Author: Grace-Filled Writer

Week in Review: March 6-10

Grace-Filled Writer
We had a very good week back after our break. We will have another break in six weeks! 

Rose (6th grade): Resurrection to Reformation Unit 25
Here are some highlights from Rose’s week! She’s reading a new novel we are reviewing. It’s historical biblical fiction which is currently one of her favorite genres. She loves this book! I can’t wait to tell you more about it!

 I think Rose was working on her writing with Writing Strands in this picture. She loves sitting by the front door while working because our puppy likes the sun and they enjoy one anther’s company. Writing strands is such a great program! It’s simple to follow and very content rich. Rose has always loved to write and writing strands is helping her really hone her skills.

 

If you have followed our journey very long you already know math has never come easily to Rose. We have a good fit for her now, but it is something she has to work hard to find success. When she offered to help Grace with her math (2nd grade multi digit addition with carrying) I was just a little unsure. Then I remembered how teaching can help cement learning. It was an absolute beautiful moment to see Rose working to help her little sister learn, make sure she had the right answers, and then help her when she missed a problem. The fact that she had the confidence to do this was really encouraging and also showed me how God is shaping her desire to be a teacher one day.

 Beth (4th grade): Creation to Christ Unit 6
Beth absolutely loves the timeline portion of her notebooking each week! She can’t wait to get to it and spends a long time making sure the pictures are just to her liking. She’s also really progressing with her cursive and doesn’t have to reference her page to know how to make the letters as often.

Another part of her new guide which Beth really enjoys is her quiet time. I love that Heart of Dakota helps my girls to build a habit of daily time with the Lord. 
 

Math was with Daddy (And Lucy the cat!) this afternoon! She had already completed the work earlier in the day buy my husband was nice enough to go over her work with her when he came home at lunch. I’m so blessed that he is willing to jump in and help out anytime he can!
Grace (1st grade): Bigger Little Hearts for His Glory Unit 1 (1st half)
This week began our adventure through Bigger Hearts! I always start this guide at half speed because there is a huge jump in work-load. 
Grace loves reading with Lucy. We have a very, very tolerant cat. She gets dragged around the house and seems to actually enjoy it! Grace is reading another book we are reviewing here. You’ll get to read all about it this coming week! 

 Our curriculum does an amazing job of teaching geography! We reviewed the continents and oceans this week. I still have trouble remembering to include that 5th ocean sometimes because we only had four when I was a kid! She of course loves to spin the globe as fast as she can every time we get it down!

 Grace was over-the-top excited to learn to use the dictionary for vocabulary! I didn’t actually have to teach her though. She has been using a dictionary since she was five. We used to call her our little dictionary because she loved words and always wanted to know what different words mean. She also can often be found reading one of our many dictionaries for fun in the afternoons.

So that was our week! I spent this afternoon reorganizing our schoolroom! It feels good to have an organized space for learning. And no doubt I will be reorganizing again in about six weeks!
 

Preserving Memories: 2016 Album

Grace-Filled Writer
Here are a few more layouts from this past week! I’ve gotten more done while my husband and I watch the ACC tournament in the evenings. We are looking forward to more March Madness in the weeks to come! This means more scrapbooking time as well!

Kit: Chelle’s Creations – Heroes (retired)

 

 Kit: Chelle’s Creations – Military (retired) 

 Kit: Chelle’s Creations – Heroes (retired)

Kit: Britt-ish Designs Freebies

Recording Memories: 2016 album

Grace-Filled Writer

I only finished a couple of layouts this week, but a couple is more than none! These are from a short trip we made to South Carolina this fall for a conference my husband attended. It was great fun! I’ve been learning how to play around with the lighting in Photoshop the last several week and it is transforming my pictures! I appear to be a much better photographer. I’ve always been decent at getting a natural shot, but the light settings on my point and shoot camera remain a mystery. Below my layouts are some before and afters of photos that show how taking a minute or two to fiddle with the light settings in Photoshop can really change your image quality!

 Top –  Before
Bottom – After
 

Week in Review: February 27-March 3

Grace-Filled Writer

It was our break week! For over a year now we have been following a 6-week on, 1-week off schedule for school and it is working beautifully for us. This is our break week. Here is a little peek at what we did.

Played
Read

We of course had other things going on, and I didn’t get the week off work, but it was a much needed break from the ordinary.

Next week Rose and Beth will continue in their guides and Grace will being Bigger Hearts for His Glory! We are opting out of one of the history texts this time as we try something new. I’m excited to see how she likes it.

I hope your week was great too!

Math Mammoth Light Blue Series Level 7: A TOS Review Crew Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Affordable Quality Math {Math Mammoth }
Whenever homeschool moms get together, it doesn’t take long before the subject of curriculum arises. Without a doubt the most questions surround the subject of math. I personally can’t wait to talk about why we use Math Mammoth and our journey to find it! Rose was excited to have the opportunity to try out Grade 7 from the Light Blue Series which would be considered a complete pre-algebra curriculum.

Affordable Quality Math {Math Mammoth }
Rose was very excited to give pre-algebra try! 
 
I really like that the teaching is directed towards the students. It is written on the worksheets and anytime she needs to refer to the lesson it is easy enough to for her to find the answers. We teach Rose still directly, but having the information right there is really good. The lessons contain some review and word problems as well so she gets a good foundation. I tend to pace her a bit more slowly than a lesson a day. I do this for two main reasons. The first is she gets overwhelmed if the number of problems is excessive and can then shut down. This is not a good way to start a math lesson! The other reason is I want to make sure the lesson fully settles in before moving on to the next concept.

 

 If you read our weekly updates you will see that my husband has taken over Rose’s math teaching in the afternoons. He also feels the teaching portions are easy to understand and clearly presented. This again is important for Rose if she needs to look back. Sometimes she has a hard time understanding the more complex concepts, so clear and direct teaching is vital. He also appreciates that it isn’t full of busy work. That was the problem with some of the previous math programs we tried.

If we were to sit down over coffee I would have a full list of why we absolutely love Math Mammoth. Here is the rundown of what I would tell you:
1. Solid teaching
I have yet to find any course that is as good as this one. It thoroughly teaches concepts without busywork. It is also easy to pace. If your student needs to go slower than a lesson a day, you can easily break the lessons up into multiple days. I usually do this with Rose. At the same time, if your student is more advanced, they can easily go at a faster pace, which suits the needs of Beth.
2. Easy to use
Both my husband and I teach math using Math Mammoth. When I was on the search for a new curriculum my husband was a big part of this search. He loves math and at one point thought he would become a math teacher. We are at the point where it is easier for him to teach math than it is for me because he remember the rules where I’m constantly needing to look the rules up while teaching. Especially as we are moving into Pre-Algebra it is important rose has clear instruction. He is the best choice for this and has only good things to say about Math Mammoth.
3. Self-contained instruction
Rose needs one-on-one teaching, but not all kids need that. My other two daughters often read through the teaching material and don’t often need a lot of direction. This may change as they move up, but for now they like that it is written to the student so they can give it a try on their own. I absolutely check in to make sure they understand, but it is nice to know they can work at their own pace if they like.
4. Multiple methods 
 I find this curriculum works well whether you have a tactile, auditory, or visual learner. I have one of each and all three are thriving. I also like that there are multiple strategies taught for the same mathematical concept. Both pencil and paper and mental math strategies are taught. This is nice so your kids can find the method that makes the most sense for each individually.
5. Cost effective
 This is hands-down the most affordable full curriculum available. Just do a little shopping around and you will soon see how reasonably this curriculum is priced. This is a huge benefit if you have multiple children. 
 A couple of years ago I recorded what our schoolroom sounded like during math lessons. All three girls work out loud and are able to function pretty well this way! This happens a little less as Rose is getting older and she usually works with my husband in the afternoons, but this was back when all the girls were working during the day on math. I love hearing their voices as they think out loud!

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 Here is some more information about the curriculum directly from the author.

I highly recommend this program. Make sure to check out more reviews from my Crewmates!
Affordable Quality Math {Math Mammoth Reviews}

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Recording Memories: 2016 album

Grace-Filled Writer
 Now that my husband’s album for his 40th is finished I’m working to finish up our 2016 family album. I finished 2008 earlier this year so I’m trying to get this one done as well before having them printed to save on shipping. I have one other I’m also working on to get finished, but I do want to have these printed sooner than later so it may wait! 
I’ve been playing more around with enhancing the photos themselves in Photoshop. Most of this is using the lighting settings and sometimes the color. I’m very pleased with how these layouts have turned out! This is my one creative outlet at the moment. I love creating these fun layouts to preserve our memories.
Libby Pritchett: Live Out Loud

Libby Pritchett: Hail Mary and a few papers from A Marvelous Song
Template from Brook Magee
 
Chelle’s Creations: Teacher’s Pet (retired)

 Chelle’s Creations: Zoo Crew (Retired)

Little Rad Trio: Just Bee (Retired)

Week in Review: February 20-24

Grace-Filled Writer

 I slacked off on the pictures again this week, but this time it was because my daughter had a make-up basketball game Monday night and then I forgot where I put my camera! Yup, that’s my life. I forget things all the time, misplace things all the time. This is my normal. Am I the only one?

We will be taking next week off from school. We school for 6 weeks and then take a break. We are all looking forward to the break! It is refreshing and has kept us from burning out over the last couple of years.

 Beth (4th grade): Creation to Christ Unit 5
 Beth was so excited to work on her history project this week! It was as simple recipe but she thoroughly enjoyed creating the honey bread and the eating it. As I’ve said before this was a smooth transition into a new guide. Preparing is such an amazing learning year and that coupled with the previous guide (Bigger Hearts for His Glory) both of my girls were eagerly ready to move up and become more independent. 
I’ve been especially impressed with her effort and success with memorizing chapter 2 of Philippians. My oldest, who memorizes very easily, did not like this part of CTC. I think she saw the length and even though she knew it would be in short amounts she felt it was too hard. Beth, on the other hand, just put her mind to it and is now a full 5 verses in. She can quite word-for-word with ease and seems to really enjoy it! Beth rarely struggles with schoolwork. Really none of my kids do, but she especially finds everything easy. It is hard to know if it is a result of being the second born and therefore she’s watched it all happen before, or if things are just easy. Either way she’s a joy to teach and finds joy in learning!
Grace (1st grade): Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory Unit 34
 You might notice a jump from unit 31 last week to unit 34 this week. What happened? Well… this little miss asked me if we could squish the end of Beyond into one week. She is eager for more work. Although she is officially in “1st grade” as far as her age is concerned, she’s working at a much higher level. She’s asking for a challenge, and I understand. This is one driven little 7-year-old when it comes to academics. She dreams of becoming a nurse and has sought out nurses in our church to ask all sorts of questions. She reads everything she gets her hands on and questions everything she doesn’t understand. How could I say no? 
Well, I did say no to squishing 3 units into a week. I said yes to skipping a few units and finishing up this week before our break. It’s a good time anyway so I can prepare for her to start Bigger. There will be some changes this time around and I’m looking forward to those! Stay tuned to see some of these in about a week!
Rose (6th grade): Resurrection to Reformation Unit 24

We are over half-way through grammar 5 of Rod and Staff Grammar. The girls learn so much with this curriculum! It’s not the flashiest, but it is so solid. Rose is learning more about diagramming and when we finish she’ll know more grammar than most high schoolers do. She’s definitely learning more than I did in class. My dad taught me most of my grammar. So here we are carrying on the tradition! 
Everything is going well in all other areas. It’s time for me to start piecing together next years curriculum. I buy the guides directly from Heart of Dakota because I like to support this small family business. I try to buy everything else used from a variety of sources. With only 10 units left it’s time again! I love this part. I know that sounds crazy, but my goal every year is to spend $300 or less and I usually do quite well! It’s all about hunting for the bargain. 
Well, that was our week. How was yours?

Advent in Narnia: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer

One of our Christmas traditions is to celebrate Advent. We do different things for this including reading books, listening to radio dramas, using a Jesse Tree, and more. Every year we try to choose something a little different. This year I was excited to have my own personal celebration of Advent using this book, Advent in Narnia: Reflections for the Season by Heidi Haverkamp.We are huge fans of The Chronicles of Narnia. My girls even have a Narnia themed bedroom! C.S. Lewis has so beautifully captured the essence of childhood imagination in his series. I was very excited to relive this novel as I also focused my heart for Advent.

28 devotions carry you through the novel alternating between excerpts from the novel and Scripture for the entire Advent season. They are thought provoking and intentional, yet easy to read. I originally thought I would use this with my girls as it is advertised as a family devotion, but as I began reading myself I felt it was better suited for middle school or older. My oldest would have gotten something out of it as she is in 6th grade, but I think most of this would have gone over my youngest two daughters’ heads. They are avid readers and comprehending literature far above their grade levels, but I still felt they would have found much of this devotional a bit boring.

I am a bit cautious with this author because her denomination’s view of Scripture differs greatly from mine. I think it is important to recognize authorship and how that impacts the view of the devotions written. I did not come across anything which was concerning to me specifically in this title, but when it comes to devotions I prefer to read authors who I know hold the same view of the Word of God as I do.

I do think some interesting aspects of the book was the inclusion of information for having a Narnia night at church and working through the study as a church family. Most  devotions do not structured to include your entire church family and I found this rather intriguing.I also do not think this need be a devotion strictly for Advent. It could be read anytime of the year in an effort to draw closer to God.

After reading through it, I do not think I will use this with our family in the future. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

A Stranger At Fellsworth: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Sarah E. Ladd is one of my favorite authors! I was only introduced to her writing in the last year, but since discovering the grace with which she weaves story I eagerly anticipate her newest release. A Stranger at Fellsworth is her newest release in the Treasures of Surrey series.

In this story Annabelle, a young lady who has lost virtually all prospects due to her father and brother’s inability to protect the family fortune, seeks help from an essentially unknown uncle, her mother’s brother. He willingly helps her escape a dangerous situation and create a new life for herself. While settling into her new way of life she frequently runs into the gameskeeper, Owen, a man who was integral in helping Annabelle escape her old life. It does not take long for Annabelle to realize she is not as safe at Fellsworth as she assumed she would be.

As with the first two titles in this series (The Curiosity Keeper and Dawn at Emberwilde) I could not put this book down! The characters are delightful and believable. I love how the ideas of faith and following God are seamlessly woven into the story. The characters grow and develop naturally as the story unfolds. I appreciate how effortlessly Ladd changes from the perspective of the heroine to the hero. She has a gift for conveying emotion without directly stating it. I hated to see this novel end!

I highly recommend this series as well as all other written by Sarah Ladd. You will be delighted by her ability to craft an intriguing story often filled with mystery and danger. She easily weaves her faith throughout her stories without it sounding forced. I’m so happy to have found her books and I think you will be to!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Greece: A TOS Review Crew Review

Grace-Filled Writer

HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study  HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study  History can be one of the trickiest subjects to teach. Too much of the mundane and you will bore your little learners. Too much “fun” and they may miss the point of what they are learning. Home School in the Woods is an incredible company that takes history and makes it come alive. My daughters thoroughly enjoyed our chance to review HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Greece! The entire History Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study series looks incredible. After working through a portion of the Ancient Greece study I can only imagine how much fun the other titles in the series will be.  My middle daughter, Beth, is studying Ancient Greece already this year so this was a fun way to add to what we have already been doing. My other two daughters were really excited to join in on the fun a well. The three girls are typically studying different levels of history tailored to their ability levels, but they enjoy the times we learn together. This particular study lends itself well to multi-level learning. The suggested levels are grades 3-8, but my 1st grader has thoroughly enjoyed our journey thus far! The premise of embarking on an actual journey through history with our imaginations is really fun. The study is broken into 25 “Stops” which you can pace as you like. This can easily be completed in the 8-12 weeks as suggested. There is so much packed into this study! In addition to the history there is an enormous amount of information detailing the daily lives of those who lived through it. You’ll learn all about the culture, food, education, arts, literature, medical information, religion, agriculture, and more.  While traveling your way through Ancient Greece you will have the opportunity to try out recipes, create some amazing projects, and collect a scrapbook to remember your travels. I love that the scrapbook includes pages for a timeline. Home School in the Woods is well known for their amazing timeline products and once again they do not disappoint! Everything you need to get started is contained in the pdf files. It does take some time to print what you will need so it is a good idea to work ahead on this. The more time you spend on prep the smoother the study will go.There are so many fun projects to work through. Here were some of the girls’ favorites. 

Beth is always interested in learning about the clothing of the time periods we are studying. When we travel to historical sights she will often choose a coloring book that shows lots of different historical clothing. She loved the activity where she colored a historical figure and layers of clothing. These are placed on clear transparency pages and attached so they could layer on top of the figures. She really enjoyed this because of how detailed the images are. This is something else you can expect from this wonderful company. The images are beautiful and so your kids will end up with amazing projects they will treasure far after they complete their studies!

 Little miss Grace drams of becoming a nurse. She was particularly interested in the medical history of the period. This turned into a little flip book that can be attached into their lap books. She enjoyed coloring as well as reading the information and how they relate to current medical practices. She is 7 and in first grade, but it was a simple project she could complete with little help and guidance from me.

 Rose has already studied through Ancient Greece so she was excited to explore some of the things we didn’t delve into as deeply. One of her favorite projects was working on the family tree of Helen. This was a neat little flip page that also can be placed into the lap book. She did not need to spend a lot of time studying to complete it. Once the pages were printed she colored, cut, and pasted all while learning through the process.  The girls all agreed that their absolutely favorite part was the dramatized audio tours. They found them entertaining and humorous. We would get finished with one and they would beg to listen to another. We actually listened to the dramatizations more than once.  I asked the girls what they thought of this way of studying history. They all told me how much they enjoyed it and said it was fun to learn in such a different way. Learning is all about finding meaningful ways to make connections so what your kids learn sticks with them. Home School in the Woods has a hit with this fabulous program!  

HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study

    Check out this video to see even more of what you can expect!

  

HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study Reviews 

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