tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65427155933187743852024-03-13T05:20:22.108-07:00Cabin In The WoodsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.comBlogger1581125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-53541907021264390052015-12-02T18:15:00.001-08:002015-12-02T18:15:51.758-08:00Pet Proofing Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think everyone knows that having pets can sometimes disrupt what takes place in your home. For us, Christmas has always been one of those times in one way or another. In years past it was mostly due to multiple cats in the household that liked to climb up trees. Those years we persevered and continued to decorate traditionally - lost many ornaments in the process. </div>
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The past five years have found us owning 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 1 ferret. The ferret and cats alone cause trouble with trees and ornaments. I collect old fashioned glass ornaments and at one time we decorated 3-4 trees at a time in different rooms of the house. Each tree was themed. Think snowmen, Santa, blue and silver, and handmade. I really loved the Christopher Radko ornaments. After loosing one too many ornaments we changed the decorating plan. </div>
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Over the years we have tried many things to combat the cats and ferret. Real trees instead of fake, because they like to eat the greenery - Didn't work. Securing the tree to the wall with wire - Didn't work. I think you get the picture. </div>
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The past 3-4 years we got smart. At least little smart. My husband built this tree that hangs on the wall year round. We had high hopes of decorating it for each season, but mostly it just get used for Christmas. The star at the top was created out of salvaged wood from a dresser that belonged to my grandmother because I no longer had room for the furniture in our small cabin and it was pretty outdated. The same wood from the dresser was also used to create an advent wreath that sits on our kitchen table. Each year we would put the presents under the hanging wall tree. Well, this past January we purchased two small dogs that eat everything in sight. So the presents now need to be off of the floor. </div>
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In walks the present table that currently holds presents purchased over Black Friday week. One of the biggest changes we decided upon this year was putting up the big fake tree again - only not in the house. I had seen a few houses in our community that were lighting trees and putting them on their porch. I thought this was a wonderful idea and followed suit. So the very first picture you see in this post is our fake tree that has been with us for years with a new life on the front porch. I decorated the tree with ornaments, ribbons, lights, etc. that I knew could handle the weather that may come into play over the next month. So far it is holding up wonderfully.</div>
<span id="goog_834846401"></span><span id="goog_834846402"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-51096586626816573162015-11-30T17:01:00.002-08:002015-11-30T17:01:34.642-08:00When Goodwill Moves to Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Goodwill moved into our neck of the woods, a really small town, in September. It has become myaplace of choice to shop. My hubby kids that if they opened a Starbucks inside of Goodwill, you might never see me again. </div>
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My go to items tend to be books, DVDs, board games, linens, formal wear, occasional clothing, and odds and ends for the house.</div>
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My most recent finds include a pet carrier (4.00), pitcher (2.00), and chest (6.00) to store blankets in my bedroom. Two weeks ago an upright piano showed up for 85.00 dollars. That baby would have been mine if we could have figured out how to get a 500 pound piano up the stairs into our cabin. </div>
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I go to take a look at least twice a week. I never spend too much. Just a little here and there. The funny thing is over the past two days we cleared out boxes and boxes of items and some furniture to de - clutter the house. So any new purchase is thought over and pondered about the new look I want my house to present. Our house has pretty much looked the same for the past 10 years and I haven't had much interest in changing it. In walks Small Spaces Big Style from HGTV and all that changes. I'm looking to create more storage, have clean table and counter tops, and less stuff lying around.</div>
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Can't wait for the next visit.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-36707784472130362015-11-20T11:02:00.000-08:002015-11-20T11:07:38.835-08:00When You Find the Perfect Shoe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have raved about these bad boys twice already on Instagram. I love them that much. When you suffer with feet problems like myself, going on for about 6 years, you really want to find something to help that doesn't cost a fortune. The podiatrist usually recommends shoes from her office, but I have always been reluctant to make that purchase. I suffer from planter fasciitis initially brought on by too much jumping, probably in the wrong shoe, with Jazzercise and Zumba. It had gotten to the point that the pain in my heals would come and go depending on what type of exercise I was participating, other types of shoes I was wearing, and how much time I was up on my feet.</div>
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This past summer was the nail in my feet coffin. I wore flat sandals and flip flops too much and viola the pain came back in a major way. I went on a mission to Belks to find something that was comfortable and a bit stylish to wear on a daily basis.</div>
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In walks Sketchers Go Walks. Love, love, love them. I can stay in them all day and not have a bit of trouble. No painful heals. I loved them from the beginning so much that I purchased two pair to get me started. A couple of weeks ago I added the beige pair for the fall. My next purchase will be the navy blue and maybe the black until the spring and summer colors come back out. So anybody wondering what I want for Christmas and this would be it. The Go Walks run anywhere from 39.00 - 79.00 depending on a sale, which style, and what store you are shopping. I bought each and every pair - no one paid me to do this post. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-61682536593260598982015-11-12T13:52:00.002-08:002015-11-12T13:52:41.270-08:00TOS Review - Grapevine Studies - Old Testament 1: Level 3 Creation to Jacob<center>
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There are many ways and avenues that a parent can use to help teach the Bible to their children. Lots of choices out there and sometimes it can be quite time consuming and confusing to wade through all the available curriculum and decide what is best for your family. Some families choose to simply read from the Bible and discuss, while others will buy specific types of Bibles studies and curriculum to help flesh the Bible out and to understand scriptures and Bible doctrine better. All of these are wonderful avenues to delve more into the Bible and really as long as you are picking up your Bible to read and study you are doing well. Sometimes though a product comes out that is very unique and appeals to children in particular. We were asked to review such a product. Through the TOS Review Crew we used and are now posting a review for <a href="http://grapevinestudies.com/product/old-testament-overview-part-1-level-3/" target="_blank">Old Testament 1: Level 3 Creation to Jacob</a> from <a href="https://grapevinestudies.com/" target="_blank">Grapevine Studies.</a> </div>
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We were given a digital version of this level to review and I used it with my 4 tutoring students, three 11 year olds and one 13 year old. This level is recommended for ages 10 - 12 with pricing ranging from $10.00 - $37.50 for different books, teacher guides, and licenses for copying and using with multiple children. </div>
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I have seen this product multiple times at different homeschool conventions and always thought what a unique way it was to teach children about the Bible. At the time I had seen this product I felt my daughter was too old to benefit from it even though she is very artistically inclined and would have loved something like this when she was younger. I was blessed to still be able to use it with my tutoring students which were more in the age recommendations. I really enjoyed using this product with them and felt on many levels it would help children learn and retain information about the Bible. We used this for our devotion time each day. As the title says the material in this level and product was Creation to Jacob. The lessons are structured to either be completed on a weekly basis or daily. Either way you will be looking at once a week for 12 weeks or daily for 45 days. </div>
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Each lesson involves reading scripture to the children or on their own. Once the scripture is read a large box is provided for the children to draw the stick figure representations that are provided for that particular scripture. The Teacher's Manual has all the stick figures and colors provided as well as discussion between the teacher and student/s. Certain stick figures and symbols are used repeatedly to remind children of particular events and people from the Bible. Also included in each lesson is a timeline review where the figures and symbols are drawn over and over each week/lesson for review. There are review questions and memory verses as well for each lesson. It is imperative that you purchase the Teacher's Manual and not just the student books. The Teacher's Manual has all the information you need for drawings, discussion, etc.</div>
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There are multiple levels and topics available. This curriculum would be perfect for children that are artistic, but the simplicity of the drawings will work for anyone. In other words no artistic ability is required to be able to use this product. It could be used for home education, private schools, and even in church for children's Sunday school classes. </div>
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The website is very helpful with many pages of information about where to start and how to use the curriculum.</div>
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<a href="http://grapevinestudies.com/about-the-levels/" target="_blank">Information About The Levels</a></div>
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<a href="http://grapevinestudies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/How-to-Choose.pdf" target="_blank">How to Choose? Where to Start?</a></div>
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<a href="http://grapevinestudies.com/sample-lessons/" target="_blank">Samples - All Levels and Books</a></div>
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This is truly a very unique and economical way to teach your children the wonderful stories and doctrine from the Bible. I would recommend this to just about everyone. It works in all kinds of settings and I feel it would be something children would really look forward to using each day as well as all the review that will help the children retain the information studied. Be sure to visit their website and check out all the topics and levels that are available. Also see what other reviewers from <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/grapevine-studies-review/" target="_blank">TOS Review Crew</a> had to say about their books.</div>
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<strong>Social Media:</strong>Facebook: <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/GrapevineStudies" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/GrapevineStudies</a><br />
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Periscope: @Grapevine Studies</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-80386758628790499322015-11-11T16:55:00.003-08:002015-11-11T16:59:47.257-08:00TOS Review - The Critical Thinking Co. - Surfing the Net: Science<center>
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Have you ever wondered how children learn to research topics, especially on the Internet? For some children this comes very naturally, and for others it might be a bit of a struggle. Which websites, articles, and answers are legit? This new product from <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/" target="_blank">The Critical Thinking Co. may</a> not have all those answers, but it does give the student lots of practice in researching on the Internet. We were asked to use and review <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/surfing-the-net-science-book.html" target="_blank">Surfing the Net: Science</a> through the TOS Review Crew. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this product. The Critical Thinking Co. puts out award winning products all the time, so really I shouldn't be surprised at all.</div>
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Surfing The Net: Science is 250 pages chockfull of learning. We received a physical softcover edition to review. This product is recommended for grades 3-6 and retails for $24.99. For what you get this is a very economical find. The book has 7 sections of science topics. The beginning of the workbook contains information related to how to use the book and the answers to all the questions can be found at the end of the book. Each section has smaller sub-sections that are sub-topics related to the main theme of the section. So far we have finished all of the Space section and about half of the Animal section. Topics included in the book are: Animals, Atmosphere, Ecosystems, and Habitats, Energy, Geology, Plants, and Space. I choose the first topic, Space, but soon learned the kids had other plans. I wrote all the other science topics on the board and let them vote on the next section we would use. Surprise, Surprise - it was Animals. What kid doesn't enjoy learning about animals. Then we obviously had a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. So in other words we have the remainder of the year planned out as to which section of the book will be next. This should clue you in to the fact that I do really like this product and plan on continuing with it until the end of the school year.</div>
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Each science topic has specific links to articles, games, videos, etc. that have been researched to be valid and child friendly sites to find the information needed to answer all the questions. The worksheet pages are in color, and leave plenty of room for writing. In other words, very pleasing to the eye. I used this product with four tutoring students 3-5 days a week. This meant we were usually able to finish one sub-section a week and sometimes start on a second. I would say that three out of the four enjoy using this product. Surfing the Net: Science is the perfect product to teach students how to find information on the Internet. I really love that I can copy the worksheets and use them with multiple students.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yesterday the kids where researching images of an animal cell which they needed to draw and label for a question in the packet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My students used smart phones, pads, kindles, and computers for this workbook.</td></tr>
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We were blessed to review another product from The Critical Thinking Co. last year and we have never been disappointed with the quality of their materials. Literally you can find over 150 books and other educational materials on the website to purchase. I would recommend this company to any type of homeschooler. The materials they produce can be worked in to any type of educating method. This product could be used as a complete science curriculum. All you would need to do is use all the topics as jumping off points, kind of like Unit Studies, then add and build as much as you wanted from other areas. Please go to <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/" target="_blank">The Critical Thinking Co.</a> and check out all the wonderful products they have to offer. Also take time to read some of the other reviews from the <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/critical-thinking-company-review-2/" target="_blank">TOS Review Crew</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-84611203636937327402015-11-06T12:17:00.004-08:002015-11-06T12:17:58.170-08:00TOS Review - Ann McCallum Books - Eat Your U.S. History Homework<center>
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It is always a fun school day when you can find a way to work in a hands on activity or experience. I truly believe these type of activities help children remember concepts better. Also it doesn't hurt when those experiences involve food. My tutoring kids range in age from 11 - 13, all with large appetites, especially for sweets. We were offered the opportunity to use and review, <a href="http://www.charlesbridge.com/products/eat-your-u-s-history-homework" target="_blank">Eat Your U.S. History Homework</a> from <a href="http://annmccallumbooks.com/" target="_blank">Ann McCallum Books,</a> which definitely came under the category of yummy eating in the form of education.</center>
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The author of Eat Your U.S. History Homework, Ann McCallum, has a Masters Degree in Education and has lived in very interesting places around the world. She has written other books as well, including; Beanstalk: The Measure of a Giant, Rabbits, Rabbits Everywhere: A Fibonacci Tale, Eat Your Math Homework, and Eat Your Science Homework.</center>
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Eat Your U.S. History Homework is 47 pages long and retails for $15.95. We received a hard cover book to review. The book is filled with adorable, colorful illustrations. Eat Your U.S. History includes and Introduction, Kitchen Tips, six recipes with accompanying historical information, History Review, Glossary, and Index. The six recipes include:</center>
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Thanksgiving Succotash</center>
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Colonial Cherry-Berry Grunt</center>
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Lost Bread</center>
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Southern Plantation Hoe Cakes</center>
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Revolutionary Honey-Jumble Cookies</center>
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Independence Ice Cream</center>
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Each recipe comes with a historical page of information for that time in history that the dish was served. The recipe is on a two-page spread including ingredients and instructions (both in written and picture form). The two pages following the recipe contain more information about history and a "side dish", which highlights a person or event from the specified time period.</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrMBK5cVOLcFQKyklYA7slkWG0X_jPolrHNtjv0H1ulQo2_85X3nJ3YFCpFVmwBosO-0t8aUBSALwNPAhINJytItoZxMu-ErbvgKIkPY07wdMP9yXbSbnlHkjjyWoH21D-s3R28SblPY/s1600/IMG_3106+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrMBK5cVOLcFQKyklYA7slkWG0X_jPolrHNtjv0H1ulQo2_85X3nJ3YFCpFVmwBosO-0t8aUBSALwNPAhINJytItoZxMu-ErbvgKIkPY07wdMP9yXbSbnlHkjjyWoH21D-s3R28SblPY/s400/IMG_3106+%25281%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I have included information about the three recipes the kids enjoyed the most. First up is Revolutionary Honey-Jumble Cookies. Basically what we now know as a Snickerdoodle. It was incredibly interesting to read in this section about how Americans are more fond of Coffee than the English of their Tea. I won't spoil it so that you can go out and get the book. The cookies were gone in a blink of an eye.</div>
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Independence Ice Cream was a hoot to create. Very creamy and delicious. The kids absolutely loved this activity. Very few ingredients but lots of elbow grease to make it work.</div>
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The Colonial Cherry - Berry Grunt was also delicious. I originally made this for my kids to try, but some of them are a bit picky. I took most of it over to a family dinner instead and saved just a small portion for the kids the next day. My family devoured their portion and as I thought only one of the students really liked it. I had never heard of creating a cobbler like dish in a skillet, so this was very interesting to create.</div>
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This book could be used in a few different way. In our case many of the history time periods matched up to what we are currently studying, especially Squanto, the first Thanksgiving, and the Pilgrims and Puritans coming over to America from England. My daughter Grace helped me cook the Cherry-Berry dish and I am counting it as part of her Home Ec. credit. With the tutoring students we read all the historical information, discussed the differences in cooking then and now, and of course tasted all the great food. I would really like to check out the Eat Your Math Homework because all my kids hate math and would actually like to eat their math homework sometimes. </div>
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Cute books! Great recipes! Easy ingredients! Be sure to go check out what all the other reviewers from the <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ann-mccallum-books-review/" target="_blank">Crew</a> thought about their books. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-34685962020598121422015-11-01T07:22:00.003-08:002015-11-01T07:22:28.159-08:00Fall Happenings 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Friday night started off the fun weekend activities. We attended a Fall Festival at the private school Grace attends two days a week for math and science. Her plans were to dress up both the dogs the following night and take them into town. Friday night was a trial run for Zeus. He went as Grace's "date" due to her significant other marching in a football game a few counties away. They went as Batman (Zeus is wearing bat wings) and cat woman. He was a very good boy but was scared most of the time, so we nixed taking them the next night were the crowds would have been huge and overwhelming.</div>
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Grace painted another pumpkin this year for a contest at the school. If you remember last year she also painted a pumpkin with a scene from Nightmare Before Christmas. She won first place.</div>
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Saturday night we attended a long running tradition in Clarkesville of trick or treating up in the town square. Each business hands out candy. Think huge crowds and lots of candy. We stayed only a short while. The kids, and I use that term lightly because we are talking about teenagers, were disappointed that hardly anyone got the pun of their costume. "When life hands you lemons".</div>
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We headed straight over to my sister's house for a costume party. Great food, bonfire, costume contest, family, and friends. My sister is always great at the decorating thing and making sure her guest have a good time. </div>
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It was a good Halloween. With Grace being a junior this year I maybe have one more before she really starts doing her own thing. That's kind of said, but I'll take the year and hopefully in the future (very distant future) I might have grandchildren to walk around with on Halloween. My parents have always been involved in the Halloweens with my kids which makes it even more special.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-43910803631618248192015-10-29T13:34:00.000-07:002015-10-29T13:35:50.114-07:00TOS Review - Maestro Classics - The Nutcracker<center>
<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/maestro-classics-4-review/" target="_blank"><img alt="Maestro Classics Review" border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/-2015%20CREW/Maestro%20Classics_zps27pnhxwl.jpg" /></a></center>
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I am always struggling to find ways to work composer study or music appreciation into our schedule. Classical music was not a favorite of mine until we started homeschooling 10 years ago. Our second year of homeschooling found us using Charlotte Mason Methods which include composer study. Each and every year we have come to appreciate classical music more and more, especially my teenage daughter. She works much more independently these days being a junior in high school, so when I was chosen to review <a href="http://www.maestroclassics.com/the-nutcracker.html" target="_blank">The Nutcracker</a> from <a href="http://www.maestroclassics.com/" target="_blank">Maestro Classics,</a> I knew right away I would use it with my tutoring students.</div>
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<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/maestro-classics-4-review/" target="_blank"><img alt="Maestro Classics Review" border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/-2015%20CREW/The%20Nutcracker%20by%20Maestro%20Classics_zpsbe6mbswh.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></center>
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<a href="http://www.maestroclassics.com/the-nutcracker.html" target="_blank">The Nutcracker</a> CD is part of a 12 CD library that includes: Peter and the Wolf, The Story of Swan Lake, Carnival of the Animals, My Name is Handel, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, The Tortoise and the Hare, Merry Pranks of Master Till, Casey at the Bat, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, The Soldier's Tale, and Juanita la langosta Espanola. The entire 12 CD collection retails for $150.00 with free shipping. The Nutcracker CD can be purchased for $16.98 which also includes free shipping, while the MP3 version retails for $9.98. The MP3 is an instant download to any computer or device. We received the physical CD to review which includes a small 21 page booklet insert that includes information about the Ballet, The Harp, and Tchaikovsky.</div>
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The Nutcracker along with the other CD were created by Stephen and Bonnie Simon. Both with many years of experience in conducting and music education. The music is performed by The London Philharmonic and narration of the story by the wonderful storyteller, Jim Weiss. You will hear 16 scenes of The Nutcracker story through 21 tracks with a running time of a hour. Each CD in the series including The Nutcracker, has an accompanying <a href="http://www.maestroclassics.com/curriculum-guides.html" target="_blank">curriculum guide</a> found on the Maestro website.</div>
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I wanted to come up with a fun way to incorporate the CD into our day. We decided to devote an entire day to The Nutcracker CD and make it a fine arts/unit study kind of day. I utilized the curriculum guide from the Maestro Classics website which highlighted activities involving Ballet, History and Geography, Science, Language Arts, Art, Music and Math. I also did a little investigating around the Internet for other activities as well. One day last week we devoted the day to The Nutcracker and followed little rabbit trails from the music, composer, and history of the time frame the story and music was written.</div>
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For language art I printed off some mad libs worksheets with The Nutcracker story, writing prompts for the kids to write their own fairy tale, and a word search that had them find words from the story.</div>
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In art the students drew a nutcracker then used water colors to finish him off. I provided two different version ( an easier and more difficult version). They actually worked on this through some of the time we were listening to the CD.</div>
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I also printed off a note booking page to fill out information about Tchaikovsky with material to read about the famous composer. We watched videos about how Nutcrackers are made, playing the celesta, and playing a music rhythm game with cups to the Nutcracker music.</div>
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I feel quite certain the best part of the day for all of us was listening to the beautiful music and story provided on The Nutcracker CD. It put us all in the Christmas spirit. It made me that more interested in attending The Nutcracker Ballet performed every December in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre. Listening to the CD also inspired me to pick back up adding to my collection of Nutcrackers. I will definitely continue to use these types of CDs with my tutoring students to teach them more about famous composers and classical music. What I am even more excited about is being inspired to create a class for our Cooperative around these CDs for 6 and 7 years in music appreciation that will begin in January. Maestro Classics has put out something every family can treasure. Please go to <a href="http://www.maestroclassics.com/" target="_blank">Maestro Classics</a> and see which CD would work best for your home. Also see what the other <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/maestro-classics-4-review/" target="_blank">Crew Members</a> thought of their CDs.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-69486981908974322952015-10-27T18:16:00.001-07:002015-10-28T16:48:09.474-07:00TOS Review - Apologia Educational Ministries - The Ultimate Homeschool Planner<center>
<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ultimate-homeschool-planner/" target="_blank"><img alt="Apologia Ultimate Homeschool Planner" border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2014TOSCREW/Apologia%20What%20On%20Earth/apologialogo_zpsb033acf0.png" /></a></center>
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Hello, my name is Diane and I'm addicted to planners, calendars, and homeschool planning. Not just any type of planner, but to be specific - paper planners. Give me something I can write on any day over online stuff. Very old school in that arena. Everyone in my family kids me about the fact that my spiritual gift is organizing and planning. I was pleased as punch to be chosen to review <a href="http://www.apologia.com/planners/308-the-ultimate-homeschool-planner.html" target="_blank">The Ultimate Homeschool Planner</a> from <a href="http://www.apologia.com/" target="_blank">Apologia Educational Ministries.</a></div>
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Apologia is very well known for their science and Bible curriculum. We currently use both in our home, but not many people are aware of their product, The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell. This planner is for the homeschool moms, although similar versions are also available for the teen students in the household. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner is 279 pages and retails for $29.00. There are three versions available in blue, orange, and yellow (I got yellow) - all constructed well, durable, and very pleasing to the eye.</div>
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This planner has all the options for planning in the modes of daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or all of the above. Quite frankly a planner's paradise at your fingertips. It accommodates up to six students (perfect for me with Grace and 5 tutoring students). Forty - eight weeks are available for all the weekly planning needed to make a home and homeschool run smoothly.</div>
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The first two pages equals eight years of calendars at a glance. This is has been very helpful in the recent days as I have used it numerous times to help plan our spring Cooperative schedule.</div>
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The planner begins with a letter from the author and then immediately goes into the user's guide which includes: how to use the product, yearly planning retreat, monthly planning sessions, weekly planning breaks, Monday morning tutorials and Friday afternoon reviews. The morning tutorials and Friday reviews are actually found in the student planners, but the Ultimate Planner shows the moms how to incorporate it into your their routines.</div>
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Between the users information and the monthly calendars you will find two page layouts for one year planning grids, student character and academic goals for the year, list areas for family priorities, and resource/curriculum lists for each student.</div>
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The next section includes all the monthly calendars. They are blank templates where you can write in any month and dates. Following this is all the weekly planning sheets. They include areas to write down all your information for the weekly Bible and Battle Plan, who to pray for, and who you might need to help in the areas of hospitality and outreach as well as the accomplishments the family has made during the week and all the academic plans. This is actually the bulk of the planner.</div>
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The end of the planner has a small section devoted to recording student's grades, multiples pages for reading and field trip lists, information about motivating learners of different learning styles, thinking skills, planning for the high school years, and year end review pages.</div>
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The parts I have used the most is the monthly calendars, gleaning information about motivating learners, pages related to setting academic and behavior goals for the year, recording scores, and adding to reading lists. It has been hard for me to remember to utilize the weekly planning sheets as often as I would like and figure out a way to make them best work for me. For my unbelievably crazy schedule I do need more space in the squares of the monthly calendars than what is provided. I do love the two sturdy pocket areas in the front and back of the book. They come in very handy for holding school calendars, appointment pages from doctor's offices, and other miscellaneous items that are needed to plan all our lives. Unlike a lot of moms I carry a really big purse. When I go to buy a new purse I always make sure it is large enough to accommodate my planner. Luckily my current purse is big enough for this planner and it stays with me at all times. My days and weeks are so busy I would be lost without a planner. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner has fit right in with my planning and scheduling. All in all I believe it is a beautifully put together planner that I hope to use throughout this school year and find more ways to make it have a balance of working for my home and tutoring students.</div>
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Remember to visit this link to the <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ultimate-homeschool-planner/" target="_blank">TOS Review Crew</a> and check out how other families used this product in their home.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-38009127004278313992015-10-25T12:43:00.000-07:002015-10-25T12:43:10.886-07:00When Food Labels Rule Your Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidY8OXX8OZHCodGFStGTS3JktMY1PqxITlkRhzle63ywQcof5feXVLV6K8gBN_sJWGq19fJHXZl4OCvhmA_DbvqvpcCQfhvFY9izxm9-rwJ3A0HbY5WP7wZbI5OH33tjPlWLmPwJe4Oqk/s1600/IMG_3147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidY8OXX8OZHCodGFStGTS3JktMY1PqxITlkRhzle63ywQcof5feXVLV6K8gBN_sJWGq19fJHXZl4OCvhmA_DbvqvpcCQfhvFY9izxm9-rwJ3A0HbY5WP7wZbI5OH33tjPlWLmPwJe4Oqk/s400/IMG_3147.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Seriously folks, yesterday I went to two different stores for groceries and not only spent a whopping 300.00 , but also 4 hours trying to decipher what was good for me to yet. Yes, I had already done a bit of research through some websites and books from the library. The problem is with a heart healthy diet you are not only looking at fat, calories, and such, but also sodium. It makes it very difficult to get all those things to line up, especially with any pre-made or processed products. </div>
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I've gotten to that point in my life where I really don't enjoy cooking very much so pre-made food or fast food has been my close friend over the past couple of years. I am usually still able to control my weight through exercise and through a couple of rounds on Trim Healthy Mama. That is another problem - my mind thinks like Trim Healthy Mama for purchasing and cooking food, but a heart healthy diet goes against nearly everything they suggest. Puts me in kind of a quandary as to who to listen to.</div>
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This is very much a learning process. The high blood pressure meds keep all my numbers good but thinking of the future makes me want to clean up my eating habits and diet. Both my parents have cardiovascular disease and my dad has had multiple strokes. Getting used to the fact that I have cardiovascular disease (yes, high blood pressure is that) was very hard. I have passed all my tests with flying colors and the heart is healthy. So why do I have high blood pressure? Genetics? Carrying 10 - 15 too many pounds, eating the wrong things? Not sure. Maybe a collection of everything. While visiting my doctor for a recheck on Friday he said that many people with high blood pressure are idiopathic. This means no real reason as to why.</div>
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All I know is I want to be around for a long time. Not because I'm afraid to go to Heaven and meet my maker, but I have a lot of living left to do. I want to watch my kids have families of their own. I want to be a grandparent and see what it feels like to go through empty nest syndrome. In other words its time to pull myself up by the boot straps and get it together.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-78172091600513863822015-10-19T17:50:00.000-07:002015-10-19T17:50:17.977-07:00TOS Review - Brookdale House - Writing Through Early Modern History Level 1 Cursive<center>
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About a year ago I was quite surprised to learn that the public school system was no longer teaching cursive handwriting to the students. I can understand this on some levels due to high schools and colleges almost exclusively using technology to hand in any assignments. On the other hand, not teaching cursive to our children will hinder them in other areas; such as reading old letters and historical documents, signatures in cursive, and reading books written in cursive. Not to mention it is truly an art form that will eventually die out.</div>
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One great advantage of working with the TOS Review Crew is being introduced to educational products and curriculum you didn't even know existed. That is the case here with reviewing <a href="http://brookdalehouse.com/product/writing-through-early-modern-history-level-1-cursive/" target="_blank">Writing Through Early Modern History Level 1 Cursive</a> from <a href="http://brookdalehouse.com/" target="_blank">Brookdale House.</a> We were sent a digital download of the product to review. It is recommended for grades 1 - 3 (although I am using it with 6th graders which I will explain later in this post) and it retails at $22.95 (ebook) or $30.95 (printed book). This book is so huge with 351 pages of short stories, historical narratives, narration pages, cursive copy work, grammar guide, and so much more.</div>
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Brookdale House has put together a truly unique product. Using Charlotte Mason principles of copy work, narration, and dictation - they have created a multifaceted product to teach elementary students writing, cursive, and history. The Writing Through History Series has been set up to accommodate a four year history cycle which also brings in a little classical teaching as well. The four year cycle includes 2 levels of manuscript and two levels of cursive for Ancient History, Medieval History, Early Modern History, and Modern History. Brookdale House also sells products in grammar, geography, and Spanish.</div>
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The Early Modern History Writing program contains narratives, poetry, folk and cultural tales found in the years of 1600 AD - 1850 AD with a focus on American History. In history this year my tutoring students are working their way through this time period, so I was very pleased to be chosen to review this particular product. I choose level 1 for my 5-6th graders due to the fact that one student (from a public school background) had never learned cursive and another was left handed and found it harder than manuscript. Basically I was starting from ground zero.</div>
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Each week I printed a packet to give to each student. Day one they would read the story then narrate it in their own words on the provided narration page. Day two they would focus on copying the copy work/cursive pages. Most weeks we were able to get through two packets. One packet at my home and another sent home to be completed.</div>
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The first section of the downloaded book contains historical narratives. The second section is Grimm Fairy Tales while the third section is poetry. The last section is folk tales. Included in the beginning of the book are many pages of detailed instruction on how to use the materials and different options for scheduling.</div>
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We have thoroughly enjoyed this product. The kids definitely need the cursive practice and all the historical narratives fit in wonderfully with our current history studies. I love Charlotte Mason methods and think that the way these methods are woven throughout the material is genius. Some of my favorite aspects of the product are:</div>
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Copies for multiple students with digital download purchase</div>
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Historical video links on the Brookdale website to help enhance your studies</div>
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Easy to understand directions, different scheduling options, and easy to implement</div>
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Economical price for all you get</div>
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More than one subject area covered</div>
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Go to <a href="http://brookdalehouse.com/" target="_blank">Brookdale House</a> and see what may work for your home. Also visit the <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/brookdale-house-review/" target="_blank">TOS Crew</a> site and read reviews on this and other products from Brookdale House.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-49778656722847046312015-10-18T11:40:00.000-07:002015-10-18T11:40:04.869-07:00Living in a Small Town - Gold Rush Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchZ1uqvKPwflZwpHZL0WWSbbsnFunEb4zCPH0p_QJK_Oimt2Z4vVShltOlsi9GukrvlS_zdplk2svc75So-XzPQT_NccVmCoMgvz20z2KrB25oAqcPp78fVNu9hVqho8fOqf9cb_9ENo/s1600/IMG_3124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchZ1uqvKPwflZwpHZL0WWSbbsnFunEb4zCPH0p_QJK_Oimt2Z4vVShltOlsi9GukrvlS_zdplk2svc75So-XzPQT_NccVmCoMgvz20z2KrB25oAqcPp78fVNu9hVqho8fOqf9cb_9ENo/s400/IMG_3124.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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The Northeast Georgia Mountains area is made up of many small towns. All with interesting stories, festivals, activities, and people. Living in a smaller town is such a joy - everyone knows each other and it just feels different. Sometimes I do miss all the restaurant and shopping choices as well as cultural experiences that the big city holds, but I wouldn't trade our little spot for anything. </div>
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Yesterday we set off to Dahlonega, about 45 minutes from our home and town, to attend Gold Rush Days. You see Dahlonega was a gold rush town and is a big tourist attraction for Georgians. Not to mention the area is stunning, especially this time of the year with fall foliage. </div>
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This festival is a big one. I'm quite sure there were easily 20,000 people in attendance yesterday. Also the dogs. We counted at least 130. </div>
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One of the main reasons we attend each year is Grace's boyfriend is in the marching band and they were marching in the parade. This parade requires grabbing a good spot early and staying put. I'm talking 1 1/2 - 2 hours early.</div>
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I did bring a book along to read during the wait and actually finished it.</div>
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Vendors of all kinds were present for the festival. My favorites were vendors of homemade food, candy, spice mixes, etc. </div>
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Most of the day was spent with these two nerds (I express that in the mostly loving way). Last Gold Rush Days was their first date (supervised by me of course), so this was kind of an anniversary for them. </div>
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We topped the evening off with a fabulous dinner at a local Italian restaurant that we will definitely be revisiting. Great local charm and the food was to die for. After dinner we headed over to the local high school to watch the drama kids perform The Glass Menagerie. Great acting - but sad play. All in all very great fall day to be outside - a 13 hour day that sent me to bed as soon as we arrived home.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-46193225462267390092015-10-15T17:52:00.001-07:002015-10-15T17:52:26.969-07:00Raising TeenagersRaising teenagers is a tricky business. Raising teenage girls is harder still. I have raised a son with very little stress, but all my gray hair has come from the daughter. There is a checklist I keep rolling around in my mind. Constantly thinking about all the "life" conversations I need to have with her to prepare for the adult life that is fast approaching.<br />
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Our family has dealt with some teenage hurdles that are stressful and that many families, thankfully, never have to navigate. This has bonded us together and made us much closer in the long run. It may take me a few more years to actually be grateful for those hurdles, but I feel that God did have us all travel through those bad times for a purpose. What that purpose turns out to be....is a question not yet answered. We are stronger than before, more compassionate toward those with similar issues, and without sounding too prideful, a little less judgmental when other families are dealt situations that seem shameful, humiliating, or disappointing. Let's face it, everyone is doing the best they can in this life. Show mercy, grace, and compassion to others just as Christ did for us. When you hear or see teenagers going down a wrong path, try not to judge to harshly. Instead be their friend or mentor. Listen to them when they feel no one else will. These kids are our future generation and need us to guide them and love them.<br />
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If you are raising a teenager, give them a hug and tell them you love them no matter what. Then go get a Starbuck's frappe and vanilla bean scone. That's what works for us. Share a little joy!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-38389557142587226732015-10-13T17:14:00.002-07:002015-10-13T17:14:39.734-07:00Fall Is Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fall is hands down my most favorite season of the year. Nature is just breath taking. Temperatures start to fall. High School football games are in swing. Fall Festivals, Halloween, costumes, and so much more.</div>
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I wish fall would stay year round with maybe just a few weeks of spring and a couple of weeks of hot temps for swimming, but otherwise all fall all the time.</div>
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Beautiful mushrooms at the end of our driveway.</div>
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And of course something I don't like at all about falling temps......driving the spiders indoors. This wolf spider was in the school room a couple of days ago and gave us all a heart attack. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-28354440249070892382015-10-10T09:56:00.003-07:002015-10-10T09:56:55.496-07:00Come Join the TOS Review Crew<center>
<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/2016-Crew-Applications/" target="_blank"><img alt="Schoolhouse Review Crew 2016 Applications" border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/-2015%20CREW/2016%20Crew%20Application%20Banner%20small_zpsrmdqjuch.jpg" height="400" width="259" /></a></center>
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The past 3-4 years I have reviewed educational products for The Old School House Review Crew. It has truly been such a blessing to my family and to me personally. You would not believe the amount of products that are available to homeschooling families. Many times over the past few years I have reviewed a product and then it has stayed in our curriculum, or I have been introduced to a product that would work great for someone I knew. </center>
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If you have a blog and are maybe a bit of a curriculum junkie this may be something you want to check into. Currently the TOS Review Crew is accepting applications for the 2016 year. There are requirements that you will need to meet and even though it is fun, you also need to take this seriously just like you would with a part time job. So go check it out and see if this might be something for you.</center>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-17737280041159744162015-10-09T06:21:00.001-07:002015-10-09T06:21:18.670-07:00Weekly Wrap Up - The Week of Canceling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JdLp-ZePCBke0YHnkbjbCzUwb18sX-1830fQnnUeE8CTGNZF07m3i3fWbwlX67HfImuhifulpGUzfRLKsDzwuN7c4FUYu6ulodraYhrc7JD1fZWjN92DeB-hgGXORq9_X5ZEso6ZvIo/s1600/IMG_3091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JdLp-ZePCBke0YHnkbjbCzUwb18sX-1830fQnnUeE8CTGNZF07m3i3fWbwlX67HfImuhifulpGUzfRLKsDzwuN7c4FUYu6ulodraYhrc7JD1fZWjN92DeB-hgGXORq9_X5ZEso6ZvIo/s400/IMG_3091.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This week was kind of different. As a Cooperative director sometimes crazy items pop up that you have to handle. This week that crazy items was lice. The joy of working with kids - right. Luckily so far me and Grace have escaped the diagnosis of lice, but at least 7 kids in the Cooperative did not. This meant shutting down the Cooperative for a week, treating the area we hold classes, and asking all the students to be treated as well. Even though we got a clean bill of health, we still treated to be on the safe side. This meant my tutoring students stayed home this week as well because they are also Cooperative students. I sent home all of their work so that we didn't miss any days.</div>
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With all the extra time on my hands I caught up on a lot of Cooperative work and planning lessons for the next few weeks. Today I have a meeting with my Co - Director to plan the next session of Cooperative that will begin in January. Lots of new classes like God Rods from Salt and Light Ministry, Tone Chimes, and the big Spring Musical.</div>
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I also worked a ton on all the review products making sure I have them all set to use Monday - Wednesday of next week since we missed so much time this week. </div>
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Grace went to her hybrid classes and came home with a bit of homework to accomplish by Tuesday. She also started her voice lessons and is super excited about it. Grace plans on fine tuning her audition songs during these scheduled visits and learning more about stretching her voice to new levels. Scott and Grace played tennis two nights this week for exercise and enjoyment. She was considering going vegetarian for animal cruelty reasons, but after much consideration doesn't think she could follow through with it. I think instead we are looking more at the purchase choices we make in the meat department. </div>
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I talked to the private school Grace wishes to attend next year for her Senior year trying to work out in my head how it will work, not only financially, but also finishing up the credits she needs to graduate. </div>
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Tonight is a high school football game and tomorrow is the Big Red Apple Festival (although rain is in the forecast ). </div>
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And of course the picture that represents much of the week for us. Worry over lice infestation. Finding the right products to use. Looking forward to the next two weeks being over with and back to normal.</div>
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I almost forgot. I did get good news this week. When I had my echo done about 5 weeks ago for the high blood pressure diagnosis they inadvertently found a spot on my liver that needed to be checked with an abdominal ultrasound. My doctor told me originally he didn't feel I needed to worry and it didn't need to be done right away. Last week I had the ultrasound and they found two benign cysts on my liver. Believe it or not you can have cysts on any of your internal organs. No worries all is good. That was a load off of my mind.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-70606510405403810682015-10-02T18:21:00.000-07:002015-10-02T18:23:02.592-07:00Reminiscing - What Was Supposed to Be a Weekly Wrap UpI was all set to post a weekly wrap up then got caught up with pictures of Grace through the years and just had to post about that instead. I am so proud of this girl. She has gone through so much. She is truly my best friend. I love her to pieces and don't know what I will do when she grows up and gets on with her life outside of our home. So, indulge me while I share so memories.<br />
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Of course Grace's first dog. This is the baby of the family.</div>
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Grace in her uniform while attending Trinity's Fine Art days.</div>
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A valentine party a few years ago. She hates this picture, but I quite like it.</div>
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One from just a couple of years ago on Easter.</div>
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Before all the hair went away. I loved the long hair, but she petitioned for short hair for a long time before I relented.</div>
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Grace in her element. She loves dressing up and hopes to work as a makeup artist one day.</div>
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Another of her loves - animals - volunteering at the shelter.</div>
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Christmas a few years ago when she was crazy about Loki.</div>
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A birthday party without a birthday cake. Doughnut cake instead.</div>
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Just last spring with the short hairdo and all dressed up for the Spring Formal.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-54466994355348951902015-09-27T12:14:00.000-07:002015-09-30T18:37:19.514-07:00TOS Review - USAopoly<center>
<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/usaopoly-review/" target="_blank"><img alt=" USAopoly Review " border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/-2015%20CREW/e8a713b3-2932-4151-a265-77d20c189952_zpstacxwn70.jpg" height="159" width="400" /></a></center>
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Up until the last year or so we haven't been a big game playing family. Mostly because, 1) my two children are nine years apart and were never interested in the same games and 2) it was like raising only children which left only 2-3 people to play any desired game. I guess an extra reason might be the fact that myself and Grace were just not big board game fans. About 1-2 years ago something changed and now we all love playing games. We are constantly researching and purchasing interesting games to add to our collection. Through the TOS Review Crew we were blessed to be able to review <a href="http://usaopoly.com/games/wonky-crazy-cubes-card-game" target="_blank">Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game</a> and <a href="http://usaopoly.com/games/tapple-fast-word-fun-everyone" target="_blank">Tapple: Fast Word Fun for Everyone</a> from <a href="http://usaopoly.com/" target="_blank">USAopoly</a>.</div>
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If you are passionate about playing games USAopoly is the website for you. They have been producing games since 1994 with some of the biggest names in the business. USAopoly is continuously adding new original games to their website with promises of more new games to come in 2016. These folks are passionate about what they do, which makes it fun for the rest of us too!</div>
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<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/usaopoly-review/" target="_blank"><img alt=" USAopoly Review " border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/-2015%20CREW/Tapple20Fast20Word20Fun20for20Everyone_zpsvdov2ssb.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a></center>
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<a href="http://usaopoly.com/games/tapple-fast-word-fun-everyone" target="_blank">Tapple</a> was the first game we tried out. I used three different scenarios. First I had Grace and her best friend play the game. They loved it and went through each play card in one sitting. Next it was played after dinner one night and again we played for a long time. Lastly I gave my tutoring students a turn. They too loved Tapple! It is a very easy game to learn. Not much prep time and within minutes you are up and running. Tapple retails for $19.95 and is recommended for ages 8 and up. Tapple is a fast paced, quick thinking kind of game. A card is chosen that will give the players the theme of each round. For example, "boy names". Each player has 10 seconds to come up with a boy's name that corresponds with the letter tiles that surround the playing board. If they are able to accomplish that task the game moves to the next player. The game ends when all the letter tiles have been used or players drop out due to running out of time and one player is left standing.</div>
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<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/usaopoly-review/" target="_blank"><img alt="USAopoly Review" border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/-2015%20CREW/7f2320bd-adf9-4756-af54-cf401fc4accf_zpsjoviqjqr.jpg" height="397" width="400" /></a></center>
The second game we were asked to play and review is <a href="http://usaopoly.com/games/wonky-crazy-cubes-card-game" target="_blank">Wonky</a>. Wonky retails for $19.95 and is also recommended for ages 8 and up. Again I tried this one out first on the 16 year olds and they like it. Their main recommendation was for the game to have more cubes, especially if you had a lot of people wanting to play. The younger tutoring students next had their chance and they liked it way more than the teens. In this game your main components is blocks that are "wonky" shaped and the deck of playing cards. Number of players determines how many cards you start out with at the beginning of the game. All the cards have different color and shape blocks which tells you what block to chose and play to build the tower. Some cards will have other actions like reverse, pass, or play any color. The goal is to get the tower built without falling and to strategize so that your blocks stay in place while making it harder for the other players to place their blocks.<br />
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USAopoly offers many types of games to purchase. Quite a few of the old classics with new variations. Matter of fact I saw Monopoly in the versions of The Legend of Zelda, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Pokémon that are on my Christmas List for the kids. USAopoly also offers puzzles with some of the popular fandoms as well.</div>
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We thoroughly enjoyed Tapple and Wonky. I plan on sharing them both with my Cooperative students in the weeks to come and any upcoming holiday parties. Visit <a href="http://usaopoly.com/" target="_blank">USAopoly</a> and see if any of the games and puzzles strike your fancy. With Christmas just around the corner I am quite sure there is something here for everyone. Also check out what other <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/usaopoly-review/" target="_blank">Crew Members</a> thought of their game experiences.</div>
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<strong>Social Media:</strong>Twitter <a class="bbc_link" href="https://twitter.com/USAopoly" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/USAopoly</a></div>
Instagram <a class="bbc_link" href="https://instagram.com/usaopoly/" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/usaopoly/</a><br />
Facebook <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/usaopoly" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/usaopoly</a><br />
Pinterest <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.pinterest.com/usaopoly" target="_blank">https://www.pinterest.com/usaopoly</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-23427371833964490632015-09-25T07:09:00.002-07:002015-09-25T07:09:47.739-07:00Weekly Wrap Up - All Sorts of Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First update we will start with my healthy. You may remember that about 6 -7 weeks ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure after a couple of visits to the ER with very high numbers. After some medication changes and four weeks of adjusting to meds my numbers have been stable in the low 100s on top and the low 70s on the bottom with a resting HR in the neighborhood of 60-80. Many tests have been run and come back negative. Still waiting on a stress test and an abdominal ultrasound. The ultrasound is due to finding what appears to be a cyst on my liver that was picked up while performing the echo. Also most of the side effects from the medications have diminished or gone away completely. That was truly a very long month trying to get it all figured out.</div>
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Next some updates on my tutoring students. We finished our first literature book, Sign of the Beaver with the corresponding study guide from Progeny Press. On Monday we will watch the movie, complete some crafts, and eat some Native American food. Now they begin Island of the Blue Dolphins as the literature read which fits nicely with the semester long ocean and marine life study we are doing through Exploring Creation Swimming Creatures. We also work with Easy Grammar, Essentials in Writing, Teaching Textbooks, Review Products, Story of the World, and Abeka readers.</div>
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I haven't written about Grace much so an update is definitely due. Hybrid classes for geometry and chemistry are going fairly well. Geometry she gets much more than chemistry. Volleyball is great and she wishes the season would go year round. Yesterday was the second to last game and we lost, but man the volleying in the game was incredible. Each set was close and the main thing is the girls had so much fun. Since switching to Uncle Eric's What Ever Happened to Penny Candy Economics has gone much smoother. Grace's Cooperative classes include Girls Ensemble, Ballroom Dance, Art, and Drama. She has one main skit she will be performing at the Christmas recital and also a backup singer in two others. </div>
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Grace is very strong in her decision to attend Cosmetology school after graduation. We have two possibilities in our area. One requires a state approved accredited diploma which our currently will not be. The other school will accept our homeschool diploma and transcripts. Grace has asked to attend the private school full time next year for her senior year. This would solve the problem of the diploma and she just loves being there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rB7iWYqEIU-Bz-lTKiWLWaXx8oY0R_dJj1dE5rtKGT5HbHUCUvEjD2W-87WhK3Q3PuAMHQhmskmC1sAQGHdHge2Sf2-bXfEwZOfxi-4oBk3OPGV2TgNQXBo9PCewFMYR5mD7FGHxwKI/s1600/IMG_3029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rB7iWYqEIU-Bz-lTKiWLWaXx8oY0R_dJj1dE5rtKGT5HbHUCUvEjD2W-87WhK3Q3PuAMHQhmskmC1sAQGHdHge2Sf2-bXfEwZOfxi-4oBk3OPGV2TgNQXBo9PCewFMYR5mD7FGHxwKI/s400/IMG_3029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This past weekend Grace also attended her first homecoming dance and high school football game. Her best friend and significant other is in the band at this particular school. The game was great - we won - and the band preformed awesomely. The dance was a let down. They are attuned to attending Cooperative dances with modesty rules, carefully chosen music, etc. This high school dance was the exact opposite. They were miserable and stayed exactly 40 minutes before texting us and asking to be picked back up. What a disappointment! Grace was very upset about the whole experience and very disappointed. The upside was that we got some great pictures before attending.</div>
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I'm excited about three books I ordered from Amazon to read. Reading lately has been on the back burner for me. I am trying to work my way through The 5th Wave series to get ready for the movie coming out in January. Also the new Michael Vey book and the new series from Rick Riordan came out. So I ordered both and they are next on the list to read. Hoping the new Rick Riordan series about Norse mythology is better than the Last Olympian book that came out.</div>
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We also have a ton of review products that will be keeping us busy:</div>
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<a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/surfing-the-net-science-book.html" target="_blank">Surfing the Net: Science</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.charlesbridge.com/products/eat-your-u-s-history-homework" target="_blank">Eat Your US History Homework</a></div>
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<a href="http://brookdalehouse.com/product/writing-through-early-modern-history-level-2-cursive/" target="_blank">Writing Your Way Through Early Modern History Cursive</a></div>
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<a href="http://shop.apologia.com/planners/433-the-ultimate-homeschool-planner-blue.html" target="_blank">Ultimate Homeschool Planner</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.maestroclassics.com/the-nutcracker.html" target="_blank">The Nutcracker</a></div>
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<a href="http://grapevinestudies.com/product/old-testament-overview-part-1-level-3/" target="_blank">Grapevine Studies</a></div>
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So as you can see we are going to be very busy!</div>
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<a href="http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/weekly-wrap-up/" target="_blank" title="Weekly Wrap-Up"><img alt="Weekly Wrap-Up" src="http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Weekly-Wrap-Up1.jpg" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-16830943347385497832015-09-22T18:07:00.003-07:002015-09-23T17:04:42.291-07:00TOS Review - YWAM Publishing - Christian Heroes: Then and Now - Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose<center>
<a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ywam-publishing-review-2/" target="_blank"><img alt="YWAM Publishing Review" border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/YWAM%20Publishing/YWAMLogo_zpse2d5593a.jpg" /></a></center>
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Every year when I attend our state's homeschool convention I would stop and visit the <a href="https://www.ywampublishing.com/" target="_blank">YWAM Publishing</a> booth. Each year I thought, "Wouldn't it be so wonderful to be able to purchase the full set of books in both the Heroes of History and <a href="http://www.ywampublishing.com/c-70-christian-heroes-then-now.aspx" target="_blank">Christian Heroes: Then and Now</a> series. Taking years to slowly read through each and every book. Well, over the last couple of years I read a few with Grace, but was recently given the opportunity to read, review, and share with my tutoring students <a href="http://www.ywampublishing.com/p-216-christian-heroes-then-nowbrjim-elliot-one-great-purpose.aspx" target="_blank">Jim Elliott: One Great Purpose</a> and the corresponding <a href="http://www.ywampublishing.com/p-433-christian-heroes-then-nowbrunit-study-curriculum-guidebrjim-elliot.aspx" target="_blank">Unit Study Curriculum Guide.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlWeu3WumsLK97Qpobbqpk2_cH8mKg8A4Mwonliv26FUETI60HZd5ZfJlZ1WN6LWZ_WLURRmbv0jYUaAwOYi34ZLrTzBVgXy_Sq1saGCFvNkOIUypfU5xL6l64O8UKjNZbmEqUw70_CA/s1600/jim+elliot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlWeu3WumsLK97Qpobbqpk2_cH8mKg8A4Mwonliv26FUETI60HZd5ZfJlZ1WN6LWZ_WLURRmbv0jYUaAwOYi34ZLrTzBVgXy_Sq1saGCFvNkOIUypfU5xL6l64O8UKjNZbmEqUw70_CA/s400/jim+elliot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Let's start with a little background information about YWAM Publishing, much of which I didn't know until this review. YWAM (Youth With a Mission) began back in 1960 as an outreach for missions work, which now covers 140 different countries with 17,000 volunteers. In the beginning YWAM Publishing had just one small printing press. They published tracts as an outreach during the Olympic Games in 1972. Currently YWAM publishes 150 of their own books. This is a non-profit organization with profits going to their outreach and missions organization. The authors of the book I reviewed are Janet and Geoff Benge. They live in Florida and have many years of writing experience as well as expertise in the fields of history and education.</div>
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Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose retails for $7.50 and is recommended for ages 10 and up. This book is also available in the following formats: CD, MP3, Nook, Kindle, and a direct e-book from YWAM. It can also be purchased in a Spanish translation. We received a physical paperback version of the book for review that has 192 pages.</div>
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Jim Elliott, along with other men and women, was a missionary to the tribes in the jungles of Ecuador. I don't want to ruin the story for those who are not familiar with Jim Elliot's biography. Needless to say it is a great read that left my student's engaged and more than once asking for more. We used this book as our devotion time and read one chapter a day. The kids did ask if there was a movie available to watch about this story. The most famous movie I felt would be a little too intense so I purchased an animated version to watch this week after finishing the last two chapters of the book.</div>
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Along with the book we were also given the corresponding unit study guide to review. The study guide is broken down into the following topic areas:</div>
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Key Bible Verses</div>
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Chapter Questions</div>
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Student Explorations</div>
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Community Links</div>
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Social Studies</div>
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Related Themes to Explore</div>
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Culminating Event</div>
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In the back of the guide you will find information regarding additional books and resources and answers to chapter questions. The guide is 62 pages and retails for $7.49.</div>
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I asked my students to pick two projects from the book to complete and share. These ranged from creative writing, hands-on projects, audio-visual projects, art and crafts, and food from Ecuador.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acrostic Poem and Pottery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travel Brochure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvmf6zz2fOjI2LFvW1gmfnj9j10CEq08x7ZN9NqaaS46KamulF1NZkEUwRMvD4VUXaaeHtr5HCG_pRSO-QaJNG2HvOP5FP8gO49AFGigrtnITN_ULeqQt0VrqIj3RmZjHc3Jcg13h4lU/s1600/IMG_3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvmf6zz2fOjI2LFvW1gmfnj9j10CEq08x7ZN9NqaaS46KamulF1NZkEUwRMvD4VUXaaeHtr5HCG_pRSO-QaJNG2HvOP5FP8gO49AFGigrtnITN_ULeqQt0VrqIj3RmZjHc3Jcg13h4lU/s400/IMG_3023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ecuadorian Food</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ecuadorian Food - Cold Fruit Soup</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGka4pccOemwa2P0nxDiux6dW1qQAzjxBIZdR4ZESp-ktwgHgLCif-MdulNhwi0gGzhFj2K7N21WI0L4M6dTfGd0vDIe46NqS61XmljvSQTLg3P1KSbwLWx7s5FzWZ75IdV1-haEl2QI/s1600/IMG_3026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGka4pccOemwa2P0nxDiux6dW1qQAzjxBIZdR4ZESp-ktwgHgLCif-MdulNhwi0gGzhFj2K7N21WI0L4M6dTfGd0vDIe46NqS61XmljvSQTLg3P1KSbwLWx7s5FzWZ75IdV1-haEl2QI/s400/IMG_3026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoUc5ExoOmAIeLJ8QOTowFhzb-fN_ovZYcn23P28R4giKPh7E1fIh6FNsLiZvz9REeASACA4zUg5mDONuqTMVQb5OLhyY3ZiCpVe78Cdut7fbwbKcmy4uVrKz4yLqZNyGkc0OC307b5w/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoUc5ExoOmAIeLJ8QOTowFhzb-fN_ovZYcn23P28R4giKPh7E1fIh6FNsLiZvz9REeASACA4zUg5mDONuqTMVQb5OLhyY3ZiCpVe78Cdut7fbwbKcmy4uVrKz4yLqZNyGkc0OC307b5w/s400/IMG_3024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We found this book and material educational, engaging, and enlightening. I love the fact that portions of the profits from all their products go to missions to help others around the world. I would not hesitate to use another book from either series for my students. The unit study guide makes it even more attractive, because creating unit studies myself never seems to work out. Using the book and study guide together easily creates a study that would last 4-6 weeks. That would include geography, vocabulary, cultural studies, scripture work, service projects, current events, math, and so much more. This way of learning has always appealed to me.</div>
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Please take a trip over the web to <a href="https://www.ywampublishing.com/" target="_blank">YWAM Publishing</a> and check out all the wonderful titles that are available. Also go investigate what the other <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ywam-publishing-review-2/" target="_blank">crew members</a> thought of their books and guides.</div>
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<strong>Social Media:</strong>Facebook: <a class="bbc_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/timeline/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/timeline/</a></div>
Twitter: <a class="bbc_link" href="https://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing</a><br />
Pinerest: <a class="bbc_link" href="http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-24656509949373411822015-09-18T10:14:00.000-07:002015-09-19T12:22:07.275-07:00A Day in the Life of a Hybrid Student - Thursday Edition<a href="https://www.blogger.com/”http://educationpossible.com/finishing-strong-link-up/finishing-strong-homeschooling-middle-high-school-years”" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="”_blank”"></a>We have schooled at home for 9 years with an occasional outside of the home class thrown. Grace's beloved Ms. Christy has always been on the schedule for art or language arts classes. This year everything changed up a bit. First and foremost I knew I couldn't teach Chemistry and Geometry unless I buckled down this past summer and learned both subjects myself. You see, I didn't take either of those subjects in high school or college before getting married. Quite frankly, I didn't feel that I would be up to the challenge. Second, Grace had a desire to learn from a different teacher and go to a class with kids in her peer group. Third, I tutor five students three days a week and this gives me time to focus on them and not make me feel like I am leaving Grace high and dry without any real instruction. I tell you all this to give you some background information about why and how our days are structured this year.<br />
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First class of the day is with Ms. Christy at The Creative Canvas at 9:00 a.m. This is a literature class and they are just beginning to read Of Mice and Men. This is a small class but full of Grace's closest friends. This small group of friends have taken classes in this setting for the past four years. Class is held once a week and the teacher sends home the assignments for the following days until class meets again. I usually run errands during this hour then we head home for a very short break and lunch.<br />
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At 11:50 we travel to a local Christian private school for Grace to take her next two classes for the day, Geometry and Chemistry. This will be for two hours. She attends these classes twice a week and sometimes on Fridays when testing is going on. Again the teacher sends home assignments for Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There is a pet gecko in the math/science room that Grace loves. She plans on bringing her home during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays so she won't be so lonely at the school.<br />
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September through the beginning of October usually finds Grace staying after school for a volleyball practice or game. Today there was a game and Yay! they won. She absolutely loves this sport and would play it year round if that was an option. Today my mom and a couple of Grace's friends came to watch the game. After the game was over it was back to the homestead for dinner. Before leaving the house at lunch I placed some food in the crockpot and had chicken tacos ready for us upon our return. <br />
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The rest of the evening was everyone getting caught on their own tasks, watching a little television, and talking with friends. This is about what every Thursday looks like for us until volleyball season ends. Eventful, busy, tiring days. That's what we live for.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-893978489681480502015-09-16T09:11:00.001-07:002015-09-16T09:11:35.925-07:00TOS Review - Super Teacher Worksheets - Individual Membership<center>
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As a homeschooling parent what would you think of a website that could offer you thousands of printable worksheets? All in one convenient location? How about a generator to create your own worksheets? What if the website was extremely economical? That is what I was offered to review through the TOS Review Crew. An <a href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/individual-membership.html?t=bn" target="_blank">Individual Membership</a> to <a href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/" target="_blank">Super Teacher Worksheets.</a> This membership will run you $19.95 a year and most of the worksheets are for ages K - 5th grade. A few resources can be found for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The creators of Super Teacher Worksheets is currently working on adding even more resources for the higher grades.</div>
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Subjects included on this website are:</div>
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Puzzles and Brain Teasers</div>
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Holidays</div>
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Social Studies</div>
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Science</div>
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Spelling</div>
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Grammar</div>
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Handwriting</div>
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Phonics</div>
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Reading and Writing</div>
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Math</div>
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And so much more!!</div>
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I currently tutor three 6th graders, one 5th grader, and one 8th grader. All of the students were able to utilize the worksheets in one way or another. We jumped all over the place using worksheets from many different categories. Even though technically three of my students are somewhat out of the age range - they used many of the worksheets for review or reintroducing topics they had forgotten. The kids loved most working with the Puzzles and Brain Teasers section. My favorites were the math and map skill sections. All children end up with gap in their education. Topics that were touched on, but not in depth, while others on the parents part are simply forgotten to be taught or you run out of time. Super Teacher Worksheets seems to be an easy, affordable way to address some of those gaps. This was truly perfect for me to use in so many different ways. Sending home for homework worked out wonderfully as the worksheets instructions were easy for my students to follow at home on their own. Usually once all other work was completed for the day these were also easy to hand out as extra work. I found the navigation of the website to be incredibly easy and the placement of all the resources easy to find. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_VpMLJ6KuzPKHQGxtXptn9_t7IjJW4oZJVl314Hmlbv6hc7ieIDY3Omckf6FwYjPy6TqhF9OVkQ6dbY2zYJv4dojBeQAKZBTyP-zyhCqvmbS4rOxw7Xvia8IYzEU-191tbC_SoigOBc/s1600/IMG_2988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_VpMLJ6KuzPKHQGxtXptn9_t7IjJW4oZJVl314Hmlbv6hc7ieIDY3Omckf6FwYjPy6TqhF9OVkQ6dbY2zYJv4dojBeQAKZBTyP-zyhCqvmbS4rOxw7Xvia8IYzEU-191tbC_SoigOBc/s400/IMG_2988.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We were able to accomplish 1-2 worksheets Monday - Wednesday then I would send home two worksheets as homework. We worked on the following concepts:</div>
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Latitude and Longitude</div>
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Map Scales</div>
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Basic Map Skills</div>
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Measurement</div>
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Graphing (Mystery Graph Pictures)</div>
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Symmetry</div>
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Reading and Comprehension</div>
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Synonyms and Antonyms</div>
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Editing and Proofreading</div>
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Halloween Related</div>
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What I plan on using in the future:</div>
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Multiple Choices and Fill in the Blank Generators for Tests in History and Science</div>
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Flashcards for Vocabulary Words</div>
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Many of the Other Generator Options</div>
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This website also has some other very interesting aspects:</div>
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Both for Homeschoolers and Teachers</div>
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Over 10,000 Available Resources</div>
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More Than Just Worksheets Available</div>
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A Filing Cabinet online to Store Favorites</div>
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Generators for Quizzes, Crosswords, Etc.</div>
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Very Affordable at Just $19.95 a Year</div>
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Spanish Translations Available</div>
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Very Easy to Navigate Website</div>
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This is one of those products that there are no downsides - you just can't go wrong with purchasing an <a href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/individual-membership.html?t=bn" target="_blank">Individual Membership</a> from <a href="https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/" target="_blank">Super Teacher Worksheets.</a> Check out what other <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/super-teacher-worksheets-review/" target="_blank">Reviewers from the Crew</a> though of this product.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-18215451403173667862015-09-15T08:00:00.002-07:002015-09-15T08:00:35.022-07:00When Nature is Blooming - Mushrooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa1t0hy7KxjhSHA98MXNiKLA_Wu0qbiZJMUPee-CWZrWd091ylPNi5tS7zMHYjuiG4JARhBU9s3hNT0QLoVpN2geb3KFkfikfLHlMOrMVey0wlRyCSk5VYmNW_fsXt47fwhg-v2_SX98/s1600/IMG_2992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa1t0hy7KxjhSHA98MXNiKLA_Wu0qbiZJMUPee-CWZrWd091ylPNi5tS7zMHYjuiG4JARhBU9s3hNT0QLoVpN2geb3KFkfikfLHlMOrMVey0wlRyCSk5VYmNW_fsXt47fwhg-v2_SX98/s400/IMG_2992.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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A couple of weeks ago the kids went on a nature walk in search of mushrooms. We picked this out of our book to do because quite frankly mushrooms were everywhere. Easy to find and lots of different kinds. I took pictures of about five different specimens to identify and journal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWg1P7bYF5t1ihdT5n_H67uUar4QJ9C0tJZUR-O2lsIfwzl0n2WUvrDGU1Cjqg7z5KKm0rJy9Care3cwpAe_zOHUE0-b9Za8EPMMGQcJycpmrb8YGl1Zy-lW5sQzlKI7wvfc4M7rxadg/s1600/IMG_2993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWg1P7bYF5t1ihdT5n_H67uUar4QJ9C0tJZUR-O2lsIfwzl0n2WUvrDGU1Cjqg7z5KKm0rJy9Care3cwpAe_zOHUE0-b9Za8EPMMGQcJycpmrb8YGl1Zy-lW5sQzlKI7wvfc4M7rxadg/s400/IMG_2993.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We did most of the work in class, but I sent home the task of actually identifying the mushrooms. It was interesting to find out how many edible mushrooms we have in our area. Of course I don't think I am brave enough to try any (especially since I don't even like mushrooms).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBv6IVoQ093W4kLx5KGHw_uvjhrKJlU9VstR_nUlsRtb4_JrcfUJ2kas_5zLGvtf3SkFWn2bXJE3ODBdgNGwzwUTfLLo5rpqnTsfcSVb4fKhAl6s_xlJotGVkulXu3Gb2c8oyetrgMlw/s1600/IMG_2994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBv6IVoQ093W4kLx5KGHw_uvjhrKJlU9VstR_nUlsRtb4_JrcfUJ2kas_5zLGvtf3SkFWn2bXJE3ODBdgNGwzwUTfLLo5rpqnTsfcSVb4fKhAl6s_xlJotGVkulXu3Gb2c8oyetrgMlw/s400/IMG_2994.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The kids are getting more and more creative in what they add to their pages. I hope that by the end of the year they will understand and accomplish filling up as much of the journal page as possible. </div>
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We try as a group to do a nature study walk and journal page twice a month. Of course the kids love being outside and would do one every day if we had the time.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-75138412612425354592015-09-10T12:51:00.002-07:002015-09-10T12:51:27.672-07:00When You Have to Change Something in Your Curriculum This Early in the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This 12 week DVD course with study guide is working out fine. What wasn't working out was the recommended book, Basic Economics, for added reading to round out the credit for high school. Grace was very stressed out every time she read it because it was not written in laymen's language and she couldn't answer any of the questions if she didn't understand the material. This meant I needed to back track and pick something different.</div>
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For many years I have eyeballed the Uncle Eric series of books online and at every homeschool convention I have attended. It was the first thing that popped into my mind when I knew I needed to purchase something new. Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? and the accompanying study guide seems to be the ticket. From day one Grace understood this material much more easily and her stress level has come down considerably. After making this purchase I decided that I would then use some of the other Uncle Eric books next semester for Government. It will be something she is accustomed to using and shouldn't take much adjustment time. As we move along in the series and I get a better handle on what all is involved I will give a more thorough review of this product. Great thing about being a homeschooling parent - if it isn't working - change it.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542715593318774385.post-7500254818849972022015-09-05T15:56:00.003-07:002015-09-05T15:56:34.031-07:00A Day in the Life of a Cooperative Director<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TXRbo9YBy5nfYj9nnklEfMEugYBxzaADUBN2lWeKnwk-hxLFel7J7d65hbxlrbI5FJEtzufLRsF6RMxC-YXv3hI9NL53ZXC57gODr3dFl-jIeaQdvn0KJ6vQJEbm28K6qx2P238Z30k/s1600/IMG_2972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TXRbo9YBy5nfYj9nnklEfMEugYBxzaADUBN2lWeKnwk-hxLFel7J7d65hbxlrbI5FJEtzufLRsF6RMxC-YXv3hI9NL53ZXC57gODr3dFl-jIeaQdvn0KJ6vQJEbm28K6qx2P238Z30k/s400/IMG_2972.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not all director duties are stressful. Who am I kidding, most of my director duties are fun and not stressful (except for registration days - very chaotic). I love my Cooperative families and kids. Most of us are friends outside of the Cooperative. This past Friday was one of those fun afternoons. We recently purchased new sound equipment. More microphones were in desperate need. The above pictures is the new purchase that came with 8 headset microphones and 8 lapels. Yesterday a group of us met to test them out in the gym where we perform to hope and pray they would work in a metal building. Thanks to our guru sound advisor everything worked beautifully. We are all so excited to have so much more volume to fill the gym so that every word can be heard at each and every performance.</div>
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With the headsets they kind of looked like members of a boy band and of course since we are a performing Cooperative, Disney music was the songs of choice for testing them out. After the sound was put away the kids decided on a pick up volleyball game. If I haven't mentioned it earlier - Grace is over the moon with playing volleyball and they won their first game this past Thursday.</div>
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After volleyball we all headed out to the local Mexican restaurant and stuffed ourselves with wonderful tasting food. The company was wonderful as well. I love these kids and families to pieces. Especially my co-director who is also one of my best friends for getting me through this last month of illness. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10214322750183022876noreply@blogger.com1