Emily had her first basketball game yesterday. This is her first year to play, so with only one practice so far, she’s still figuring out what to do. We’re playing “Upward Basketball” at a local church and think we will really enjoy this. The kids have devotionals and prayer at every game and practice and stars are awarded for sportsmanship and effort. The kids also have memory verses for each week.
I received a copy of Presidential Penmanship DN from Zeezok Publishing to review. This program consists of a cd containing handwriting exercises for first through twelfth grades. What makes this program unique is that all of the writing exercises are presidential quotes, speeches, and other historical documents. The child is thus exposed to historical and patriotic documents while he or she is practicing handwriting skills. Although most older students do not use a dedicated handwriting curriculum, I can see the advantage of doing this type of copywork, even at the middle or high school level. After Emily copies her quote for the day, we spend a few minutes discussing its significance or meaning. Since we are studying American history this year, it complements our curriculum well.
The DN version of Presidential Penmanship is similar to D’Nealian handwriting style. Numerous other handwriting styles are also available.
The complete Presidential Penmanship program sells for $39.99—an excellent value for 12 years of handwriting curriculum.
I received this item free in exchange for my honest review.
Organization—one of my favorite subjects! Honestly! I enjoy finding better ways to organize my stuff and my time. I find great satisfaction in cleaning and organizing a closet or cupboard. Even (or especially) if my life is in chaos, I relish the feeling of completion and control I get when a job is completed and order is restored in some area. However, I don’t claim to keep up with things as well as I should! So I was happy to have the opportunity to review Molly’s latest book, “Molly Gets Organized—All in One Place.”
This e-book is a compilation of the articles on organization from the 2009 Molly’s Digest magazine, so if you already have those, you don’t need this e-book as well. But if you are new to Molly’s Digest, you will find some great ideas here!
Molly covers a variety of topics in this volume, from “how to clean out a closet” to setting up a home inventory binder to making inexpensive and environmentally friendly cleaners for every part of your home.
There’s a good article on cleaning your garage. Aack! I don’t think I want to touch that one! Someday….
Did you know that you can store all of your recipes (or other paper clutter) online at Google Documents and other sites to cut down on that cookbook clutter? I didn’t.
I loved the idea and photos of a dresser-turned-kitchen beverage station. I wish I had the space to implement this in my kitchen! One of my favorite features is the photographs of many of these ideas that are actually in use by Molly and her readers—bathroom re-do’s, re-purposing of old furniture, storage ideas and more. And as always, Molly’s ideas are easy on the budget!
Molly Gets Organized is available at the Schoolhouse Store for 7.95.
I received a free review copy of Molly Gets Organized.
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, by Debra Bell is a homeschool “classic” that has just been updated and republished by Apologia Educational Ministries. Apologia is well known for their excellent science curriculum, but has recently branched out into publishing other homeschooling materials as well.
When I started homeschooling 16 years ago, I voraciously read everything I could get my hands on about homeschooling techniques and philosophies. During the summers, I would read and reread some of the “homeschooling classics,” gleaning both new ideas and motivation for the new school year. Over the past few years, I have done much less of this. I have been teaching at home so long that I feel very confident in what I am doing and less in need of instruction, although I do participate in online forums and read a homeschooling magazine (The Old Schoolhouse).
After this hiatus from homeschooling books, I have been thoroughly enjoying The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling. This 500 page volume is truly a comprehensive guide, both for the new homeschooler and the veteran. It begins with an excellent section on “Homeschooling: Is It for You?” that would be a good starting point for any new homeschooler. I appreciated that Bell lays out both the benefits and drawbacks of homeschooling. She makes it clear that homeschooling is a lifestyle, takes significant time, and should not be undertaken lightly. I particularly liked her statement that “If you don’t have time to read (self-educate), you don’t have time to homeschool!”
Debra Bell emphasizes academic excellence while still accommodating different learning styles and interests. She provides creative teaching ideas that will spark more of your own. She also lays out subject-by-subject guidelines that are full of ideas for hands-on and literature-based teaching.
I found the section on learning styles to be very helpful. It presented some information that was new to me and I was able to glean some ideas about how to best teach Emily and structure our day.
There is an extensive section on homeschooling for high school and college admissions.
Other topics include:
Preventing burnout
Organization and Planning
Choosing a Curriculum
Computers in the Homeschool
Measuring Your Success
Resources (both books and websites) are liberally referenced for those who are looking for more information and curriculum sources.
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling sells for $20 and is certainly one of the better and more comprehensive homeschooling how-to books that I have read.
I received this book free in return for my honest review. For more reviews of this book, please visit the Homeschool Crew site!
Keyboarding for the Christian School, Elementary Edition ($12.95) is a keyboarding (typing) course designed for private and home schools. It is sold as an e-book that is designed to be printed before use. It can also be used on-screen if both it and the word processing program are displayed in small windows.
This course is very similar to what I remember using many years ago when learning to type on a typewriter in my eighth grade typing class. The first several lessons are drills on the home keys. Each lesson adds a few more characters until all the keys are mastered. As the lessons progress, Bible verses are used for typing practice. After all the characters are mastered, instruction is given in basic word processing skills, including lists and centering. Speed drills are provided for selected lessons.
Overall, this is a very simple program—efficient and inexpensive, but not very motivating as compared to many programs. The lessons are short and Emily was able to work fairly independently. I did provide some supervision to make sure that she was using the correct fingering.
If you are looking for an inexpensive, simple, no-frills keyboarding program, this may be just what you need.
I received this item free in exchange for my honest review.
I am currently reading The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, by Debra Bell. (More info on this book will follow in a week or two.) I read a passage yesterday that grabbed me and was a perfect reinforcement of one of my New Year’s resolutions. Here is what I said:
“2. Smile more. Make an effort to have and be more fun with the kids. Take time to stop and enjoy the moment instead of worrying so much about checking the next item off my mental list.”
Here is what Debra Bell says,
“Is She Happy?”
Probably the key factor in those homes that have happy, motivated children who are achieving at the level of their potential is Mom’s attitude. Is she happy? Are we having fun yet? Does she enjoy homeschooling and maintain relatively consistent enthusiasm?”
I think this is both well said and very true. Mom’s attitude has a tremendous effect on how smoothly things run in a household. Yet so easy to forget….
Bertie’s War, by Barbara Blakely, is a story told by a twelve-year old who is growing up in the early sixties. Bertie is struggling to understand herself and her world in the context of an unaffectionate father and the Cuban Missile Crisis, both of which create irrational and even debilitating fears in her.
I appreciated the time period in which this story was set and thought it was an excellent introduction to an era that is seldom addressed in historical fiction. The novel was very well written, giving a realistic window into the mind of the main character. It is a Christian novel, and although Christian principles are woven throughout the book, and it ends with a faith-filled message, it is not at all preachy. The book does have a fairly heavy feel as it deals with Bertie’s fears and feelings of isolation, so I wouldn’t recommend it for younger readers. It would be an excellent read for a child or 11 or 12 or older.
Bertie’s War can be purchased at Kregel Publications for 7.99.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. To read more reviews, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew site!
I have been surprised many times in the past few months by God sending a book my way with a message that was just what I needed to read at the time. Where is God? by Henry Townsend is yet another example of this.
People around the world, in all situations and walks of life ask themselves every day, “Where is God?” Through our struggles to understand our lives, our world, and our purpose, this is a question that most of us ask at one time or another. Some want to know if God really exists; some are struggling with a tragedy that God might have prevented; others are standing at a crossroads in life, desperately trying to discern God’s will. In this book, Townsend helps the reader to more fully know God’s character, to convey how much God does love us, how he hurts when we hurt, how he acts in our behalf even when we don’t see it. Where Is God is packed with scripture and personal stories that help the reader more fully understand the nature of God and His goodness as well as help to understand trials and live through them without losing faith.
Where Is God? contains insights about faith, God, and the Christian life that I haven’t read elsewhere. This is definitely a book I will come back to over and over again.
I received this item free from the Thomas Nelson Book Blogger Program in exchange for my honest review.
We decided to go bowling last Saturday before school started back and Allison went back to college. As Katie would say, a “fun family bonding time.” Now, we are not bowlers—we go bowling maybe once a year at most. The idea was sparked by a “free bowling” coupon that arrived in the mail. It wasn’t quite so free, since shoe rental wasn’t included--$4.25 a pair. I think I remember when shoes were $.50! The fine print on the coupon did assure me that the “shoes were worth it!” OK…
The excursion reminded us that we are really bad bowlers (although we did enjoy ourselves). Katie earned the high score of 103 points Woo hoo! I won’t mention anyone else’s score! We brought one of Emily’s friends along as well who had a very interesting ball release technique that 
involved skidding on her knees—very entertaining, to say the least.
My Four Monkeys is sponsoring a “Flirty Apron” giveaway on her blog. They are really cute!
Kiddie’s Corner has a giveaway for a 6 lb container of Tropical Traditions oxygen bleach.
Mission Mommy is giving away Ritter Sport chocolate. Yum!
Mission Mommy also has a Crystal Light giveaway and a Popsicle giveaway going on now.
