-Line Classes</a>, and more on their <a href="http://www.seethelightshine.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web-site</a>. Check it out!</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Homeschoolers now have an option for meeting the National Visual Arts Standards at home without paying for private lessons. By following the full 9 DVD lessons in the complete set just as it is laid out, you can meet the guidelines for most state's 1/2 credit of Visual Arts on the high school level. By adding in field trips and additional projects outside of the given lessons, they can meet the state guidelines for 1 full credit of Visual Arts instruction on the high school level. </span></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching Lesson 1 on the DVD</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gathering supplies for Lesson 1</td></tr>
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The Product Test:</h2>
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We received the See the Light Art Project DVD on Pointillism Fruit in the style of Georges Seurat from See the Light for review last month. It is one of a 9 DVD set that together can comprise a full year's art curriculum on the high school level. Each DVD has 4 lessons around creating a project in the style of some of the great masters. I have listed all of them in the above product description. I chose Pointillism because it was something that I knew my kids had never been introduced to but had experienced to a small extent in art displays and museums (and a favorite restaurant has several Seurat painting reproductions that they are both fascinated by when we go there). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzvRy2C5z1bAu_RzDouTMnxXoYzfRE2y8kfabiM7fbXuRxhBvoxeyoKbXoj6p54qzK5J33aJMIBekGnGirj6CHG9LLLpQdpS1OH3XRKF7zLj0t4V5SasAE30xQ__m3bgaz8LREZzgR8c/s1600/IMG_6233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzvRy2C5z1bAu_RzDouTMnxXoYzfRE2y8kfabiM7fbXuRxhBvoxeyoKbXoj6p54qzK5J33aJMIBekGnGirj6CHG9LLLpQdpS1OH3XRKF7zLj0t4V5SasAE30xQ__m3bgaz8LREZzgR8c/s200/IMG_6233.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew sketching his still life fruit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KMKkVn42KG03-itYyGI-bzhQ_DG6mpvJII_0Vocw2Rq3_iyXAo8q4uV_OwY2b0hekhus4a4Sy1m_g5O_T3jJmYvEDyDih_WN4O5Z7Ho-FQaRS8IVQjzWXlkunc9Iv2H3w0xZEThYv2I/s1600/IMG_6235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KMKkVn42KG03-itYyGI-bzhQ_DG6mpvJII_0Vocw2Rq3_iyXAo8q4uV_OwY2b0hekhus4a4Sy1m_g5O_T3jJmYvEDyDih_WN4O5Z7Ho-FQaRS8IVQjzWXlkunc9Iv2H3w0xZEThYv2I/s200/IMG_6235.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma sketching her still life fruit</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Lesson 1</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">: Introducing Seurat's Impressionist Style of Pointillism</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Mom confessional:</span> </blockquote>
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I enjoy art when I take the time to do it with the kids, but it is a segment of our curriculum that often gets glossed over for the nuts and bolts of fitting all the other stuff in. I work full-time and homeschool 2 of my 3 kids (the older one is in college). I am pregnant with #4 and we have a small zoo at our house that demands a lot of time (dogs, cats, lizards, fish, etc.). Fitting in the core subjects often takes over the majority of our school time and art, PE, music, and other subjects that the kids love take a back seat. </blockquote>
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Despite that, my kids HUGELY enjoy art and the expression is allows and are all very creative when given the opportunity. I grew up in that era where art budgets were small and kids who were college bound often had little time for art because their electives were all sucked up by science and math electives. As such, I feel I have little artistic ability and therefore have little skill to pass on to my kids. I know that I am OK at art, in my head, but I definitely try to push those type of lessons off on my husband when I get the chance. He has his Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Design (doesn't he sound more qualified???). That being said, I grumble and grouse by then end of most of our art lessons which isn't fair to the kids who just want to make a mess with some paint and cotton swabs (or whatever our supply of the day happens to be).</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next we were ready to add in our<br />
first layers of color dots.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr94RA7XHx-pGvrMkElFeWamynW4BcT9mes0EBOtEMph64Oz_4F3FV3QU0bPuKWuoN5o1JLcLlhd9fFNSjldPdeCAQQHfNW_UZyNIENGaeHpiimIJKJTLa7dH38Rx2MhexfppcDhkBUJE/s1600/IMG_6241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr94RA7XHx-pGvrMkElFeWamynW4BcT9mes0EBOtEMph64Oz_4F3FV3QU0bPuKWuoN5o1JLcLlhd9fFNSjldPdeCAQQHfNW_UZyNIENGaeHpiimIJKJTLa7dH38Rx2MhexfppcDhkBUJE/s200/IMG_6241.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew Gives it a shot on his pear.</td></tr>
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<b>Lesson 2:</b> Implementing Pointillism<br />
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I was pretty excited to be included in this product review because I am very enthusiastic about anything that draws the art lesson together for me and allows me to sit back and supervise. These lessons did that very well. I felt like a facilitator as opposed to the teacher. I sat the kids in front of the lesson, pulled out the required supplies, and eventually participated alongside them in the lessons so that I stayed engaged and helped them stay engaged. My kids are on the low end of the suggested ages for this DVD as it is recommended for ages 10 and up. Even still, it didn't talk over their heads or get so involved they felt lost at any point. My 9 year old got a tiny bit lost while trying to apply dots and listen to the instructor's directions in the lesson a couple of times. We did rewind it and rewatch a few spots. </div>
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My kids are a little bit of perfectionists and had a little bit of frustration that their versions did not immediately look as nice as the instructors' piece. I kept explaining that she is a Master Artist and we are beginners and that she has done this same exercise many times and we have done it a single time. I think by the end, they were pleased with how theirs turned out and they were talking about "next time" I want to try trees and isn't it neat how God turns tree leaves contrasting colors in the fall. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBQZX2jrtBnin3n0SQJxYod4JGHwWBv5bAC9hFApGq2dJzhdq8haRd1eS4mzh9jaHaAyYbYM0c3XO2d0ZzOgzxq7ArvGPSuFzqKG9mJ2Yj-b-cWf7FdqYNw8t0-C1m-VZz8EpzKB5i0s/s1600/IMG_6245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBQZX2jrtBnin3n0SQJxYod4JGHwWBv5bAC9hFApGq2dJzhdq8haRd1eS4mzh9jaHaAyYbYM0c3XO2d0ZzOgzxq7ArvGPSuFzqKG9mJ2Yj-b-cWf7FdqYNw8t0-C1m-VZz8EpzKB5i0s/s200/IMG_6245.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew finishing up his base layer<br />
of dots.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma trying to decide if she needs<br />
more dots or if she's finished.</td></tr>
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<b>Lesson 2: </b>Implementing Pointillism. </div>
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After sketching and laying the foundation colors in the first two lessons, it was time to add in dimension with some complimentary and contrasting color dots. This is probably about the only time the kids felt a little confusion. I feel like the lesson was explained very well, but that this was one of the concepts that the kids just needed to be a little older to understand. Eventually Matthew caught on to how he was supposed to shade and highlight his picture, but he had already randomly added a bunch of dots all over the place. He got a little frustrated. Again, he was being a little distracted that night and it was something you needed to concentrate on to understand. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids adding in shadows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GYjc2_nwQTk9yUUPhCoNtREPr0twrvtAkerzCDokRRYYwbWWSFWQD8awT71erCQ5f3nte92aEYu_0kM8LHSxuMx8w24OP0i4EFJQqvVnKwWPtvcgpdDZkZXElLzh3xw7ZnMAEZOgwLo/s1600/IMG_6251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GYjc2_nwQTk9yUUPhCoNtREPr0twrvtAkerzCDokRRYYwbWWSFWQD8awT71erCQ5f3nte92aEYu_0kM8LHSxuMx8w24OP0i4EFJQqvVnKwWPtvcgpdDZkZXElLzh3xw7ZnMAEZOgwLo/s200/IMG_6251.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was lots of holding out the<br />
paintings and trying to see the optical<br />
illusions that Seurat used and the<br />
instructor referenced.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Lesson 3: </b>Creating Highlight & Shadow<br />
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During the fourth lesson, we finished up our lesson on Pointillism and Georges Seurat as it applies to color theory. We also finished up our pointillism still life with fruit paintings. By the end of the fourth lesson, the kids saw how the it all fit together and understood the couple of things they were confused on in the middle. They have retained quite a bit of the information about art history and color theory (even without taking notes during the lessons). They explained Pointillism to their grandmother when she visited yesterday when she asked about their paintings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KcZBF_7b1r7OnWZfS2P5zlaBMO1qrEzOrpFcU_u_c0D4ziR56VM2XkYt4kSyOigvsX25XWUSNULhAvsL6k21vK77gfueG20BqCDDhBmADMYovT6EtazgaNEFdNANecw0BwCIOOrNRMo/s1600/IMG_6255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KcZBF_7b1r7OnWZfS2P5zlaBMO1qrEzOrpFcU_u_c0D4ziR56VM2XkYt4kSyOigvsX25XWUSNULhAvsL6k21vK77gfueG20BqCDDhBmADMYovT6EtazgaNEFdNANecw0BwCIOOrNRMo/s200/IMG_6255.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma's finished painting with our<br />
still life "fruit"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBc74AZXQ_tK6Cq50psIIYqX0EdWjr7X1eL1oMgkiGZEdJ5BsR_Gc9WpEKPPEeiBw-_6sG_MlXw7sUli_QosDr_9IA7Okk8PvC_lR_B0KeuqMM59P8QBMxwQYYp0P41-vOoQ6SkFzrKgs/s1600/IMG_6257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBc74AZXQ_tK6Cq50psIIYqX0EdWjr7X1eL1oMgkiGZEdJ5BsR_Gc9WpEKPPEeiBw-_6sG_MlXw7sUli_QosDr_9IA7Okk8PvC_lR_B0KeuqMM59P8QBMxwQYYp0P41-vOoQ6SkFzrKgs/s200/IMG_6257.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's finished painting</td></tr>
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<b>Lesson 4:</b> Filling in the Details<br />
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I should have taken the photos from farther away so that the colors blended better. The illusion of color blending does work at a distance and it was exciting for the kids to see that it did from across the room.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L1T1-ILW3BIdlVpG-dbzp22kjcq7CWiHUxcQ27s96lrRyr06WPK9hA_FqYDHoaxO6wfJtC3D_K2OMyF7ow3zr5w-rn-AGIJwL2m5KSYmX66t3XLFnQMa3LYxiSwoP46ZgDoNEkTpg00/s1600/IMG_6259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L1T1-ILW3BIdlVpG-dbzp22kjcq7CWiHUxcQ27s96lrRyr06WPK9hA_FqYDHoaxO6wfJtC3D_K2OMyF7ow3zr5w-rn-AGIJwL2m5KSYmX66t3XLFnQMa3LYxiSwoP46ZgDoNEkTpg00/s320/IMG_6259.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom's version of Pointillism Still Life with Fruit</td></tr>
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What would I change about it?</h2>
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There isn't a thing I can think of that I would change. I would like to start with the basic art class this year and then progress to the art project set for next year. I love that they have them available as an online option and I plan on learning more about that option as time and money allow. </div>
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I think that the kids at the age they are now will pull plenty of knowledge from the lessons and then definitely could repeat them for high school level art with some extra work thrown in to round out the time to a full credit's worth of work. It's a great value. </div>
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What did Mom think?</h2>
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I thought that over all it was very well done. I enjoyed not having to spend several hours googling and searching at the library to find the background information to implement the same lesson. Plus, I would have made the kids do it in one fell swoop as opposed to spreading it out like the DVD did. The lessons on the DVD were concise and a nice length for the age of my kids. Mrs. Knepley teaches the class concisely and professionally. She commands the kids' attention and even my flighty monkeys paid attention throughout the lesson. An older student could easily double up on the lessons and not feel overwhelmed with information. I think during the middle two lessons, there could have been an intermission period for the kids to work through the painting section a little more slowly. I just paused the DVD when she got ahead of where we were. </div>
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I would love to own both sets that See the Light offers. That would be at least two years worth of art lessons for the kids that eventually they could definitely work through on their own with very minimal adult intervention. </div>
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What did the Kids Think?</h2>
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Matthew (age 12): </h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"I love doing art. I really liked learning how to do art in the style of a famous artist that I have seen in history books and museums. I wish she hadn't said "my friends" so much, that was the only problem I had. I want to try some of the other lessons that we saw on the web-site!"</span></div>
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Emma (age 9): </h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"I liked going through the lessons and finishing my project completely. I liked how it changed from the drawing to adding the base colors to the final piece with all the shadows and highlights. I can't wait to frame it and hang it up in my room."</span></div>
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Find other reviews and opinions of this product and several of their other products at <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/see-the-light/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a></h2>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-25265878238787398052013-10-01T16:19:00.000-04:002013-10-01T16:19:09.124-04:00Mosaic Reviews: Math Mammoth Complete Fourth Grade Math Curriculum (and some great freebies!)<br />
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<h2>
Product at a glance:</h2>
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<ul>
<li><b>Product Received: <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/grade_4.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Math Mammoth Complete Grade 4 Math Curriculum</a> (download)</b></li>
<li><b>Publisher:</b> <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Math Mammoth</a></li>
<li><b>Price:</b> $42.95 (download for both Worktexts and the tests and reviews), $17.95 for printed versions of each text (A & B) and $14.95 for the tests and reviews printed book.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Web-site:</b> <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Math Mammoth</a></li>
<li><b>Facebook Page:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HomeschoolProgramming" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming on Facebook</a></li>
<li><b>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/hsprogramming" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming on Twitter</a></b></li>
<li><b>Ages/grades suggested for: </b>Grades 1 through 6</li>
<li><b>Who can use it?</b> It would be good for homeschoolers or after schoolers (people who are helping their public/private school kids focus on specific skills or weaknesses).</li>
<li><b>Products by this publisher (paraphrased descriptions from their web-site):</b> </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Math Mammoth has two different types of products. First there are the complete curriculums like we received (basically a year's worth of math laid out for you) or in In-depth subject books by topic (ie: fractions, time, geometry). Here's a couple of great graphics to help you understand:</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click here to find more information on Math Mammoth's <br />Full Curriculums: <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete-curriculum.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Full Curriculums</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click here to find more information on Math Mammoth's<br />Blue Series (areas of concentration): <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/blue-series.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blue Series</a></td></tr>
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<b>What problem does this product solve: </b></h2>
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Math Mammoth offers a mastery based program of math curriculum options that are systematic in their approach. They give parents or teachers a nearly hands-off set of math workbooks that many kids can work through without too much help or intervention. They are also downloadable, so if you find out your current math isn't working or you end up teaching your niece and need a math curriculum ASAP, they've got you covered! </div>
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The Product Test:</h2>
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Our family received a download of the Math Mammoth Grade 4 Complete Curriculum with Answer Keys, and Tests & Cumulative Reviews (<a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/grade_4.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Product Page</a>). I was excited as we hadn't dealt with a math curriculum for my fourth grader yet and I was hoping this would be a good fit.</div>
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The downloaded version is full color (which we like very much in our household). The printed books according to the Math Mammoth web-site are black and white. It seems as though my kids prefer the color graphics and lots of pictures to the text-heavy, black and white books that we find in some programs (Saxon, I'm looking at you). I printed out the first half of Work Text A and put it in a binder for Emma. She is not a fan of change and not completely a fan of math, so her initial reactions were a bit negative. The pages are a bit more crowded with information and problems than she is used to dealing with and that also put her off. I think that it has more to do with her grade level than Math Mammoth's program, but it was her major complaint. I know my son had a huge problem jumping from third grade work to fourth grade work for similar reasons. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not exactly a happy mather...</td></tr>
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All that being said, Math Mammoth was great once she started giving it a try. She has a tendency to panic and wants someone sitting right beside her giving her their undivided attention while she's doing math. Although I did still sit with her, I could manage to work on my work while she worked through the majority of the lessons on her own. She was able to read the explanations in the Work Text and begin working through the lesson generally on her own even when it was a new concept. When she was done with lesson, I gave her the answer sheet and let her grade her own work. She loves to play teacher and use the red pen. Afterwards, we would go over the problems she missed and work out where she had went awry.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;">Here are some great positive points to think about:</span></div>
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<li>Math Mammoth offers a both a free sample of 350 worksheets and a week long tour of their products. That can be found <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/worksheets/free.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The sheets can give you a clearer picture of what their books are going to look like before you buy them.</li>
<li>The full Math Mammoth program is relatively inexpensive. For the price of many other company's workbook, you get the whole shebang (full year of work texts, answer sheets, teacher's notes, tests and review). There isn't a teacher guide as such, all the teaching information is included in the work texts so that the kids can go through it on their own.</li>
<li>They have a worksheet generator and dozens of math resources that they recommend if your child needs more review on a topic.</li>
<li>The pdf that you download is an editable document, so in theory, you could use the books completely online or even on a tablet or device. </li>
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What did Mom think about it?</h2>
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I think that it is a very good value for a well laid out curriculum. I like that I can download it once and use it again and again for multiple children (in the same family). The review or concept books are awesome if you finish your regular curriculum early or find out mid-year that it just isn't working. They are way better and more involved than the books that are available from our local teacher supply store. If fractions aren't clicking, just pull out the fraction download and get tons of more material to drive home the concepts.</div>
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I know Emma felt like the lessons were a little long but I tend to want a minimum amount of math every day (at least 30+ minutes). These lessons filled that bill very well. She tends to drag her feet even on topics she understands. So 30 minutes of math for another kids ends up being 50 minutes or more for her. She has the ability, but her attention wanders.</div>
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What Did the Kid Think? </h2>
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Emma (age 9): </h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"I liked the way the lessons were explained but I felt like there were too many problems for each day. I get tired of all that math without a break." (just to reiterate, mom felt like it was an appropriate amount of work per lesson)</span></div>
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Find other reviews and opinions of this product and several of their other products at <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/math-mammoth/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a></h2>
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Don't forget, Maria has some great freebies and so much fantastic information on her blog and in her emails. Sign up <a href="http://www.mathmammoth.com/worksheets/free.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and learn for yourself what is so awesome about Math Mammoth!</h2>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-6369269620307211452013-09-05T11:26:00.000-04:002013-09-05T11:26:37.811-04:00Product Review: Homeschool Programming Inc.'s KidCoder Beginning Web Design<br />
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Product at a glance:</h2>
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<li><b>Product Received: <a href="http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/kidcoder/kidcoder_beginning_web.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming KidCoder Beginning Web Design Course</a></b></li>
<li><b>Publisher:</b> <a href="http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/index.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming, Inc.</a></li>
<li><b>Price:</b> $70.00 for the course alone, $85.00 for the course and instructional videos, or $20.00 with video only. In October, they will off the KidCoder Year Pack which includes KidCoder Beginning Web Design and KidCoder Advanced Web Design together (a full-year of technology curriculum) for $120.00 for the courses along, $145.00 for the courses and instructional videos, or $30.00 for videos only.</li>
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<li><b>Web-site:</b> <a href="http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/index.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming, Inc.</a></li>
<li><b>Facebook Page:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HomeschoolProgramming" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming on Facebook</a></li>
<li><b>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/hsprogramming" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homeschool Programming on Twitter</a></b></li>
<li><b>Ages/grades suggested for: </b>Grade 4 through 12. Younger kids with motivation can possibly handle it. Adults and college age people can use the information to self teach.</li>
<li><b>Who can use it?</b> This program is excellent for homeschoolers. Siblings can reuse the same content without charge because the company supports homeschooling families. From what I have seen of the courses, they would also be fantastic for parents who want to do computer programming as a summer enrichment activity or after schooling activity. I could easily see it being used in co-ops, private schools, or even public schools though teachers of groups would need to purchase a separate course for each student. They do offer group discounts according to their web-site and conditions of use statement.</li>
<li><b>Products by this publisher (paraphrased descriptions from their web-site):</b> </li>
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<li>KidCoder Beginning Web Design is the first semester course in the KidCoder Series. Kids in grades 4-12 will learn to create their own web pages using HTML. </li>
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<li>KidCoder Windows Programming is the first semester course in the KidCoder Visual Basic Series. Kids in grades 6-12 will learn to write graphical Windows programs using the Visual Basic programming language. </li>
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<li> KidCoder Game Programming is the second semester course in the KidCoder Visual Basic Series. It takes your programming to the next level.</li>
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<li>TeenCoder Java Programming is the first semester course in the TeenCoder Java Series. It introduces 9-12th grade students to the Java Programming Language. Students learn to create graphical and console applications using object-oriented design concepts.</li>
<li>TeenCoder Android Programming is the second semester course in the TeenCoder Java Series. Students use their Java knowledge and free Android Developer Tools for Eclipse to write their own mobile applications. </li>
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<li>TeenCoder Windows Programming is the first course in the TeenCoder C# series. It introduces 9th-12th grade students to the C# programming language. Students will learn to create graphical Windows applications using object-oriented design concepts. </li>
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<li> TeenCoder Game Programming is the second semester course in the TeenCoder C# series. It pairs the C# programming language with Microsoft's XNA Game Studio to provide a modern, easy to use game-creation framework. Students will be thrilled to learn how to write their own Windows games from scratch.</li>
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<b>What problem does this product solve (from their web-site): </b></h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Homeschool Programming, Inc. was founded by homeschooling parents who have a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. They have a combined 17+ years of experience in the software industry. A love of computers starts early. Many computer programmers write their first programs in middle school. The courses from Homeschool Programming, Inc. let kids and teens take that important first step towards what could become a lifelong hobby, career, and passion!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It all started when a homeschooled family member wanted to learn computer programming, REAL computer programming and her mom had no idea how to teach her. When their searches for material to teach their relative came up empty, they started writing their own curriculum. They wanted to teach professional programming languages in a fun way that students could understand and non-technical parents could teach.</span><br />
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The Product Test:</h2>
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Our family received a digital version of KidCoder Beginning Web Design Course to try out for several weeks in order to write a fair and honest review. I have a fledgling knowledge of web design having taken an intro to web design class in college about 9 years ago. Although I have not endeavored to write my own page since that class, I understand the fundamentals that are involved in page creation. Looking over the material in KidCoder, it has a very similar feel to the college level class I took. The pacing is even similar. The material parallels that class. While it is written in a tone that kids can relate to with illustrations that kids can enjoy, the material is code line for code line what I studied in that sophomore level college class. What am I trying to say? There is a depth of material covered in this course that you don't usually see in elementary and middle school technology programs. I would venture to say that even in high school level technology classes you may not see this much material. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad letting them work on their web page project.</td></tr>
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Normally, if you order the program from Homeschool Programming, Inc. from their web-site, you receive a physical printed textbook and a CD with the set up programs. To enable the reviewers to have a longer review period, we received a pdf of the book and downloadable set up programs. We also were given web access to the instruction videos that are usually sent out on DVD's and supplement the text book. For the first week or two's lessons, we didn't take advantage of the instructional videos. My husband would read the lessons to the kids (a fourth grade 9-year-old and a seventh grade 12-year-old) and then he would walk them through the activities. In the last couple of weeks (once we took the time to check out the videos), the kids quite honestly don't need our help. They watch the videos while flipping through the book and then will work through much of the activity on their own. Dad really only gets called in when their page doesn't "work" like they expect. For those of you who have done any basic web design, that means Dad just gets called in to proofread.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning to the instructional video.</td></tr>
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With the instructional videos, I really think that ANY parent could use this program to teach their children. A motivated child could easily teach themselves if the parents aren't technologically inclined. The videos are also great for students who need audio or visual aids to learn. My oldest daughter is an audio learner and even though we never homeschooled her, I often had difficulty relating to her learning style as I have always been a visual learner. It was difficult for me to understand that reading the chapter and writing notes wasn't how she needed to study.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shot from Chapter 1 Lesson 4 explaining<br />HTML tools and their benefits and downsides.</td></tr>
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The class is broken into chapters which are broken into lessons, it would be easy to do 4 days a week and complete the class in a semester. It would also be easy to do 2-3 days a week and stretch the class out for the entire school year. This will probably be how we continue after the review is submitted. We have so much material we are going over this year. Aside from Math and History, everything will probably only be done 2-3 times per week. The lessons are quick and engaging enough that my kids did not mind going over 2 or even 3 per day as well. <br />
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I knew when signing up for this review, it would inspire and excite my 12 year old. I was right, he was over the moon at the prospect of gathering enough knowledge to put together his own web-site. What I hadn't counted on was the enthusiasm I have gotten from my 9 year old daughter. She is at least as excited as my son and has already started saving for her web-site domain. She's very worried that someone will steal her "Emma's Fashion" domain before she scrapes together enough to buy it. They took the first few lessons and sketched out a site map of how their pages will link up and spread out. Planning not just the front page but also layers and layers of pages that link to buttons on their homepage.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;">Here are some great positive points to think about:</span><br />
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<li>A great aspect of this product are the tools used for web design. All of the software mentioned is either included or a free download or software that generally comes with most computers (text edit, notepad, web browsers, etc). </li>
<li>The material in the classes are in depth enough to be used for high school credits. Each level of the class is two semesters which equal a full credit of technology if you live in an area where that is required.</li>
<li>There are chapter tests in case you are in a state where you are required to submit scores.</li>
<li>As a parent, you need absolutely no experience to teach this class. There are some great tools that help you get started. Make sure you read the instructions and watch the video tutorials. Overall it is simple and easy to use.</li>
<li>KidCoder is able to be used on Windows or Mac Computers.</li>
<li>It is something that you could absolutely hand over to an 8th or 9th grade student and expect them to run themselves through the entire program with minimal help. </li>
<li>The price is good especially when you consider the material involved. I paid $210 for the textbook (plus tuition, plus gas, plus technology fees) in my college class and I would venture to say that it didn't cover as much as these kids will cover in the full year course that runs $120-$145. </li>
<li>They offer some great resources on their web-site that show you what you're getting yourself into. <a href="http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/samples/demo_videos.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Demo Videos</a> and <a href="http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/samples/sample_pages.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sample Pages</a> will show you how easy the system can be.</li>
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What would I change about it?</h2>
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I honestly can't name a single thing that I would change at the moment. We are 4 chapters in and I've been pleased with the program completely so far. I mean, it's easy to say, "Well, it's pricey!" but in reality, it is not. I paid $700 or more for a very similar class in college and it was less interactive and explanatory. With the videos, it could easily be as pricey as those distance schools that charge $400 or more per year for electives. I think at $120-$145, it's well priced and a good value. </div>
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What did Mom think?</h2>
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I liked the pacing of the class. Even my flighty 9 year old stuck with it throughout the entire lesson (and that was with dad reading aloud to them). Once we tried out the videos, she was definitely on board fully. On an average day, I would guess the material would take about 20-40 minutes per lesson. Some shorter, some longer as the kids build their web-sites. There is a bit of a learning curve in getting everything set up and going. I'm sure it has more to do with my bull-in-a-china-shop method of charging in without reading the FAQ or Getting Started Guide more than the program. My husband came in, gave the Getting Started page a quick once over and had everything humming along in the time it took me to let the bulldogs outside and back in.</div>
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I think my favorite part of the program is just the enthusiasm I have seen in the kids as we worked on the material. They are so excited to decorate their little corner of the World Wide Web with their thoughts and dreams and hobbies. </div>
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Their one disappointment was that the exercises in the book define what the page you are writing does. They didn't want to create a page about Raptors, they wanted more excitement than that. After assuring them that they can apply what they are learning to their own page eventually, they perked back up and have been more self motivated working on this than I have seen them motivated about anything else ever! As an adult, I understand you have to practice before you can soar.</div>
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What did Dad think?</h2>
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It was amazing rereading the history of the internet and the basic terminology of the web, including how to design a web page, KidCoder makes all the steps clear and concise and accounts for numerous operating systems and web browsers. And I got to relive it, with the my children's fresh sets of eyes, my own initial journey onto the web to see how it works. KidCoder provided more help and details then I could have on my own and my kids were cheering at each new lesson and marveling at the progression on their web site devoted to Raptors. They completely forgot they were in class.</div>
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What did the Kids Think?</h2>
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Matthew (age 12): </h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"I think the KidCoder Web Design class is good because it tells you step by step how to write the code for a web-site. Plus, it is teaching you how to plan and design your own web-site and I think it's fantastic. I want to keep studying it so that by the end of the school year, I have my own functioning web-site where I talk about all my hobbies!"</span></blockquote>
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Emma (age 9): </h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"I think it's really cool that kids can learn how to design their own web-sites. I can't wait to keep going in the class and get to the point where I'm actually designing my OWN web-site instead of the practice sites the class teaches. I've even picked out the name for my site and I'm saving my allowance to buy the domain name!"</span></blockquote>
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Find other reviews and opinions of this product and several of their other products at <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/homeschool-programming/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a></h2>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-71481433729238792032013-06-27T01:34:00.002-04:002013-06-27T01:34:56.275-04:00Product Review: Ancient History Go Fish Game by The Classical Historian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Product at a glance:</h2>
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<ul>
<li><b>Product received for this review:</b> <a href="http://www.classicalhistorian.com/ancient-history-go-fish.html" target="_blank">The Classical Historian's Ancient History Go Fish Game</a></li>
<li><b>Publisher:</b> <a href="http://www.classicalhistorian.com/" target="_blank">The Classical Historian</a></li>
<li><b>Price:</b> $11.95</li>
<li><b>Web-site:</b> <a href="http://www.classicalhistorian.com/">http://www.classicalhistorian.com</a></li>
<li><b>Facebook Page:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/classicalhistorian?fref=ts" target="_blank">Classical Historian</a></li>
<li><b>Ages/grades suggested for:</b> Ages 6 and older (some reading required)</li>
<li><b>Who can use it?</b> This is a great product for homeschoolers. It is also useful in the classroom setting for teachers covering Ancient History and want a fun way to reinforce the concepts that have been covered. </li>
<li><b>Other Products made by Classical Historian: </b>Complete curriculum from a Socratic perspective, several other games, California History studies, flashcards, and history textbooks. Some very interesting stuff, take a look!</li>
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<b>What problem does this product solve: </b></h2>
I know as a homeschool mom, I'm always looking for new ways to engage my kids with the materials and subjects that we are covering for school. I am constantly asking myself, "How can I clarify this topic?" or "How can I stuff more understanding into their heads?" Games are always their favorite way of reviewing a subject.<br />
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So far, in our 2+ years of schooling at home, we have covered mostly American History. We received for review the Ancient History Go Fish Game. We all thought that was pretty cool since we had not formally covered any of the topics in our deck. The topics included:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">1. Prehistory</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">2. Ancient Asia</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">3. Mesopotamia</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">4. Ancient Hebrews</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">5. Ancient Egypt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">6. Ancient Greece</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">7. Roman Republic</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">8. Roman Empire</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">9. Native American Homes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">10. Political Leaders</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">11. Seven Continents</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">12. Rivers of Early Civilizations</span></blockquote>
Out of those, we had only covered Native American Homes and the Seven Continents.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxlA5SfA67kKcM7otfdlDrboLuJhyvjjc4kNk-rA3G9wsULAeiSKEQgZPtEo_NoNwO2ASShyphenhyphenpZCVK69bIxdwqlYAEMo-ENKFxuHPT0dfylk2YZve1w2HsweZmC9LpRYasirKh3kSIXc0/s1600/IMG_4546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxlA5SfA67kKcM7otfdlDrboLuJhyvjjc4kNk-rA3G9wsULAeiSKEQgZPtEo_NoNwO2ASShyphenhyphenpZCVK69bIxdwqlYAEMo-ENKFxuHPT0dfylk2YZve1w2HsweZmC9LpRYasirKh3kSIXc0/s320/IMG_4546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma and Dad take the early lead.</td></tr>
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The box had 4 cards for each of those topics as well as rules for 4 different games. The games are:<br />
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<li>Go Fish</li>
<li>Chronology</li>
<li>Geography</li>
<li>Collect the Cards</li>
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We have played the Go Fish game and worked on Collect the Cards. Since we don't know the material very well (at least the kids do not), it really amounted to taking turns reading the hints and then giving each other the answer. However, after the first time, each of the kids were claiming cards every couple turns. They were retaining the information just from playing the game! We haven't studied or read books or even filled out worksheets and timelines. They were learning from JUST playing the game. </div>
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When it came time to type out this review, I couldn't find the game. I searched in a panic looking high and low all over the tables and shelves in the room where we had played just the night before. Here's where it was: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifK2Z8dTPkelSZreQNUgcSLRAjlGw9I38ddz1469flvvuVv7r51Q4GMRNbn5YMLnj79Vk5cv7SgB_jPYzEOdCHgmJavB-UKoAlMtoL6mukBLZt_Qhs2TflROxnJ2xP0HW54F7V6HngXTw/s1600/IMG_4553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifK2Z8dTPkelSZreQNUgcSLRAjlGw9I38ddz1469flvvuVv7r51Q4GMRNbn5YMLnj79Vk5cv7SgB_jPYzEOdCHgmJavB-UKoAlMtoL6mukBLZt_Qhs2TflROxnJ2xP0HW54F7V6HngXTw/s320/IMG_4553.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Yes, that is a backpack shaped like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Shell. It is indeed stuffed to the brim with Bionicles, Battle Beasts, a pair of epipens, and twelve pounds of action figures and there, on top of it all, Matthew pulls out the Ancient History Go Fish Game. "Oh yeah, I took it to work with us today, Mom. I thought we might get a chance to play it if we finished our regular school stuff."</div>
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{{A little background, A.) The kids go to work with us 2-3 days a week and B.) They haven't finished all of their class work from this school year, so they are still working at least 3 days a week until it is complete.}}</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew starts to catch some matches.</td></tr>
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What did Mom think?</h2>
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I liked the content of the games. I liked the ease of game play and the quick rule cards. Each game only has a single card front of rules. The game is fantastic for reviewing the topics you have already covered and touching on the topics you have not hit yet. It also makes a great year in review game.</div>
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What would I change? </h2>
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I might narrow the time period to specifics. For instance, we are studying American Colonization. I would love a set just for that. Other narrower topics that come to mind: Explorers, The Civil War, Reconstruction, The Industrial Revolution, World War I & II, etc. The games they currently make are great for a year in review type game time, but I think it would be a great help to have a smaller chunk of time covered in a game. </div>
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What did Matthew think?</h2>
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I won! I loved it! It was a very neat game but I think I will like it even better after we have studied more Ancient History.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu99UBxQKqVEMWyqPyKG3oqKyQOO8IQc5PYvXnp1li3WTIsL8JI0i4Niszq9IIY6zSgbL5EcCSwEYk1eqWsTzxtOpLwOKejZjfTc_krZmWK4W2N63XsazRbjWy_9cRayM31rUqF7sXNE/s1600/IMG_4547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu99UBxQKqVEMWyqPyKG3oqKyQOO8IQc5PYvXnp1li3WTIsL8JI0i4Niszq9IIY6zSgbL5EcCSwEYk1eqWsTzxtOpLwOKejZjfTc_krZmWK4W2N63XsazRbjWy_9cRayM31rUqF7sXNE/s320/IMG_4547.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma is working on her grace when <br />things do not go her way.</td></tr>
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What did Emma think?</h2>
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I want to play it more times so that I can beat Matthew! He just got lucky at the end of the game and caught all those matches! {{Like I said, we're working on grace.}}</div>
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<h4>
For other perspectives and reviews of other great history games by Classical Historian, go to <a href="http://www.mosaicreviews.com/" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a> and read to your hearts content. Also, we're having a Facebook party on Friday, June 28th, 2013 at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MosaicReviews" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews Facebook page!</a> I'm sure there will be some great giveaways and some great advice! Go check it out!</h4>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-22065461015931877362013-06-14T01:04:00.002-04:002013-06-14T01:04:37.681-04:00Product Review: How Do We Know God is Really There? by Melissa Cain Travis and illustrated by Christopher Voss<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ulTE3g72l-_Cehr2Qeymo1l1PogCXTQcx61hj4zO1Xpw4AT-Ry9F1wj_MgCaoJr5T6RS5V9KVgv3h63m-EMpnJM6fhAPlJ3AHdhRikpEKf1wK0oPDmG7y3DZWDAAqNGSWF4Sl8VzPvE/s1600/IMG_4515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ulTE3g72l-_Cehr2Qeymo1l1PogCXTQcx61hj4zO1Xpw4AT-Ry9F1wj_MgCaoJr5T6RS5V9KVgv3h63m-EMpnJM6fhAPlJ3AHdhRikpEKf1wK0oPDmG7y3DZWDAAqNGSWF4Sl8VzPvE/s320/IMG_4515.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Product at a glance:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Product: <a href="http://shop.apologia.com/books/367-how-do-we-know-god-is-really-there-.html" target="_blank">How Do We Know God Is Really There? by Melissa Cain Travis</a> and illustrated by Christopher Voss</li>
<li>Publisher: <a href="http://www.apologia.com/index.asp?proc=pg&pg=1" target="_blank">Apologia Educational Ministries</a></li>
<li>Price: $16.00</li>
<li>Web-site: <a href="http://www.apologia.com/index.asp?proc=pg&pg=1" target="_blank">Apologia Educational Ministries</a></li>
<li>Facebook Page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/apologiaworld</a></li>
<li>Ages/grades suggested for: Any age. If you have a pre-reader or emergent reader it's a great read aloud. If you have a 2nd-3rd grade reader, they can handle it with help.</li>
<li>Who can use it? This book is Christian based but is great for everyone. Homeschooler, public schooler, Sunday School teachers, anyone who wants to strengthen their child's belief in God.</li>
</ul>
<b>What problem does this product solve: </b><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As parents, we fight a constant battle against the world for our children's hearts and souls. They have friends who spread falsehood, they hear beliefs at school that conflict with what they have been taught at home, maybe they even hear it at family members houses. This book can give parents a way to open a dialog with their children about their belief in God and their concerns or doubts. </span></li>
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I know as an adult, I've questioned my faith and my belief in God on occasion. I don't remember doing so as a child, but if I had, I had a strong Christian grandma that would have had the exact answer to my disbelief. She knew the bible and was unwavering in her faith. I completely believe in God but I don't have that encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible that my Grandma did. I also have trouble starting that conversation with the kids. This little book gave me that opening with the kids. It's funny, my twelve-year-old has a very solid belief in God and rarely questions that belief. My nine-year-old is a little like her mother and does have questions and hears the negative things people say when they are non-believers. She really needed to have those conversations and this book helped us get them started. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjT4g0ZZTacikpClwN8eA7aSJ8-TesbOrJZwEkl6jsMiCF9mOJSWmI0ZEeRNdpf9L3go9BFCjLjQCtQu10XejY6nF-Gzr5EG8iqqIrGJL9wxVjS76fX2dqOVALaVSLSYASSmYBVe5-vI/s1600/IMG_4516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjT4g0ZZTacikpClwN8eA7aSJ8-TesbOrJZwEkl6jsMiCF9mOJSWmI0ZEeRNdpf9L3go9BFCjLjQCtQu10XejY6nF-Gzr5EG8iqqIrGJL9wxVjS76fX2dqOVALaVSLSYASSmYBVe5-vI/s320/IMG_4516.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas and his dad</td></tr>
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<h2>
What do I like about this book?</h2>
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<u>How Do We Know God Is Really There?</u> by Melissa Cain Travis and illustrated by Christopher Voss is a sweet little picture book for kids and parents to share. The illustrations are simple and colorful and make the book very approachable. The story is about a dad and his son sharing a conversation about God in the context of studying the universe through a telescope. It's a sweet story and as I said before, it can really start a very important conversation between you and your kids. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the beautiful art from later in the book.</td></tr>
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What would I change? </h2>
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I don't think I would change a thing. The book is well-written, beautifully illustrated, and well paced to keep the kids interested without getting them too excited (like at bed time). </div>
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What did Mom and the kids think?</h2>
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We loved sharing this book. It was sweet and thought provoking. I think that many of us feel like our kids share our belief in God because that is what we have always taught them. We live in denial about the impact that people from outside our family can have on those convictions that we feel are so completely ingrained. <u>How Do We Know God is Really There?</u> helped us to open the dialog about other things our kids have heard about God and his existence so that we can reinforce our values and our faith. It is a great tool to combat the Godlessness of the world that we are all confronted with every day.</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-75890851650522697272013-05-23T01:31:00.000-04:002013-05-23T01:31:31.342-04:00Product Review: My Home School Grades <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwzVJHaBM9edPkFJerH73JgdkgtYJwz0m6t6KN9arzjRdcmGTff-3XpSv6FLZyHSrjoBeCjUXamm06_yHKJrOQnVIZgB39O-9pMj8iW2P2CLenpIWzY4cbpSCts_HmIqZgJtv4so1SQY/s1600/MHSG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwzVJHaBM9edPkFJerH73JgdkgtYJwz0m6t6KN9arzjRdcmGTff-3XpSv6FLZyHSrjoBeCjUXamm06_yHKJrOQnVIZgB39O-9pMj8iW2P2CLenpIWzY4cbpSCts_HmIqZgJtv4so1SQY/s640/MHSG.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Product at a glance:</h2>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Product received for review: </li>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/" target="_blank">My Home School Grades Lifetime Membership</a></li>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Price: Lifetime membership for all the kids in your family only $49.99. Try it free for 14 days to make sure it's a good fit for your family <a href="http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/sign-up" target="_blank">here</a> (no credit card required). The Lifetime membership includes any improvements and upgrades. This is for ANY number of kids. It can be very economical, especially for a big family!</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Web-site: <a href="http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/" target="_blank">http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/</a></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyHomeSchoolGrades" target="_blank">My Home School Grades</a></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Ages/grades suggested for: This is a tool for mom or dad. A competent upper class man could handle the responsibility if they were a motivated student. </li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Who can use it? Mainly a tool for homeschoolers. I could possibly see other parents using it to keep track of a busy public/private school students activities and awards outside of school.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span></div>
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What problem does this product solve?: </h2>
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<li>What problem does this product solve?</li>
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<li>There is a need for a simple to use, multi-platform grade tracking system for homeschoolers. It should include the ability to track grades, extra-curricular activities, and awards as well as which subjects and classes each student has completed. At the end of it all, hopefully it will generate a transcript that can help your student apply to colleges and universities.</li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"Founded in 2012, My Home School Grades was born out of the need to gather in one place all the information about your family’s home school experience and to help manage and then export that content in a relevant, user friendly way." ~Publisher's website</span></span></li>
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<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">How will this product help solve that problem? </li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">John Echols and Jordan Shute have developed a system of tracking grades and creating transcripts. John homeschools his kids and Jordan is a homeschool graduate who taught himself how to create web-pages. With their backgrounds, they have an innate knowledge of what homeschoolers need in a grade recording/transcript creating application.</span></span></li>
<li>With a clean and simple interface and clear, understandable directions, it cuts through the complicated side of things and just lets you get started with your grade tracking.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span></div>
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I consider myself a novice in homeschooling. I've only been doing this for two years and I quite honestly have no idea what I'm doing some days. Worse still, I have no idea what my kids are doing some days and that is where the stress begins. I have a third grader (ok, no problem, she's got 9 more years to learn it all, 6 more years before stuff "gets real" if you know what I mean). Then I have this sixth grader...ugh, he'll be in seventh grade before long! And all of a sudden stuff is real! Within 4-5 years, I'm going to be helping him send high school transcripts to colleges to apply! I'm going to need to keep up with what his grades were, which subjects he's completed and when and what subjects he still needs to cover. Planning, grading, transcript crafting! Ugh! I don't have my teaching certification, I'm not a guidance counselor, HOW am I going to make this work? </div>
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Over my two years of homeschooling, I have tried out and bought probably 5 different lesson planning/grade tracking/transcript making programs. In these programs and apps, I don't believe I have ever gotten past the create a subject section before. I can usually (not always) create a student and enter our school name information. Then it comes to the 14 pages of creating a subject and entering the materials and the lesson names and...whew! I'm out. I can't get any farther! Something crashes or there is some indecipherable jargon that only makes sense if you have your Masters in education and I'm done. I ask my husband to look at it and he promises he will, but not tonight and it's over. I never get past that point. </div>
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My Home School Grades is different. No really! It is. I watched a couple short videos <a href="http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/support/video" target="_blank">here</a> and I figured it out. Honestly, I didn't watch the videos until I started working on the review post, just to make sure I didn't miss anything. It's simple to use, easy to figure out (NO SERIOUSLY, <u style="font-weight: bold;">I</u> figured it out) and it works very well. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Step 1: Add Students. Input their names, grade levels and even upload photos.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qbv0t8tpfWsRSsYKKuSGBMOSosqY4dStJQWkDS71Ya3MaPUfIWv53SWs5SSqa2ivT1nlZDXM36gemS13NzHuVEHFN45vnA9LE0RxBkvVZmDubyiAkrfL-xuI7fLA469QoSyWWEhWde4/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.44.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qbv0t8tpfWsRSsYKKuSGBMOSosqY4dStJQWkDS71Ya3MaPUfIWv53SWs5SSqa2ivT1nlZDXM36gemS13NzHuVEHFN45vnA9LE0RxBkvVZmDubyiAkrfL-xuI7fLA469QoSyWWEhWde4/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.44.51+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Step 2: Open one of the students and click the "Add Class" button. Enter the information you'd like to identify the class. Note the "Choose Publisher" menu. Some publishers' share their lesson plans with My Home School Grades so that the lessons are pre-entered for your subject. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleMGWef_3e3eFaelnpWK21Wz-FXY2ygZkQImhA7NY9HMdslSSAwVej-PahFZ_JEngaOCtFmDrF7P6bOqCAej8xnb6QsbtRV2de_aPXJ5OYxevKxbNWh5Rs4PRFPZ3qStpgz7QCnYR4nw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.48.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleMGWef_3e3eFaelnpWK21Wz-FXY2ygZkQImhA7NY9HMdslSSAwVej-PahFZ_JEngaOCtFmDrF7P6bOqCAej8xnb6QsbtRV2de_aPXJ5OYxevKxbNWh5Rs4PRFPZ3qStpgz7QCnYR4nw/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.48.43+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Here's a picture showing some of the publishers:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p1yIafjjCo9MOy4NprIwI17R5JLZWPWkoud1tBSNJzFRDT-51eVa0I0k0uZm_99hYsv8mpHMPspqT0lICi1f-Sxrhrh2HayQZ7e9s0Fnk-qvKCWB-aNxzmTeQ6ezTC4G1PfttrFUOlY/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.54.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p1yIafjjCo9MOy4NprIwI17R5JLZWPWkoud1tBSNJzFRDT-51eVa0I0k0uZm_99hYsv8mpHMPspqT0lICi1f-Sxrhrh2HayQZ7e9s0Fnk-qvKCWB-aNxzmTeQ6ezTC4G1PfttrFUOlY/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.54.18+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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For instance, we use Math U See for math this year. Here's an example of choosing them as the company and Gamma as the level. I've also entered some grades for show:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeC96HD66ngNpoSPot1Yqf_WPBhz9vBquXAEuadV5em3rC6P1ZjF706UVuUedQWjyJrmESk1Xfw-DBzQZ2FikZrR0IYKhNsBcqDYCL1AaZFBEvd4FSLvp4QSgdJNJ30Bgfs82Oaf-OT0/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.06.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeC96HD66ngNpoSPot1Yqf_WPBhz9vBquXAEuadV5em3rC6P1ZjF706UVuUedQWjyJrmESk1Xfw-DBzQZ2FikZrR0IYKhNsBcqDYCL1AaZFBEvd4FSLvp4QSgdJNJ30Bgfs82Oaf-OT0/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+11.06.01+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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All of the lesson information was pre-loaded and ready to fill in. All I needed to enter were the grades. Those I can enter in nearly any format: 15/16 or 96 or A-. In my account preferences I can choose how I'd like the information to be shown whether it's numerical values, letter grade or 4.0 or 5.0 scale. </div>
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My Home School Grades also let's you keep track of extracurricular activities and awards. Here is a sample of those screens:</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1NuZQSuj90gqVa10orcCCDEHQIBX6imRyeoMN-13bCH5kK2HjmQ3ZToxcu920hMA14-Wt3Z0gLn0ykUnTCKMb7Uuy9ikoPQTI5-eq8mBjtGZlogLVfrEMLeM5IKhrKNxffPp2aZkDxk/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+2.51.52+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Creation Screen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CpqgEmLWdSe3D-K8tg0Oz2269AGPdJu8GyF7zbeL2gMT0-3gawQewZ_aGuJhlpEAxLrGQFLZqznkIzcZWb68icxfQ0G3puXYFhyphenhyphenbBdVCEBRXy5YG3GRyvuflT77XRQx9aiWungA7as4/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+2.53.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CpqgEmLWdSe3D-K8tg0Oz2269AGPdJu8GyF7zbeL2gMT0-3gawQewZ_aGuJhlpEAxLrGQFLZqznkIzcZWb68icxfQ0G3puXYFhyphenhyphenbBdVCEBRXy5YG3GRyvuflT77XRQx9aiWungA7as4/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+2.53.01+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Finished Product<br /></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As you can see, there is a section for awards. So in the case of Taekwondo, I can note each time she earns her belt or wins a tournament. By the time she is in high school, it will be an impressive list of accomplishments. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">While I am homeschooling two, my third child is 23 and in college. I can remember in her junior and senior year, we scrambled to remember what awards she had won and which years she had won them in for various college and scholarship applications. It added more stress to an already stressful time. I don't know about you guys, but when I look at a blank college app, I panic and my mind goes blank. All that goes through my head is my voice screaming how inadequate I am for this school. When #2 starts to fill those out, we'll have this covered! No memory lapse, no panic attack, you queue up My Home School Grades, click generate transcript and BOOM! There it is!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgV2vt7veb7nUTe1jgeYGtkSBOjitBZJNokVMLxB8xJy0Ivo497yEmohjdKFS-qx-oka8T0j-50wCX3bGaaUB7nFn_rSMfHzren4_WRh_lzrpQctEvcAYwrlCZHC5vuPaW02i8mKbB1M/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+2.57.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgV2vt7veb7nUTe1jgeYGtkSBOjitBZJNokVMLxB8xJy0Ivo497yEmohjdKFS-qx-oka8T0j-50wCX3bGaaUB7nFn_rSMfHzren4_WRh_lzrpQctEvcAYwrlCZHC5vuPaW02i8mKbB1M/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-22+at+2.57.08+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The web-site has a great example with more detail than my third grader's example here. Check it out by clicking this <a href="http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/learn-more" target="_blank">link to page</a>. This is a direct link to just the <a href="http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/assets/sample-transcript.pdf" target="_blank">sample</a>. The page has some great information, so definitely look at it as well as the sample.</span></div>
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The creators of My Home School Grades have been fantastic. They answer their phones. They answer their email. They have a curriculum suggestion box. If you use something they don't already have lesson plans detailed in the system, they will contact the publisher and try to arrange adding it to the system. I don't want to mislead you, many publishers consider that information as proprietary, but there are many that do not. We were lucky on a few of the pieces of our curriculum (Math and LA) less lucky on our history program and science. While I was a little sad, I was more excited because that meant I only had to enter half as much stuff as I would have had to enter on the other programs. You know, those programs that I couldn't make work. When the publisher does cooperate, it takes just a day or two for it to pop up in the system!</div>
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They are responsive to requests for new functionality and have literally added dozens of little things that we (the reviewers) have suggested to them. </div>
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What did mom think about My Homeschool Grades?</h2>
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In the two years that we have been traveling this path, we have learned a lot through trial and error. I am really thankful that <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a> gave me the chance to learn about this product. After the last failed attempt at using lesson planning and transcript producing software, I had kind of given up the search for something that would work for us. While I haven't undertaken entering the entire school year, the information I have started with has been amazingly easy to enter and manipulate within the system. I really think that this is a solution that will continue to work for our family. Through elementary, middle, and high school, I can see that this will be an indispensable tool for getting our kids to the future they dream of, whether that is college, apprenticeship, or trade school. It might even keep my life from being even more Filled With Crazy!<br />
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I almost forgot, it works great on mobile devices, phones, ipads, tablets, you name it, if it can browse the web on it, you can run this software on it! It's so easy. Any platform too: Mac, PC, Linux, whatever can run a web-browser, can run this software. So when you're waiting for music lessons to be over, you can enter math grades for the week or add in field trips for the month.</div>
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What do the kids think about My Homeschool Grades?</h2>
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Admittedly, the kids didn't have much access or opinion on this one. The little one likes not having "grades" yet and the sixth grader thought I might let him make up his own grades. </div>
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<b>Emma</b>: "I don't like it. Grades are gross!"</div>
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<b>Matthew</b>: "Huh? What's it do? Can I put my own grades in? I'M REALLY SMART MOM!"</div>
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Check out what my fellow reviewers thought about this product <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. They will post on Friday, May 24th. See dozens of different opinions of the product to help you create a clear picture of how this product may work in your family.<br />
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I received a life-time subscription to My Home School Grades for review purposes. I received no other compensation and a positive review was not guaranteed. </div>
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#My Home School Grades</div>
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#Mosaicreviews</div>
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#Filledwithcrazy</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-74821950942749048932013-05-15T16:47:00.003-04:002013-05-15T16:58:14.543-04:00Product Review: Waterproof Bible from Bardin & Marsee Publishing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAh6mjJluKtAVbuSwWqheeVk7othe9j0AniziMOpDj_5cT__lwpDU1ZG9HuXrjmanmxZfOIXaEOJTtDYoNJYpHbcVGcYQo4-KurFl4kpgjoBSOZhr3Yt93nGp3RCN2wTp9D8s97uJoRw/s1600/ESV+WATERPROOF+PINK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAh6mjJluKtAVbuSwWqheeVk7othe9j0AniziMOpDj_5cT__lwpDU1ZG9HuXrjmanmxZfOIXaEOJTtDYoNJYpHbcVGcYQo4-KurFl4kpgjoBSOZhr3Yt93nGp3RCN2wTp9D8s97uJoRw/s320/ESV+WATERPROOF+PINK.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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Product at a glance:</div>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Product received for review: </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/p-74-esv-waterproof-biblebrnt-ps-pr.aspx" target="_blank">ESV Waterproof Bible New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs</a></li>
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</blockquote>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Publisher: <a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/" target="_blank">Bardin & Marsee Publishing</a></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Price: $24.95 for the New Testament with Psalms & Proverbs and the full Bible is $44.95</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Web-site: <a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/" target="_blank">www.bardinmarsee.com/</a></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Other Products: Full Bibles and Extended New Testament Bibles all in their great waterproof versions, accessories for highlighting your Bible, and even index page markers, all weather journals, dry highlighters. </li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Ages/grades suggested for: All ages.</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Who can use it? Anyone who wants a more durable Bible; one that can take a camping trip or pool-side afternoon. Great for kids who are active and tough on their Bibles.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">What problem does this product solve?: </li>
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<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">You're on the go and outside being active and you need a Bible that will hold up to your busy, messy, outdoor life.</li>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">How will this product help solve that problem (quoted from the publisher's site): </li>
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<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">"The Waterproof Bible and THE OUTDOOR BIBLE originate from our desire to take God's word into all of His creation, regardless of the weather or circumstances. That is why they are completely waterproof, dry quickly, are much stronger than paper, are usable with writing utensils (ball point pen, pencil, or dry highlighter), and adapt well to all extremes or reading environments (on a rainy campout, in a coffee shop, even in a hot tub!). Just as a frog lives on land and in water, the Waterproof Bible and THE OUTDOOR BIBLE thrive in any situation or climate."</span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Bardin & Marsee Publishing's Waterproof Bible is a great, durable tough little bible. Although we are not the camping, outdoorsy types that this Bible was intended for, I still love it. I have always felt like regular Bibles are delicate and fragile. I worry that I will tear pages and spill coffee on my Bible and I have torn pages in my Bible just by turning pages or the bible slipping out of my hand and trying to catch it.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I often don't take it with us when we travel because of worrying about it getting damaged. I would never throw my regular Bible in my purse and carry it around Disney World for fear that it would get destroyed by the stuff in my purse or the inevitable water rides that the kids drag me on. However, that's just what I did this week. It has survived 16 hour days at the bottom of a purse stuffed with water bottles, sunscreen, leaking Coke bottles and several kids' pin collections! It's done great! Not one ding, tear or scratched up pages AND the Coke rinsed right off! </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I often feel like my kids lose part of what we're reading when we read the Bible together because I'm trying to teach them to be gentle and careful with the pages and the book. I spend 1/3 of our time saying things like "Don't be so rough when you're flipping the pages!" "Don't lick your finger to flip the page!" "Watch out! Don't let that spilled juice get on the Bible!" The Waterproof Bible removes much of that worry and stress from our Bible lessons. If you look at the picture below, my husband is holding the weight of the bible with a single page. Now, this is the small version (just New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs) not the full Bible. I haven't ordered the full size version yet, but I plan on it soon. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOeCHOowCxjRIIgeLR6zbAQa575YD6Ks56IleMCFOgYUd8oOoprXndF6sKvjpJtGUWPQQ6RU91eW8lqts7hK4IC7ba8KSogWDDLK401Y5ATBPAA39GqH7RkUGR_ZvxkF7jIH75VEWoPU/s1600/IMG_4366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOeCHOowCxjRIIgeLR6zbAQa575YD6Ks56IleMCFOgYUd8oOoprXndF6sKvjpJtGUWPQQ6RU91eW8lqts7hK4IC7ba8KSogWDDLK401Y5ATBPAA39GqH7RkUGR_ZvxkF7jIH75VEWoPU/s200/IMG_4366.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Here are some great features of this Bible:</div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">It floats.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The pages are plastic, so they are very durable.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Stain resistant</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Mud resistant</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Wipes off easily</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Holds up to being shoved in a messenger bag with suntan lotion, leaking Cokes and sweaty water bottles.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Impervious to water based dyes and food coloring.</li>
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The Waterproof Bible is available in 5 different translations with 3 different cover choices in each. You can also choose between the full Bible or an extended New Testament version (includes Psalms and Proverbs).</div>
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Translations available include: </div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/c-18-kjv-king-james-version-waterproof-bibles.aspx" target="_blank">King James Version (KJV)</a> </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/c-28-nkjv-new-king-james-version-waterproof-bibles.aspx" target="_blank">New King James Version (NKJV)</a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/c-20-esv-english-standard-version-waterproof-bibles.aspx" target="_blank">English Standard Version (ESV)</a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/c-19-nlt-new-living-translation-waterproof-bibles.aspx" target="_blank">New Living Translation (NLT)</a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/c-17-niv-new-international-version-waterproof-bibles.aspx" target="_blank">New International Version (NIV) 2011 version</a></li>
</ul>
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There are three available cover: blue, pink, or (tree bark) camo:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><img alt="Show Picture 3" border="0" height="40" src="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/images/product/micro/9781609690120_3.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; cursor: pointer; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="40" /> <img alt="Show Picture 3" border="0" height="40" src="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/images/product/micro/9781609690137_3.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; cursor: pointer; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="40" /> <img alt="Show Picture 3" border="0" height="40" src="http://www.bardinmarsee.com/images/product/micro/9781609690144_3.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; cursor: pointer; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="40" /></span></div>
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Bibles always seem pricey to me, but this one is much less expensive than many of the versions I've been debating on. Some of them were over $100. I would love to see them eventually add a Women's Study Bible or something similar but for now, I'll settle for the regular version.</div>
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Since I'm blogging from Disney World right now (yes, it is a rough life). I will post some pictures of our Bible's trip to the resort pool at Kidani Village in Animal Kingdom as soon as I get my little pin obsessed traders away from the "King Pin" trader in the lobby. </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
What did mom think about the Waterproof Bible?</h2>
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I love it. It's a great durable Bible that I can let my kids be kids with. I don't have to outlaw taking our Bible on our nature hikes and I don't have to worry about someone falling in a puddle or creek when we do go. This Bible can stand up to it all! I probably won't take it to the pool as a regular habit, but I love being able to carry it in my purse or bag.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
What do the kids think about the Waterproof Bible?</h2>
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<b>Emma</b>: "I think this is the greatest thing that was ever made!" </div>
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<b>Matthew</b>: "It's pretty good. I don't have to listen to Mom growl at me to be gentle. I like that!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0uxji9saEeyQr8F26LaQOdXCk31ZMdCbqsLs0oyO6JAypZrI4xBxKJTn1d2ZXyU73buO5Tq4Ch5GV47Bu1qmJ7p7R9QX1SHOzS2OB1renMw4j3Z45QBD5-ED9g6YBuWTYrBXr2hyphenhyphen8Xs/s1600/Mosaicreview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0uxji9saEeyQr8F26LaQOdXCk31ZMdCbqsLs0oyO6JAypZrI4xBxKJTn1d2ZXyU73buO5Tq4Ch5GV47Bu1qmJ7p7R9QX1SHOzS2OB1renMw4j3Z45QBD5-ED9g6YBuWTYrBXr2hyphenhyphen8Xs/s400/Mosaicreview.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I received a free copy of an ESV Waterproof Bible New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs in exchange for my honest review. I did not receive any other form of compensation. Your opinion of the product may differ from mine.</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-67179446719602509912013-04-28T12:25:00.004-04:002013-04-29T01:12:27.146-04:00Product Review: Spanish for You! Language Curriculum<br />
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Product at a glance:</div>
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</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li><a href="http://www.spanish-for-you.net/purchase-curriculum.html" target="_blank">Spanish for You! Text Book</a> (physical book)</li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>30 Week Lesson Guides for Grades 3-4 (PDF download)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>24 Week Lesson Guides for Grades 5-6 (PDF download)</li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>24 Week Lesson Guides for Grades 7-8 (PDF download)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Dozens of Self-Checking Worksheets per grade level (PDF download) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Flashcard/activity pictures (PDF download) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Estaciones Audio MP3's </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Estaciones Native Spanish Speaker Audio MP3's</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Publisher: <a href="http://www.spanish-for-you.net/index.html" target="_blank">Spanish for You</a></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Price: $64.95 for the full program, some of the other programs (Viajes has a 4 or 6 week trial for $10-$13), this includes three different lesson plans for Grades 3-4, Grades 5-6, and Grades 7-8. If you only need a single grade, it is even less expensive. For $39.95, you can grab a single one of any of those lesson plans and the softcover text book.</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Web-site: <a href="http://www.spanish-for-you.net/index.html" target="_blank">Spanish for You!</a> </li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Other Products: </li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Ages/grades suggested for: Grades 3-8. Younger students could work through some of the material with help and older students can learn plenty in the upper level lessons</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Who can use it? Homeschoolers, co-op teachers, classroom teachers, moms who want to enhance their child's regular education.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">What problem does this product solve?: </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">We had the opportunity to have a teleconference with the creator of this program, Mrs. Debbie Annett, MSEd. She talked about some of the goals that were behind her development of this curriculum:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Flexibility in scheduling classes or working on the language at home.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Ability to teach multiple levels together and to fold in students with little experience into a group who have had previous classes.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Simple and effective to use, but provided the opportunity to accomplish a lot of learning without spending a lot of money. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Something that was easy to use and something that either students can use alone or a parent with little Spanish experience can use alone.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">How will this product help solve that problem?: </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mrs. Annett created themed units that can teach the beginner as well as a student with some Spanish experience. These units cover basics without tons of overlap by covering their themes: Estaciones (seasons), Fiestas (celebrations) and the soon to be released Viajes (travels). Her program allows new students to begin the study while still allowing experienced students to progress in their language learning.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"> </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;">Spanish for You! includes two sets of audio files (her spoken set and a set of audios from a native Spanish speaker)</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Spanish for You! Estaciones uses a mix of book lessons, audio lessons, worksheets, flashcard creation, and dozens of games (<a href="http://www.spanish-for-you.net/curriculum-activities.html" target="_blank">here's</a> a link to many of them). Kids learn better when they have the opportunity to apply the new words and concepts they learn through games and speaking the language as well as listening and repeating the language of experienced speakers. This is how we learned to speak our native language as toddlers and how we will be successful learning a new language now.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I took two years of Spanish in high school. I had the most wonderful teacher; she was a thoughtful, funny, engaging woman. She really tried to engrain the language on our teenage minds. Her one flaw was that she had the most sweetest of southern twangs and try as she might, by the end of class we all had that same slow southern drawl. I still remember a good bit of the language from those classes which is a testament to how well I was taught, but I also still have that southern drawl as well. I have joked about it before, but when I started listening to the audio lessons included with Spanish for You!, it really brought to light how many of my pronunciations were more than a small bit off. I also speak it very slowly...VERY SLOWLY, in the South, there's no need to hurry, even with a language that tends to be spoken in the rapid staccato of a machine gun, right?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJQher4q-t1FUX7TtSIO7BcncpBbTchmjHTPPxR4zeOytC34jdMpeJTDMTvStbA42H5DDuHmLa4YPHcCBKGRlpVm_PrhCaYB7pPFZkippgWwbNdTQavMD4YWEouy5pTKVVjgdbfBA2c8/s1600/IMG_3890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJQher4q-t1FUX7TtSIO7BcncpBbTchmjHTPPxR4zeOytC34jdMpeJTDMTvStbA42H5DDuHmLa4YPHcCBKGRlpVm_PrhCaYB7pPFZkippgWwbNdTQavMD4YWEouy5pTKVVjgdbfBA2c8/s320/IMG_3890.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the printable pages that can be<br />
used for games or cut out for flashcards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When Debbie Annett created her program, Spanish for You! she took people like me into account. I'm teaching my kids at home, without the benefit of a Spanish degree. Although I have experience with the Spanish language, I am not the best teacher of Spanish due to my crazy southern belle accent. Working through these early lessons with the kids, I quickly learned to listen to the audio lesson FIRST before I tried reading the lesson page aloud. The kids were absolutely delighting in correcting me when I did it the other way first. I have to say, the audio files are <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #bf9000;"><b>GOLD</b></span> for learning. Every word on the page is read for you. She will even stop and quickly explain things like, "Did you notice how the letter 'J' is pronounced like an 'H' in Junio?"<br />
<br />
The Spanish for You! program is open and go. After only a few minutes of figuring out which files are which pieces, it is quick to start and easy to implement. Mrs. Annett says the program is meant to take 20-30 minutes per day four days per week, we did take just a bit longer than that. Perhaps 30-40 minutes to do a full lesson. I will admit, my third grader slows things down, she's...slow, like a sloth, when it comes to writing flashcards or filling in worksheets.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd-EoiwujzZ_cuj00OgeCd-HZ4UYq6aPDqWhO48yldFpu4ZQbvMM6EOeELZ_VkxFO5D_IXu75aec_HSTyIhfbkj1p05OPTSf7KBk1ZIKNiWlbUNg2YroljlbI-iFTjARlC8HOoQYWclI/s1600/IMG_3886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd-EoiwujzZ_cuj00OgeCd-HZ4UYq6aPDqWhO48yldFpu4ZQbvMM6EOeELZ_VkxFO5D_IXu75aec_HSTyIhfbkj1p05OPTSf7KBk1ZIKNiWlbUNg2YroljlbI-iFTjARlC8HOoQYWclI/s320/IMG_3886.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leccion 1: El calendario y el tiempo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There are some great games to play with the kids that reinforce the language being learned and they really helped my kids start to THINK in Spanish and that for me is the point. The games are fun and the kids enjoy that part of the program very much.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomZ1RAYxUyI0j5ATLd6PmgAHF100oboFuy-3APH7kv5C8DfWLL750w0LTWMaxYXSoj-OYN8UOdw8j-HQxOW-uQub3-bb_1uUXVomWyKnGVXCi_6MHXVhiEb5fGxrZdr_6DfIVZM2YbtM/s1600/IMG_3887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomZ1RAYxUyI0j5ATLd6PmgAHF100oboFuy-3APH7kv5C8DfWLL750w0LTWMaxYXSoj-OYN8UOdw8j-HQxOW-uQub3-bb_1uUXVomWyKnGVXCi_6MHXVhiEb5fGxrZdr_6DfIVZM2YbtM/s320/IMG_3887.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of the Grade 5-6 Lesson Plan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICt84esHHtvaf9wuWakncm5pJssxfOd1lV-wDkPjOZPNGyPInB7A7azKp6AbKtL8NsTwCx6AlQji4CPjDCLIyzKFyuAaj1BCLpn7Bmt6VhXfJ3vq2kWeWzB-vzXrLQZGtR2jnno8EdG4/s1600/IMG_3888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICt84esHHtvaf9wuWakncm5pJssxfOd1lV-wDkPjOZPNGyPInB7A7azKp6AbKtL8NsTwCx6AlQji4CPjDCLIyzKFyuAaj1BCLpn7Bmt6VhXfJ3vq2kWeWzB-vzXrLQZGtR2jnno8EdG4/s320/IMG_3888.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of the Grade 3-4 Lesson Plan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The lessons tend to have a pattern each week. They spiral back to review earlier vocabulary and the cover the current week's vocabulary. Each day of the week incorporates the current words being learned as well as new activities and games and ideas. Since we are studying Estaciones (Seasons), we started keeping a Daily Weather Chart, it includes a "What I Do Chart," so every day we write a sentence about what we are doing that day. Some days there are songs to sing and other fun stuff that you can download from the extensive Spanish for You! web-site (<a href="http://www.spanish-for-you.net/free-mini-lessons.html" target="_blank">mini-lessons</a> or <a href="http://www.spanish-for-you.net/curriculum-activities.html" target="_blank">curriculum activities</a>). These you can see for yourself on the site. If you have a self-motivated child, they could easily use the Spanish for You! program with very little help from mom. I am in the process of teaching mine how to find the audio files by themselves so that they can review on their own.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6B_dIaAlgVaR-DDwKEmeAoQBwto1R3I7XNpSkrkrOscE9uRrAGqx1DD9R7bYStdp6Qeid_PllcMAezyBr5kWpTSybulONUmL38jiEd_LTTV2Lq2gIGr3o2LZo4AoiMwtPml1axOgh7i8/s1600/IMG_3871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6B_dIaAlgVaR-DDwKEmeAoQBwto1R3I7XNpSkrkrOscE9uRrAGqx1DD9R7bYStdp6Qeid_PllcMAezyBr5kWpTSybulONUmL38jiEd_LTTV2Lq2gIGr3o2LZo4AoiMwtPml1axOgh7i8/s320/IMG_3871.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on flashcards while listening to<br />
our audio files.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfXm_f25S-O8ftc4_Uo7y9fDydYzKI-E9Vl1iHoj0WigXESGftHdPGjKTqjpGnlZKRQMi9ndKx6MDfdr29npyAdre1NcVRM0qeDbXFqierd9c5mWxJXZYRq8nnWFhogBu0KQaUnCzx3M/s1600/IMG_3874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfXm_f25S-O8ftc4_Uo7y9fDydYzKI-E9Vl1iHoj0WigXESGftHdPGjKTqjpGnlZKRQMi9ndKx6MDfdr29npyAdre1NcVRM0qeDbXFqierd9c5mWxJXZYRq8nnWFhogBu0KQaUnCzx3M/s320/IMG_3874.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on flashcards while listening to<br />
our audio files.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ztAeBWsQqbpoeUTzVsV61kahVPGANySxFzwjR_u9Dr4fTUO9zIm_HA5DjR05qHegbAlAjSQMvc-c6EwlXs-gv9djJWHkUe6u7sp2iEEbinZtPtn0NhOoBJghysPEUei28qCVgKR_zXE/s1600/photo-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ztAeBWsQqbpoeUTzVsV61kahVPGANySxFzwjR_u9Dr4fTUO9zIm_HA5DjR05qHegbAlAjSQMvc-c6EwlXs-gv9djJWHkUe6u7sp2iEEbinZtPtn0NhOoBJghysPEUei28qCVgKR_zXE/s320/photo-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's (11) Daily Weather and What I did Chart.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What did Mom think? </span></h3>
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Originally, my thoughts were, "This is nothing like how I learned Spanish." There were no flashy, full-color text books covered in labeled pictures. There are lots of drawings, drawings done by Debbie Annett's daughter, Amanda. She explained during out teleconference that she did this on purpose. She wanted to produce an affordable option for homeschoolers and even teachers to be able to get a full curriculum for a year at a price that anyone could afford. If she had bought tons of artwork or added in hundreds of photos, the price on the books would be drastically more expensive.<br />
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As we moved through the lessons, I have come to appreciate the simple presentation very much. The kids made their own flashcards and can remember their vocabulary better from the making those flash cards. It works better than if they were looking at the labeled photo of the sun and clouds and trees. My 8-year-old spontaneously declared her popcorn "Hace calor" just hours after our first lesson.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwm-bBE66GJCTCwGH2MesfAMkuseF_KQSUyWZQiTgJVJYl3z1uJqN0rjZgzkJIR96bE9l7OdvX3QeXH1U88mw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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The video above is the kids trying out the first lesson with the audio files. They are a vital part of the curriculum are the audio files. They are so essential and so useful to learning the language, it's like having your own personal Spanish teacher hanging out in your computer. Included in the program are both non-native speaker audio files and native speaker audio files. I mostly use the non-native files, but it is great to have the option of both files so that you can expose the kids to the different sounds.<br />
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Both my third grader and my sixth grader are enjoying the program. We are several weeks in and I never have grumbling or resistance when I pull out our Spanish for You! book and notebooks. For the first time in our homeschool history, they WANT to practice and move forward in a subject rather than me pushing them forward, uphill, through a blizzard, with lead boots. They're enthused and excited! It's such a relief to find a program and a method that clicks!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What do the kids think?</span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Emma:</span> "Spanish for You! es FANTASTICO! I love it! Mom, can we get a Spanish pen pal?"</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Matthew:</span> "I actually think the Spanish for You! is really cool. I like finding out new words every day and trying to find ways to say things in Spanish that I already know how to say in English."</div>
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#MosaicReviews</div>
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#SpanishforYou!</div>
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#Homeschool</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-16424607088732192922013-04-11T11:17:00.000-04:002013-04-11T11:17:29.889-04:00Product Review: Apologia Press' Ultimate Homeschool Planner for Parents, Teens, & Students<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14P_Edavsip8Me43-hmKAEnSV0im_cIQt-A6iADddJ-5O3iDiDJRFsRuCkVCLfNKIkVCqgqBWQ7fgoslE3FcAQMQLYSRWzVi4yIY2_buv9kBch1pxwhv31J80bFQ3SXMXGMduhT1v6SA/s1600/Plannera2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14P_Edavsip8Me43-hmKAEnSV0im_cIQt-A6iADddJ-5O3iDiDJRFsRuCkVCLfNKIkVCqgqBWQ7fgoslE3FcAQMQLYSRWzVi4yIY2_buv9kBch1pxwhv31J80bFQ3SXMXGMduhT1v6SA/s400/Plannera2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Product at a glance:</b></span></h2>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Product received for review: </span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://shop.apologia.com/books/308-the-ultimate-homeschool-planner.html" target="_blank">The Ultimate Homeschool Planner</a> ($28.00) </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://shop.apologia.com/books/328-the-ultimate-weekly-planner-for-teens.html" target="_blank">The Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens</a> ($19.00) </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://shop.apologia.com/books/332-the-ultimate-daily-planner-for-students.html" target="_blank">The Ultimate Daily Planner for Students</a> ($19.00) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: <a href="http://www.apologia.com/index.asp?proc=pg&pg=1" target="_blank">Apologia Press: Resources for the Heart and Mind</a></span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author/Designer: Debra Bell. Find her web-site <a href="http://debrabell.com/" target="_blank">here</a> </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other Products by Apologia: Apologia Press offers award-winning creation-based science courses, biblical worldview and apologetic titles, online classes, inspirational books, homeschooling tools, language arts and history curriculum, and a plethora of books and other materials. </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ages/grades suggested for which products are suggested: </span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ultimate Homeschool Planner - The perfect tool for mom or dad to plan out the entire homeschooling year. </span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens-Grades 7-12.</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ultimate Daily Planner for Students-Grades 4-8.</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">As I said in my earlier post about <a href="http://filledwithcrazy.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-2013-printable-blog-planner-from.html" target="_blank">Blog Planners</a> that I am NOT a planner. I want to be a planner when I grow up, but since I've hit the 40-something bracket at this point, I don't know if I will ever reach that stage of development. This planning system is so complex and comprehensive that at first, it honestly gave me hives just flipping though the "how to" pages. There are 11 "here's how this program works" pages and they caused me to close the book and put it aside more than once. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">That being said, I found a quote from the Apologia catalog that did spoke directly to my heart:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">"Do you want to do more than just survive homeschooling? Thrive in the pleasure of God's calling upon your life. Count your blessings while charting your family's progress with this 48-week planner designed to help you document God's faithfulness and activity during your homeschool journey."</span></span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"THRIVE in the pleasure of God's calling to homeschool?" Most days, I'm just hoping to keep the two of them from murdering each other and to survive it with my sanity intact.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I muddle my way through multiple lesson plans across what seems like 19 books and as many curriculum, as best I can all while working full-time, raising three kids, chasing three dogs, two cats, and assorted other zoo animals. Survive is probably a good description of my goal these first two years of homeschooling. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do want to thrive. I do want to enjoy teaching my children. I want to be organized and feel like I'm finally doing the best job I can do. I want to take all the different plans that I have from my pieces of curriculum and smoosh them together into a big overarching schema to ease my stress every day and every week to make sure we're covering everything. I NEED a complete system that gives me a place to collect all of those pieces in one, organized place.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px;">If anything was going to launch me into the realm of a true planner, it would be this system. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner for parents takes you through the process of planning from the big overall picture down to the finite details. </span>As a blogging group, we had the pleasure of attending a webinar from the creator of the system, Mrs. Debra Bell. She said her goal for the planning system was to make you aware of God's faithfulness and activity in your homeschool. She also wants to help you raise and independent learner. You know, independent, as in you give them the right materials and a plan and they handle some of this stuff on their own!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This page is included for each week. On it you can record memorable moment from your homeschooling week, like it's a journal. She even gives you ideas across the bottom: family funnies, victories, progress, promising signs, small beginnings, finished projects. On the bottom half of the page, you can record evidences of grace: evidence of God's grace, mercy, faithfulness, protection, and provision. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will say, just to keep things honest, we are currently at the end of our homeschooling year. We have just, this weekend, attended the local homeschool convention and picked up part of the pieces of our curriculum for next year. As such, there was little opportunity for me to truly retreat, plan, organize and lay it all out. I read through the planning sections and began to lay out next year, but I could not put together the weekly day by day plans for each child. What I did do</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was discuss with the kids what they felt was working well and what was not working from this year. We also, as a family sat down and discussed what our character goals and educational goals would be for next year. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I added in the pieces of curriculum that I know that we are using for sure next year. I have some missing pieces and I will have to add those in at a later date.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that I look at the one-year planning grid page and to some extent, that is where this breaks down for me. We don't live that life where everything can be put on the grid and blocked off in advance. We run a family business with my parents and, thanks to the economy, we are understaffed. We work when we are needed, cover when someone is taking time off and just try to keep it under 50 hours per week for each of us. That being said, we have started blocking out next school year and discussing which events are plannable enough to go on the grid even this far out. Although I had my doubts when first I looked at the pages, in reality, there are many dates and events we can put on these pages.</span></div>
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Month at a glance</td></tr>
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Month at a glance</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">There are also weekly pages where you sketch out the kids' assignments day by day and child by child. These pages are where you set up the child's goals for the week and on your first school day of the week, they copy these over to their own planners. We did not get the kids stuff transferred but I wanted to show the pages anyway. Note that the Teen Planner includes bubbles on the weekly page to record time spent on tasks. Some </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">states require time to be tracked in order for the child to receive credit to graduate.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom's Planner<br />
Week at a glance</td></tr>
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Week at a glance<br />
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Week at a glance</td></tr>
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There are other pages in the planner for recording resources used, field trips taken, a section of teaching tips, a high school planning guide, a year-end review, reading list per child, and grades per child. Too many to show them all to you in a single blog. </div>
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I foresee the Ultimate Homeschool Planner helping me achieve my planning goals and getting me on the right track. I hope it will keep me from getting derailed by all the minutia involved in teaching two children every day and working full-time as well. It is a fantastic tool for any homeschooling momma, but most especially the novice homeschooler whose fears often affect their ability to teach. As a planning-impaired scatterbrain, I feel like this planner gives me something to ASPIRE to in my planning endeavors for next year. Thanks to Mrs. Debra Bell and Apologia for the chance to really get to know this planner at just the right moment, just when I'm beginning to plan that next school year!</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What did Mom think of the program?</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I love the depth that has been put into the planners. The detailed user's guide, although it was a little bit overwhelming to the organizationally challenged at first, it is laid out with examples and full pages shown so that you can SEE what is being explained and how the parts work together</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I love that Debra includes a page each week to record the positive things you saw throughout the week. So often, I wonder if I do anything right and if the kids are doing anything right. (Come on now, you've been in the trenches, you HAVE those weeks too!) Having this little journal section gives pause for reflection on the week. A time to look for the positive.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">There is a great section to layout your Bible battle plan, what verses you're reading and to reflect on why, a section to layout your prayer goals and your Godly duties with hospitality and outreach.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The fact that the kids have a coordinating planner where the purposes overlap.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 21px;"><b>What would I change?</b></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Mostly, I would change myself to be the woman who CAN plan with this much focus and determination. I want to be that planned out organized momma. Oh, wait, this is supposed to be about the product...shoot!</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would put the weekly pages between the monthly pages or add tabs with the months so that flipping back and forth is easier. </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would increase it to be a 52-week planner. If I'm going to be this planned and organized, I'm probably going to do it every week of the year. Plus, we are moving closer to year round schooling with a few three day weeks and a few weeks off scattered around our school year.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">In all honesty, what I most need is a planner that is where ever I am. We school at home, at granny's house, at our home with the other granny, at work with mom & dad, and when one kid is having practice, the other kid is working on something else.Even though these planners are super durable and easily portable, ideally, I would find this most useful as an app on the iPad, iPhone and on the computer. Automatically updating between devices, please. In the rush to get out the door on time, things like planners end up being left on the table more often than they should. The iPads though almost always make their way into the bag.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Other cool stuff:</span></span></h2>
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<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Join us for a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/357468417706643/?ref=14" target="_blank">FACEBOOK PARTY</a> on Friday, April 12th from 9:00pm-10:00pm EST. </span></span></h2>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Just click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/357468417706643/?ref=14" target="_blank">HERE</a>! It even sounds like there may be some awesome giveaways! Who doesn't love prizes & free stuff! It's my very first Facebook party, so be patient and let me know what you think afterwards!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Click here: <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews - A Medley of Review Perspectives</a> to read dozens of other reviews about this product and see it from many different angles. Make an educated decision!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-10673864744588333162013-04-02T12:43:00.000-04:002013-04-03T11:53:22.017-04:00Product Review: We Choose Virtues Plus a Discount Code! <div class="columns-inner" style="min-height: 0px;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdLaFrHPwrmH5ITu1j6oEvM7zdJRxQz4J4H3LuDUG4zlcBRDuDjND1Etxut-mrQcjcyEROf9w0QzqFVDvEjOlymfaVOkr1JKcFv427rYL5CSBWhpj9baUvTvEwXzNB5qCcPZzupTiPsM/s1600/flash-cards_1_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdLaFrHPwrmH5ITu1j6oEvM7zdJRxQz4J4H3LuDUG4zlcBRDuDjND1Etxut-mrQcjcyEROf9w0QzqFVDvEjOlymfaVOkr1JKcFv427rYL5CSBWhpj9baUvTvEwXzNB5qCcPZzupTiPsM/s320/flash-cards_1_grande.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the We Choose Virtues site, <br />
Virtue Flash Cards for Families $14.99</td></tr>
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Product at a glance:</div>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Product received for review: </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/virtue-flash-cards-for-families" target="_blank">Virtue Flash Cards for Families</a> ($14.99) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/family-character-assessment" target="_blank">Family Character Assessment</a> (free) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/kids-of-virtueville-coloring-pages-pdf" target="_blank">Kids of Virtueville Coloring Pages PDF</a> ($3.00) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Butterfly Awards (Free) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/memory-verses-bible-heroes-and-truths" target="_blank">Memory Verses Bible Heroes and Truths printable sheet</a> (Free) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/teachers-hanbook-pdf" target="_blank">Teacher's Handbook PDF </a> ($5.00) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><a href="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0173/0834/files/comparison_chart.png?425" target="_blank">Comparison Chart</a> to examine which products are included with each type of kit. This is very useful for determining what you need</li>
<li><a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/parenting-cards" target="_blank">A single sample of the Parenting Cards</a> they give the background stories for the characters, a section on each virtue called "What to say after I'm sorry" which is great!</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeniWEeoI6oj9Fx2RxSmayqZFvHSMzpboQp7o4W8NRZnSYoOo9YPzoBH0wLQMyFdKHxLs8wi6yYFJC17jybcxpkfwSdkTx4tlCPQJ0iCTqLwK1TVtvM2WTWglHIZP6-0cIXvF2M3MoaE/s1600/Home_based_teaching_cards-2_1_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeniWEeoI6oj9Fx2RxSmayqZFvHSMzpboQp7o4W8NRZnSYoOo9YPzoBH0wLQMyFdKHxLs8wi6yYFJC17jybcxpkfwSdkTx4tlCPQJ0iCTqLwK1TVtvM2WTWglHIZP6-0cIXvF2M3MoaE/s320/Home_based_teaching_cards-2_1_grande.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a sample of the Parenting Cards, "Content" the front.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R5jp70qFaUtiHmwyL5tWbHgGT50_NPCzDuw_mf-Qj9C6bJH4rjInVeFmpTq8v3fI-0eka6ZwHQrWEGPiFRseIY4qdRt8ZD5OvyeTR_6phIMyTNkvU0L2Nt3ftfSZrPq3P1GBoiQzwVY/s1600/Home_based_teaching_cards-1_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R5jp70qFaUtiHmwyL5tWbHgGT50_NPCzDuw_mf-Qj9C6bJH4rjInVeFmpTq8v3fI-0eka6ZwHQrWEGPiFRseIY4qdRt8ZD5OvyeTR_6phIMyTNkvU0L2Nt3ftfSZrPq3P1GBoiQzwVY/s320/Home_based_teaching_cards-1_grande.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a sample of the Parenting Cards, "Content" the back.</td></tr>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>Publisher: We Choose Virtues</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Price: Varies see above</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Web-site: <a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">We Choose Virtues</a></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Other Products: Classroom Kits, Homeschool Kits, Family Kits, Kids' Church Kits, and the individual pieces from the kits</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Ages/grades suggested for: Early Childhood through elementary</li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">Who can use it? This product is very versatile. It works great for homeschoolers (secular or religious). It also works great for Children's Church and would make a great addition to any Sunday School class from toddler through late elementary school. It even works great for public school classrooms. They have a secular version with quotes instead of Bible verses to allow it to work in any setting!</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">________________________________________________________</span></div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">What problem does this product solve (quoted from the publisher's site): </li>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Let's be honest, instilling virtues is hard work! But can it be fun too? We think so. In fact, there's no better way to learn. So We Choose Virtues brings memorable catchphrases, endearing characters, and just plain fun to Simply Inspire Character that Lasts.</span></li>
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">How will this product help solve that problem (quoted from the publisher's site): </li>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We Choose Virtues is: Simple. It is based on clear and positive language that everyone can learn together</span></li>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We Choose Virtues is Inspiring. It is teaching by demonstration and learning through practice<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"> </span></li>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;">We Choose Virtues is about Character...more than attitudes or actions, it is who you are when no one is watching</span></li>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li>We Choose Virtues Lasts. It creates an internal standard in each person and transformers the culture of your home or classroom </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAbc9xYq_7YvvlPjr8T8ltlS6Zy8iPbUXA_de9_ouRrRKYLmM1n8mS213tF9Jep_Pflq1cCI0bahD0sesWxWmRv9MSheqkcecQZ8Rg8lGgeF_vEgfgHeCx70SZwFx_9GcVAsyCeX9kr8/s1600/IMG_5179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAbc9xYq_7YvvlPjr8T8ltlS6Zy8iPbUXA_de9_ouRrRKYLmM1n8mS213tF9Jep_Pflq1cCI0bahD0sesWxWmRv9MSheqkcecQZ8Rg8lGgeF_vEgfgHeCx70SZwFx_9GcVAsyCeX9kr8/s320/IMG_5179.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virtue Flash Cards $14.99</td></tr>
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I've said before, it's not just the math, science, and grammar that I want to teach my kids. I want to provide them a moral foundation and help them to become thoughtful and kind children of God. Looking for tools to train their hearts, I came across Heather & Elton McMillan's company, <a href="http://we-choose-virtues.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">We Choose Virtues</a> about a year ago. Their kits and products exactly matched one aspect for which I was looking. Outlining the good qualities or "virtues" I wanted my children to internalize. The We Choose Virtues Virtue Flash Cards gave name to the ethereal qualities I was struggling to give name to: kindness, obedience, diligence, honesty, helpfulness, and all the others.</div>
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I will admit, I found the program right after I had spent my entire curriculum budget last year. Ever since, I have been squirreling away my pennies to afford the big homeschool kit which is $98.99. When we had a conference call with Heather at the beginning of our review period, she brought up some great points. You do not need the $100 kit to get started. Although the kit is wonderful and in my opinion well worth the money, I should never have let that hurdle hold me back. Our family has gotten a great start with the We Choose Virtues program with the materials I listed above (around $23.00). Don't get me wrong, I'm buying the rest of it as soon as my budget resets for next school year, but with $25-$30 your family can make a positive change in behavior, attitude, and thoughtfulness towards each other.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1ZloccmAKu3H7Efrz05JY4iqubx2Dc72ThlC_GiReWnRvUvPpKr8GC_xspVUAf0oo_q4pt-jBL-7wbHxSa782iY5QuxWAE9-LAked2N9Q1PjLhSSQJDN3ZT70Drq4pBM6Ho-yDN-MLA/s1600/IMG_3919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1ZloccmAKu3H7Efrz05JY4iqubx2Dc72ThlC_GiReWnRvUvPpKr8GC_xspVUAf0oo_q4pt-jBL-7wbHxSa782iY5QuxWAE9-LAked2N9Q1PjLhSSQJDN3ZT70Drq4pBM6Ho-yDN-MLA/s320/IMG_3919.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We started the program with the Family Character Assessment. Each of us sat down with a copy (even the adults) and rated our virtues on a scale of 1 to 10. Then we went around the table discussing whether the rest of us agreed with the numbers we each had chosen. Some of us had very HIGH opinions of our virtuous characteristics...VERY HIGH. So high that I pulled out the "Honesty" card and read it very slowly, just for fun to the table at large. An honest discussion began at that point, and the page of mostly 10's began to look more like a mixture of 4's, 5's, 8's and 9's. </div>
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Using those Character Assessments, we began to talk first about The Three Rules: Obey, Be Kind, Be a Helper. Once we focused on those for a week or two, we began to study a virtue each week. We have only made it to the second virtue at this point, but in theory after about 12-14 weeks, we will have studied each virtue. We have had to review those first two already more than once or twice. The system allows for that very well. Whenever we see someone who needs work on a virtue, we pull them aside and reinforce the message on the card. Within 100 days, hopefully we can affect a great change in our children. The kids by the end of the week can usually repeat the catch phrases on the cards verbatim. When it is time to discuss a problem, we discuss the phrase or the character or the bible verse instead of just telling the kid exactly what they were doing wrong, hopefully they can begin to gain self mastery their behavior. </div>
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Here are the kids coloring the Kids of Virtueville Coloring Pages:</div>
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The cards have such memorable characters, along with a rhyming little saying on the back. It also includes a bible verse, however for people who are looking for a secular program, they offer them in multiple versions (KJV, NIV, Secular/Public School). Oboe Joe is Obedient, Cake Jake is Content. The rhymes and catchy phrases lend themselves to memorization and memorization lends itself to internalization. Cake Jake is content. I have my "wanter" under control. When the kids begin listing the things they think their lives are missing, I just have to ask them about their "wanter" and they examine their behavior. </div>
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The Teacher's Handbook lays out the system in exquisite detail. It has ideas for classroom setting but most ideas easily adapt to the home. It explains how you can use the system for any age from toddlers up through late elementary. There are hints and tips and step-by-step directions. It explains how the system can work in simply 10 minutes a day plus gentle reminders throughout the day. Mrs. McMillan, during our conference call, even told us the company is working on a program for Middle School and High School age kids as well. Although my almost 12-year-old was a good sport about it, he was hoping for something more challenging than coloring pages.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdkj7Fm2q2pS6qMm6n4NMORDrT-NGHh6gvhiuChEBngSBtAXynGHhGpud93B2sRC-GEBtrK2LpGpBKWRWu5QImUeIwZc-Lh81EnWmhiNaa1opH0lgyja4645GfKNl1Jbv1m59Dux0SIo/s320/IMG_3924.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Teacher's Handbook PDF<br />
I printed mine 2-up on a page.</td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What did Mom think of the program?</span></b></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">It's probably not a surprise, but I love it. I'm definitely ordering the Teacher Cards or the Parenting Cards (they come with the background stories for the characters) and the Three Rules poster. I'd like to get the 100 Days of Virtue Achievement Chart as well or the mini posters. </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would love to see books written about the characters that you could read to the kids during the week as you teach the virtue. I very excited for the eventual release of the program for the older kids.</span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 21px;"><b>What would I change?</b></span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">As I said, I would love a little more depth. Books, more in depth activities, more stories with the characters, even cartoons would be awesome! </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">A homeschool specific handbook would help. The teacher book is amazing, it has so many ideas for the classroom but sometimes those dynamics are very difficult to apply to siblings who have been at war all week over a broken Lego castle or a headless Monster High Doll.</span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 21px;"><b>What did Emma (8) think about the program?</b></span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I like it a lot, it's really fun. The little sayings make it easy to remember what you should do. The characters are funny and I'd like to know more of their story.</span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 21px;"><b>What did Matthew (11) think about the program?</b></span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">We're not very far into it, but I had a pretty good time. I like how you can pick a virtue and start working on it. It gives names to the things I need work on. Sometimes Mom saying "You need to do better" is very confusing, but when Mom says "You can do it, even when it's tough!" I know I need to work on being Perseverant. </span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">And best of all, they gave me a discount code to share with my readers!!! Two discount codes actually:</span></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b>#1</b>: If you homeschool and are interested in buying the Homeschool Kit, you can use the code: </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large; line-height: 21px;"><b>HOME20</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b></b>through the end of April 2013 and get a 20% discount on the Homeschool Kit.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b>#2</b>: For any of their other great products, We Choose Virtues has given me the code: </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large; line-height: 21px;"><b>VIRTUE15</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">to share with my readers. It will take 15% off your total purchase of any of their great products.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy8h-m5TpYqAC74pIF9uk9A3bXoOcFFAvcOB07NwXhZ4RVh7V2gbgqMenf_j7dbv2M8tU1s6W3juOpqVAxWpj8G9CWJsMAoNiGJCSE_3hWi3ibv96Vj1O9Jcsvd1rPdrWM_ZIkzJDmtQ/s1600/IMG_3917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy8h-m5TpYqAC74pIF9uk9A3bXoOcFFAvcOB07NwXhZ4RVh7V2gbgqMenf_j7dbv2M8tU1s6W3juOpqVAxWpj8G9CWJsMAoNiGJCSE_3hWi3ibv96Vj1O9Jcsvd1rPdrWM_ZIkzJDmtQ/s320/IMG_3917.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids reading the backs of the virtue cards deciding <br />
which virtue we'll work on next week.</td></tr>
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Homeschool teacher, public school teacher, daycare teacher, Sunday School teacher or even just parent of kids, this system is simple to implement and has the potential to help you raise more virtuous kids. Check it out at the links above and go to <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/we-choose-virtues/" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a> after April 2nd to get a medley of perspectives from my other blogging review team members. They all have some wonderful thoughts on these products!</div>
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#homeschool </div>
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#hearttraining </div>
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#WeChooseVirtues </div>
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#filledwithcrazy</div>
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#respect</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-82253065706230839792013-03-24T02:17:00.000-04:002013-03-26T13:19:43.506-04:00Product Review: FamilyMint Money Management Certification Program<br />
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Product at a glance:</div>
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<li>Product: FamilyMint Money Management Certification Program Booklet + FamilyMint Online App Premium Service for Life</li>
<li>Publisher: FamilyMint</li>
<li>Price: Special Introductory offer is $29.99 which includes the workbook PLUS FamilyMint Premium for Life</li>
<li>Web-site: <a href="http://familymint.com/" target="_blank">FamilyMint</a></li>
<li>Other Products: They offer the app by itself for $24.99 per year or $4.95 per month. You can also purchase additional workbooks for 1/2 price when you take advantage of the Introductory offer.</li>
<li>Ages/grades suggested for: Workbook is suggested for Grade 5 & above (ages 10 & up), online app is suggested for ages 6-14 years old.</li>
<li>What problem does this product solve (from the publisher's site): </li>
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<li>2 out of 3 high school seniors graduate without knowing the basics of budgeting. 18 to 24 year olds are the fastest growing age group filing for bankruptcy.</li>
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<li>How will this product help solve that problem (from the publisher's site): </li>
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<li>FamilyMint's Money Management Certification Program combines a 60-page step-by-step workbook with a fun online money management application for kids. Kids that complete the 2 month program develop key money habits that will benefit them the rest of their lives. Your kids will form new habits... Tracking their money, Creating SMART goals, Easy budgeting, How interest works, and much more. </li>
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For me, the book learning is easy. Math, you bet, I have a book and an outline, I can teach that. English, history, science, yep...there's a book and an outline for that. There are core content guides, Youtube videos, worksheets, books, and plenty of support for teaching those concrete kind of things. But...BUT those aren't the only things I want to make sure my kids learn while I'm homeschooling them. Life skills, critical thinking, home care and economics, self care, planning, money management, fiscal responsibility, and budgeting are all things you don't typically find in a text book. </div>
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These things that are conspicuously absent from traditional education. And yet, before organized, government-run schooling, these things were the core of the home educator's curriculum. </div>
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When I was but a young lass, I was that over achieving college-bound student. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">My parents, thinking that letting me focus on my studies would benefit me more than helping out around the house, allowed me lots of time to study, read and learn. They didn't require me to learn cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other household management because they knew I was taking very difficult classes that required a lot of focus and time. In school</span>, my teachers saw the promise in my studious nature and steered me away from electives like "home ec" and "family budgeting" towards additional science and advanced math classes. I did take accounting (which my guidance counselor discouraged) because my family owned a business and I saw that it would be useful. That's the only reason I learned to balance a check book. I don't blame the school or my parents in any way. I was a promising student and they wanted to nurture that promise in the hopes for something better for me. I could have signed up for Home Ec as an elective, I chose not to though. I could have joined my mom in the kitchen and learned cooking or sat with her while she sewed and quilted to learn those skills. </div>
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While I excelled at school, I missed out on learning how to organize and maintain a home. I didn't learn to cook or meal plan or sew. When I began a family, I had to learn these things as best as I could in a book or short lessons with my mom. I want my kids to learn those things (as best I can teach them) before they are out in the world by themselves. </div>
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My husband and I help my parents run a comic and games store and as such, we work with the public every day. We also have a 23-year-old college student. Every week we watch her and kids close to her age make bad decisions about money. We hear them talk about the debt they have and then hand us a credit card to pay for the luxury items we sell. If you are 22, $8000 in debt, and you haven't been able to afford groceries all week, you shouldn't be putting another $30 on your credit card balance for comic books. They are not a necessity, they do not sustain life, they are a want, not a need!</div>
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We want to teach our kids those self-control and planning skills they need to make intelligent money decisions. Having looked for programs about money management at the homeschool conventions the last couple years, we came away empty handed. </div>
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All of the above examples are the reasons I was so thrilled to see the chance to review this program when it came across the <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a> boards! FamilyMint has put together a short introduction to money management program that a family can work through together. Even though the workbook part of the program is rated ages 10 and up, my 8-year-old is working through it alongside her 11-year-old brother. We haven't made it through the entire book yet, but she's holding her own. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1_2sAyKFQr0S7qwSwitRwTD9npNWQusS7FLNfiUr4RT2dCpCPFKKpW_FD6XnbykFlByiXxOJ_ozQ4QFle5vYa7shxyd1Bek7r6yA8AlKgwORV8md5SENXY_mXRxwcO-dQojlDo0oECg/s1600/photo-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1_2sAyKFQr0S7qwSwitRwTD9npNWQusS7FLNfiUr4RT2dCpCPFKKpW_FD6XnbykFlByiXxOJ_ozQ4QFle5vYa7shxyd1Bek7r6yA8AlKgwORV8md5SENXY_mXRxwcO-dQojlDo0oECg/s320/photo-6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsr9h4ys0C8HFSPh4ADNkZLX4NHxleayqCP5YE5VYbIB41vIYU5PIGlA8k0CD2vAOt61euso6jmVYsNJ-O85Qp8sPXy_H01b40_t329cfkLOcxNVu15HZp4wWvKw4Lw5EIJ8n3J3k54E/s1600/photo-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsr9h4ys0C8HFSPh4ADNkZLX4NHxleayqCP5YE5VYbIB41vIYU5PIGlA8k0CD2vAOt61euso6jmVYsNJ-O85Qp8sPXy_H01b40_t329cfkLOcxNVu15HZp4wWvKw4Lw5EIJ8n3J3k54E/s320/photo-4.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Above are a couple of the workbook pages where Matthew and Emma learned about goal-setting and how to determine if your goal is S.M.A.R.T. </div>
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<ul>
<li>Is it Specific?</li>
<li>Is it Measurable?</li>
<li>Is it Achievable?</li>
<li>Is it Relevant?</li>
<li>Is it Time-bound?</li>
</ul>
<div>
The other page helps the kids compares Income and Expenses. My kids do get a weekly allowance. They can also earn money for specific chores and for finishing books (outside of their assigned books for school). They didn't put down birthday and Christmas gifts, but they often get money for those as well.</div>
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<div>
We all thought the workbook was great. As simple and good as the workbook is, all of us LOVE the web-site app! If you do nothing else in response to this review, check out the free trial of the web app! <a href="http://familymint.com/pricing/#.UU4QdI7GAhN" target="_blank">Link is at the bottom of this page.</a> You get 14 days of using it fully to see if it is a fit for your family.</div>
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Honestly, I set up both the 8 and 11-year-old and I may still set up my husband, myself and the 23-year-old. Here are some screen shots from our accounts:</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DysXazubT2fqHt-BNN8BjCZfrrb4btYweg1Ys6eggWUs95xJ3ZyETMR1hT8GAh2yyCDwu79tokX-sJzYkGBGHqivBE9jmlwtGYUn-5wFtztT3YqOBqD6yPnJhAbM8yGgbq-hsYS79Pw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+1.01.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DysXazubT2fqHt-BNN8BjCZfrrb4btYweg1Ys6eggWUs95xJ3ZyETMR1hT8GAh2yyCDwu79tokX-sJzYkGBGHqivBE9jmlwtGYUn-5wFtztT3YqOBqD6yPnJhAbM8yGgbq-hsYS79Pw/s400/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+1.01.24+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home screen.<br />
Here you see transactions your kids <br />
have initiated that need to be approved<br />
as soon as you log in. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_gKgNOaw7bQZ3_up9PyCvr79KTQsM-lRxgMShzm0amjtemXnK6Bjhqf3JCuFbRs6bpCS3hAAl_lRmIWcmv2FNhAZ979zJHttP81BEXUCqX18O23bz-7ff0ZMNSVs6BSCsK3OefXRdmo/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+1.00.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_gKgNOaw7bQZ3_up9PyCvr79KTQsM-lRxgMShzm0amjtemXnK6Bjhqf3JCuFbRs6bpCS3hAAl_lRmIWcmv2FNhAZ979zJHttP81BEXUCqX18O23bz-7ff0ZMNSVs6BSCsK3OefXRdmo/s400/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+1.00.30+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making a deposit<br />
You can choose which goal you want to <br />
put your money towards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtB0tchjrYGtL_jZNX_BM0HbBqN5Am5vGnAQB6ywLouOly5pqNepCaAJ2wE8u9WA04ks4bboM4YLQLw_eFa09-dEHzqdJHfEyY4fOu4mRdajR6YS748cIVWX30mf_NbN4bLCa8-9iey4E/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+12.56.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtB0tchjrYGtL_jZNX_BM0HbBqN5Am5vGnAQB6ywLouOly5pqNepCaAJ2wE8u9WA04ks4bboM4YLQLw_eFa09-dEHzqdJHfEyY4fOu4mRdajR6YS748cIVWX30mf_NbN4bLCa8-9iey4E/s400/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+12.56.05+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Matthew's goals is to save up to buy <br />
the Disney Infinities video games and figures<br />
Since it's been pushed back to August, he has a chance<br />
to accomplish it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo_nsMh63E25aM-5Z5CZneVevLlLlwcPl2Gdv4w7f1F67-Rwa7k4HM9Yxpm2Pntol25BzdXKEYpLyCFgHZUrNql04g7OjsJSVubsvt6AkKc3DVcszJytgaICv-qUnkL6UY4WxNJYQuSs/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+12.56.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo_nsMh63E25aM-5Z5CZneVevLlLlwcPl2Gdv4w7f1F67-Rwa7k4HM9Yxpm2Pntol25BzdXKEYpLyCFgHZUrNql04g7OjsJSVubsvt6AkKc3DVcszJytgaICv-qUnkL6UY4WxNJYQuSs/s400/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+12.56.14+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's transaction ledger showing debits and credits</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHJA5wnll0M4Gs-KfP0QC25kHDckygt5JN9bnEk7_KGaMzlwe-ezNqBiYSo2JRHODZdnpkuyOsNlF1JwIpr3VPSvr6y1N4yigv2SUnCdK9zWn9s6Ia6HS-WQ0cL81rwdrsev3KRy1bBQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+1.07.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHJA5wnll0M4Gs-KfP0QC25kHDckygt5JN9bnEk7_KGaMzlwe-ezNqBiYSo2JRHODZdnpkuyOsNlF1JwIpr3VPSvr6y1N4yigv2SUnCdK9zWn9s6Ia6HS-WQ0cL81rwdrsev3KRy1bBQ/s400/Screen+shot+2013-03-19+at+1.07.10+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A quick tutorial from the<br />
FamilyMint FAQ page.<br />
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The online program let's you set up a family bank and give the kids each accounts. In those accounts, the kids can "deposit" money and set goals. It gives the kids a Savings Plan so that for every dollar they deposit, it divides it automatically into their goal accounts. Here's a screen shot:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O5p8B2RX7fpdKZ2a2lsttsT0ycACsqcPyAOeinPvLXA55-y90mM0Q-upX_6oMsHtP0uyK-fo9xu1lBfQRjyfWqpG756l1aHtlRYB00FlTYO_atPSIRSSZMrTOmon1GlacCclT3PIz04/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-23+at+4.56.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O5p8B2RX7fpdKZ2a2lsttsT0ycACsqcPyAOeinPvLXA55-y90mM0Q-upX_6oMsHtP0uyK-fo9xu1lBfQRjyfWqpG756l1aHtlRYB00FlTYO_atPSIRSSZMrTOmon1GlacCclT3PIz04/s400/Screen+shot+2013-03-23+at+4.56.35+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, Matthew has money going into three goals and his savings account. As I said before, he wants to buy Disney Infinities when it releases, then he's saving for a Lego Mindstorms Robot and just this weekend he decided he really wants a Wii U because the new Lego game is only on the Wii U system. I told him he had to start putting money into savings for the future and instead of complaining (like I thought he would) he explained to me that the book used higher percentages for general savings than 10% and we should investigate an interest bearing savings account at a real bank because the bank of mom doesn't really pay interest. Now, Dad and I feel that the Lego Mindstorms Robot is and educational tool as well as a great toy, as such, we are willing to match part of the funds that Matthew puts aside for that goal. If you look at the screen, you can see that we will match his funds for the robot by 20%. When he registers a deposit, that amount is automatically added to the account above what he deposited.</div>
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The FamilyMint Money Management Certification Program really covers a lot of ground in a succinct way. It gives kids just starting out a great over view of all the concepts of money management in just two simple months. It comes with a Certificate of Achievement on the back of the book to cut out when you've completed the program. There are dozens of worksheets, practice checks, ledgers, and goal tracking sheets in the back of the book so that the child(ren) can see on paper the concepts they've been practicing on the online app. The Award Winning program has dozens of financial partners that include banks and credit unions all over the country. It was written by two dads who both hold MBA's. With two MBA's and 14 kids between them, they really are well qualified to put together this program. </div>
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So...the big questions: </div>
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<b>What did Mom think of the program?</b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>I loved it. My kids are a great age for these lessons. The online program is amazing and supports the work book pages and concepts taught within. The kids love punching in their allowance every week and watching the progress bar grow when the money transfers into their account. "MOM! Look how much closer I am NOW!" I've even had an easier time with their extra reading because they know when they finish those books, they'll have some extra money to go towards their goals. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>It really is step-by-step!</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<li>My mind whirls with the possibilities this curriculum has. I could easily see using these workbooks in a co-op setting and drawing the program out into a full semester class. Each family would need to purchase their own combo pack, but you could teach multiple grade levels with the materials included. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>This is a great product for any family, even if you're not homeschooling. It's also great for scouts trying for their Financial Merit Badges. It aligns with JumpStart National Standards for K-12 Personal Finance Education. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<ul>
<li> It's simple, concise and I haven't seen much like it even though I have been looking for a way to teach money smarts to my kids. </li>
</ul>
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<li>It has great instructions. Great support from the publishers. A fabulous blog that gives tips for helping your kids (<a href="http://familymint.com/blog/" target="_blank">FamilyMint Blog</a>). </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<b>Would I change anything?</b><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>If the program is supposed to take 2 months, I might like the lessons broken down into more than 4 lessons. I know, I can make each lesson take two weeks. Breaking it into 8 Lessons might work better for disorganized moms like me.</li>
<li>I would have liked a small section of discussion about wants vs needs. We discussed it on our own, but I could easily see how it would fit snuggly into the rest of the curriculum.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<b>What did Emma (8) think of the program?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>"I think it's great! I liked learning about setting goals and making them SMART! My favorite part was finding all my money and counting it up to put in my account."</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<b>What did Matthew (11) think of the program?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li> "I think it is excellent so far. The workbook showed me how to balance my income from my expenses and that I should save a little of my allowance for the future each week. My favorite part was the goal setting system and then putting it on the on-line app. I liked how I could set a percentage of my money from allowance to go to each goal. It was cool how when I set up a goal, it would estimate how much money I had to save each week to meet my goal in the time I set."</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjsWvxUTzDN7yAmLdi_NkavndSxykWvA5XjcBevsHafeyxGhzB4kHq7z15W-Q76E5WRApZGTVP5WrfC2hH6njnXzA9OOlrkJI-KjrZ_QfzpdPPweGUHTOLAfXjkOhSH7d50yEKj4eE4U/s1600/Mosaicreview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjsWvxUTzDN7yAmLdi_NkavndSxykWvA5XjcBevsHafeyxGhzB4kHq7z15W-Q76E5WRApZGTVP5WrfC2hH6njnXzA9OOlrkJI-KjrZ_QfzpdPPweGUHTOLAfXjkOhSH7d50yEKj4eE4U/s400/Mosaicreview.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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#MosaicReviews #FamilyMint #FilledwithCrazy #homeschool</div>
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<br />hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-4772466595995414922013-03-01T00:13:00.000-05:002013-03-24T02:41:57.467-04:00Product Review: 2013 Printable Blog Planner from Confessions of a Homeschooler<br />
<div>
Welcome to my first official product review. I joined <a href="http://mosaicreviews.com/" target="_blank">Mosaic Reviews</a> Team a few months ago and my first assignment was to choose a free printable blog planner and give it a spin. Mosaic Reviews is a team of product reviewers who receive free products in return for a fair and honest opinion of those products in the form of a blogged review.</div>
<ul>
<li>Product: 2013 Blog Planner Free Printable </li>
<li>Publisher: Confessions of a Homeschooler</li>
<li>Price: Free</li>
</ul>
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It's funny, in preparing for this review, I quickly reread Erica's post at <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/" target="_blank">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a> about her free printable blog planner and it struck me how very different we are. She begins her post with, "Hello fellow bloggers! If you don't know me by now, I'm a planner! I love planners, and I especially love pretty ones!" My original opening line for this post declared: "I'm not a planner and I have unrealistic expectations about what a blog planner can do for me!" Ironic, huh? So, here we go...<br />
<br />
I'm not a planner and I have very unrealistic expectations about what a blog planner (or any other planner for that matter) can do for me! The Mosaic Reviews team members received an extensive list of free online printable blog planners from which to choose. I scoured the list trying to choose a blog planner that covered every scenario and possibility because obviously, if I had the perfect blog planner, I would be the<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0b5394;"><b>MOST PROLIFIC and AWE-INSPIRING BLOG </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0b5394;"><b>WRITER IN THE UNIVERSE!</b></span></span></div>
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Obviously, this is where the unrealistic expectations appear. I implemented this blog planner last month and this post will be my first full post that I've finished in the month of February. I have about 5 drafts that I have begun from ideas that I jotted down in my notes section for the month. Wait a minute...in a month where I averaged 50 hours of work per week, I have 5 drafts begun and two more that are posting this week? This blog planner thing rocks! </div>
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Let's take a closer look:</div>
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First and most importantly, let's recognize the amazing Mrs. Erica from <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/" target="_blank">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a> she puts together so many sensational <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/my-printables" target="_blank">printables</a> of which the blog planner is just one. Here is a link to the page describing the <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/10/2013-blog-planner-free-printable.html" target="_blank">blog planner</a>. It contains the link to the pdf as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJz3KqepgCPiFtBzbsCHX1AS6XnXSPDPLQ51zWpTPUNdmjIJoPkT9pSXSs3wf1b_6Eb2VQr9o71t-J_hTNdqUYnUS-KpCrvCJ2g1jc6HInTdF4sOkcLvB77CuJY0CTa9PJ-lBwEYFY9Q/s1600/IMG_3753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJz3KqepgCPiFtBzbsCHX1AS6XnXSPDPLQ51zWpTPUNdmjIJoPkT9pSXSs3wf1b_6Eb2VQr9o71t-J_hTNdqUYnUS-KpCrvCJ2g1jc6HInTdF4sOkcLvB77CuJY0CTa9PJ-lBwEYFY9Q/s200/IMG_3753.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Cover</td></tr>
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The graphic design elements of this planner are beautiful. Even my 8 year old commented that she wanted a pretty planner. Once you delve inside, there are plenty of useful tools to develop your blog into a more professional, polished endeavor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PKEaaVEbpzqRNmyjOQO8kQMe-OdM3vFhgF9I2CjZkVu1UBB7bZJL3DzK5lQTN9RkEOT6HeoRSa4clt8v3NLgQnmXMuE5tLkKQ92aeTfVSqwJ7Wu9S1eS1XQXKheBq86m61vDsKfCiGk/s1600/IMG_3754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PKEaaVEbpzqRNmyjOQO8kQMe-OdM3vFhgF9I2CjZkVu1UBB7bZJL3DzK5lQTN9RkEOT6HeoRSa4clt8v3NLgQnmXMuE5tLkKQ92aeTfVSqwJ7Wu9S1eS1XQXKheBq86m61vDsKfCiGk/s200/IMG_3754.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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First, the year at a glance calendar is always useful. She has even marked the major American holidays on it. When you can't remember what day Thanksgiving falls on this year, you can find it quickly.</div>
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Next, the monthly blog plan. I love that the months are specific and the days are filled in already. I don't have time to fill in the dates AND all of our crazy activities. If I had one issue with this planner, I would love bigger boxes for the month, I could honestly use the month spread over two facing pages and lines in the boxes. Realistically, it would be difficult to make it work that way.</div>
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Each day has check boxes for "scheduled" for planning your blog. There are also check boxes for maximizing your blog's exposure which is an important step we often forget. These boxes remind you to share your blog on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and to pin it on Pinterest. It also reminds you to post your giveaways and announce the winner.</div>
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Each month also has a notes page. Rather than using scraps of paper and the backs of grocery receipts to record ideas for future blogging topics, you have a place to gather those ideas and nurture them. The page includes a place for your giveaway and review due dates. Finally, the last piece of this useful tool is a place to record your monthly statistics for your blog. </div>
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I'll be honest, I'm a novice. If there was a level below a novice, I would be that. I've only just started sharing my blog and many of these promotional tools will take me several months to implement. Having them all available to me is inspiring though and I know that in the long run, I will be a better blogger because I gave this blog planner a try.</div>
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Thanks to Erica @ <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/10/2013-blog-planner-free-printable.html" target="_blank">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a> for sharing her creative gifts for those of us who are less creative!</div>
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#Mosaic Reviews #blogging #homeschool</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-1474418903251673102013-01-22T16:07:00.000-05:002013-01-22T16:07:57.437-05:00Vacation School...It's Got to Be SneakyWe are so happy to be on vacation this week. A break from the routine of up before dawn, work on school, take care of doggies, work, and get home after dark. We are staying with our wonderful friends in Florida who live very near the beach. They are taking ridiculously good care of us and we are just enjoying being relaxed for the most part.<br />
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However, the last couple of weeks have been less than productive. We haven't gotten through our lessons as we should have. Plus, we're studying ecosystems for science and we haven't studied oceans and seashores yet. We're reading the same books I listed for last week as well as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seashore-Small-Square-Donald-Silver/dp/0070579288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352782081&sr=8-1&keywords=one+small+square+seashore" target="_blank">One Small Square Seashores</a>. </div>
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We're also going to add <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Island-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486275590/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352782288&sr=1-1&keywords=treasure+island" target="_blank">Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson</a> since today, we went to the <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/sebastianinlet/activities.cfm#28" target="_blank">McClarty Treasure Museum</a> and learned about how the shipwrecks of the Spanish Plate Fleet was a beginning of piracy in the Caribbean. </div>
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We walked along the shore and picked up seashells and tomorrow I think we're going to rent metal detectors and find our fortune along the Treasure Coast! Here are some great pictures of our trip to the museum and shore:</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-82262310084881713452013-01-22T16:02:00.000-05:002013-01-22T16:02:53.381-05:00Welcome to Crazyville, population me!So, I have been blogging for a couple of years now. Inconsistently and without sharing to more than a small handful of people. I began on Wordpress and then transferred over to Blogger a few months ago. I am still in the process of pulling some of my posts over to Blogger, so if the dates look a little wonky, that might be why. I actually have several blogs: a weight loss blog, a blog about our homeschool study of the states, a blog about our homeschool, and each of the little kids have a blog under my account. As I figure this whole web design thing out, those will probably reside more seamlessly than they do now. <br />
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I have recently applied to and been accepted for a blogging review group which will both send more people to my blog and encourage me to write more frequently. It will also let me try out some great new homeschooling goodies which I LOVE to do! So, with that as my incentive, I am going to share my blog on FB and the World Wide Web at large a bit more freely. It's a little nerve-wracking, like trying out for the stage play in 6th grade or something. What if I'm awful? What if they don't like me? What if I have terrible grammar (I would argue it's rusty, not terrible)?<br />
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My name is Priscilla. I am a mom to three great kids. Heather is 23, Matthew is 11 and Emma is 8. My husband, Mark, and I both work outside the home full-time at my family's business with my parents. His mom helps watch the kids somedays. We also homeschool our two youngest. <br />
We have 3 dogs: Lily and Humphrey are English Bulldogs and Joey is a rat terror...I mean rat terrier. She's actually my grandpuppy, but she's part of the pack now. We also have two cats, 2 leopard geckos and a school or two of fish. <br />
<br />
So this is our life, it's filled with crazy and most days, we wouldn't have it any other way!hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-71710179547573011282013-01-22T15:25:00.000-05:002013-03-26T11:59:34.118-04:00Why do I homeschool? <br />
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Why do I homeschool? </div>
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This is a big question. It's a question I field every week, if not every day from someone in my life. At times, I field it from well meaning strangers, at other times I field it from friends or family. The neighbors have asked, the customers at our family business have asked, my parents and my in-laws have asked. <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">I</strong> have asked myself countless times on those weeks where it seems that nothing is progressing and all I am doing is arguing with my kids. Strangely enough, my husband does not ask. He is completely sold on the concept and even though we've only made it 5 weeks into our history curriculum in 19 weeks of school, he's sure that our kids are doing great. And he's right, of course. And yet, I struggle with my answer, as many other homeschool mommas do, because I always feel like I could do better.<br />
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I will say first that we live in an excellent school district. My kids have had many teachers and counselors that have taught them well. Our decision to pull them out of school had very little to do with the school system/district/personnel/etc. It was an internal family decision that had to do with wanting more time with my kids.<br />
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Here's my list so far: </div>
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I homeschool because:</div>
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<li style="list-style-image: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 4px;">I know my kids. </li>
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<ul style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="list-style-image: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 4px;">My son, the middle child, is filled with anxieties. Some of those anxieties are justified; he has a life-threatening food allergy and has to be wary of everything he eats. He has had teachers and other school personnel offer him foods that would kill him if he took them, from kindergarten on. He has a soft heart. When dealing with a bully in fourth grade, he told his dad, "Dad, I just can't say those things to him. He's my friend. It would hurt his feelings and I don't want him to feel as bad as I'm feeling." This was about the kid who had been relentlessly bullying him and turning other classmates against him for 3 months.</li>
<li style="list-style-image: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 4px;">My youngest daughter, the baby of three. She is smart, scary smart. We've made jokes about her taking over the world since before she could walk. In first grade, she came home one day and grabbed a book her brother was complaining about being hard to read (he was in fourth grade at the time). She opened the book and read the entire first chapter aloud, missing only two words: Massachusetts and Chatapiqua (or some equally difficult Native American originated city name). She was considered behind in reading according to her testing scores later that same week. </li>
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2. I work full-time and kind of odd hours. When the kids are in school, I barely get to do more<br />
than feed them and put them to bed. </div>
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3. I love seeing them learn and get excited by what they've found out. I love seeing</div>
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the enthusiasm slowly creep back into their learning process as they figure out </div>
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the world is their classroom now. </div>
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4. Standardized testing gave my then-fourth grader an ulcer. You could walk into the </div>
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school and feel the tension in the building. The kids were stressed, the teachers</div>
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were stressed, and it was hard to breathe the air in the building for that last 5 </div>
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weeks of practice testing.</div>
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5. I don't think the government and the school boards and the teacher's union have a</div>
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better idea of how to deal with my children than I do. The bureaucracy should leave the<br />
teachers alone and let them do their job. I also don't think strangers, no</div>
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matter how well intentioned and educated should spend more time with my </div>
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children than I do. </div>
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6. They are only small for a such a short time. I have a 23 year old and I missed so </div>
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much of her life by sending her to daycare and working full-time and later sending her</div>
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to school. I don't want to make the same mistake for the younger two kids. </div>
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There will be plenty of time for them to experience the real world when they are </div>
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older and wiser and better equipped to handle it.</div>
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7. Although we are not super religious, the right to call a party a "Christmas Party"</div>
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as opposed to a "Winter Celebration" is important to me. I want to share the bible</div>
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with my children as well as morality and our family beliefs. I want them to be able</div>
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to share their belief in God and defend it in an intelligent and thought out way</div>
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once they are out in the real world.</div>
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8. I want them to see the merit of hard work and accomplishment as opposed to</div>
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skirting by to do just enough because the teacher will probably bump them up </div>
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to a B because she knows their smart enough to get a B instead of the C- they</div>
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earned. </div>
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9. I want to read fantastic books with my kids, traipse through the woods and draw</div>
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pictures of butterflies and rocks, look at pond scum under a microscope, and take</div>
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fantastic trips with my kids and call it schooling, because it is and they will learn</div>
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so much more than just cracking open a text book for 6 hours a day!<br />
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10. We get to call Disney World a field trip! What's not to love?</div>
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I guess these are the biggest reasons; these three wonderfully individualistic, bright, funny<br />
and ridiculously good looking kids. Who wouldn't want to spend all their free time with this bunch?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORAVBMdottMoUSWXA7LqiqdDeU1S-Zra_ctXZl_z5rjiLxIrkGf5XxWr8ZzpxA8BCCeL0buttS0QabeC_C-xZ_5BDUeXBbE8La4PDwvmckf2XDpb1hMM8Oi59FkWyGhmEtR52CRZ62A0/s1600/Craddock_6052_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORAVBMdottMoUSWXA7LqiqdDeU1S-Zra_ctXZl_z5rjiLxIrkGf5XxWr8ZzpxA8BCCeL0buttS0QabeC_C-xZ_5BDUeXBbE8La4PDwvmckf2XDpb1hMM8Oi59FkWyGhmEtR52CRZ62A0/s320/Craddock_6052_final.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-56628723570557432612013-01-15T14:08:00.003-05:002013-01-15T14:08:33.692-05:00Time4Learning <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm?ref=Review+Referring" rel="nofollow" style="color: #003399; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">homeschool curriculum</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">, for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/afterschool.html?ref=Review+Referring" rel="nofollow" style="color: #003399; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="http://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/afterschool.html?ref=Review+Referring
CTRL + Click to follow link">afterschool enrichment</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">and for</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/summer-school.shtml?ref=Review+Referring" rel="nofollow" style="color: #003399; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="http://www.time4learning.com/summer-school.shtml?ref=Review+Referring
CTRL + Click to follow link">summer skill sharpening</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">. Find out how to write your own</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum-review.shtml?ref=Review+Referring" rel="nofollow" style="color: #003399; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">curriculum review</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">for Time4Learning.</span>hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-55302769141880090212012-11-06T11:52:00.000-05:002012-11-06T11:58:03.831-05:00Tuesday, Nov 6th<br />
This week, we're working on science to prepare for our trip to the beach. We're reading the following books:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Take-Beach-Walk/dp/0970975449/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352213859&sr=8-1&keywords=take+a+beach+walk" target="_blank">Take a Beach Walk</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Coral-Reef-Donald-Silver/dp/0070579709/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352213928&sr=1-1&keywords=one+small+square+coral+reef" target="_blank">One Small Square Coral Reefs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seashore-Small-Square-Donald-Silver/dp/0070579288/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352213976&sr=1-1&keywords=one+small+square+beach" target="_blank">One Small Square Seashore (I want to find this one)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Animals-DK-Publishing/dp/0756619726/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352214029&sr=1-1&keywords=encyclopedia+of+animals" target="_blank">Encyclopedia of Animals</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Animals-Gods-Design-Life/dp/1600921604/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352214082&sr=1-4&keywords=world+of+animals" target="_blank">World of Animals and God's Design</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Glow---Dark-Fish-Through-Creation/dp/0764222627/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352214160&sr=1-1&keywords=glow+in+the+dark+fish" target="_blank">Glow in the Dark Fish</a></li>
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We started by reading a section on oceans in the Encyclopedia of Animals and then read about the different types of worms: segmented, round and flat worms. They think parasitic worms are gross, but segmented and tube worms are pretty cool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJZZmsBkx79pfOnNZVT6fncmz-iapx2Z03tR6jEZIGlATefL_hWIrqWeoId44Dr0gxShJ0VEetsDRUPLkRjdd9TpjnURdKj2FcDE06o1F5c7ZOLryIooZMS9_3NJH7vZw9RKtAjDvXjQ/s1600/coastalstudy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJZZmsBkx79pfOnNZVT6fncmz-iapx2Z03tR6jEZIGlATefL_hWIrqWeoId44Dr0gxShJ0VEetsDRUPLkRjdd9TpjnURdKj2FcDE06o1F5c7ZOLryIooZMS9_3NJH7vZw9RKtAjDvXjQ/s200/coastalstudy.jpg" width="150" /></a>I'm hoping to mow through a three weeks of material this week so that we can have a good understanding of the ecosystem that is the beach. </div>
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Here the kids are drawing giant tube worms that live around deep-sea hydrothermal vents. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Tube worms near hydrothermal vents at EPR (2004)" border="0" class="image image-preview " height="150" src="http://media.marine-geo.org/files/images/2004-Ferrini_Vicki-367.preview.jpg" style="cursor: move; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tube worms near hydrothermal vents at EPR (2004)" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://media.marine-geo.org/image/tube-worms-near-hydrothermal-vents-epr-2004" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
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These are what we started with and you see what they are drawing. </div>
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These are what we started with and you see what they are drawing. I love their creativity. We needed to accomplish a bit more than we did today, but they'll have Math and Language Arts at Granny's house. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/182/cache/marine-worms02-tube-worm_18259_600x450.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by: Paul Sutherland, National Geographic</td></tr>
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Emma did see these in the image list on Google and thought they were the coolest things (aside from a furry snail) that she'd ever seen. I think that is the origination of her spiral.</div>
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On the list for later this week: </div>
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<li>Blog posts about Maine (from both kids) that we'll put on our <a href="http://aroundthestatesin50postcards.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Around the States blog</a></li>
<li>Blog post from Emma about a topic of her choosing that she'll put on her blog, <a href="http://emmaslearningjourney.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Emma's Learning Journey</a></li>
<li>Blog post from Matthew about his latest Lego creations that he's worked so hard on these last few days. It will be posted on his blog, <a href="http://matthewsepicjourney.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Matthew's Epic Journey Blog</a></li>
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Hopefully, we'll get it all done!</div>
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Make good choices ^_^</div>
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hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-7684310016319717452012-11-05T02:13:00.002-05:002012-11-06T11:59:28.107-05:00Treading WaterSome days, you wake up and feel invigorated and you accomplish everything on today's list, tomorrow's list and things you thought you'd have to pay someone else to day, right? Ok, me neither. Some days, you just want to sleep in. Unfortunately, I had a week of that last week. The kids managed to do nothing but language arts and math all week long last week. They did a bit of outside reading and they outlined their next blog post, but otherwise, nada...nil...bupkiss. I need a bit of motivation to get back on track, so I signed up to review products via my blog. Homeschooling stuff and other things I guess. I hope they approve me, I think it would add some spice to our schooling AND would keep me moving forward.<br />
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I'm going to say that Mommy just had a bad week last week and we're going to get our act back together right now, tomorrow. I hope so. We're going on vacation next week, so that's going to be less productive. We're doing some science and history while we're down there. We're calling it an educational field trip ^_^<br />
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Mark keeps telling me to relax and just keep plugging along, it will all work out fine. I take this schooling thing very seriously though. I'm already trying to figure out how we can use some of Matthew's middle school classes to take CLEP tests (I can't, btw). I know he's right, but I just have so much I want them to know, so many things I want to teach them. I feel like time is running out and I worry if I can get them prepared in time.<br />
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Big Picture Time: the most important thing I can teach them is that they are loved and wonderful and smart. All I need to impart is a love of learning and they'll teach themselves more than I ever could pour into their heads. I know this...in my head, maybe on one side of my head. The other side tells me that I'm going to fail them and they're going to only play video games and watch tv forever.<br />
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But no, this week will be better. I have it planned out. The kids are going to blog about the great state of Maine and finish up studying it this week. We're going to mail our pen pal's letters now that we've found her new address again (sorry Charlotte, that's my fault, I misplaced your envelope the last time), we're going to plow through science and study the beach and the ocean as habitats, plus we'll throw a bit of history in there.<br />
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Plus, we'll have to celebrate my oldest monkey's birthday, so birthday cards will have to be made and lovey birthday poems written. Good times!hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-53170404138786338142012-10-10T12:30:00.000-04:002012-11-06T12:00:35.855-05:00With little power comes crushing responsibility...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmAAvOZdyRBHW6bcHWATFCC-X4hyphenhyphenz23c6CyJLBtdZhfkICJLbLSt8SiNp5JT6RiAmxbYZ4oixluh_eKxak7YDAcPoIX8pCseXi24OvFzpkzf_k40GP349rwbuqBGriVprgQSxVBGu9qk/s1600/aneurysm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmAAvOZdyRBHW6bcHWATFCC-X4hyphenhyphenz23c6CyJLBtdZhfkICJLbLSt8SiNp5JT6RiAmxbYZ4oixluh_eKxak7YDAcPoIX8pCseXi24OvFzpkzf_k40GP349rwbuqBGriVprgQSxVBGu9qk/s200/aneurysm.jpg" width="150" /></a>Anyone else feel like they're about to pop a vessel this week? No, it's just me? Well, I'm glad it's not everyone, that would be a whole lotta negative energy!<br />
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I am feeling like a failure, a poor excuse of: a mom, a teacher, a worker bee, and a human being. I have the weight of the world on my shoulders and as much as I'd love to give it all over to God and stop worrying about it, the last time I did that, he didn't edit the order packs the way Paul likes them. So it's back to me then. I don't feel like we're doing as good a job at schooling as I should. We're covering about 1/2 a week in history and science every week...ok, perfectly honest, we're covering 1/2 a week in science ever 2-3 weeks. There just aren't enough hours in the day right now. <br />
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We're at critical mass with the point of sale system at the store. It's still running in DOS. Nothing runs DOS anymore and we have killed another computer this week. I don't know what we're going to do to replace it at the moment. I think it's time to have a serious discord on replacing the whole system. The thought of that makes my stomach turn over...twice.<br />
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Then there are these kids. All they do is bicker and fight. They won't split up and they won't get along. I'm not sure what to do, their attitudes are terrible. Course, it all flows from the fount, doesn't it? My attitude could certainly use improvement, Mark's too.<br />
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Maybe we just need a vacation.....beach, sand, no phone, a good book, maybe that would fix it.hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-18493133081785068002012-08-27T15:11:00.001-04:002012-08-27T15:11:11.875-04:00First Day of Home School, August 27, 2012Welcome to Homeschooling, Year 2. Please remain seated at all times and keep your arms, legs and books inside the car at all times...ok, I guess we don't have to remain seated.<br />
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This year, I wanted to make their first day more memorable. We had made a personalized backpack for everyone in the family. It has the store logo and their name printed on the front. These were a little surprise for the monkeys who didn't get to see them until this morning. I also bought a few new supplies for each of them, a cool journal, some little medals to color that said "Super Star" and I had their laptops set out just so they remembered that those were new this year as well.<br />
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All in all, the morning went well. We eased into school a bit, just Language Arts and a tiny bit of Math. Mom slept about an hour total last night, so I woke us up at 8am instead of 7am (caffeine is both the bane and the basis of my existence). Tomorrow, we'll get up a little earlier and hit that grindstone a little more roughly. I'll have that crazy math DVD figured out and we'll do a little welcome to a new year writing as well.<br />
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Here are some photos:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNz2bLyMim1OymTN888UB8wg4VVdbmIql-m0XzHkYvtKTgvUhC4f18RdKPxkUtFwyavlLzkbCmOZKhVgXLqvW5bv5xs8JcmyusAtbJ5sja9v0avNhp6NMTgd3FcM9uD7J0Sh5_CoUeBs/s1600/photo-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNz2bLyMim1OymTN888UB8wg4VVdbmIql-m0XzHkYvtKTgvUhC4f18RdKPxkUtFwyavlLzkbCmOZKhVgXLqvW5bv5xs8JcmyusAtbJ5sja9v0avNhp6NMTgd3FcM9uD7J0Sh5_CoUeBs/s320/photo-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Here's what the table looked like when they came <br />downstairs this morning.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIoDECc7fUcwe-wDikiniyW7Enm5TBbX1YrGsnjUrrFzxKsRJADI7zTpaphFoEd9tGGQTDnYcgKv2PsrEe6Gu3aOwzXOQjuUKF2tPfVHO92_T2J8RpHPaBuYkf23SRU7aNO4A2L7Q4lg/s1600/photo-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIoDECc7fUcwe-wDikiniyW7Enm5TBbX1YrGsnjUrrFzxKsRJADI7zTpaphFoEd9tGGQTDnYcgKv2PsrEe6Gu3aOwzXOQjuUKF2tPfVHO92_T2J8RpHPaBuYkf23SRU7aNO4A2L7Q4lg/s320/photo-9.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here they paw through their stuff, checking it out. Neither of them are <br />"morning people", so their excitement level was understated to say the least.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQlnT3_YWMHgHL9g3vDt6ThV6V8lSVGhP-Z-QeiJ4v3WVOw0HhyphenhyphenuTxcb55p_oC4vAH3s251fYlTX5_d5UHbDhFckgIxOE003PsKWdZpy-rpG_GQdXyrIdQ9nZNrycLN8sFWvpYke-AbE/s1600/photo-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQlnT3_YWMHgHL9g3vDt6ThV6V8lSVGhP-Z-QeiJ4v3WVOw0HhyphenhyphenuTxcb55p_oC4vAH3s251fYlTX5_d5UHbDhFckgIxOE003PsKWdZpy-rpG_GQdXyrIdQ9nZNrycLN8sFWvpYke-AbE/s320/photo-17.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma did get enthused when she saw that they<br />each had their own set of highlighters in a little case.<br />She likes little more than to spend hours wasting the ink<br />of every highlighter in a 100 foot radius of herself</td></tr>
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I found these little signs last week and was as pleased as the kids when I saw how well they turned out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIazPQguej4Enu5JZm9A8i2tUhb9mgLboatJadkI2WIhJ-iK5XIrVK-czg7Be39crjuDubsylrkXUQhP2Hi3kvYVHtAXfqlznLUdF8tP27Ftg1p5Lsls5kaVeXaV5Q4vo-shsGEq4fB5o/s1600/photo-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIazPQguej4Enu5JZm9A8i2tUhb9mgLboatJadkI2WIhJ-iK5XIrVK-czg7Be39crjuDubsylrkXUQhP2Hi3kvYVHtAXfqlznLUdF8tP27Ftg1p5Lsls5kaVeXaV5Q4vo-shsGEq4fB5o/s320/photo-12.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My handsome Sixth Grader, Matthew</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVISIOH7QE20fWKyA4y1uxX4TBsEBkpnb6gzUaedxfx81HvSE4f-VatlCvjqCyd9gP-Xy2pRKOKkKCIXX9OQjPvtgWs62s0WwSg4u2doEp7dl2NJ3lac33YCAwpiHPIIWQ1kmIsNiw2E/s1600/photo-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVISIOH7QE20fWKyA4y1uxX4TBsEBkpnb6gzUaedxfx81HvSE4f-VatlCvjqCyd9gP-Xy2pRKOKkKCIXX9OQjPvtgWs62s0WwSg4u2doEp7dl2NJ3lac33YCAwpiHPIIWQ1kmIsNiw2E/s320/photo-15.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My third grade fashion plate, Emma</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBRYGAHWkQ7tIymmhS7PUsVNytUuHm3HiNYgzoclt5_vjQHRCdIrZPxPUEHUhrdLh7HIwLErytxRPWCgzwynT0sx5b3JQLmPWX9buXfADXCZBVjVdJn6kb-5QyODvQkHh3mQPRQRVaws/s1600/photo-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBRYGAHWkQ7tIymmhS7PUsVNytUuHm3HiNYgzoclt5_vjQHRCdIrZPxPUEHUhrdLh7HIwLErytxRPWCgzwynT0sx5b3JQLmPWX9buXfADXCZBVjVdJn6kb-5QyODvQkHh3mQPRQRVaws/s320/photo-13.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the face they make when Mom<br />makes them put their arm around one<br />another</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK0p7MqCSfRAyfM1TglfQGS_Xmz4ekKcweZTdKsPOkPirWpAt94qOJcj2J-7WzhgDNfQ738y1VqGOnge6ysYsylVxt3KZnQfDcGdoeEqHSpoZxb_aFGuhNhRZULEbP_FLT3oEROjeBz0/s1600/photo-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK0p7MqCSfRAyfM1TglfQGS_Xmz4ekKcweZTdKsPOkPirWpAt94qOJcj2J-7WzhgDNfQ738y1VqGOnge6ysYsylVxt3KZnQfDcGdoeEqHSpoZxb_aFGuhNhRZULEbP_FLT3oEROjeBz0/s320/photo-8.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily was LESS than enthusiastic about<br />having school in the morning. She just<br />wished we would all be quiet and go<br />back to bed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAz1v4n3V8EarQTc6D7Y1kJIIPpC0pmMsG_lliZ5zh748byScwlyS3EJ385Et4EJHlGRbHBAUmZTTdkA4EwzEh3zOtcYZlTosvv6OsmaOIhCTOq_4E9IjxyBPiTqee9sYcuSe6CmaI0s/s1600/photo-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAz1v4n3V8EarQTc6D7Y1kJIIPpC0pmMsG_lliZ5zh748byScwlyS3EJ385Et4EJHlGRbHBAUmZTTdkA4EwzEh3zOtcYZlTosvv6OsmaOIhCTOq_4E9IjxyBPiTqee9sYcuSe6CmaI0s/s320/photo-6.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humphrey celebrated by throwing up a bear that he<br />had eaten. It was wearing a bunny suit. On a slightly<br />different note, NO ONE in the house recognized the bear.<br />If YOU or a family member are missing a bear...let us know.<br /><br />Really, throwing it up, although unpleasant, really was the<br />better alternative ^_^<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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I meant to have a family prayer this morning that our homeschooling would go well this year and that God would bless our efforts, but we were caught up in figuring out how their LA program worked on the computer and didn't remember.<br />
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~make good choices<br />
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<br />hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-71888057686126996962012-08-27T14:23:00.000-04:002012-08-27T15:20:42.563-04:00What are we using? Curriculum for 2012-2013 school yearToday was our first day of the second year of our homeschooling journey. We began with a light day, just introducing part of our new curriculum and familiarizing ourselves with our new tools. We changed things up this year. Here is the rundown of tools we're using for the school year.<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Science</span></h4>
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The only thing that stayed the same is our science curriculum. We will finish <a href="http://www.winterpromise.com/animals_and_their_worlds.html" target="_blank">Animals & Their Worlds</a> this year. We definitely enjoyed going through it last year and did not finish the materials. We will start it in about 2-3 weeks. The kids study each major type of ecosystem for 5-8 weeks. It covers biology, zoology, writing, and many other topics. They've enjoyed the areas they've covered so far and I know they're excited to finish what we've started.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;">History</span><br />
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We're adding in history with Winter Promise's <a href="http://www.winterpromise.com/all_american_1.html" target="_blank">All American 1</a>. Both kids will go through this together each day however Matthew's writing requirements will be more stringent than Emma's. The kids are very excited about journeying through American History this year.<br />
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This program is filled with great reading and projects. We will also start Timelining with each of the kids. Part of the reason public schools don't teach linear history in elementary grades anymore is that children that age don't grasp how one thing happens after another and because of another in time and space. Using timelines and maps, they get a three dimensional representation of history so that they can order their thoughts. It turns into a huge learning scrapbook of everything they've studies. I'm very excited to start pasting in dates and historical figures. I think tonight, we may paste in baby pictures of everyone ^_^<br />
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I had hoped to do an extended election unit along side the Presidential Election this fall, but I don't think it will fit into what we're studying at the time. By October, we should be at the end of the Explorer's Unit and heading into the Colonial Unit. Fitting government in as well would just be too much. I do plan on adding in some extra reading when we can. Now if I can figure out how to work that goofy book widget thing that goes along the side of my blog...<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Mathematics</span></h4>
Although we loved Singapore Math last year, it only goes as far as 8th grade. I didn't relish switching Matthew at the end of middle school so we switched this year. We also needed something that if the kids were doing math with the grandmas, they could have a back up plan. Enter Math-U-See.<br />
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Things that drew us to MUS were numerous. First, it is based on a mastery approach to math. You don't flit from topic to topic (as spiral programs do). You start a topic, learn the ins and outs, try out the variations and finally master that topic. Then and only then do you move to the next topic. It also has DVD lessons. Although Mark & I feel confident in our math skills until we get up to calculus and beyond, our moms do not. Since last year, our moms were helping the kids go through the lessons after I set them up, we thought having a dvd lesson to watch and reinforce the day's lessons would be easier on the them. Finally, their presentations at the convention just blew Mark's mind. The way they explain math, using the manipulatives really removes confusion and makes math more concrete. With the kids, having the hands on portion holds their attention on task more than just a page full of problems ever could. We looked at many other programs (including <a href="http://lifeoffredmath.com/" target="_blank">Life of Fred</a>, <a href="http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Textbooks</a>, and <a href="http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/saxonhomeschool.htm;jsessionid=5E3E82EC40A924892D887D90E2D183AD.ecom-app-wk2" target="_blank">Saxon Math</a>) but preferred MUS over each of the others.<br />
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Emma is starting the year with <a href="http://store.mathusee.com/catalog/general-math/gamma/" target="_blank">Gamma</a> it will reinforce her multiplication and division skills that she started building last year and expand her into doing multiple digit multiplication and division.<br />
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Matthew is beginning with <a href="http://store.mathusee.com/catalog/general-math/epsilon/" target="_blank">Epsilon</a>. It will cover fractions and factoring. Although we covered fractions in depth, we hope that the new approach and angle used in MUS will clarify the parts that he found confusing and give him a solid foundation to move forward into decimals and pre-algebra.<br />
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We are all a bit nervous because the first 2 videos on the dvd are 2 hours and 2 hours & 45 minutes long. Hopefully, those are not the norm because I am certain that none of us will sit through that much math each week.<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Language Arts</span></h4>
Here's where we really changed things up. This year, we went with <a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/overview.php" target="_blank">Switched on Schoolhouse</a> for LA. Mark really loved the idea of using the computer and a completely on-line school for both kids. I hesitate that they need quite that much screen time. I worry about absorption of information and retention of information. However, as we both work full-time (40-50 hours per week) outside the home, at some point, I need some help getting everything done. Grading was a real problem last school year as was maintaing a grade book. The compromise we reached was this, we will try the LA section of SOS and see how it goes. If I feel like they learned and retained enough material, maybe next year we'll expand the subjects we teach with it.<br />
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I've discovered there is a huge learning curve to the software. I'm sure that we'll get it figured out but at the moment, I've managed to assign a couple of things and set up the school calendar, sort of. The kids did very well at working their way through the tutorial this morning and figuring out the various tools they have at their disposal through the software.<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Penmanship</span></h4>
We went with Horizons Penmanship <a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/product/jsp315/" target="_blank">Book 3</a> and <a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/product/jsp515/" target="_blank">Book 5</a> for the kids. I was so mad at myself when I opened these last week and realized I had bought the wrong books. My intention was to get pick up <a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/product/jsp215/" target="_blank">Book 2</a> as that is where cursive is "taught" from beginning to end. Emma is just beginning in cursive and Matthew has no confidence in his ability with cursive so starting over seemed like a good idea. I know what distracted me. I started looking through the 6th grade book and talking to one of the ladies in the AOP booth. She told me if I was doing American History, I should use the Book 5 for Matthew rather than Book 6. Book 5 is a lot of American History speeches, documents and information. Then I just grabbed Third grade with out thinking.<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Art</span></h4>
I have a fantastic book I found that is an art curriculum called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-With-Children-Creative-Beginners/dp/0874778271" target="_blank">Drawing with Children</a> by Mona Brookes. I plan on this being daddy's contribution as he has his BFA in Fine Arts Graphic Design. Sounds about right, huh? We also have tons of projects and hands on pages in our history program (750 + pages in one part and 300+ pages in the State Study sections). We also supplemented with some great classes ran by a family friend over the summer, the kids loved them.<br />
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All American 1 also includes 3 great American artists studies. These are fairly in depth and take artists who painted scenes of great battles or historical figures. What I've read so far has been very exciting. Can't wait til the kids start trying to recreate George Washington Crossing the Delaware or some of the other amazing paintings.<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Health & Nutrition, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Physical Education</span></h4>
I am slowly putting together my own Health, Nutrition and Kitchen Home Ec program with a variety of resources I've found on-line. I want to teach my kids the reasoning behind choosing good foods over junk foods. I'll eventually do a separate post where I organize the sites, blogs and worksheets I've found on the subjects.<br />
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Physical Education will be bolstered by playing Upward Bound Basketball this fall/winter. The kids also want to take karate and gymnastic lessons. Sounds pretty busy, but can't wait to see which activities the kids like best.<br />
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<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Bible</span></h4>
Our history program (AA1) has included as part of it a fantastic resource for Bible study. It is called Christian Character Traits for Kids. We will cover things like:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Courage</li>
<li>Determination</li>
<li>Leadership</li>
<li>Insight</li>
<li>Sacrifice</li>
<li>Loyalty</li>
<li>Diligence</li>
<li>Compassion</li>
<li>Commitment</li>
</ul>
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These character traits are paired with stories from great American historical figures and their stories. We learn about George Washington while studying leadership and Bible verses that support the qualities a leader displays. It includes writing prompts that encourage a depth of thinking and study that I hope will prompt the kids to look inside themselves and contemplate their own decisions from a more thoughtful place. I am excited to start sharing this with them.</div>
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Seeing it all in black and white makes me wonder how it will all fit in to our week. All we can do is our best, I suppose. </div>
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I know I'm forgetting something. I guess I can always edit the post at a later date.<br />
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~make good choices<br />
<br />hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-47603713066878716922012-08-26T16:39:00.000-04:002012-08-26T16:39:00.660-04:00Things I've done instead of getting the kids' curriculum figured out...So, tomorrow's supposed to be the first day of school. I have most everything I'm supposed to and we have a schedule or the beginnings of one. All that's left to do is figure out how to create assignments in SOS (Switched on Schoolhouse) for LA (language arts) and make sure I understand how Math-U-See works. That was the goal this weekend...the ONLY goals this weekend. How many of those goals have I accomplished? <u><strike style="color: red; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">ZERO</strike> zero.</u> <br />
Let's list what I've done instead:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Cleaned out the fridge</li>
<li>taken out the trash x4</li>
<li>planned meals for the week</li>
<li>organized the kids' dvd collection and matched up discs with their boxes</li>
<li>dusted the shelves on which the dvd's reside</li>
<li>straightened the bookshelves to move baskets around in the computer room</li>
<li>played a game with the kids & some friends</li>
<li>laundry, even folding half of it!</li>
<li>recycled a bunch of stuff</li>
<li>organized part of the school shelves</li>
<li>watched a grown up movie with my hubby</li>
<li>gave the puppies some time (too much)</li>
<li>decided to start collecting bottle lids to make stamps out of</li>
<li>checked facebook 97 times</li>
<li>set up a YouTube for Schools page</li>
<li>searched out numerous extra materials to add in to what we're studying</li>
<li>made Heather macaroni & cheese</li>
<li>made a grocery list</li>
<li>promised to cook dinner for tonight</li>
<li>promised to cook breakfast for the kids this week</li>
<li>promised to cook lunch for the week</li>
<li>oh, and of course, written this blog.</li>
</ul>
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I keep thinking that I should KEEP putting it off, look at how productive I've been!</div>
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Guess I should quit and get to work on figuring this out before the old man gets back with fixings for dinner! </div>
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~Make good choices ^_^</div>
hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-22520437831788938802012-08-24T02:05:00.001-04:002012-08-24T02:05:46.670-04:00Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all timesWell, this summer has been a madcap ride blurring by us in a flash. I had great plans and schemes in mind, a great many things to take care of before we started school back up. Those things never happened and now it's AUGUST! Three days past when I WANTED to start school. I know what you're going to say...it's ok, there's plenty of time, you homeschool, start whenever you want. I'm not really built that way. <br />
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Realistically, both kids have a terrible cold and I wasn't feeling 100% myself, if we had started Monday, it would have been a horrible first day. Therefore, this Monday has been declared a school day. <br />
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Yesterday, I cracked open All American 1 from Winter Promise (at least what I have so far) and started sorting. First putting the Instructor's Guide together with some numbered dividers, then sorting the 1500 pages of projects that come with it (enough for two kids together). <br />
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Today, after fighting valiantly with the printer, I gave in and just used the USB cord to print the 150 pages for our state study and the beginnings of our character study. I think I'm just going to let the kids read those digitally on their laptops though, that's a lot of ink. <br />
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I looked through Horizons Penmanship and cursed myself loudly for buying two different levels. The intention was to start them both at the beginning with cursive. By buying 3rd & 5th, neither book has the how to for cursive. Guess I'll see if the Parent Teacher Store carries those :-/<br />
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The big to-do list now is to get Math-U-See figured out before Monday. I also have to learn how to create assignments in Switched on Schoolhouse. That's totally doable, right?<br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4_h5mD_g1pcdGi6fFE0NmS6OP_H23sSxRmgAsfRXpMZ0ASQtWv9Z2kh7hSm_CmWpbTg5xkdZAG06C1Nf4p-xz4V2Kx-zdI40ta3vFgusT6MhjUhY4s4NEgvAzBOfP5h1bbnQ5q5skS4/s640/blogger-image--1620895850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4_h5mD_g1pcdGi6fFE0NmS6OP_H23sSxRmgAsfRXpMZ0ASQtWv9Z2kh7hSm_CmWpbTg5xkdZAG06C1Nf4p-xz4V2Kx-zdI40ta3vFgusT6MhjUhY4s4NEgvAzBOfP5h1bbnQ5q5skS4/s640/blogger-image--1620895850.jpg" /></a></div>hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416775872107533870.post-37271129283572794962012-08-13T14:55:00.001-04:002012-08-13T14:55:26.333-04:00Instant Gratification...not includedSo after months of waffling and studying, we ordered our history curriculum two weeks ago. Dozens of wonderful books, hundreds of pages of educational resources and activities just waiting for us to explore, all shipping to us from the great state of Michigan! Shipping via a caravan of three-toed sloths who have narcolepsy. I LOVE Winter Promise Publishing and the materials they put together...I hate the wait for them to get us our stuff. I know, I know, I should have placed the order in March or April. I can't expect them to get everything here overnight, BUT I WANT MY STUFF NOW!<br />
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They offer eBooks this year and those are kind of awesome. The next day I got links to download 10 of my resources/books immediately. I can read about all the cool stuff I'll eventually be getting, start some of the planning process, and even read several of the books ahead of time. I didn't get the "spine" or "spines" of our program though and that makes it tough to move forward too much. I'm so bad at "hurry up & wait", I want everything right now!<br />
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Friday, I received the giant packets of projects that the kids will get to do this year. 500 + pages of notebooking, cardboard construction, and who knows what else x2 so each kid has their own. I was disappointed that they were the only contents of the box.<br />
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Today, I just opened box #2 (while typing this blog, BTW) and was very excited to see our timelines, a selection of books, our printed Instructor's Guide. That's more like it! Still no spines, but the promise of them helps. Now I can plan for what size binders we need for our timelines and the IG. I know that we need some cardstock for things the kids print and want to add to their timelines. I have the reassurance that perhaps, we can start history by September 1st, which is when I hoped we would be able to start.<br />
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I always like to ease the kids into school. We start with math and language arts first. After a week or two, we add in the other subjects: science, history, health, and geography. This year we're going to start basic keyboarding with some typing games too. I'm still looking for some organized resources to add MS Office basics in to our mix. Matthew has a basic idea of how it works, but Emma hasn't had too much. The kids want to start a foreign language and I agree that it's important, I just don't see us having time to fit that in unfortunately.<br />
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To add insult to injury, we bought a new van...sort of. It also is being delivered by a pack of narcoleptic sloths. They can't tell us exactly when it will show up or when we can have it. I guess God thinks I need to work on my patience...I'm sure he's right.<br />
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~make good choices.hidapriscilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319232837808091937noreply@blogger.com0