TOS Review - Memoria Press - Geography I

One subject I feel is very important to students is Geography. Nearly everything we learn, especially in history, can be traced back to a geographical location. In our home maps are on the walls pertaining to areas of study, missionaries we are supporting, and current events we see on the news. In my humble opinion knowing where we are located in this big world and where other countries, towns, cities, continents, etc. are located is a very worthwhile learning activity. Memoria Press must have thought so as well. They currently offer a product, Geography I, that addresses learning Geography in a straight forward manner. Our family was asked to review Geography I through the TOS Review Crew. Below you will find all the information about this product as well as our thoughts and how we used it.

Memoria Press is a family run company that publishes Classical Christian learning materials. This company was founded by Cheryl Lowe in 1994 to have products available for families that teach classically. Memoria Press is well known and respected in the homeschooling community, especially for their Latin, Logic, and the Famous Men Series. If you are not familiar with teaching classically I would recommend reading the About Us page on the Memoria Press website to gain more knowledge about teaching a student in the classical methods. Memoria Press products are created and published with three characteristics in mind:

• Simplicity - families with no experience teaching classically can pick them up and run with it.
• Quality - creating a product that will ignite learning with high academic standards and that parents will be happy with, completing the entire curriculum.
• Affordability - the materials are designed to be budget friendly.

Geography I - What You Need to Know

Age Recommendation:  4th grade and up

Price:  $48.00 for the 5 book set

Geography I Table of Contents

Geography I Text Sample

Geography I Workbook Sample

We received this set as five physical books. Included in the set were: Geography I Student Text, Geography I Student Workbook, Geography I Teacher Guide, The United States Student Workbook, The United States Teacher Key, Quizzes and Tests.

The first three books present information and map work dealing with the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. The Geography I Text and Workbook are basically broken down into 96 lessons which translates to 96 countries studied once the text is completed. Each lesson/country consists of one page of information about the history of that country, a chart of fast facts, and a tour of what the country is like today. The second page of the lesson is a mp with important cities, countries, and geographical highlights pertaining to said country. Once the student completes the reading and study of a presented country they will then go to the student workbook to answer questions about the country as well as fill out a map with terms from a word bank. Reviews, quizzes, and tests can be found in the back of the student workbook.

The last two books deal with the United States, learning states and capitals. The student workbook is 26 pages teaching students states and capitals broken down by regions. The teacher's key provides multiple types of quizzes and tests to review what your student has learned.

How We Used the Product and What We Thought

Once we received the five book set in the mail we hit the ground running. At the time we received this I didn't have any particular Geography program going. I asked Grace to use this product three days a week which translated to three countries a week. The first item I noticed was the fact that I could hand this off to Grace to use and I didn't need to really do any teacher planning to incorporate it into her schedule. The straight-forwardness of the product is a plus for us too. Grace likes using a product where she reads the information then answers the questions from said information. In other words it wasn't intimidating to her to use this book on her own and that makes her a happy student. Geography I actually came at a good time for us. The past few months have found us watching CNN Student News every morning before we start our day. Nine times out of ten they present a news story concerning the Middle East. Some of these countries Grace had never heard of or had very little knowledge of them. Now she has something to connect and relate to through both learning environments. Isn't it great when lightbulbs start going off and connections are made. Reading about countries in the Middle East from this curriculum like Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey have helped her understand more in the current events realm. My last positive is about the affordability. Purchasing the five book set basically means you are getting the books for less than $10.00 each. $9.60 to be exact. Easy to use, informative, and affordable makes it a great fit for this family. Take a moment to visit Memoria Press and check out all the products they have to offer. Also visit the TOS Review Crew and see what their families think about the products they reviewed.

Homemade Dog Food

What do you do when you forget to pick up dog food at the store when you go out and realize it the minute you walk into the door? Also town is like 20 minutes away and with the price of gas I really didn't want to go back out again. In my case I made homemade dog food. Hubby found a recipe online for me last year and believe it or not I waited this long to try it out. We cannot remember who we got it from so sorry for showing no credit.

Last year Scott was all about buying extra of everything and storing it for a rainy day. So as I was walking in the door today and remembering that I didn't stop to purchase dog food I thought it meant going back out to town later today. Then a"light bulb" moment happened and I realized everything was in my freezer and pantry to make the dog food recipe. Ingredients that were included are bouillon cubes, canned chicken, green beans, and white rice. The green beans were in the freezer from last summer's garden and everything else came from the pantry storage. I kind of tweaked my own recipe. Three cups of white rice, a gallon freezer bag of green beans, two cans of chicken, and a few bouillon cubes to flavor it up a bit. The dogs loved it. Of course it was still warm and probably seemed like what we were eating for dinner. I felt sure they would leave the green beans even though I cut them into small pieces, but everything was gone. The recipe calls to feed the dogs twice a day. There was enough for the next two days and more to freeze for later in the week. I even have some leftover rice that tomorrow I hope to make a concoction with canned tuna and cook carrots. The recipe recommends using chicken, turkey, tuna, beef, or eggs. Different veggies could be used too but try to stay away from corn and lima beans which don't digest well. Of course always check with your veterinarian before trying. I will not use this all the time but maybe once week out of every month to save on buying so much dog food.

Linking with The Homestead Barn Hop.

Annual Relay for Life Event - Our Cancer Story

Last night was our town's Relay for Life event. I was on Zumba team. Each Relay for Life group had a booth to help raise more money for cancer. Since January most of these groups were having events to raise money and then last night was just the cherry on top. Zumba had a couple of Party in Purple events along with what we did last night. Zumba provided entertainment at two different time frames last night. We were all tired after bout 1 1/2 hours of Zumba.

Our booth had a cake walk with some pretty awesome cakes. Also raffles took place for a three piece Bistro Set. 

The above photo is the beginning of the Survivor's and Caregiver's Walk. Very touching moment.

We were even blessed with a rainbow at the beginning of the event. On to our story. First my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer almost 13 years ago. She has undergone many surgeries, treatments, and doctor's appointments. Mom has gone through some real lows at times, especially during the times of treatment and feeling bad. Currently her cancer is still there just in a stable condition. This means no treatment just run scans and blood work every three months to look for changes. When changes occur that is when treatment is needed. My  mom's type of cancer is like a disease or medical condition that needs maintenance treatment. Just like someone with diabetes, heart problems, etc. For the most part she doesn't have to fear death like many other people with cancer, but it is still a toll on her body, mind, and spirit. I am thrilled to report that this week we went to Emory to find out the results of her last scan and she is still stable. This is the 5th scan in a row of being stable so now we can move to every 6 months scans. This is truly a load off my mother's mind because my dad also has health issues. Mom is convinced the reason she has been doing so well is because God is answering her prayers to be here to help my dad. 

We also had cancer touch our family four years ago when my aunt (mom's sister) was diagnosed with breast cancer. Just like many other families in this situation we prayed for God to save her so she could still be with us. My aunt was the ROCK of her immediate family and for the rest of us too. Very spiritual woman who was more than okay to leave this world and move on to the next with Jesus. We miss her terribly and think about her all the time. 

Cancer touches everyone's lives. Please get involved. If not with Relay for Life some other type of organization. 

Birthday Month

My children have birthdays practically in the same month and 9 times out of 10 we celebrate together. Travis, my oldest, turned 23 on May 31st. He is such a great kid, of course not really a kid anymore. So I will rephrase, such a great young adult. Travis moved out with a roommate the beginning of January and I have missed him so much. We see him every 1 - 3 weeks depending on what he has going on. Travis is sweet, considerate, caring, and has an awesome work ethic. 

Grace turns 14 today. She has been waiting so long to turn 14. All her friends are older than her by one year or more. Grace is such a talented young woman and could go so many places with that talent. Hopefully as she matures she will realize this and then the sky is the limit. Homeschooling Grace is the best thing me and Scott every decided to do. I would not have the close relationship with her that I do had she gone off to public school. 

Neither of my kids like cake. Every year we go with ice cream cake or chocolate chip cookie cake. Next week for Grace's birthday party with friends I am creating a doughnut cake for something different. I love these kids to pieces.

Local Library Love - Blogging Through the Alphabet

In this time of e-readers libraries may be coming a thing of the past for a lot of the population. Well, not this girl. Don't get me wrong I love my Kindle, but there is nothing like the smell and feel of a hardback book in my hands. 

We live in a small community, therefore, we have a small library. To give you an idea, I took a peek at the sign up for the summer reading program. Teen section - 40, children - 302. That is actually a great sign up for this year. The opening program which was a magic show brought in 200 people. I say all this because like many other small towns, the bad economy has hit us too. Recently a discussion among the board of commissioners is to reduce the number of days a week that the library is open. Currently we are at six, Monday - Saturday. They want to reduce to three days a week. Of course a large outcry was heard from many. The discussion is still going on and a decision will be made within the next few months. I will keep you posted.

When Grace was younger we were at the library more frequently. Sometimes as much as three times a week. Now it is mostly for on hold pick ups, etc. Although, she did surprise me by wanting to do the summer reading program for teenagers. Remember this is the child that doesn't read. 

Something special about our library is that a few steps away across the street is a lovingly cared for garden. In the spring it is magical with many blooms and fragrances. Also two historical buildings are located in the same spot.

Behind this entrance is the garden. Many folks come here to take senior pictures as well as engagement photos. Even though we enjoy every so often going to the big city that has the big library for more choices, we still love our local library and would miss it terribly if it was to go away. Remember to thank for local librarians this summer for all their hard work.

I am linking up with Blogging through the Alphabet over at Ben and Me.

TOS Review - MotherBoard Books - Let's Make a Webpage

Have you ever worried about your homeschool student getting comparable computer training that they would receive in the public school sector? If so Motherboard Books has multiple products to help you in this area. We were asked to use and review one of their products for the younger crowd, Let's Make a Webpage.

Motherboard Books is run by Phyllis Wheeler, commonly referred to as the "computer lady". Ms. Wheeler was a homeschooling mom with a background in computers and engineering. She saw a need for computer training skills with homeschoolers and created a program with other computer professionals. She has continued to add products in this field of study which has culminated with our family reviewing Let's Make a Webpage.

Let's Make a Webpage is an E-book including 60 pages of 10 lessons. The 10 provided lessons will cover the aspects needed in creating a webpage. Items like background, fonts, color, sound, images, and animation. The author recommends this product for children 8-12 years of age. Some parental supervision and help may be needed, especially for the younger of the recommended age group. Grace is 13 (14 in 5 days) and very computer savvy. I was able to hand this off to her and let her run with it. This E-book requires a downloaded free trail version of Coffee Cup Software to complete the lessons. Computer requirements are Windows XP,Vista, or later. Let's Make a Webpage can be purchased for $19.95. A student having the knowledge and capabilities to create a webpage could come in handy for multiple types of projects and assignments. This product could be utilized for interviews, reports, essays, and so much more.

How We Used the Product and What We Thought

We received Let's Make a Webpage as a download. Downloading the product took place without incident. I choose to print the product out so Grace could peruse it at will. Coffee Cup's Free Trail version of Visual Designer is the recommended software to use for creating your web page. The downloading of Coffee Cup went smoothly, but every time we tried to use it my computer would freeze up. I contacted Ms. Wheeler to ask of another site to use but she had no other suggestions that would go along with the lesson plans. She recommended contacting Coffee Cup for support, which I did to no avail. She was very prompt in answering my email and nice. Of course, Coffee Cup not working on my computer, which is a Sony Vaio with Windows 7, is no reflection on her product. It just made me have to step back and rethink what to do. I did contact Coffee Cup by email and phone but no one ever returned my messages. I decided to try my daughter's older HP laptop and it worked like a charm. Grace worked 2-3 times a week until completed. The directions were very easy to follow and all the lessons worked. The recommended assignment was to conduct an interview of someone interesting. Grace created an interview with her father about being an artist. What his thoughts were about being an artist and what he hoped and envisioned his art to be in the future. The product is thought through well and marketed at a good price. I also appreciated the lesson that addressed Internet safety and how to navigate through websites that were offering free images, etc. My only recommendation would be to have a back up software available for any problems that may arise with the first or someone that could help you navigate through the first choice if problems occur. Overall I liked this product and think it would appeal to students interested in computers or creative design. Be sure to visit Motherboard Books and check out their product line of computer related materials. Take a visit over to the TOS Review Crew to see what other families on the crew thought of these products.

Grace's Wish Comes True

Before

After

 Grace has been asking for months for a shorter haircut. Today was the day. For her birthday which is 6 days away she got a professional haircut.