27. January 2009 by Shannon.

Sometimes it is just too exciting being part of The Old Schoolhouse’s Review Crew! 

The BEST thing we’ve been asked to review so far this year (at least in Everett’s opinion!) has been the One Year Adventure Novel.  Daniel Schwabauer has put together a DVD course to guide your high school student in writing a novel length story, bringing it from concept to completion… all in one school year!  I can say that this honestly would count as a highschool Creative Writing credit, AND look exceptional as an addition to ANY student’s portfolio! 

My son, 15, who has always written stories, from one line stories as a little tyke to … well, how about I let him tell you about it, and the One Year Adventure Novel in his own words:

One Year Adventure Novel was terrific. It really helped me get a move on my story. I have wanted to be an author my whole life, but every time I made a story something seemed to be missing. Now with Daniel Schwabauer I am writing a book that actually keeps my attention, instead of allowing my mind to drift off leaving me uninterested and looking for a new story idea.  The one downside is that the book he encourages you to write is supposed to only be twelve chapters long, but that’s ok, I’ll just have to make really long chapters or make it my own by adding in more chapters.

Mr.Schwabauer teaches everything on how to make your story captivating – to make your reader not want to put the book down, not even for even a second. Thanks Mr. Shwabauer!  I’ll send you a copy of my book when I’m all done!

Here is an early excerpt from the book my son is writing…

Faragorn gazed out of his window, watching the heroic Warhawk Riders practice swordplay and flight on the back of their breathtaking steeds, the griffins.  Faragorn sighed, wishing that the day would pass quickly. Tomorrow would be Faragorn’s fifteenth birthday, and as was the custom, he would be taken to the Hall of Eggs.  If an egg were to hatch during his vigil, the hatchling would be his and someday he would have a chance to join the ranks of the Warhawks.

Since childhood, his dream had always been to earn the title of Warhawk Rider. He and his friends had all made little wooden swords and rode around on broomsticks, pretending to attack enemies and fly to the exotic cities of the South. Now at the precipice of realizing his life goal, Faragorn exhaled deeply and sat back down on his tiny cot.  What if no egg hatched?  Or if one did, could he become the type of Rider that would be a famous Warhawk who killed a hundred men in a single battle?  Or would he only ever attain the lowest rank of Rider and become some noble’s Lowling?

Included is a Teacher’s Guide (don’t panic, it’s only to give you an idea of what is going on, nothing involved), Student Tests (IF  you want to use them, we are not using them), 7 DVDs and a Resource CD with some classical literature, desktop wallpapers (LOVE the DESK top one… wow!), and many FAQ videos, a workbook, and a “text” book.  The Curriculum’s cost mightbe a little daunting at first sight, $199, BUT it is worth more than that by far (shhhh… don’t tell Mr. Schwabauer I said so! *grin*)… just the look on my in-law nay-sayer’s faces will be worth any cost when my son, the “poor homeschooled kid who will be socially backwards” (of course - *rolling eyes*) presents his book to them for the first time, well.. yes, that will be a tiny bit of a Mommy Pride moment for me, I have to confess.

If you aren’t sure if it’ll work with your teen, there are free sample lessons you can download and check out with no obligation. 

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

Posted in T is for Teaching | Print | 2 Comments »

23. January 2009 by Shannon.

I am a Natural Speller (as opposed to a Nature-al Mama?  LOL!), I’ve never struggled to know how to spell words.  I generally aced all my spelling tests as a student - or was mortified if I got so much as ONE mistake… in fact, Spelling Bees are about the only insect I can abide!

My daughter has not been so blessed.  Kenzi struggles with dysgraphia… which is like dyslexia, only with graphing (as in writing… her input works, but output is busted!).  AND, one of the biggest challenges for dysgraphic students (besides their poor penmanship) is spelling.  So… I was very excited to be given the opportunity to review not only the All About Spelling curriculum, but also their fantastic BRAND NEW e-book about Homophones (those quirky words that sound the same.. like their, they’re and there). 

FIRST I want to tell you about the program itself…  All About Spelling is a very hands on course, using flashcards, magnet board, an interactive CD, and games to help your child master the spelling rules.  Kenzi is 13… and modifying level 1 of this course met her needs… we went a little faster than you would go with a student in the early grades, of course, but it wasn’t “baby-ish” at all (believe me, I’d have had the whole hands on hip, rolling eyes, “MUH-om” thing going on if it were! LOL!).  The program got her thinking about the patterns she hears, about sound blends and how to really break a word down.  She loved the CD with a guide for pronouncing the different sounds and blends (as simplistic as you might think that is.. you’d be very surprised!) and helps her see the “groups” in spelling.  She gave it a thumbs up as one of her favourite products so far this review year!

I am looking forward to using this with my Littles starting next year when Greyson is in grade 1… since he’s already reading and obviously need some spelling work, having spelled McKenzie “Muckemse” the other day on a picture he drew for her.  *grin*

All About Spelling is available in 4 levels, each only $29.95 a set (a set including the teachers manual, perforated index cards to reinforce learning, a set of magnet tiles, and a very helpful CD to aid the student in proper pronunciation.)  This set will easily do a child in the younger grades for a full year, but as I mentioned can EASILY be used to help an older student who is embarrassed by poor spelling.  Worth every cent… you will not be disappointed!

All About Homophones is an e-book by All About Spelling… Marie Rippel confesses a life long love of word patterns, specifically homophones - I was tickled, because I am a closet homophone lover too!  I tend to be a perfectionist and it drives me nuts when people mix up homophones, but hopefully, with the help of this fantastic book, your children will never be one of “those people”!  LOL!   In this book are templates for graphic organizers to help your child cement the learning, worksheets for the most common homophone mix-ups, even some puzzle and card games to make practicing fun!  To make it even easier for the teaching parent, Marie has broken down the homophones lists and worksheets into grade appropriate sections (of course she does encourage you to follow your child’s lead on this… ).

All About Homophones is newly launched on and as a special treat for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew’s readers, Marie is offering all our
readers $10 off any order at http://www.all-about-homophones.com/! To receive the discount, visitors to the site need to enter “FUN” in the customer code box during checkout. The coupon code is good for one week, through February 2, 2009.  The All About Homophones ebook is only $17.95 with this limited time coupon, and will truly bless any child (or gee, I know a few adults who could benefit from it too! LOL!) struggling with those tricky sound-alikes! Don’t wait - get your copy now!!!

Blessings!     

ps, I’d like to mention… spelling and typing are two different beasts… I’m not only fluent in spelling, but also in TYPO!  LOL!                

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

Posted in F is for FANTASTIC! | Print | 1 Comment »

20. January 2009 by Shannon.

Can I tell you a secret?

The key to raising readers only HALF depends on what you read to them and teach them about the mechanics of reading…

the OTHER WHOLE HALF of raising bookworms is all about emulation.  They NEED to see you taking time for yourself to read for pleasure.. to WITNESS you enjoying a good book of YOUR choice.  Why?  Because that is how kids learn behaviours.  If you want them to go past the level of just reading for assignments, or just reading because they HAFTA… you need to entice them, not by reading TO them, but my making it a clear thing that you are reading for your own enjoyment…

“Mommy, can you read me this book” says your non-reading 3 year old

“Of course, Honey.. when I’m finished this chapter of MY book…. Mommy’s really enjoying her story right now, why don’t  you sit down next to me and look at the pictures of your book, and when I’m finished reading this chapter, I will read you your story.. okay?”

Three year old looks at Mommy.  Hmm… Mommy LIKES books too?  Looks over Mommy’s shoulder… but there aren’t any pictures in her book… I wonder why she likes it so much…

Over and over they see this mysterious behaviour… and mimic it in their own way with their picture books (btw, then they also learn how to sit still, be patient for a short time and wait, and repect your needs too)… then a few years go by and they are reading, decoding and all that jazz… and what do they do?  They repeat the learned behaviour because there must be something good in books that you have to spend time to get out of them.  It becomes an active process rather than a passive, I’m just here to listen to someone much more knowledgeable than myself read this story to me…

It’s a habit, and how do we form habits?  By displaying a good model.  It’s CRUCIAL to your children’s education that they see you reading books FOR YOU.

So, you should most definately FIND the time to read some Mom books… whatever kind of book you choose… because if it has nothing to do with school, nothing to do with parenting, nothing to do with self-help in any way… instead it’s a just a book that you can really enjoy… you will have given your children a precious gift.

Do you think our children will turn to prayer in their times of need if they’ve never witnessed Mom praying on her own when she needs help?  Of course not… same goes for reading.

You are now justified… have a nice read!

Blessings!

Posted in T is for Teaching | Print | 2 Comments »

13. January 2009 by Shannon.

Critical Thinking is a forgotten skill (”wait,”  you say, “my in-laws have that mastered!”  LOL… no, not THAT kind of critical thinking… the Logical Thought kind, sorry! *grin*).   Critical thinking is what helps us identify lies and misrepresentations in the media, it helps us to discern what is the best course of action… AND… it can be lots of fun!

Building Thinking Skills is a very large workbook (reproducible within one family or homeschool) filled with puzzles and games to encourage logical thinking.  My Bigs were lucky enough to be sent the Level 3 - verbal (word problems/games) to enjoy.  This is definately not one of those “Awww Mom, do I HAFTA?!” books.  My Bigs actually work TOGETHER on some of the puzzles, and I’m learning that we definately need to work on expanding my children’s vocabulary!  LOL! 

The book is printed on good quality paper and bound well.  I am so impressed with this book that I intend to make this a manditory purchase every year that my children are in school… meaning, starting in grade 1 (next September), Greyson will be doing the books as part of his core curriculum.  Possibly Chaeli will too… and most certainly the Bigs will either be continueing on this book, or will be moving on to the “figural” book (visual discernment) as soon as the verbal (linguistical discernment) is finished.  The Building Thinking Skills cost $29.99 each, well worth investing in my children!  They even have a “Hands On Thinking Skills” book for K-1 students… perfect for my very tactile son.

This one is definately a thumbs up… and something I think is sadly lacking in many homeschools (heck, in many schools!!!)… with all the pressure and hoops of language arts, math, history and science… don’t forget to teach your child some critical thinking skills to help wade through the mass of information and put it into LOGICAL and APPLICABLE context in their lives.

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

Posted in T is for Teaching | Print | 1 Comment »

12. January 2009 by Shannon.

I am not a big “outdoorsy” type Mama.  I don’t like cold (half our year) and I’m not fond of bugs (other half of year).  SO?  My kids have not had the one element of a CM education that everyone says is so fundamental.  Do I think they’ve suffered for it?  Well, hmmm… maybe.  My kids aren’t the big “outdoorsy” types either.  Nature vs. Nurture, and I’m afraid I won.  LOL!

As part of the Old SchoolHouse Review Crew I sometimes get a sneak peek into new and exciting projects and ebooks that they are working on (always working those people… ) and I guess because He knew I needed a reminder of how awesome a creation He’s created for me and my children to enjoy, I was blessed to receive this new book TOS is working on (not even in “print” yet!) called Creative Nature Study. 

I was eager to read it… maybe it’d help me get over my inhibitions, but what I got out of it was so much more!  There are stories of the real Granola Mamas who can just about live outdoors… all the way to those who have children with severe environmental allergies who are unable to spend hours and hours outside.  Hmmm… you mean we come in all shapes and sizes AND nature-friendliness?  Okay.  I kept reading… and kept being inspired by mom after mom who took this thing we call Nature Study and made it her own. 

Covering everything from What Is Nature Study to Creative Walk Ideas to how to do that elusive thing called Nature Journalling (without leaving your children begging for public school! LOL!) - this ebook will have you covered!  My favourite ideas?  The “I see God Walks” and the “Perpetual Calendar”… and so many more incredible ideas than I can list!  I give this one a thumbs up for sure… but right now I have to go… I think we need to visit the great outdoors! :o)

Blessings!

PS, you will be able to buy Creative Nature Study at the TOS E-Store soon… keep your eyes peeled!

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

Posted in M is for Mom | Print | 2 Comments »

9. January 2009 by Shannon.

 
Attention writers!
Grab your pencils and get those creative juices flowing!

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is hosting our second Storytime Writing Contest! We have two creative fiction categories: adults (16 and up 2,500 words or less) and children (15 and below 1,500 words or less). Deadline to enter is March 16, 2009. $7.95 fee per entry.

Grand prize winners in both the adult and child categories will receive prize packages valued at over $1,000, publication in the Summer 2009 issue of TOS, and publication in our Storytime 2009 Compilation E-Book. Eleven Honorable Mentions from each category will also be included in the E-Book in addition to receiving gifts from top homeschool companies.

We look forward to reading your entries!

For a detailed list of prizes, official contest rules, to meet our judges, and to upload your story, please visit: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/Short_Story_Contest.php.

Blessings (and Good Luck!)

Posted in F is for FANTASTIC! | Print | 1 Comment »

6. January 2009 by Shannon.

Ever see something, smell something or hear something that truly transports you back to a lovely (or unfortunately sometimes not so lovely) memory?  You know what I’m talking about, where you can almost feel as if you are back where you remember it from?  For example, there is a certain song that was popular the summer I was 16 that was often played on the radio.  And, having just moved to a new community where I knew no one, I spent a lot of time that summer reading in my room with the radio playing.  Now sometimes on those “oldies but goodies” of the oh-so-long-ago-days of the 80’s I hear a particular song come on that whisks me back to my little room.  I can smell the old, woody smell of my panelled room, I can feel the warmth of the sun streaming through my window, I can almost feel the soft blanket I would keep curled around my feet even on the hotest days, and I almost expect the little squirrel that used to open my sliding screen and explore the window sill (and sometimes be so bold as to jump down onto my bed!) to pop in to say “hi!”  - ahh… memories.

As most of my Readers (HI!!) know, I’ve been blessed this year to be accepted as part of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s review crew… we are sent curriculum from a number of vendors with the instructions to use it and review it…  it’s been an exciting ride so far, with such variety in products that I am amazed what is available out there for homeschoolers … so much more than the little bit that was available even the 10 short years ago when I started this journey… I can’t imagine what the true “Pioneers of Homeschooling” think!  We are truly living in a great time for homeschooling.

One of the products I was asked to review had that same Memory Lane effect on me.  It came from a very unexpected source… a penmanship program.  Peterson’s Directed Penmanship is the exact penmanship I loved in my Nana’s handwriting.  I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s while I was growing up, and my Nana was wonderful about playing with us girls… we played restaurant, school, and I think she even played baseball with us once (Grandad was the pitcher… I think she was the Umpire… LOL!).  And many of the games we’d love to play involved her writing us little notes or instructions.  When I first got my Peterson’s package, I was amazed at the similarities… this is penmanship from a day when people took time to care about what they were writing down, a time when letters would be read carefully then perhaps tied with a ribbon and kept to savour another day… not the day of disposable emails and post-it notes. 

That was my first impression… it was a course which could teach great care in writing… along with absolutely beautiful penmanship.

Now, the challenge.  I have a daughter who is dysgraphic, much better than she used to be thanks to hours and house of occupational therapy exercises… but still… the penmanship “sucks”… most of the time.  Rand, although not the inventor of the penmanship style (that’s been around since the early 1900’s), is the founder of the “modern application” of the penmanship program… including teaching CDs, page guides, pencil aids, and other tools.  The program is so deep and thorough that I could never do it justice here in a simple blog post, but you can read more about it at www.peterson-handwriting.com .  My job here is to tell you about using the program… so here goes.

First, we received the Advanced Cursive program for use with Kenzi (13) and Ev (15).  Everett was not interested at all, so unfortunately I had(to keep the peace) to drop that with him… but continued to work with Kenzi.  She looked at the handwriting and fell in love with it.  She said “I could only dream of my writing being that beautiful”.  Unfortunately, at this time, even after several weeks of physical training (read the site to understand more of that I’m talking about) she may be right.  This penmanship might be a bit more than her (adorable) dysgraphic brain can process … or we’d need to dramatically reduce her workload to incorporate the time it would take to properly implement it. 

That being said… I think that part of the problem is that Kenzi’s already made a lot of compromises in her penmanship… just to get words out, she is forced to take some shortcuts, if you understand what I mean.  However, I think that if you had a young child (to start out with printing) or an older child who had not yet done cursive penmanship yet (to start with the cursive program) that you might have more luck. 

Proper pencil holding is a huge factor; as well as proper placement of paper… and Peterson’s has a guide for that which we turned into a writing mat using bristol board and mac-tac (see below).  Kenzi found it a lot more useful than my (less than helpful, I guess) suggestion of lining the page up with her left arm laying across the top.  *shrug*

I think the time it would take to teach this to a student who already is writing is probably more than most parents are willing to put into it.  I have four children… two in highschool, one in kindergarten and one very active preschooler… unfortunately, I’m not sure I have the time along with all the other lessons going on.  I could see it being well incorporated into a early-schooling program, and I fully intend to plan an intensive course in penmanship for Kenzi during the summer months when her school workload is dramatically lower.

There is a lot of large physical movement involved in the physical training part… it would be lots more fun working with younger students who are less inhibited about these things… but it can be really challenging to get a shy, awkward-feeling teenage girl to do the air-writing and the talking to herself thing - especially in front of her teenage brother.  Go figger!  LOL!  I really like the concept of air writing to make the auto-pilot pathways in the brain, though, and intend to use them in many ways with the Littles school.  (I can think of lots of ways… can you?)

Peterson’s is an “old school” program and will not give your student modern-looking handwriting, but will give them handwriting that will stand out in the crowd, and they say that you can tell a lot about a person from their handwriting (oh dear, what does mine say about ME?).  Rand is very knowlegeable and cares very much for each student’s success with the program.  It was encouraging to speak with him personally on the phone and listen to his wise counsel.  And, although sometimes he can be a little slow in replying to emails, he will reply - so patience all that is needed… and really is worth the wait. 

I give the program two thumbs up… with the understanding that this is not your average hand-you-child-a-workbook-and-walk-away kind of program, because this is a teacher intensive program… depending on what you’re are used to or what you are comfortable with, it possibly could have a steep learning curve for Mom AND Student, but the prize will be well worth the work.

Blessings!

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

Posted in T is for Teaching | Print | 1 Comment »

2. January 2009 by Shannon.

January is the time all the bills come in.  And if you haven’t been careful in your “Holiday Lead Up”… that could mean some “Holiday Let Down”.   It is unfortunate that most people are not aware of how to plan a budget AND STICK TO IT (it’s like buying the treadmill, ya actually have to USE it to look like the lady/man on the box! LOL!).  If you want to improve your financial health, then you have to learn to live on a budget.  Yes… even the rich do it.  In fact, I’d say that the reason they ARE rich is because they are a whole lot better at it than the average family who is struggling paycheck to paycheck.

So, we struggle, we scrape by, maybe we learn.  Do we want the same life for our children?

As homeschoolers we are afforded the freedom to REALLY prepare our children for the Real World.  And part of that preparing means learning how live within their income… so they they won’t have to scrape by like many of us do.   To help address this problem, Michael and Liz DaSilva created KidsWealth. 

KidsWealth’s goal is to teach young children (ages 4-12) to use smart principles in money management… and by addressing these habits from a very young age (money-wise) they hope to foster patterns that will stay with the young person throughout their lives.

The Money Kit contains 5 account wallets (excellent durable quality), a Kid’s Guide to money, a Parent’s Guide, a Kids Pay Calendar, and SO much more… and it all come in a handy carrying case so your child knows exactly where to find their money.  The case fits nicely like a book on the bookcase (where we’ve kept it) as well.  The program is thoughtfully laid out and is easy to understand. 

However, my concern comes in it’s application in a homeschool situation.  The program asks that you add up all the money you spend on your children (allowances, books, arcades, video games, movies, restaurants, toys, candy, souvenirs, gifts, etc… assuming you spend money on all those things) and to split the money you’d spend with your child.  Then they become active participants in the income in/income out process and thereby learn how to manage money.  It’s a bit more than that… there are certain ‘wallets’ that your child needs to deposit certain percentages of the money you give him/her into… such as Fun, Learn, Wealth, etc…  sounds good, right? 

Well, for our family, I don’t spend a lot of my kids that doesn’t incorporate gifts (like birthdays and Christmas)… I’m not a “let’s buy you a little thing at the store” kinda mom… I also don’t buy video games, I don’t pay for movies… I’m not about to charge my kids for the right to watch tv, and I don’t buy candy for my kids… we do buy popcorn, but in those big boxes from costco.. that’s like .40 a bag, so if I divide one up among my 4 children.. that’s like 10 cents a bag…  I don’t give them money for charity.. but *I* sponsor 2 children from World Vision on their (the four of them) behalf… We pay bills, we buy food (that we share), we stay home… we don’t do many activities that cost money (my kids are in youth group - free, and cadets - free)… I can’t make my daughter pay for the one activity I count as school… that’s hardly fair - I mean, if she were in public school I wouldn’t be charging her her school fees… I just found there is VERY little we spend on them frivelously.  Books we buy are for the family, not one child in particular.. that’s what Christmas and birthdays are for… you know?

Liz suggested, when I expressed a little concern before I saw the Kit, suggested that if I have to be frugal, I should give them a few dollars and charge them for their “luxuries”, like their portion of the bag of popcorn I popped… ?!  It seemed to make sense when she said it, but in reflection, I’m sorry, I can’t imagine asking my 3 year old to go get her 10 cents to have her portion of the popcorn we are sharing as a family, that seems to me it’s gonna breed trouble (”he got more than me, I should pay less, she stole a piece from my bowl, make her pay me!”) instead of fun.  I think the program (for me anyhow) would run the risk of making money an idol in the house… “where’s my money mom, when you gonna pay me mom, what time will dad get back with my money?” stuff like that…

SO.  I think the program is well intentioned, and I DEFINATELY know friends and family who spend frivelously on their children more than we do, so I know the program could be very well needed by many… it didn’t work for us.  BUT, I might try “tweaking it” somehow to make it more applicable… but then that would not be using it as it was intended.

AND.. one of the ways it blessed me with was to raise my awareness that my teens really do need to have a course on money management and budgeting… although they are very frugal and responsible, I think a general course to teach them what to expect when they move out (financially that is) would be a wise thing to plan soon.  And as for giving a child a “pay” just for being part of the family, that sounds a little too close to giving an adult a welfare cheque just for being part of the nation… it assumes the money is “owed” to them just for their existance.  I think money should be earned… even a very young child can have a lemonade stand (with Mommy as ”Helper”), an older child can babysit, mow lawns, walk dogs… heck… I even know a kid who picked up dog poop as a summer job (and when he “retired” to less gross things at the end of the summer, his clients missed him dearly! *grin*) 

I guess I feel that managing money is GREAT.  Budgeting principles are GREAT.  But I think money is to be earned, not given… and I think that the DaSilva’s may need to look at how Real World budgetting works… not just Rich Folk budgeting.

That’s my .02

Blessings! 

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

Posted in F is for FANTASTIC! | Print | 3 Comments »