Books and Movies for November

We're on an extended Christmas break here now from school and we are loving the break from our daily routine!  With more time on my hands, though, I'm finding more and more projects that I would like to work on so my list of things to do is getting pretty long!

This past month, I finished my local library's 50 Book Challenge!  Right now, I've actually finished 52 books.  In 2009, I read 68 books but I don't think I'm going to finish quite that many books this year.  In my defense, I have read several challenging, classic books this year which (for me) take more time to read. 

For the remainder of the year, I'm reading nothing but Christmas-themed books except for finishing Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Amber's way ahead of me right now but I'm hoping to get caught up - Treasure Island is a great book!

Books Read in November

• Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn ****
• Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier **** (I've read the entire series of 16 books so far - I really like this cozy-mystery series about a mom with four children who solves mysteries in her spare time.  All of the books have a holiday theme.)
• The Knight Before Christmas by Jackie Ivie *** 
• The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis **** (I really, really like this new-for-me cozy-mystery series about an event planner/homemaking expert.  I'm looking forward to reading the other three books in the series that are available now.)
• An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller ***** (This has been my very favorite book of 2010 so far.  If you're looking for an inspirational holiday book that will fill you with the true joy of the Christmas season, I highly recommend this one.  It's also a very quick read, I stayed up very late and read it in one evening.)

Movies Watched in November

• A Charlie Brown Christmas *****
• Glee Season 1  **** (Yes, I admit it, my teenage daughter got me hooked on Glee.  I'm officially a Gleek now and am so enjoying the Christmas Glee CD.)
• Lyle the Friendly Viking ***
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas *****
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 ***** (OK, I admit it, I saw it twice with my daughter, once at the midnight showing.)
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer *****
• Unaccompanied Minors *** (I actually really didn't like this film and had planned to give it only one star but I did adore the ending, hence the three star rating.)
• Blue's Big Holiday ***
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ***
• The Scarlet Letter ***
• Ondine **
• The Shawshank Redemption ***** (This is definitely one of my favorite movies of all time.)

So, have you read or watched anything great this past month?

Evaluating Our 2010-2011 School Year Progress: Part 1 - Math

We are now on break from school which is wonderful.  We've been working pretty hard and consistently since August 2nd and the decision to take a long Thanksgiving and Christmas break was made when I planned our master schedule for the year.  We are now officially on Christmas break until January 3rd!

Since we have about four months of our school year completed and a long break ahead of us, I thought this would be a good time to evaluate my children's progress in all of their subjects.  To help me evaluate their progress, I am focusing on a few different questions.

• Are we on track to finish the curriculum at the end of the 2010-2011 school year?

While it doesn't matter to me if we completely finish some curriculum by the end of the 2010-2011 school year, there are definitely subjects that I want to finish by the end of the current school year.  For example, I don't mind if my youngest doesn't finish his grammar text - he can simply start with his unfinished lessons at the beginning of the next school year.  On the other hand, I don't want to be finishing our Ancient History study at the beginning of next year!

• Are my children doing well academically in the subject?  Are they learning the material and making progress in accordance with their individual abilities?
• Are my children enjoying the subject?  Now, schoolwork is not always fun but negative attitudes and discouragement on a child's part can mean that some changes are needed.
• Am I happy with how things are going in the subject? 
• Are there any changes I would like to make? 
• Are there any organizational or record-keeping tasks that need done related to the subject?

Going through this evaluation process is hard but will definitely set the stage for a successful and more organized homeschooling experience for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year.  To start my evaluation, I took a close look at the subject of Math.

Math

• Are we on track to finish the curriculum at the end of the 2010-2011 school year?

Yes, we definitely are on track to finish our math curriculum at the end of the school year.  So far this school year, all of my children have been doing math lessons five times per week.  Amber (8th grade) has completed 61 out of 129 lesson in Algebra 1 and has completed 8 out of 18 chapter tests.  Therefore, she has 68 lessons and 10 chapter tests to complete.  By scheduling Algebra 1 for her four times per week, she will definitely finish by the end of the school year. 

Mason (6th grade) has completed 60 lessons out of 116 and 10 out of 19 chapter tests.  Therefore, he has 56 more lessons and 9 more chapter tests to complete.  By scheduling Math 6 for him four times per week for two weeks and then three times per week for the remainder of the school year, he will definitely finish by the end of the school year.

Duncan (4th grade) has completed 62 lessons out of 114 and 8 out of 16 chapter tests.  Therefore, he has 52 more lessons and 8 chapter tests to complete.  By scheduling Math 5 for him three times per week, he will definitely finish by the end of the school year.

• Are my children doing well academically in the subject? Are they learning the material and making progress in accordance with their individual abilities?

Yes, all three of my children are doing well in math.  They are all getting As in their math courses right now.

• Are my children enjoying the subject? Now, schoolwork is not always fun but negative attitudes and discouragement on a child's part can mean that some changes are needed.

All three of my children "enjoy" Teaching Textbooks.  By enjoy I mean that they enjoy the lesson format and actually find many of the story problems funny.  My boys complete their math lesson via the computer.  They both find the program encouraging and like the instant feedback they receive during the lessons.  While Algebra 1 is challenging for my daughter, she definitely has no complaints about the curriculum.

• Am I happy with how things are going in the subject?

Yes, I am definitely happy with Teaching Textbooks and my children's performance in math this school year.  I did not anticipate that Algebra 1 would take such a large chunk out of Amber's day nor did I anticipate that she would struggle with some lessons.  Up to this point, her math lessons have never been problematic for her.  I am very proud of the way she is taking notes, re-doing missed problems, watching lessons again, and studying her notes to work through the course and do well.

• Are there any changes I would like to make?

While logic problems are not exactly "math," I do tend to think of logic problems as being part of a math course.  I really cannot add any additional work to Amber's schedule in math right now, but I can add a weekly logic worksheet or game to my boys' math schedule.  Since they only need to complete three lessons per week to finish their math courses by the end of the year, I plan to add a weekly logic worksheet or logic game to their schedule.  I have a few Mind Benders workbooks that I can use.  I also have lots of thinking games like Rush Hour that I could use.  Lastly, I have a subscription to EdHelper and there are lots of critical thinking printables available on this website.  

• Are there any organizational or record-keeping tasks that need done related to the subject? 

I'm completely caught-up on recording all the math grades.  I plan to prepare some critical thinking printables over break. 

So, are you happy with the way things are going with Math in your homeschool?  Do you have any changes you would like to make after Christmas break?

 

Christian Kids Explore Physics Curriculum Review

As part of my TOS Crew curriculum review responsibilities, I recently reviewed Christian Kids Explore Physics which is part of the Christian Kids Explore Science series published by Bright Ideas Press.  I was very pleased to be able to do this review as I am already familiar with several curriculum resources published by Bright Ideas Press.  I have personally used in our homeschool Christian Kids Explore Chemistry and Mystery of History Volume 1. 

As well, I have had the pleasure of hearing Maggie Hogan speak several times at the MidWest Homeschool Conference.  She is an intelligent, witty, organized woman with a heart for God and her family.  Several of her most popular seminars are available for purchase at the Bright Ideas website.

The Christian Kids Explore Science series is designed for children in grades 4-8, though I think the materials could be adapted for children slightly younger or older.  The Christian Kids Explore Science Series is great for multi-level teaching as the curriculum can be used with multiple grades together.

For the purposes of this review, I was given a copy of Christian Kids Explore Physics.  All four books in the Christian Kids Explore Science series are arranged in the same way so once one is familiar with teaching from one book, it is a very easy transition to use the next book in the series. 

Christian Kids Explore Physics has a total of 30 lessons divided into 6 units:

• The Foundations of Physics
• Matter
• Mechanics
• Matter in Motion
• Energy in Motion
• Electricity and Magnetism

A detailed list of the individual lesson topics within each unit can be viewed here.  Each lesson should take about a week to complete.  As suggested in Christian Kids Explore Physics, each lesson can be completed during a 60-90 minute time block twice a week. 

The basic lesson plan is the same for each of the 30 lessons:

• Read the lesson.  Older students can complete the reading on their own, while younger students or less proficient readers can listen to the reading during a read-aloud time.
• The child completes the Review It questions at the end of the lesson.  These questions focus on the key concepts of the lesson.  As well, a very handy set of all of the printables in the text is available from Bright Ideas Press for $12.95.
• Each lesson ends with Hands-On Time.  The hands-on activities reinforce the concepts that were learned during the lesson.  A full list of all of the materials needed for Hands-On Time is included at the beginning of each unit.  All of the needed materials are basic household items or are easily purchased at a craft store or large department store like Wal-Mart or Target.
• A Unit Wrap-Up quiz is included at the end of each unit that could be used simply for review or evaluation purposes.
• A lovely coloring page is included for each unit.  I think they would make lovely cover pages for each unit is a student notebook.

Two sample lessons are available on the Bright Ideas Press website.  A lesson focused on Projectile Motion and Momentum are both provided.  Given the materials that are available on the Bright Ideas website, one could actually complete two lessons in Christian Kids Explore Physics to better evaluate if this curriculum would be a good fit for one's family.     

One of the aspects of the Christian Kids Explore Science series that I particularly like is that each year of the series focuses on a different discipline in science.  Over a four year span of time using this series, a child would receive excellent knowledge in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Space and Earth Science in order to prepare the child for high school level science courses.  I have a daughter who is taking Biology this year in 8th grade.  While we engaged in a WIDE variety of science activities in her first through seventh grade years, I realize now that most of our science studies were focused on life science and nature study.  Therefore, the chapters in her Biology text that focus on chemistry concepts have been particularly difficult for her as the information is completely new to her.  If I could go back and re-do her science education, I would make sure that the science topics were a bit more balanced.  Using the Christian Kids Explore Science series would be a great way to make sure that all areas of science are covered in the elementary years. 

I also really appreciate that unit objectives, vocabulary words, and needed materials are clearly listed at the beginning of each unit.  Additionally, the homeschool parent will find many additional teaching helps in the appendix of Christian Kids Explore Physics.  There is a glossary, copies of the coloring pages for each unit, answers to all of the Review-It and Unit Wrap-Up questions, and an index.

Also included is an incredibly helpful Book and Resource List that can be used to extend and enhance the material covered in each unit.  Resources such as additional books, videos, and science activity kits are suggested to coordinate with each lesson or unit.

Christian Kids Explore Physics is available at the Bright Ideas website for $34.95.  If you are looking for a thoroughly Christian, multi-level approach to science that focuses on one scientific discipline per year, the Christian Kids Explore Science series is definitely worthy of careful consideration.

I was provided with a copy of Christian Kids Explore Physics in exchange for my review of the curriculum.  No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, was given in exchange for this review.   

KB Teachers Website Review

As part of my job as a The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew member, I reviewed the subscription website designed for teachers and parents, KB Teachers.  KB Teachers has a wide variety of educational worksheets which can be printed for home or classroom use.  While there are quite a few free worksheets available on KB Teachers, access to all of the worksheets can be gained for $29.00 for one year or $49.00 for two years.

KB Teachers clearly organizes all of their worksheets into easy-to-navigate categories.  Worksheets are available in all of the following categories:  English Language, For This Season, Math, Science, Biology, Social Studies, Dinosaurs, The Four Seasons, Visual Arts and Crafts, Clipart, and Mixed Basic Skills. 

There is also a large clip-art library which can be used to make your own printables or can be used on your own blog.  Throughout the website, I thought the images and clip-art were attractive.

English Language

• 7 worksheets for each letter of the alphabet in color or black and white which are perfect for early learning
• Cursive worksheets that can be customized with your own words
• Sign Language and Morse Code worksheets
• Most of the grammar and writing worksheets are geared for children in grades 6-8 but there is a section on homonyms for grades 3-4.  Topics include homonyms, synonyms, superlatives, descriptive writing, parts of speech, punctuation, and multiple writing worksheets.

Math

• Count to 5, 10, and 20 using images in color worksheet generator - you can print an endless variety of different worksheets for the early learner
• Counting money with coins, bills, or both - you can print an endless variety of different worksheets with the worksheet generator
• Addition, multiplication, and division worksheet generator
• Telling time worksheet generator including U.S. Time Zone and World Time Zone worksheets
• Seasonal math pages for the early learner
• Additional worksheets on counting, addition, place value, multiplication, decimals, algebra, and orders of operation

Science (Grades 3-5)

• Astronomy worksheets (Solar System, planets, stars, humans and space)
• Geology worksheets (mineral, rocks, Earth, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes)
• Weather and Climate worksheets (clouds, storms, climates, biomes, world forests)

Biology

• Human anatomy, nutrition, marine biology, plants, microbiology

Social Studies (Grades 7-12)

• Ancient Civilizations
• World Countries
• World War 1
• Post War Europe
• The Cold War
• Early American History
• Medieval Europe
• Global History
• China

Dinosaurs

• There are over 40 multiple page research packets on different dinosaurs available in color or black and white.  The dinosaur worksheet pages would be perfect for a unit study on dinosaurs!

Visual Arts and Crafts

• 21 different arts and crafts projects are available for pre-school through grade 10

In addition to all of the above, there is a section that changes for different holidays and seasons, "For This Season."  Right now, in this section, a teacher or parent can find a wide range of printables for the Thanksgiving and Fall season including mazes, coloring pages, and early education worksheets.

Each month, there are different Webquests posted.  I did have trouble with some of the links included in the Webquests but the problem was very quickly resolved when I contacted Customer Service.

Lastly, there is a very large library of clip-art images (over 600) that are available to use in your own printables or on your blog.  For example, since I'm the homeschooling swim mom X 3, here is a clip-art picture of a pool from KB Teachers.  

My only criticism of KB Teachers is the lack of a Search function.  The website is incredibly easy to navigate, though.

Since my children are older, I don't look for printable worksheets nearly as much as I did when they were younger.  Particularly for the early education to 3rd grade teacher or homeschool parent, I think KB Teachers would be helpful.  There are worksheets geared for older children as well, though, so the website is versatile for those with older children. 

As I was reviewing the website, I kept thinking how I would have loved so many of the printables for when my children were younger.  I thought the graphics on the worksheets for younger children were delightful.  All of the worksheets can be previewed and there are many free resources available on KB Teachers, so you can learn more about what KB Teachers has to offer at their website.

I received a free 2 year membership to KB Teachers in exchange for my review.  I received no other compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for my review. 

Favorite Christmas Books Part 1

I'm definitely in holiday mode here.  My husband brought up our box of Christmas books out of storage last night and I was so excited to look through our Christmas books once again.  After picking only my very favorite Christmas books, I still had a stack of 26 books plus 3 favorites I've reserved from the library.  Now is a great time to put Christmas books on reserve at your local library before they're all checked out for the holiday season.  Here's a list of 9 of my very favorite Christmas picture books. 

• Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide - This first book is not a picture book but the story appeals to all ages.  We read through this book several years ago and I am hoping to read through it again this year over the Advent season.  According to the calendar in the back of the book, Advent begins November 28.  Each section of the story ends with a devotion so it is a perfect family read-aloud for the holiday season. 
• The 12 Bugs of Christmas: A Pop-Up Christmas Counting Book by David A. Carter - I challenge you to read through this fun, interactive book and not smile!  This book is delightful.  The story works through the 12 days of Christmas song using bugs instead of the traditional items.  "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...A Fruitcake Bug in a Pear Tree." 
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - I love this book.  I am positive I have never read it without breaking completely down into tears at some point.  If you've never read this one, read it as soon as possible.  The Gift of the Magi is a beautiful book about the power of sacrificial love and the true meaning of Christmas.
• Who Is Coming To Our House? by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff - This book is definitely for younger children but even older children will enjoy the sweet illustrations and the preparations the barnyard animals make for the baby Jesus.
• There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell by Lucille Colandro - This is such a fun book.  Based on the same format as the book, "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly," this book takes a holiday twist to the well-known tale.  During our Middle Ages unit, my daughter had fun writing her own version, "There Was A Sad Peasant Who Swallowed A Pheasant."
• Christmas in the Big Woods (My First Little House Christmas) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - This is an absolutely perfect book to celebrate the joys of a simple old-fashioned Christmas filled with homespun gifts and love.
• The Night Before Christmas, Illustrated by Douglas Gorsline - This is an OLD book, one saved from my own childhood.  The classic poem by Clement C. Moore is delightfully illustrated in this book. 
• Thomas' Christmas Delivery - When my boys were younger, they went through a time of several years when they loved everything Thomas the Tank Engine.  My youngest, Duncan, was particularly enthralled with all things Thomas.  This book is a great reminder of those days for me.  Thomas, the hero, saves Christmas in this book for the children in the hospital by delivering presents to them.
• The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado - Grab a box of tissues and share this with your children.  I think this book would appeal to anybody of any age who still has a soft heart.  OK - I admit it, I'm tearing up just leafing through the book.  The gentle illustrations throughout the book are precious as well.

I'm always interested in other great Christmas books.  If you have any picture books or even novels to suggest, I'd love to hear about them!

Weekly Menu Plan and an Adorable Hamburger

I thought I would jazz up my Weekly Menu Plan post with a picture of an adorable hamburger that Mason just made out of polymer clay.  I just love the detail in the hamburger!  He used a damp brown pastel to add the "toasted" look to the top of the bun.  Too cute!

My weekly menu plan is a bit late in the week but...better late than never!  Can a last-minute-desperate-trip to Little Caesar's on Monday for Hot & Ready $5.00 pizzas count as a planned meal?  If you don't think it does, ignore Monday.

• Monday - Little Caesar's $5.00 Pizza
• Tuesday - Fried chicken, mashed potates, macaroni and cheese, green beans
• Wednesday - Vegetable Beef Soup - I'm trying another one of the McCormick Slow Cooker Seasonings packets to make the Vegetable Beef Soup. 
• Thursday - Homestyle Chicken and Noodles and Mashed Potatoes
• Friday - Broccoli Cheese Casserole and Ham
• Saturday - The boys have bowling in the morning, Amber has prelims for a swim meet in the morning, and we'll all be going to finals to watch her in the evening.  Needless to say, we'll be eating out and about that day.  I also plan to make two Broccoli Cheese Casseroles so we'll have leftovers for Saturday as well.
• Sunday - Moe's after church

New Review Posted at Curriculum Choice - Teaching the Essay by Analytical Grammar

My oldest child is in 8th grade this year and is taking a Literary Analysis class for the first time. The class involves writing many literary analysis essays. Rather than dive right into the Literary Analysis class, I thought it would be prudent and fruitful to first teach her how to write a literary analysis essay. Even though I feel confident in my own writing, I wasn’t sure how to go about teaching her how to write this specific type of essay. Therefore, I was completely delighted when I attended a presentation about Teaching the Essay by Analytical Grammar at last year’s MidWest Homeschool Convention......

To read the rest of my review of Teaching the Essay by Analytical Grammar, please join me at The Curriculum Choice. 

Favorite Christmas Videos

We're definitely getting into the Christmas spirit early around here this year!  My teenage daughter has requested that this year we watch ALL of the classic Christmas videos.  I guess she is feeling nostalgic for her childhood.  Since I adore all things Christmas, I am happy to comply with her request.  We plan to work through a huge stack of Christmas videos over the next two months and I'm pretty excited about the thought of just hanging out with my kids and watching Christmas videos and movies! 

So, I dug out ALL of our VHS tapes and the very few DVDs we own that are Christmas-themed.  First of all, I decided that we have a LOT of VHS tapes!  I think I need to stop picking them up for 25 cents at library book sales! 

We have some classic Christmas videos - the ones I remember watching when I was a child before VCRs.  I would look forward to watching these every year, with commercials and all!

• Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• A Charlie Brown Christmas

I also found some additional classics from my childhood on Netflix so they are at the top of our rental list.

• Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
• The Little Drummer Boy
• Frosty the Snowman

As well, here are my favorite Christmas-themed movies.  Most of them are family-friendly while others are not quite so family-friendly.

• A Christmas Story
• Samantha, An American Girl Holiday
• Little Women
• Christmas with the Cranks
• The Santa Clause
• Little House on the Prairie, Christmas at Plum Creek
• Gremlins (not family-friendly)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (not family-friendly)
• The Holiday (not family-friendly)

I will also be watching It's A Wonderful Life - can you believe I've never seen it?  As well, my children are insisting that I watch Unaccompanied Minors with them this year.  They all loved that movie and I didn't watch it with them.

I have a small stack of VHS videos that are Christmas-themed that don't fall into "favorites" categories but I wanted to share them as well just in case anybody was looking for some Christmas-themed viewing ideas.

• The Penguins Whacked-Out Holiday
• 12 Dogs of Christmas
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Movie
• Rugrats Christmas
• The Nuttiest Nutcracker (my boys LOVE this one)
• Christmas in Cartoontown
• Prancer Returns
• Santa Clause 2
• Touched By An Angel Christmas Miracle
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
• Veggie Tales - The Toy That Saved Christmas
• Veggie Tales - The Star of Christmas
• Blues' Big Holiday
• Rugrats The Santa Experience   

So, do you have any great Christmas movies or shorter videos to suggest?  What are your family's favorite Christmas-themed videos and movies?

Week in Review - Frogs Jumping, A Meal Plan, and the Comfort of Homeschooling

We had a fairly quiet week - busy but quiet.  We have been struggling with making some decisions about changing swim teams so that has been difficult and quite the drama, but overall, our school days have been quiet.  We didn't do any really fun artsy hands-on projects this week - just a lot of read-aloud time in history and independent work for the children in their other subjects. 

One of the things that struck me this week was just how comfortable my youngest son often looks while he is doing his independent work.  Whether he's sitting by the fireplace writing a paragraph for Ancient History Writing Lessons... 

or laying stomach-down on the couch in the school room doing his spelling lesson...

or reclined on the sofa in the living room reading his current assigned novel with his workboxes stacked beside him, Duncan always seems to seek out the comfort while doing his schoolwork. 

While my older two children were at youth group at church, I visited our local library and so enjoyed seeing all of the little Christmas trees on display.

Of course, I thought the one my son made was the very cutest with all of his adorable sweets-themed Polymer-clay ornaments!  So far, he has two bids on his tree for the silent auction library fundraiser (OK - I admit it, one of the bids was from me!). 

In science with my boys this week, we focused on the parts of an atom and the different electrical charges of each part.  I dug out a really fun "frog-jumping static electricity hands-on exercise" that I made when my children were much younger to use in our hands-on demonstration about positive and negative charges.

After they were done making the frogs jump to the balloon over and over, they wrote about the demonstration in a mini-book for their Chemistry lapbooks.

Amber is finishing up Module 6 in Biology and has been studying all week.  Module 6 has definitely been a challenge for her with concepts like cellular respiration and organelle functions.  She did discover a handy study aid for her iTouch this week - Jason Wentworth FlashCards.  There are lots of flash card apps and I certainly can't recommend this one above all of the others but my daughter has been enjoying studying her biology facts in this manner. 

On the homemaking front, I managed to make a meal plan this week...and actually follow it all week!  Yeah for me!  After my desperation trip to Moe's on Monday for lunch with the kids, I hunkered down and made a meal plan relying HEAVILY on my crock-pot (a homeschool mom's best friend).  Since keeping everybody fed with homemade meals is a constant struggle for me around here, I was proud of myself for making a meal plan, sticking to it, and NOT running out to Little Caesar's for pizza this week!

That's our Week in Review!  If you would like to read about what other homeschoolers were doing this week, check out the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.