365 Project: Week 8

2.25.13
Ahhh....old books. Is there anything better than to stuff your nose into an old book, curled up by the warm stove, a cup of coffee in your hand?



2.24.13
Such a busy weekend I hardly remembered to take any pictures on Sunday. But I did take this one of the sunrise and the fog rolling into the valley with my phone!




2.23.13
Sabbath: Children's Story. Not even half the normal number of children this week, but it doesn't matter how many cranky, tired, uncooperative, loud, boisterous, bouncy, crazy, unruly, crying, laughing little BLESSINGS there are in attendance, I've not once had the experience of feeling like any of them are at any time unwelcome. I think every generation in our church is thankful for each little body and the life they bring to our church family. Of course, every baby, toddler and child has their moments of crankiness, but for the record, they're all good kids! Just a week before there was a row of 7 children sitting completely by themselves, quiet as little mice! I'm very thankful for our church and for the attitude towards children here.




2.22.13
Preparation Day: Elayna is always my eager little helper, and she wanted so badly to help squeeze the lemons for the salad dressing for Sabbath!




2.21.13
Sometimes a little girl just needs to sit on a stool in the middle of the living room with a lollipop in nothing but her unders!




2.21.13
Science is so cool! Our new Apologia Zoology: Flying Creatures of the 5th Day is turning out to be a perfect fit for my aviation-loving son and my zoologist daughter.




2.20.13
Lord, there are no words capable of encompassing the dimensions of a mother's love. Without knowing it, experiencing it, I'd never comprehend the depth of Your love for Your children. For me. Thank You for these three blessings. And their uncooperative baby sister. They are my heart.




2.19.13 

A little early morning routine! It doesn't matter what pajamas I put her in the night before, she always strips down the minute I leave the room and sleeps in just her pull up. At least she leaves that on!

The Blue Ribbon Awards!

How exciting to come to the end of the year and be able to present to you ~ 

the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Award Winners!

As the 2011-2012 Crew year comes to a close, we are once again presenting awards to our vendors. The awards are known as the TOS Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Awards. The following vendors are the recipients of the award this year. Click on their name to check out the Crew reviews!

Favorite Reading Instruction Product: Reading Eggs / My Review
Favorite Writing Product: Write Shop
Favorite Language Arts Product: Progeny Press
Favorite Social Studies Product: TruthQuest History / My Review
Favorite Science Product: Amazing Science / My Review
Favorite Math Product: Math Mammoth
Favorite Online Math Product: Math Rider
Favorite Foreign Language Product: Visual Latin
Favorite Fine Arts Product: Artistic Pursuits
Favorite Christian Education Product: Apologia: Who Am I? / My Review

~~~ 

Favorite Preschool Product: Before Five in a Row
Favorite Elementary Product: All About Reading
Favorite Middle School Product: Write with WORLD
Favorite High School Product: Excellence in Literature
Favorite College or College-Prep Product: Excellence in Literature

~~~ 

Best Online Resource: Reading Eggs / My Review
Best e-Product: Heritage History
Best Homeschool Resource: Apologia: Educating the Wholehearted Child
Best Book, Novel, or Magazine: Apologia: How to Have a HEART for Your Kids / My Review
Best Children's Book: Amazing Animals by Design
Best Game or Toy: Northstar Games: Wits and Wagers and Say Anything
Best Hands-On Resource: Pitsco Education

~~~ 

Best Resource I Didn't Know I Needed: eMeals
Best Customer Service: K5 Learning
Most Adaptable Resource: Creek Edge Press
Most Family-Oriented Resource: Northstar Games: Wits and Wagers and Say Anything

 ~~~ 

Kids' Choice (favorite of CHILDREN ages 0-12): Reading Eggs / My Review
Teens' Choice (favorite per the TEENAGERS): Pitsco Education
All Around Crew Favorite: Visual Latin    

Each winning vendor has received this wonderful award to display with pride:

  Congratulations to our winning vendors! We hope you will sail with us again!  

Many Crew Members are blogging about these awards as well. Click below to see what they have to say! Powered by Linky Tools Click here to see the Crew Blog Posts...

TOS Crew Review: Apologia: Who Am I?

As a new homeschooler, listening to the advice of older, more experienced homeschool moms, I've gathered information here and there about various curriculum choices. One thing has been consistent in their words of advice: check out Apologia!


We were provided with a copy of Apologia Press's textbook: Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? (Biblical Worldview of Self Image), along with the corresponding Audio CD, Notebooking Journal, and Coloring Book.

Although I've previously reviewed one of their books, this was the first opportunity to use one of their curriculum sets. WOW. I was impressed by the incredibly thorough approach to teaching Christian Worldview to students ages 6-14.

Who Am I? is the second book in the "What We Believe" series of Apologia Press textbooks. Other titles include: Who is God? Who is My Neighbor? and What on Earth Can I Do?. This series is intended to be taught in as little as two years or as many as four, though I really do believe this could be a rotating curriculum that could be used again as your children grow. It is written at the 5th-6th grade reading level, so while at this point I have been reading this with the kids, there will come a time when they can study independently and more in-depth.

The hardcover Textbook has an in-depth introduction that includes ideas for lesson plans and instructions on how to access the online book extras (which include teacher helps, notebooking pages, etc.). The Notebooking Journal has a sturdy ring binding for ease of use, the pages have beautiful backgrounds and illustrations, and the front contains a more specific lesson plan to utilize if you choose. Each lesson is set up to be taught over a three week period, two days per week, and can be easily personalized to the needs of your student(s).



We were indeed impressed with the Who Am I? Coloring Book as well! It provided a visual exercise to keep the hands busy while I read the lesson and the stories from the textbook. I found it surprising how well something as simple as a coloring book added so much to the teaching and retention of the lessons! It was often the first thing Joshua asked for when we started school: "Mom, can I get out the Coloring Book while you read the stories?". If I had had three copies of the Coloring Book, one also for each of the girls, it would have been an awesome addition to our school day. In the future, when considering more of these curriculum sets, I will add in the Coloring Book for even the youngest members of the family to draw them into the lesson as the older kids listen.

Joshua (2nd grade) loved the stories.

Let me say that again: He LOVED the stories.

Right away, from the first story of a little boy in Russia who was born with a disability and things to overcome, he was drawn into a new realm of thought towards God's purposes for each and every life. God doesn't make mistakes. Right now Joshua doesn't live with a disability that makes him outwardly "different", but inside his body, he was born with a broken heart. This story and the lesson surrounding it brought out some amazing, deep, soul-searching conversations. And that was just Lesson 1!

Joshua was fascinated by the cultural aspects of the stories involving children of other countries, or living in our culture, but being raised in another faith with vastly differing cultural aspects. Reading the story of Amira, a Muslim girl living in London, Joshua was fascinated by the prayers, the differing responsibilities and restrictions between boys and girls, and the fact that they keep Friday as a holy day!

In each story he was able to discern ways in which the child was similar to him and ways he or she was different. Of course, the perfect common denominator in every single life is that we are all created in the image of God. Not one person, on any continent, in any culture, speaking any language, is NOT created in the image of God and for a specific purpose. What a beautiful thing to see a child learn that and soak it into their soul! Truly, as I read these stories and affirmations of God's purpose for the lives of each person on the earth, including each of my precious children, and myself.... it soaked into my soul a little bit more, too.

I've watched Joshua's thoughts change as he goes about his day and does his normal routine activities. He looks for ways, now, to find his talents and use them for the glory of God. At times the lessons seem to repeat themselves, saying the same thing in slightly different ways, yet that restating of the same principle seems to have truly had an impact.

The Notebooking Journal includes two pages for each lesson where your student will copy and memorize two Bible verses. The authors chose each verse with specific reasons: the first verse is to express the main idea of the lesson, the second is to help your child learn and develop a Biblical character trait.

Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? Is a collaborative effort written by authors of various denominations with the specific idea in mind that a Christian Worldview be conveyed and taught without the hindrance of doctrinal arguments. It is non-denominational, therefore, and can be taught by homeschoolers and used by Christian schools of many faiths.

Using the Textbook, Notebooking Journal, and Coloring Book has been nearly planning-free for me. It is well organized and quite self-explanatory to work through. I would expect a 4th or 5th grader to easily be able to work through the book with little direction. We were not able to use the Audio CD in our homeschool, but that is also available to older students who can work independently and is a great resource for those who learn better through listening rather than reading. It is a full audio version of the Textbook read by Emmy winner Marissa Leinart.

If you are looking for homeschooling resources that are high-quality, long-lasting, well researched, and incredibly thorough, Apologia Press is where to look. I have found all of those qualities in this Christian Worldview curriculum set and more.

You can find the Who Am I? books and extras here!

If you have more questions about the What We Believe series, this links you to the FAQ pdf document.

Below is a list of the prices for the items we received and links to take you directly to each item.

Who Am I? Textbook: $39.00
Who Am I? Audio CD: $19.00
Who Am I? Notebooking Journal: $24.00
Who Am I? Coloring Book: $8.00

To read more reviews of this product check out the TOS Homeschool blog here.

I received these homeschool books and extras free of charge in return for an honest review. All opinions and experiences written here are mine.

TOS Review #1 - How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am going to be reviewing homeschool products and services as part of This Old Schoolhouse magazine's (found here) Blogger Crew!

As it turns out, I'm due for my first review right smack dab in the middle of my trip out west to visit my family! That's okay, I think I have managed to bring, write down, or actually remember all of my logins, passwords, and even brought my notes with me!

Last month I received the book, "How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids" by Rachael Carman, Apologia Press, found here for $13.00.

It is a small, hardcover book, a little more than 200 pages, and I really wasn't sure what to expect when I opened it. I haven't read but a few homeschooling books, and those were all sort of dry, list-making, why-you-should-be-doing-this type of books.

I guess I expected a similar experience with How to Have a H.E.A.R.T., a wheels-to-the-ground, daily routine list of ways to get that experience in my homeschooling mom's heart.

What I found instead was much better. Inside is a guide, really, to how a mother can learn to give her own heart to God, for if she does not rest wholly on Him, her heart will naturally have an agenda outside the plan that God has for her and for her children.

Aside from the introduction, which is the story of how she became a homeschooler, and the encouraging epilogue, the chapters are titled: Have a Heart for the Things of God, Enrich Your Marriage, Accept Your Kids, Release Them to God, and Teach Them the Truth, completing the acronym in the book title.

Each of the chapters have several hard-hitting statements that make you really stop and think about your own life, choices, and motivations as a parent and a homeschooler, as well as some great word picture examples to really set the thought in deeper. None moreso than the Teach Them the Truth chapter. You can tell Carman has dealt with many different types of learners while teaching her seven children; she puts forth the same idea in a few unique ways to help every single reader understand the important concepts! I have a whole bunch of that chapter underlined and notes in the margins. I really enjoyed it!

It is, of course, written from a homeschooling mom's point of view but could very easily be read and appreciated by a father or a teacher! I truly appreciated Carman's delineation of her journey into homeschooling in the introduction, with all of the gritty details and struggles against self along the way. I can relate to that so well right now as I begin this homeschooling experience!

I also appreciated the many word pictures. Some were incredibly powerful examples in nature of the way God is able to work in our lives and those word pictures will stick with me in life as well as in my heart as I homeschool.

One of the features that I did not utilize was the "Heart Checkup" set of questions at the end of each chapter. Oh, sure, I scanned through the questions, but I didn't actually answer them. I'd love to get together with a few other moms and read this together like a book club group and answer the questions within a setting that would encourage discussion.

As I read through the book, I found several things I'd like to share with other homeschooling moms I know, and by the end of the book, I had a list of them that I'd rather like to share the whole book with. I enjoyed the bright, cheerful, encouraging tone of the book as a whole and would recommend it to anyone starting out in the sometimes overwhelming and confusing world of homeschooling.

In the end, the point of "How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids" is really - first you must have a heart hid in Christ. There is no way on earth to love your kids fully, freely, and completely without Christ as your Supreme Guide, Friend, Father, and Counsellor. Oh, and He wants to have your heart so bad! Not just to gain your presence in His kingdom, but to gain your children for His kingdom as well!

Apologia Press is a part of Apologia Educational Ministries.

I was given this book to read and use in return for an honest review.

You can find more reviews of How to Have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids here

at the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew blog!