Prior to this, we had never done any kind of lap book. We'd been curious about what they entailed, having heard about them from homeschooling friends, so we were happy to give this U.S. Elections Lap-pak a shot. We received the downloadable version of HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections. (You can also order this product on CD.) This included:
The lap-pak is loaded with well-written information that my daughter, Big Sis, found absolutely intriguing. She was passionately interested and the study spurred many more questions and lots of productive discussions about the U.S. government and elections. While this lap book study could take several weeks or even a few months to get through, Big Sis asked to work on our "elections pak" every day, which put us well ahead of our planned schedule and we have nearly completed the project in just over a month. Nonetheless, because of the density of information in this product, we plan to continue studying the U.S. election process over the next several months, along with this year's presidential elections, continuing to review and return to the lap book as a reference throughout.
To be honest, it's a lot of work in terms of preparation and assembly. We spent about two hours total, added up over time, printing and cutting out the pieces, and I'd estimate another three or four (added up, over time) in assembling the projects - things like gluing, taping, gathering materials, punching holes, adding glitter, and coloring. Luckily, however, when you spread out the material over many weeks, the time per day and per project is usually minor: possibly as low as 5 or as much as 20 minutes per project (depending on how much coloring one desires to do). But those estimates do not include time spent on the learning aspects such as reading, listening to the audio, researching, or writing. This could, therefore, be an issue for someone looking for everything to be ready-made and already put together, or for those that don't enjoy crafting, coloring, cutting, gluing, and assembling small projects. For others, that will be part of the fun! There is never a homeschool material or curriculum that is perfect for every family. But if you or your child enjoy lap books, projects, and/or crafts, then this could be right up your alley!
My daughter was one of those that love the prep and assembly. I felt it was worth it and am glad we spent the time on it. All our effort resulted in a finished product that was something my daughter could be - and very much is - proud of. She now has something substantial to showcase what she has learned and can reference in the months to come, leading up to the presidential elections this fall, whenever she has questions or needs to refresh her memory. This was nothing like filling out a worksheet that will soon be forgotten or taking notes that all look the same and she likely would never look at again. Instead, this was- especially for my daughter- an enjoyable process that piqued her curiosity and interest in elections, our government, and politics in a way that left her hungry for more, yet with a good initial foundation and overall view of things that gives her the framework she needs for further research and digging deeper into the topic.
Some of our favorite projects included a pop up that showed presidential candidates in a debate and an audience listening, a project that has a fabric curtain (we used felt, which was a bit thick but worked well enough), and the one that shows the steps that lead to an election with a man that slides from one side to the other. Generally, my daughter's top choices were those that were more unique in appearance or design. A few of the projects were more simple, such as a folded page with an image or words inside or a little booklet that was folded and stapled together. Overall, the projects were varied enough from one to the next, providing contrast, visual interest, and hands-on depth. For my visual and hands-on learner, this was a huge plus! The accompanying written text was concise and to the point. It is not highly in-depth or full of details, but from my understanding, it was not designed to be so. I'd say that it's goal seemed to be to give an overall tour of the U.S. election system and government structure, allowing for a solid understanding of the major points and most important or helpful-to-know facts. Of course, they also offer a list of resources for further reading and study. This is helpful and can really expand on the information presented in the Lap-Pak itself. I found it to be a perfect start for my daughter and she found the text easy to understand and was not at all overwhelmed with too many particulars. We also utilized the provided audio narration of the text, maximizing our homeschool and home life time by studying and reviewing what we had read while folding and sorting laundry. So we got some education and some housework done! Win-win!
All in all, Home School in the Woods' "HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections" was a product that we quite enjoyed working on (as evidenced by the fact that we blazed though much of it because my daughter just couldn't get enough)! If you are interested in learning more about this lap-pak or want to know what other products Home School in the Woods offers, you can find them at their website, on Facebook, at Google+, on Pinterest, or follow them on Twitter. And if you'd like to read others' opinions about the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak, click on the banner below for more!
0 Comments
I heard about a new gymnastics facility opening in Aiea (Halawa, near the Aloha Stadium) and was quite excited... I'm always seeking out new opportunities for extra-curricular activities that might be of interest to local homeschoolers! Gymnastics is usually near the top of many families' extra-curricular list, so it's great to have another option. My kids have taken trial lessons at most of the gymnastics schools on the leeward side of Oahu - and participated longer term at one of them - but they are not currently taking lessons so we jumped at the chance to do a trial at Manakoa Gym... especially because the coaches generously accommodated our availability and allowed us to bring several friends along to try it out as well! Manakoa Gym & Keiki Learning Center is located in an industrial area of Aiea. We spotted the gym by it's red & white shade canopy alongside the building. Parking was mostly limited to the street, but since our trial was on Saturday morning, we were able to easily find a spot close by. [[UPDATE: They now have an arrangement that allows for more parking availability - yay!]] Upon arrival, we noticed that the facility was rather small, but the closer I looked, the more impressed I was by the careful use of space and consideration of detail put into the design. At first, it didn't look like it had a lot to offer in terms of equipment, but they fit a lot into the room they have, including a small foam pit, a trampoline, rings, a rope, bars, balance beams, and lots of pads of all kinds. I think it lends itself well to their mission of recreational gymnastics and a learning center. While they cater to most ages (from walking toddlers all the way to adults), this space will likely appeal particularly well to the younger set (I know our kids liked it). They have a type of "loft" as a second level, with some seating and tables for parents to use while waiting, a small store with gear and snacks, and a desk with office space. It appears that there are a few toys to occupy younger siblings as well. Everything was clean, new, and ready for students! The staff seemed friendly, kind, and welcoming. Our group had kids from age 2 through age 11, so the coaches wisely divided them into three groups to accommodate their different ages and developmental stages. Each group rotated throughout the gym to give them all a chance at the various activities and available equipment. It appeared that all the kids enjoyed themselves and left happy. One of the unique things about Manakoa Gym is the "Keiki Learning Center" aspect. The staff incorporates math, language, and science learning into the gymnastics lessons! Prior to this trial, I'd never heard of anything similar, but they seemed to do it really well. They kept the kids moving and only stopped for brief moments to discuss something. Sometimes they used flash cards with letters or pictures for the younger kids, that they would point to, pick up, grab, or put down in between rolls, tumbles, or balancing tasks. They didn't lecture and didn't seem to linger too long - particularly important for the young kids. Beyond the gymnastics classes, I also noticed that they offer academic only tutoring too! I spoke briefly with the Director of the facility and was impressed with what they're establishing, all they've put into the facility, their apparent heart for what they do, and what they are offering the community. While I've only had short and limited interactions with them, they seem like genuine people that really want to help and teach kids. I asked about daytime classes for homeschoolers, and they have a lot of options to choose from! You can see their class schedule and rates on their website. As of the date of this post, they offer classes as early as 10am and as late as 6pm (depending on the day), even for older children! And they even offer classes on Sunday! (No classes on Tuesday.) I also asked if they would accept MBTA funds (an allotment that some local charter school students receive) and they seemed very open to the possibility. Anyone interested in this should definitely ask and get the details from the staff directly. So would I recommend it? Yes... or at least that anyone interested takes a trial lesson. Would I recommend this to absolutely everyone? No.. but only because nothing suits all families. Manakoa gym seemed lower key and I'm not sure what they offer, if anything, to those looking for a competitive gymnastics program. At the time of my original review, parking could be limited during the weekdays (apparently before about 3pm) and that could bother some people, while others will consider it par for the course here in Hawaii. [[UPDATE: They now have an arrangement that allows for more parking availability - yay!]] The location could be ideal for some and not for others. You get the point. :-) It is definitely worth checking out - especially if your child has an interest in gymnastics (and you want them to learn something extra along the way)! What homechooling parent doesn't want that? If you are interested in seeing their facility and finding out more, you might want to join them for their Open House this Saturday, February 6th, from 1-4pm. According to their website, they will have activities, games, exhibitions, open gym, food, music, prizes, and more! This post is for informational purposes only; a chance for me to share our experience. It was NOT sponsored, nor is it an advertisement. I am NOT affiliated or associated with Manakoa Gym. I have NOT received any compensation, perk, or benefit in return for this informational/review blog post. The post was made because I wanted to share about a new extra-curricular option. All of the opinions herein are that of my own or my family. Because I am not associated with the gym, the details I share here could very well change at any time without notice or my knowledge of such. Any questions should be directed to Manakoa Gym staff. We're off to a good start! If you've been following my blog, you probably remember that we received RightStart Mathematics Level A (the Second Edition) near Christmas. We began using it with Lil' Sis (our kindergartener) this month. So far, we love it! RightStart generously provided this program for us to use in return for our honest and sincere review and feedback. They did not ask nor require that I post a written review at this point, but we've been rather excited about it and I couldn't wait to share! The opinions and statements herein are entirely my own or that of my family. (I have NOT been financially compensated and am not an affiliate with Activities for Learning - the makers of Right Start Mathematics. The links in this post are NOT affiliate links.) We've only been using RightStart for a few weeks so far and already there is so much I like about it! Plus, just yesterday, Lil' Sis declared that math is now her favorite subject! Yay! We have flipped through the entire level, looked over all the great manipulatives, and completed the first 20 lessons thus far. Our first impressions of the program are: 1. RightStart Math is fun! We had been using a good math program previously and my daughter enjoyed it, but so far, RightStart has her asking for more, smiling more, getting more excited, practicing math more without prompting, and saying math is more fun. There are songs, rhymes, multiple angles to grasping a concept, hands-on activities, and games (albeit very simple games so far). As if that weren't enough, it has inspired us with even more fun ideas of our own! For example, when the book discussed the terms "left" and "right", we decided to listen to the Hokey Pokey song and dance it out! When the book suggested using musical terms like Do Re Mi for early pattern labeling, we sat down that evening to watch The Sound of Music! (The girls spent a lot of time on subsequent days labeling every pattern we came across with the Do Re Mi song notes.) 2. The Lessons book is clear and well written. [This is essentially the teacher's guide.] Among the variety of homeschool materials we've tried and used, I've found relatively few that explain things clearly and professionally, aren't overwhelming, were edited properly, are well laid-out, are easy to follow, and have just enough background on the how and why of the program. I am loving the "explanations" column found in the second edition! It is in this space that the author includes additional thoughts, background info, important details, and side notes. It has helped me feel confident in what, how, and why I'm teaching my daughter the way things are shown in the lessons. It has boosted my faith in what we're doing and I don't feel as much like I'm blindly trusting there is rhyme and reason to a program, as I've felt with other things. Additionally, had it not been for this explanations column, I might have skipped over some things or just wondered why certain things mattered in the lesson. I also like that these explanations are not mixed in with the lesson itself, since that would likely interrupt my flow when teaching. 3. Few worksheets & plenty of learning! Among the math programs we've tried or used over the years, this one has the least worksheets (at least in Level A). This probably connects back to my first point about the program being more fun for Lil' Sis. Now, don't get me wrong, my daughters actually like worksheets and enjoy them... as long as there aren't too many or they aren't too long. I think the minimal number of worksheets in RightStart's Level A will help maintain this enjoyment for Lil' Sis and not crush it with the weight of too much writing. There is a student workbook for this program which does have worksheets for practice of various concepts, but it also has a good balance with hands-on learning as well. And at least for kindergarten and early elementary grades, I personally feel that the active, hands-on learning is very valuable. I prefer to limit desk work when possible. If, at some point, I do feel more written work is needed, there are free worksheet generators that I can utilize online to supplement. I haven't felt that has been necessary yet though. 4. It uses many angles to teach! No, I'm not talking about geometry here - at least, not yet. RightStart Math Level A seems to take the approach of teaching one concept from multiple approaches, utilizing the various senses, and challenging the child to understand and/or see the concept in more than one application. For example, even with something as simple as number and quantity recognition, they might have the child use tally sticks, colored tiles, the abacus, their fingers, and dot cards to see how the number appears in different ways. Then, the parent will clap that number of times, allowing the child to hear the quantity as well. They also incorporate a silly song and book. In other words, the child is experiencing the quantity, not just memorizing a symbol or learning to count. It might sound like this complicates something simple, but I feel it is, instead, solidifying the knowledge in a way that gives it more dimensions. As something of a side note, I also want to say that the representatives I've had contact with at RightStart have been so helpful, kind, and genuine that I have gained respect for the company and their efforts. My initial impression is that they truly care about their products and the quality of their program. Any negatives? I really don't have anything negative to say about our experience thus far, except, perhaps, that we do miss the colorful style of our old workbook. Okay... more accurately, I should say that I miss the colors. Lil' Sis hasn't seemed to notice and maybe that is because there are plenty of colorful manipulatives to keep her attention instead. So that's it for now! I will continue to share our experience with RightStart Mathematics as we use it over the coming months. Follow my blog and Facebook page to see if our opinion of the program changes or stays the same and to see what other fun and interesting things we find as we go!
Did you know there is such a thing as interactive educational iBooks for Apple devices (such as the iPhone, iPad, and Mac)? Up until last month, I had no idea! In fact, I must admit that I'd only ever used Kindle books or regular apps and had never ventured into the iBooks store before. In December, a local (Oahu) author/designer at Liv ’n Fin Interactive Books, L.L.C. introduced me to some of these iBooks that she created for kids and was kind enough to provide free copies for us in return for a fair and honest review. (The links contained herein are not affiliate links and, as always, the opinions presented below are entirely my own or that of my family/children.)
Each book has an intro video (which can later be skipped) that explained how to use the iBooks and what to expect. The narrator's voice was also clear and easy to listen to (a critical factor, in my opinion, since we've found that the voice of the narrator in both audio books and apps can have a huge impact on how much we like it)!
It is quite apparent that the creator of these books put a lot of time, thought, effort, and heart into her designs! She was, and is, very receptive to feedback and excited about what she has to offer. She seems passionate about helping kids learn in a fun manner, reaching them through color, silly stories, interesting information, and interactive activities in each book.
If you're looking for some books for your kids to enjoy on the iPad, you might want to check these out and support a local author/designer! 1) Link for USA Fun Map for Kids!: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/u.s.a.-fun-map-for-kids!/id988529917?mt=13&at=1001l8dm 2) Link for Alphabet Album: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/alphabet-album/id1028921962?mt=13&at=1001l8dm
My family has had access to this curriculum website for about a month so far - thanks to the Schoolhouse Review Crew - and we've already used it a lot and gained so much just in that amount of time. I can't wait to see how much more we benefit from it over the coming year! It might be worth noting here that my kids are in Kindergarten and 3rd grade, so my review is largely centered around that perspective. We only used elementary grade level and parent/family courses, materials, and resources from the site. That said, the middle and high school levels seemed to have a lot of interesting courses as well, with many of them noting the credit value of completing the course, which I imagine could come in handy when creating transcripts and records.
Our Approach
Our homeschooling is really an eclectic approach, with bits and pieces of what works for us from any source or style of learning and curricula. We have done everything from teacher guided seat work to child-led projects. From my exposure thus far to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, it seems to fit nicely into our system. It can be used in a structured manner, such as following an outlined course for violin or art, or using supplemental materials like worksheets for areas in which my children need extra practice or reinforcement. Yet it can also be used to delve further into topics that my kids are interested in for a more child-led approach. We can do this by using those same courses and allowing my daughter to choose and work through them as she feels appropriate and/or by selecting videos or unit studies to delve further into subjects my kids are passionate about.
My girls seriously found the entire website to be a treasure trove of possibility and were intrigued by everything from a Spanish lesson to art to music. As I was exploring our possibilities, I kept finding them looking over my shoulder or interacting with the verbal prompts from the videos in various courses. (The art lesson we viewed also inspired my daughter to draw an array of "still life" to showcase her skills.) And really, this site could have kept my kids engaged for hours straight. It has a fairly comprehensive selection of subjects to suit nearly any interest area, including categories for Art, Bible, Computer & Technology, Drama & Speech, Electives, Foreign Languages, History, Geography, and Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Music, Nutrition, Health, and Fitness, and Science! (As a side note: I didn't feel the math offered for elementary students would work as a complete program, but it did offer lots of resources to supplement or complement a homeschooler's core math curriculum and was, therefore, still a valuable tool in that area.)
Music/Violin
One subject we spent some time on was music! Both my girls take violin lessons in person with a wonderful instructor in our area. Nonetheless, the beginning violin course with instructor Nancy Blue, available to members of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, was still of interest to my 8-year old, so she went through some of the video lessons (that also have downloadable documents to go along with them). Nancy Blue (the well-qualified instructor) does a good job of teaching the material and my daughter quickly picked up songs being taught. I'm not sure how well someone new to violin would do if taking this course entirely independently since my kids have had prior instruction, so I would still recommend having a teacher that could help in person to help work through trouble areas and provide hands-on help. That said, it's very possible this course is sufficient to be stand-alone for some students and completion of the entire course can be worth a half credit. One thing I'd like to see in the videos would be a close up or different angle at certain times when it could be helpful to get another view, but Ms. Blue did explain things clearly, so this really is a minor issue. My daughter loved having another teacher's perspective and different ways of explaining things, found new things to learn, and adored playing "Joy to the World" in the process... which really was perfect timing considering we were doing some of this over the holiday break!
Three areas of primary interest to me were the resources for parents, the Focused Learning Centers, and the Daily Writing Prompts (as well as Daily Math, Grammar, and Puzzles)!
Focused Learning Centers Even though we have great curriculum that we love, there have been times when I felt like one of my kids struggled with a certain task of lesson and wished we had more practice options in our curriculum. So off I'd go, into the wide wonderland of the internet - usually Pinterest-ing - to find a suitable supplement. But now I can go to the Focused Learning Centers (found under the Planners & Resources link in the navigation menu at the top of the page) on SchoolhouseTeachers.com when we need supplements, extra practice, support or ideas to help with a particular skill. Yay!
Daily Writing
Writing has always been something that my daughters love to do but they both could always use more practice. The Daily Writing course, offered by Sharon Watson, is a fantastic list of writing prompts for each day of the month (and archives from previous months). We started a new daily writing notebook/journal just for this and both girls had fun with writing (and drawing) based off the prompts we tried thus far! I'd recently stumbled across Sharon Watson's curricula and website, so I was excited to see this Daily Writing series available to us, included in our Yearly Membership on SchoolhouseTeachers.com. Other daily practice offerings (not by the same instructor) that we found fun and/or useful were Daily Grammar and Daily Puzzles, though we already have other workbooks for these as well.
Planners & Resources
Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I love organization. I adore having everything planned out and organized, looking pretty! But then there is reality: a bit (or a lot!) of chaos, interrupted routines, and changes of plans happen often... pretty much just part and parcel of this wonderful life! Nonetheless, a handy dandy written planner and good recordkeeping can help get us back on track and stay focused. Not to mention help my scattered mommy-brain to remember important tidbits I'd otherwise forget. So you can imagine my happiness in seeing that access to not just one, but six Schoolhouse Planners (a $125 value) were included at no extra charge for members! These aren't just a few tossed together spreadsheets either. They are a wealth of options to make a custom planner to suit your individual needs, including all kinds of lists and sections for homeschool, household, and calendars. You can make your planner as simple or comprehensive as you wish! There is a general Schoolhouse planner, as well as planners for special needs, primary, intermediate, and high schoolers, and one just for mama. You do have to print them yourself, but considering that I don't use a large portion of most preprinted planners, this is actually a benefit to me - allowing me to pick and choose exactly what is useful for my particular needs and wants.
RightNow Media Library
To top it all off, it is really cool to have access to over 10,000 videos to stream on demand as a SchoolhouseTeacher.com member. This was not initially a primary feature of interest to my family because we have so much already available via Netflix, Amazon Prime, and our own home library of videos. However, these are mostly Christian videos and a lot of them aren't available through our other sources. Some of the videos fit perfectly into our other studies, while others were just plain interesting. Plus, SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers more than a dozen classes based on these streaming videos to provide even greater value!
Any Downsides?
So I've mostly raved about it so far, but there were some things that didn't make it absolutely perfect, in my opinion. Though the courses are good quality, we do have favorite curricula that outshines the material available on the website in some subject areas. But our favorites do add up cost-wise, so SchoolhouseTeacher.com could be a great low-budget alternative to most subjects. As I mentioned earlier, I do think another math program for the elementary level might still be preferred though (but that may change as they add more courses). The site didn't have a super modern feel, seemed to have a lot of words, and sometimes things just felt as though they blended together at first. This got better though, after several times of using the site. I couldn't find a way to get the videos to full screen mode, which I would have liked to do. Additionally, I did feel hugely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of courses and content offered, despite the fact that they have a number of different ways to find what one might be looking for, such as courses listed by subject or by grade level, quick links, focused areas, and a site directory. It just seemed like too much to process at first, which made it difficult to dig in and get started. I would certainly recommend taking advantage of their New Members Hub (found under the Getting Started link on the navigation bar) to give you a foothold and get things rolling. However, it would have been nice if there were more direct links on the new member page - instead of just telling me about something like the My Profile or Quick Links pages, it'd be nice if they linked directly as well - although that does force you to learn how to navigate the site for yourself, which is a benefit in the long run! For me, it was also very helpful to ask other parents I knew who had used the site previously for tips and guidance. I suppose it is also a major benefit to having the Yearly Membership... plenty of time to ease into things and explore every nook and cranny! Regardless, the website seems to be growing, updating, and adding new content, and any complaints I might have are really minor and pale in comparison to the benefit that we received overall.
Final Thoughts
I valued our time using SchoolhouseTeachers.com so far and do plan to continue to use it in the months ahead. I think it could be a valuable addition to lots of homeschool households. If you're interested in finding out more, you could check out their intro video on their website. They also have a Pinterest page that shows the variety of courses they offer and a public Facebook group where you can read more from people who are using the website. If you decide you'd like a membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com of your very own, all my lucky readers can use the following coupon code for an amazing half price offer on a one year subscription to SchoolhouseTeachers.com! Use coupon code: CREWFOLLOWER (valid through 1/31/2016). We got an early Christmas present! Sort of. It wasn't really intended to be a holiday present, but it arrived today and the girls were so excited about it, you'd think it was an actual Christmas gift! For years, I've thought about trying RightStart Mathematics. I'd read great things about it when Big Sis (my oldest daughter) was going into Kindergarten and it was among my top three choices for our homeschool math curriculum, but we ended up selecting a different program at the time. Nevertheless, the curiosity about RightStart has always lingered in my mind. So while we like the math program we have been using for the last few years, I am happy to report that we are about to embark on a new math adventure with RightStart! Yipee! This curriculum was sent to me for review purposes and I will share my genuine and sincere feedback as we use it. I'm eager to incorporate it into our daily learning and I'm not the only one. Both my girls opened the box and squealed with excitement when they saw all the manipulatives, games, and hands-on material that will be used. Despite the fact that it was evening already, they were begging to get started right away! Even though Big Sis is in 3rd grade and we only received Level A (the beginning level), it looked so enticing and fun that she wanted to do it too. I had to inform her that it is primarily for Lil Sis, but if we like it enough, we will consider it for her future math program as well. Then again, I'm not sure if she'll be able to wait that long. While we were unpacking the box, she kept saying, "I want to do this too!" and "Can I please do some kindergarten math with Lil Sis tomorrow?" Sure she can! It can't hurt to do some review - especially if it's fun and her idea! And who knows? Maybe she'll learn something new or expand on her knowledge since this is a new (to us) curriculum. Check back with my blog in January and I'll let you know how it's going! Note: While I did receive this product at no charge in return for fair and honest usage and reviews, I am not an affiliate with RightStart Math (i.e. I do NOT get paid a commission if you click on their links on my blog). All opinions and views expressed on this product are and will be my own or that of my family.
yAs the word "homespun" in the name implies, this book contains plenty of ideas to create a warm atmosphere for the holidays, filled with homemade, hand-crafted goodies. Mingling among the recipes and craft projects were poems, book suggestions, insider's tips, and stories from the authors lives. The whole thing had a relaxed and casual feel, giving me a sense of family and genuineness. It was as though some neighborhood moms got together over coffee to chat and share their favorite holiday ideas and traditions, with one of them compiling it all in a nice collective presentation afterward. I have a family cookbook from my grandparents generation, which includes cooking tips, quotes, and memories interspersed throughout. This ebook reminded me of that. Since my girls absolutely adore cooking, crafts, and poetry, they nearly thought it was an early Christmas present to go through the book and choose their favorites! They wanted to give something from each area a try - choosing from the recipes, book suggestions, games, traditions, and crafts. However, a few things don't apply or work for us right now, either because we live in Hawaii (and seasonal experiences like raking leaves aren't the norm for us here) or because I have Celiac (making many of the recipes less appealing since it would require adapting them to be gluten free). Luckily, there was enough substance in the ebook to give us plenty to try out, despite our minor limitations. Aside from saying that the recipes in the ebook all sound yummy, I won't comment on them further in this review. This is because the changes I would have to make would alter the result, making the taste or texture slightly different, resulting in an unfair judgement of the original recipe. (I am, however, happy to elaborate on our experience with the recipes for any of my readers who also eat gluten free and might be curious about this - simply feel free to email me or comment below if you have any questions!) I enjoyed reading the stories of seasonal traditions in other families (especially the shepherd's dinner - which we haven't done but I'm sure my kids would love), which sparked thoughts on new traditions that I'm considering implementing in our house. I love traditions! Our kids could sit all day listening to books, so we always like to hear about other people's favorites. There weren't many books mentioned in Homespun Holidays: Fall & Winter, but you will find a few treasured story suggestions in there. The poetry was cute, but not awe inspiring or extremely memorable. Additionally, I think it would have been a nice addition if audio book and family-friendly movie recommendations had been included as well... something to listen to or watch while enjoying the other cooking, baking, or crafting projects! "The crafts were the most fun aspect, in my family's opinion. The ideas in Homespun Holidays: Fall and Winter could appeal to a variety of skill levels and interests, from the quick and easy to the slightly more time consuming and complex (albeit not too much so). This is nice for those hoping to get a spectrum of inspiration from the book, but maybe a tad disappointing for those that only want simple projects or only things that young kids can do on their own. Nonetheless, I didn't find any of the included ideas to be too difficult or beyond the realm of possibility (given enough preparation and effort). I am not the most crafty mama - though I would certainly like to be (you should see all my lofty Pinterest-y goals!) - so things like the "scarecrow welcome sign" weren't in my realm of readiness and skill level at this point. (I did, however, just get a sewing machine as a gift for my birthday, so I hope to improve in this area soon!) But not to worry! There were also simple crafts that we were able to do with things normally found around the house. "Normally" being the key word here... since finding a good old-fashioned wire clothes hanger took us DAYS. Ha!
The girls had so much fun brainstorming other craft possibilities while we were there! We ended up leaving with a bag full of goodies for homemade gifts - both from ideas in the ebook and of our own design. We plan to include some of these gifts in the "treat bags" mentioned above (which we will use as homemade gift bags).
As soon as we had the chance, we started working on the crafts from the book. About 10 minutes into the wreath project (which is made using plastic trash bags), my 8-year old commented that she "didn't think this would be a fun craft, but it really is!" She loved it. While she handled the majority of the design and execution, we each contributed (even Little Sister was able to help a lot) and we all felt proud of the result. It was a good family project and we bonded during our time spent together working on it. Overall, we liked Homespun Holidays: Fall and Winter. You can find it at The Old Schoolhouse's Store. Normally it costs $12.45 but at the time of this writing, it is currently available for free! (That could change at any moment, of course!) Being free, I would definitely recommend it to others! At the full price, I'd say that it depends on the person and what they are looking for. It does have a lot of value and heart put into it! I think that a lot of fall and winter ideas similar to those in this ebook can be found on Pinterest or elsewhere on the internet, but this format brought things together by season, makes it easy and quick to have a fun selection to choose from, and I think it would be a good starting point - especially for those that would be overwhelmed by the vast number of options (and trying to find them) online. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, there was that special "family feel" to this ebook, making it feel like a friend offering their beloved ideas for enjoying the season. With all the texting, emailing, typing, photo sites, and devices of all kinds, cursive handwriting is becoming an anachronism. Some people, though, think teaching cursive is important. In fact, some say it is better to teach cursive to young children before they learn to print. With this in mind, and since one of my children (Big Sis) is about to enter 3rd grade and has requested to learn cursive, I decided to go ahead and teach it to both her and my up-and-coming kindergartener (Lil' Sis) as well. We started with learning the letters a couple of weeks ago and they are really enjoying it. They ask to do cursive everyday and my oldest is rather proud of her ability to write her name the way her mom, dad, and grandparents write. When I had started teaching my daughter to print her letters, we found an iPad app called LetterSchool, which she rather enjoyed using. It offers both phonics and learning how to form the letters and numbers, all while using fun animations and sounds. Since we liked that app so much, I went looking for a cursive version from the same company, but didn't find one. There were several other options though, many of which are listed for free. We tried several of the free ones, but simply weren't impressed with any of them. Like The Three Bears story, it just seemed that something was wrong with each of them. Some were too strict with letter formation, making it frustrating or cumbersome for Lil' Sis to get it close enough, leading to discouragement. Some were too boring and repetitive or no different than using pencil and paper. Some were too liberal and didn't have enough guidelines for forming the letters, which meant it didn't give Lil' Sis enough guidance so most of the letters didn't end up looking quite right. But then, we found an app that was "just right". Cursive Writing Wizard by L'Escapadou was what we had been searching for. It functions similarly to LetterSchool, though it's animations are a tad less varied and ornate. Unlike LetterSchool, however, the Cursive Writing Wizard allows the child to interact with the animation after forming the letter and Lil' Sis loves that reward. I would venture to say that it is the novelty of it though. The variety of interactions are limited, so I am willing to bet that it won't continue to hold her interest long term. Nonetheless, it's a useful tool so far and a good start to getting extra practice. Cursive Writing Wizard offers a few options for cursive handwriting practice, including random lines and designs (useful for younger kids or beginners or just for fun), capital letters, lowercase, numbers, and even words. I particularly liked the words option because not only can you choose from pre-made word lists, but you can also create your own. I love the chance to use our spelling words, names, our address, or anything else they are interested in or that we are working on! There are also two modes of play: Free Play (great for beginners) and 5 Stars Mode (perfect for customizing the experience to your child's needs and allowing for progressively more challenging practice and repetition for improvement). Perhaps important to note, too, is that you can choose between Zaner-Bloser and D'Nealian style cursive letters (or from two styles of French). The app is partly customizable and has clear instructions for use. Under the "For Parents" menu, there are directions and information on how to get the most from the app. The "Settings" menu provides some great options as well, such as specifying the amount of time a child has to interact with the animations before moving on to another letter, changing font size, sounds, dotting i and j, language (English or French), and play mode. The play mode option lets a parent dictate parameters of letter size, difficulty, style (animation or pen), and more. Two more features of the app that homeschooling families might find useful are the Profiles & Reports. If you have multiple children, you can easily add and track additional users (profiles). Parents can also use the reports section to see exactly what each child is practicing and how they are progressing. It provides a list of which letters, shapes, or words practiced and even allows you to replay the tracing they did! You can see exactly how they completed the letter formation, with the app displaying each stroke they made in a different color so you can see if they used multiple attempts or lifted their finger midway through. And for those that like to keep records of practice and progress, you can even email an image of the child's work to yourself to print or keep for later! Overall, I would recommend this app to other families whose children are just starting out with learning cursive. At first, I wasn't sure if this French app would be what we needed, but I was pleasantly surprised with it's functionality and my girls have enjoyed the fun practice and animations. We have been using the iPad version, but there is a Android one available as well. We did not receive this app for review. We purchased it with our own funds and I have reviewed it by my own choice. There were no incentives received to do so and I have no connections or associations with the L'Escapadou company that created Cursive Writing Wizard. At $4.99 (at the time of this blog post), it certainly isn't a cheap app and I would be more inclined to spread the word if it were $2.99, but we have not regretted the purchase and it has been worth the investment.
If you get and use this app, please comment below and share your experience! Also, if you know of any other great apps for handwriting or otherwise, I'd love to hear from you. |
AuthorI'm a homeschooling mom of three, enjoying our time in Hawaii and hoping to share some of that experience with you, including ideas, reviews, resources, and information. Archives
November 2017
Categories
All
|