Principles of Mathematics: A Moms of Masterbooks Review

Grace-Filled Writer

My experience has been you love math, or you hate math. At least this is how we say it. In reality I think it is more a matter of, “I understand mathematical concepts with ease,” or “Numbers make my head hurt.” Confession: I fall into the latter category! Since I know this is true I’ve approached mathematics in our homeschool with trepedation and (with all honesty) a healthy dose of fear. What if I mess my kids up? What if they are mathematical geniuses? I have a feeling I’m not alone. I’ve met countless other homeschooling mamas who feel completely inadequate when it comes to teaching math.

It took us three tries to find a solid mathematics program which actually worked for everyone. I’m starting to feel pressure as we creep up towards middle school (my oldest will be a 5th grader next year!). Our curriculum is elementary only and I haven’t felt good about any pre-algebra program I’ve come across. So far it has all felt dry and…I don’t know…too much like math? Rose has always disliked math and I knew we needed to find something to inspire her as we move on to higher levels.


I was so intrigued when I heard Master Books was publishing a 2-year math curriculum. I love everything I get my hands on from this company because I know it is solidly written on a biblical foundation. What in the world was this math curriculum going to look like? In a word: Beautiful. Principles of Mathematics by Katherine Loop is the most beautifully written math book I have ever come across, and believe me, I’ve checked out a lot!

I am so in love with this curriculum, I’m currently working my way through it just for myself. I am determined to no longer dislike and fear math the way I have for years. So as I’m writing about this, keep in mind I’m speaking from personal experience of use.

What I love…
1. Short, concise lessons written in a conversational style
2. Short practice assignments
 (and most importantly)
3. Everything is centered around the Bible. 
You might wonder how a math curriculum can be centered around the Bible? I mean I always had the mindset that God is Creator of all, including math, but I never really saw God in the numbers. They were just there as part of creation. I now view math in such a different way just after reading the first chapter of this curriculum. 
What I read when I opened this book set (a text book and a workbook) has completely transformed my perspective. Math is more than just numbers. It’s something we use everyday. It’s a way to express what we see in creation around us. It is something beautiful and as mysterious as it may seem, it is logical, certain, and steady, just like our Heavenly Father. 
Even though I am thoroughly enjoying this, I also wanted to have a field-test of sorts within the correct age group. Since my own kids are not quite ready for the level of math presented here, I recruited a friend of ours who will be in 7th grade next year. 
We are quite close to Faith’s family who is a part of our church and she was happy to comply and worked on the first few lessons while she was hanging out with us one day. Faith attends a traditional public school so I was anxious to hear her thoughts about this very different way to learn. She is also quite an advanced student. 
When I asked Faith her thoughts about this book she said she really liked how it was written. It isn’t your traditional way of presenting a math concept followed by multiple practice problems. She appreciated how it not only explained a concept in an easy way to follow, but also that it related it to real life in a reasonable way rather than contrived word problems. 
The other thing she said she really liked was how it expressed that math is not neutral but instead a gift from God which allows us to understand His creation. This theme runs throughout the curriculum and shown through practical examples and practice. 
This is a two-part curriculum which can be completed in a year or two years, whichever is best for the students. The second part is scheduled to be published this fall and I can’t wait! I appreciate there is both a full year and a semester schedule for finishing the book provided. This would be a good fit for pre-algebra. Some kids could do it in a year, others should take more time to process and let the ideas and concepts really sink into their minds. I’m in no hurry to push my girls through math and we’ll take things as they come. 

Disclaimer: I received this curriculum in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

Princess Grace Sticker Book: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer

My girls are just like most, they love princess stories! I am not at all opposed to princess stories, but I was extra excited when we were in our local Christian bookstore and noticed the new product line from Zondervan called Princess Parables. The focus of this series is on promoting biblical character qualities from a different perspective.

Grace thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the Princess Grace Sticker and Activity book. With a name like Princess Grace, how could she not? She told me she liked the story a lot. Since she is reading now it is fun for her to read this on her own.  .

There are so many beautiful stickers! Some are for specific pages and others can just be added wherever on the page. Lots of creativity is encouraged this way.

In addition to the spots for coloring there are other simple activity pages like the word search you see here. Grace is old enough to enjoy these now and loves it!

Grace said this was one of her best days ever! She loved playing and reading through all the pages.

Disclaimer: I received this product as a part of the BookLook Blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. I did not receive any other compensation for my review.

Princess Charity Sticker Book: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer

My girls are just like most, they love princess stories! I am not at all opposed to princess stories, but I was extra excited when we were in our local Christian bookstore and noticed the new product line from Zondervan called Princess Parables. The focus of this series is on promoting biblical character qualities from a different perspective.

Beth really enjoyed reviewing the Princess Charity Sticker and Activity book. She told me how much fun it was to put the stickers on. I like how soft and gently the illustrations appear. They have a sweet appearance that my girls really enjoy.

There are so many beautiful stickers! Some are for specific pages and others can just be added wherever on the page. Lots of creativity is encouraged this way.

Some of the pictures on the page are left white so the girls could color! We found out that markers work the best for this book because of the slick pages.



Beth declared this is a great book and she loved reading it as well as playing with it!

Disclaimer: I received this product as a part of the BookLook Blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. I did not receive any other compensation for my review. 

Maggie Bright: A Tyndale Blog Network Review

Grace-Filled Writer
The shatterer has come up against you. Man the ramparts; watch the road; gird your loins; collect all your strength. 
Nahum 2:1
There are times when a novel is entertaining and pleasurable. It allows an escape from reality into a world of happy endings. Other times a novel moves you deeply, speaks into your soul, and drives you. Maggie Bright is the latter. This novel of the evacuation of troops at Dunkirk is more than just historical fiction. It is a deeply moving encounter with characters endearing. I can’t remember the last time a story moved me to tears the way this one did. 
Tracy Groot is a new author to me and I am very excited to read more from her. The setting is 1940, England. Hitler’s campaign to control all of Europe is in full swing and the English troops are in trouble, attempting to evacuate back to England. Back on the homefront rumors of retreat and disaster circulate although no formal announcement has been made. As these larger picture events unfold, a young woman is suddenly caught in the middle of a spy mission aimed at revealing the true horrors Hitler and his Nazi regime are spreading with the growth of their evil empire. America has yet to enter the war and hope is beginning to fade. If only the horrible truth can reach the shores of the United States there is hope that England will not be left alone as one-by-one the countries of Europe fall. 
This beautifully written story of Dunkirk pulled me in with the first chapter. The dual story-line showing the embattled front-line action and the home-front of England gives a very unique picture of the all encompassing nature of World War II. This war was more than just the soldiers going away to a foreign land to keep them at bay from their own country. All of England was affected as Hitler’s troops edged closer and closer to the United Kingdom. 
It did take some time for me to sort out who all the characters were within the first few chapters, but it was worth it. Each one progressed the story along in a different way. I love the 3rd Person point of view which allows us insights into a variety of characters’ thoughts. While spiritual themes run throughout this book, it never feels preachy and explores the way those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ react to God at times of crisis. Many of the characters began to seek God for the first time and I appreciated that this was not a fast journey, but genuine and realistic seeking. 
Although I was left wanting to know more at the end, I was also left with an urgency towards prayer. Running throughout the book is the theme of searching to understand what prayer is, how prayer works, and why we do it. I loved the way this was handled as several characters sought to express their perspective on prayer. God’s answer to a nation who stopped to pray corporately is seen in the success of the Dunkirk evacuation. Though many lives were lost, thousands upon thousands more than were expected were saved. Many civilians showed unprecedented courage as they sought to bring their soldiers home. The verse quoted above expresses how those in England viewed this time during the war. They sought God and realized they needed divine intervention in order to overcome the evil one who sought to destroy. 
I’m fascinated by this era in history as my own grandfather served in the army during World War II. I knew very little of what was happening prior to the entrance of the United States into the war and I am intrigued to study more about this now. 
I highly recommend this book and I will personally am anxious to read more novels by Tracy Groot.

Disclaimer: I received a paperback copy of Maggie Bright from Tyndale Publishers as part of  the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive any other compensation. 

Scrapbooking Disney

Grace-Filled Writer

Here are some fun layouts from our one-day, whirl-wind trip to Disney last year. I’m working on our more recent trip now! I’m currently learning all about the newest craze in both traditional and digital scrapbooking: Pockets! I love this stream-lined, easy on the eyes as well as fast to create. I will probably continue to use both a more traditional styled layout as well as the pockets, but this new type is just lovely!

When I scrapbook I do not have any one particular way I follow, except that I like for my layouts to look as much like traditional paper layouts as possible. So how do I do that?

1. Learn how to shadow! Fortunately when you are just a newbie programs like Photoshop intuitively help you out with easy to use shadowing tools.

2. Use a handwriting font rather than a typed font for the journaling. I love using all sorts of different varieties of fonts, but for journaling I usually use a font which looks like handwriting. I’m resarching how to create my own font of my own personal handwriting and will update once I find more out about this!

3. Use templates. Wow! When I first began digi scrapping I used a program which I bought for free from Amazon. It functioned, but I never could use any of the wonderful templates available. While I’m grateful for the experience I gained by creating my own layouts and learning what style I liked through trial and error I am in love with psd templates for Photoshop!!! I am scrapping incredibly quickly now. even I modifying the template some, having more than just an empty page to start off with has really stream-lined my efforts. This kit was created with a template and kit from British Designs.

4. Use quality digital kits with coordinating elements and papers. While using only free things may seem fine and good, I think it is helpful to purchase a few high quality kits. If you get a few basics with various colors to begin, you can always ask for paypal gift cards. This is how I am building my digi srapboooking stash. I also have a handful of designers I really, really like who I follow closely on facebook and their blogs so I can snag freebies when they are available! I like kits with uniquely themed elements to enhance my layouts.

5. Network! There are an incredible amount of forums and digital galleries out there. Some are themed for things like Disney World. Others are unique for designers. Some are wide open! My two personal favorites are Pixel Scrapper and Mouse Scrappers. Nearly every forum I’ve participated in has monthly or weekly challenges which often results in some pretty great digital prizes!

My favorite Digital Designers…
Sahlin Studio
Brittish Designs
Pixel Scrapper
Chelle’s Creations
Traci Reed Designs
Robyn Pali Designs (retired)
My 4 Sisters Scraps (retired)
Forever Sisters Scraps (retired)
I’m partial to designers and kits which look like paper. Textures and layered papers are my favorites. 
Do you scrapbook either traditionally or digitally? Tell me about it in the comments? 

Do you have any questions about digital scrapbooking? I’m definitely not an expert on everything, but I love chatting about scrapbooking!

  

A Peek at Our Week: June 1-5

Grace-Filled Writer

We had a really fun week! School was great, but the real fun began when my sister-in-law surprised the girls by bringing their cousins to visit!

First off school…

Little Hearts for His Glory: Unit 16

Grace almost always wants me to allow her to read her history on her own now. She can always narrate to me about what she read so I’m allowing it to encourage her independence. I still read to her, but I appreciate that she wants to learn! This week we learned about Christ’s resurrection. While she has been told this beautiful truth from history from the time she was first born, it is always meaningful no matter how many times we hear it.

Grace like her older sister loves our old Dick and Jane reader my husband’s grandmother gave us. She thinks it is so much fun! She’s close to finishing this book and I think she will find it sad. I’ve looked at getting more of these old books, but they are a bit pricey on ebay so I’m hoping to stumble upon some at a book sale sometime.

She’s moving along quite well with All About Spelling. Teaching three different levels isn’t as hard as I expected! I’ll chat more about that later, but for now if you are looking for what to follow up with for your phonics instruction I think All About Spelling is the best choice. It take what your kids learned with phonics and helps them reverse the process while learning to spell and solidifying what they learned. My older daughters are both reading 3-4 grade-levels high with excellent comprehension and feel their solid phonics and reading instruction through the Heart of Dakota Emerging Readers set.

Bigger Hearts for His Glory: Unit 27

Beth is doing really well with her cursive handwriting. She is now working towards writing on her own in cursive without having a model. It is a process through which I have learned to be patient. I’m very pleased with how well she is doing as she finishes up 2nd grade.

This is her picture after studying imagery within poetry this week. She very much enjoyed this assignment!
Beth looks bored here, but she really loves math. Honestly, she may be a bit bored too! She’s coming to the end of her curriculum and as we study money she is probably finding it a bit tedious. This is the girl who watches the purchases ring up, asks how much we are giving the cashier and tries to figure out the difference before the change comes up on the little screen. Yeah, she’s math-minded! 
Creation to Christ: Unit 10

Rose is really enjoying this guide. It wasn’t a huge jump for her from Preparing and we didn’t even have to start at half-speed like I did with Bigger and Preparing. She really likes learning about ancient history. We talk a lot about what other cultures believed and why. 
For a girl who doesn’t love math, Rose loves long division. Who knew? Somehow all those multiplication facts which couldn’t seem to stick suddenly make sense to her and she really likes it. She’s doing quite well and we’re just moving right along. We aren’t even needing to take the lessons at half-pace anymore. I think one of the biggest reasons is she received and enormous boost in confidence when she received her standardized testing scores which showed she is working 2 grade levels higher. She suddenly brightened up and math isn’t quite so bad any more!
She’s recently discovered the Little House books and is almost finished with her second one. I’m moving her own to a new series soon and allowing her to read these on her own time. I love how she is drawn to these books, but I try to expand her exposure to different types of literature and authors. She tends to focus in on one and devour everything in that genre or by a particular author so I feel it necessary to help her branch out. 
#LearningTogether

If you follow me in Instagram you’ll see this hashtag quite a bit. My girls are all working in different guides at different levels, a true one-room schoolhouse. Yet one of my favorite blessings on homeschool is how much learning takes place together. Here are a few pictures of that taking place…


This is what my desk looked like during spelling one day. All three levels of spelling at once. Yikes! I do the main instruction separately and then call out the words. Sometimes we do this separately but on this particular day I tried out juggling the three levels at once. It actually worked quite beautifully. I’m training them to put their pencils down when they are done writing what I have called out so I am cued to give them another word or sentence but they at the same time do not distract their sisters by talking out loud. So far it is working and although I won’t always do three at once, it is sort of fun when I do!And now for the visit! We had so much fun having family here. My sister-in-law was my roommate in college and we are very close. It is always refreshing to spend time together and it is so much fun to see our kids playing together. 

First the surprise! 
Then the fun!
They stayed from Tuesday through Thursday and it was a really fun diversion during the middle of our week. 

A Heart’s Obsession: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer




Colleen Coble is a newer author to me. I’ve read one of her other shorter novels and while enjoyable, it wasn’t one of my favorites. I was anxious to give her writing another try and this seemed like a great option. This series of short books are Coble’s first novel, republished into several novellas.

This extremely short novella focuses on a seemingly lost relationship between a heroine desperate to escape an arranged marriage and a career military man.

This book picks up from Book One and if you haven’t already read this, you will probably feel lost throughout as I did. I never felt connected to the characters and quite often the relationships and conversations felt forced.
Short novels aren’t usually something I’m excited about, but this was a nice diversion from what I normally read. I was able to finish in about one afternoon. I read this really quickly, but was left feeling unsatisfied at the end. I would much prefer reading this story as a continuous novel than simply what felt to be an excerpt of a novel. Perhaps one day I will have that opportunity.

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of the BookLook Blogger review program. These opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. 

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Fairy tales are my new favorite genre since discovering Melanie Dickerson’s books. I never really thought about fairy tales for adults even though some of my favorite movies are these classic stories. I was eagerly anticipating her newest installment and was not a bit disappointed!

This story centers around Odette, the orphaned daughter of a wealthy merchant being raised by her uncle and burdened in her heart for the other poor children and orphans of her village. During the day Odette teaches and trains the littlest ones ignored by most of society. At night she illegally poaches from the King’s forest to help feed the destitute. She remembers very well the pain of losing her parents as well as what it was like to beg, steal, and live without while she waited for her uncle to come claim her.

Odette is passionate and beautiful, desired by many men in her village, but her uncle has allowed her the freedom to choose whom she will marry rather than force an unwanted man upon her. Enter Jorgan: The forester to the Margrave who is out to seek revenge for his adopted father’s death by a poacher. Circumstance brings them together and attraction keeps them seeking one another’s company, but the complicated matter of Odette’s nighttime occupations presents a very real problem, not to mention danger.

As usual with Dickerson’s novels I was drawn into the story within just the first few paragraphs. I loved that Odette was more than just a pretty face and in fact is irritated by those who only see her outward appearance and nothing more. She is more super hero than fair maiden as her one desire is to provide for the poor orphans in her community. This retelling of Swan Lake with overtones of Robin Hood will capture your interest and heart and pull you into its medieval backdrop.

Read this and you will fall in love with the fairy tale all over again.

Disclaimer: I received The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest as part of the Booklook Blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. These opinions are my own. 

Join Odyssey Adventure Club for a Summer Challenge and Movie Ticket Giveaway

Grace-Filled Writer
Are you looking for something more meaningful to occupy your kids’ time this summer beyond screens and video games? Are you hoping to bring your family closer with the time you have together? Take the 2015 Summer Challenge with me!

Take the plungebanner banner 

Summer . . . a time that kids pine for during the school year and parents may anticipate with something akin to dread. Fearing refrains of “I’m bored” or hours spent on the couch playing video games can make moms and dads nervous about the long, hot months stretching before their family. Focus on the Family’s Odyssey Adventure Club offers an answer, encouraging parents and kids to embrace faith and fun with the Take the Plunge Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse magazine’s Summer Challenge.

Take the Plunge

The Take the Plunge challenge features:

  • Master Mind Monday — commit God’s Word to memory
  • Ways to Play Wednesday — spend active time with your family
  • Faith Sharing Friday — share God’s love with others

The Take the Plunge challenge helps families memorize at least five verses, engage in five activities together and share their faith with five people before the school doors swing open again. Those who sign up will receive an 11-week plan with suggested verses to memorize, activity ideas (such as visiting a war memorial) and ways to witness (such as passing out popsicles at the park with an invitation to your church), making this challenge the perfect tool for parents who want summer to be a time of spiritual and social stimulation for their kids.

“Research tells us that the more senses we involve when teaching children a principle, the more likely it is to stick,” Plugged In editor and Adventures in Odyssey podcast host Bob Smithouser says. “Bible memorization by itself is great, but it becomes even more powerful when put into action. Know it. Share it. Live it.”

Families who sign up to take part in the challenge at www.whitsend.org/summer will have access to weekly verses to memorize, ideas for family fun and suggestions for service projects that allow a family to share their faith. Additionally, anyone who signs up to participate in the Take the Plunge challenge will receive a free scene from the latest Adventures in Odyssey album, as well as a free story from the book Strange Journey Back.

A Bonus Contest

From June 1–5, tell us in 30 words or less how you are going to take the plunge to deepen your faith this summer for a chance to win a family four-pack of tickets to the theatrical release of Beyond The Mask June 5th weekend and free access to the Odyssey Adventure Club all summer long (June, July, August—total $85 prize value)!

Send your entry to contests@whitsend.org. Two winners will be chosen to win each day June 1-5 and announced on the Adventures in Odyssey Facebook Page.

Entries will be chosen based on creativity and writing skill. Rules are available at whitsend.org.

Week in Review: May 25-29

Grace-Filled Writer

We had a great week! Our week began with a field trip to a Science Center which gave us a great start. I’m planning on more field trips this summer and will blog about them all!

Lessons went really well and we had some fun almost every afternoon at the pool!

And when we weren’t playing, here is what we were learning…
Grace: Little Hearts for His Glory Unit 15

Rod and Staff is the best for thinking skill type workbooks. I’ve used them with all three of my girls and all three have loved them. Grace  is in the G book. She began with these when she was 4 and we have just moved through them steadily. She has gotten to the point where she will read the directions ahead to herself, so I have to watch her and make sure she is doing it correctly! She sometimes has trouble identifying some of the pictures as the words intended for activities such as rhyming. It’s been a neat way to introduce her to some things we don’t have around our house as well as synonyms. 
My little girl isn’t so little anymore! Look at her being all grown up and working on 1st grade word problems for math! I am not one to rush my children in their academic abilities, but neither am I one to hold them back. My little smarty pants was begging for more math so I tried out 1st grade an I’m so glad I did. She is learning at her own pace and just moving right along so smooth like a hot knife through butter. 
She’s seeming rather bored with our Abeka readers. Maybe bored isn’t the right word, but Grace is definitely not being challenged. I believe we will be starting with the Emerging Readers from Heart of Dakota. We may skip the Bible which comes first because she has read this over and over both with our family devotions and during her afternoon quite time. 
Beth: Bigger Hearts for His Glory Unit 26

Do you remember how much I said my girls loved their Rod and Staff ABC books? Well Beth is finished up one this week. I intended her to only use them through 1st grade but when Beth figured out there was a new one, she begged me to buy it! She spent some time finishing up her last workbook this week. I find it really sweet that she loves them so much. 
Math is always easy for Beth, but she has recently begun making hasty mistakes. What I mean by that is she knows what to do, but does not take the time to carefully make sure she isn’t making errors. I’m working to correct this with her by making her redo the problems she misses. We’ll see how quickly she moves past it. 
History! We have moved on to the Civil War. One of our next field trips will focus on this time during history, especially slavery. Beth is more familiar with slavery because of our previous field trips and listening to the discussions I’ve had with Rose over the last couple of years. This week we looked at the states which sided with the Confederacy as well as some of the things which led to the war. 
Rose: Creation to Christ Unit 9

We are very much enjoying Write With the Best. I’ve seen some threads recently that some do not like it. I have not come across anything I dislike yet as we are about to finis up unit 2 this coming week. I also am looking at it from an English teacher’s perspective. I love how classic writing is analyzed and then used as a model for her own writing. She still has some editing to do, but I will share her completed piece next week.  
Math is flowing along swimmingly! We started long division like it was an afternoon spring breeze. That’s right, believe it or not, my Rose said to me, “Wow Mommy! This is pretty easy!” How sweet and beautiful those words were to me after the many struggles we have had. I cannot attribute this to anything except prayer, patience, and finding a math program (through prayer and patience!) that really works for us. 
One of the reasons I don’t have as many pictures of Rose this week is that my little studious worker got up early two days and began doing her schoolwork while I was getting ready for the day. Having a checklist and giving my girls access to it has allowed them to be independent which is great. 
And now for my favorite photo of the week…
This is pretty normal study habits around our house. Beth especially loves reading outside on our front porch. Grace has also been begging me to read her history alone most days. How beautiful is this? Here are my girls studying together independently. Our one room schoolhouse is just beautiful.