Week in Review: May 26-30

Grace-Filled Writer

This week was our week for standardized testing which is required by our state. I wouldn’t say this is our favorite part of the year, but it isn’t too bad. I do like knowing where the girls are academically and since I know testing is just going to be part of getting them ready for college I look at it as preparation. I encourage them to do their best, but try to downplay the importance.

We tried a new test this year which included a full battery. I’m not certain I will do more than the required math and language arts next year. The extra tests did not seem to be extremely useful in my opinion. I did like the layout of this one better than what we have used previously.

If you are looking for a company to order tests from I highly recommend Seton Testing Services. They are an excellent company with excellent service. We receive our tests promptly and the results quite quickly. I plan on using them for the foreseeable future.

So here is a little of what our week look liked with testing. Grace spent a few days with Daddy at the church office while Beth and Rose took turns taking their tests.

Beth took one day to finish her test. She did great and didn’t seem to mind the testing at all. She takes most things in stride anyway and did great! We took several breaks to stretch and swing in the backyard and just take a break.

Rose did really well this year taking her test although being in 3rd grade meant for a longer test that we took over the course of 2 days. She has struggled in the past with anxiety over timing so I kept that part to myself. She did wonderful and didn’t seem nearly as anxious our previous two years. I’m glad I did tak the time to explain before the test about the “None of these” answers as she has not seen that before.

When we weren’t testing….

We played a little ping-pong in the kitchen…

Hung out at our neighborhood pool…

And got a couple of new pets! Meet our apple snails, Shy Guy and Merida. Our fish tank has Glofish which are really cool and now we have a couple of neat snails!


  

Here’s another picture of our cute little apple snails!

So there’s our week. Nothing too exciting, but a good week nonetheless, not to mention how exciting it is to be done with testing! Next week we’ll start back with school following a lighter summer schedule. See you then!

Are You Ready? Game Show®: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
(Awesome coupon alert!!!!! Read through to the bottom to find it!)
I have really enjoyed the opportunity to review for Lakeshore Learning in the past and their most recent product I’ve reviewed does not disappoint! The girls get so excited when they see a Lakeshore Learning box on our front porch. They know it will be filled with fun as well as learning!
The Are You Ready? Game Show® series is a new way to assess grade level readiness without the traditional pencil-to paper bubble tests. What a great change of pace! One question I’m frequently asked by families who aren’t homeschooling is how I know if my children are ready for the next level. This is a new way to check their progress without it being so very boring. 
We reviewed the assessment for 1st graders called, Are You Ready for 2nd Grade? Game Show. At only $30 per level this is an excellent assessment tool for any family. The fun game format makes it much more exciting for the child. Included are 6 separate games to be played at different times. At the end of the last game the parents can input their child’s individual missed questions to gain access to printable activities to work on that specific skills. Other Lakeshore Learning products are also listed which can help with the specific skills. I really appreciate that the company offers free tools to help students achieve in the areas they are lacking. 
Beth has finished 1st grade (yay!!!!) and is busily working on work at the next level. My girls typically work a little ahead grade level so I’m not concerned about their academic progress. Even so it is nice to have assessment tools available for several reasons. It is important for them to know they are doing a great job. Accomplishment feels good and gentle assessments can help that along. It is also nice when I’m questioned about their abilities to be able to say they are at or above grade level and have something to back it up. I know I do not have to answer to anyone, but I don’t mind answering questions when asked respectfully. 
As I expected Beth very much enjoyed playing the games. She earned play money for each correct answer, but incorrect answers really weren’t  big deal. They just went into a side pile. She kept scratch paper handy for math problems although she didn’t need it. Her sisters played the game with her. Rose, the oldest, asked questions and put the cards in the correct or incorrect pile. Grace (the littlest) handed her the money. In reality all three of them enjoyed this and the other two asked if they were going to get a turn!
Everything you need is in the box including the game board, play money, game cards, and assessment paper for parents to record missed items. The only thing I would find more helpful is having a printable version of this record card available especially since I hope to use it again! 
This particular assessment lives up to it’s title of “game show.” What kid wouldn’t enjoy this over a standardized test? We do still of course complete a yearly standardized test as required by our state’s law, but this is a really fun alternative for review or for those who are not required by state law to use standardized testing.

You can check out more by watching the video below…

Now for the coupon code! Lakeshore Learning is offering my readers $10 any Are You Ready? Game Show®!!!!!!! Isn’t that great? 
To get $10 off any Are You Ready? Game Show®, entercode 9141 at checkout or click here for a store coupon!
Expires 7/31/14

Disclaimer: I received Are You Ready for 2nd Grade? Game Show® from Lakeshore Learning in exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. 

The Universe: Moms of Master Books Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Another title for you from the Moms of Master Books! This month we’re reviewing the newest title in the series Investigate the Possibilities from Master Books (and imprint of New Leaf Publishing Group). This is a wonderful series. For all you PBS fans you’ll find this has the feeling of Sid the Science Kid. Lots of investigation and exploration for the child and opportunity to record their findings in their own journal. What I’ve seen of this series makes me want to see more!

My girls are infatuated with all things space-related, especially Rose. She has so many questions…How far away are the stars? Why can we only see the moon at night? Can we see the planets? This Universe: From Comets to Constellations will go a long way in answering her many, many inquiries! The 20 investigations cover all areas of the universe from a biblical perspective which merges observation science with the truth of Scripture. Just like every other title from Master Books I know I can trust both the scientific evidence and biblical perspective to point us to truth and understanding of the world around us.

It saddens me to hear to volatile hatred expressed towards anyone who believes in an inerrant Word of God. The anger and disdain shown towards anyone who dares to express the view that there is a divine Creator rather than random chance does not make sense to me. Why can there not be respectful disagreement and discussion in this area? It seems that the current tone of discussion will allow neither, yet I want my girls to be very aware of the views which oppose biblical creation. My reasoning is so they can not only choose for themselves what they will believe, but also be fully equipped with knowledge of why they can stand on the truth of the Word of God. This is just one more tool in my library of resources to not only answer their questions, but fuel their curiosities!

Okay, so enough about why I’m loving this book! Let me get down to the details. Each investigation has an introductory story followed by a simple experiment which uses around the house kinds of items to help better understand properties and concepts about astronomy. Following this is a deeper explanation of the history and observational science used to piece together our understanding of the universe. Included in this area are full explanations of opposing viewpoints on evolution and why they are believed by those who do not follow Scripture, but also why we can trust God’s Word as true. Finally is explanation of how the experiments and activities connect for a full appreciation of the ideas presented. The final portion gives both comprehension and discussion questions as well as opportunity to further explore more deeply into the subject.

The girls really liked looking at the beautiful color pictures in each investigation. I appreciated the inclusion of history as well as observation of science. Our cat was enjoying our time checking this new book out as well.  Zoe loves it any time we hang out on the floor and let her snuggle on our books. This book is going to be a lot of fun to explore this summer!

The investigation we looked at first was observing the movement of the universe in space. Since that isn’t something we can actually do in our homeschool, we did a smaller version of it using a balloon and a sharpie. Cool! We blew balloons up just a little and dotted them with a marker. Then we deflated them to see how closely the “stars” were to each other and blew it up again to watch it expand! I didn’t tell them what to expect, but did tell them what the dots represented. The amazed smiles on their faces as we watched the “stars” expand! It was a great way to visually show them this principle. 
Also included in this series are investigation journals and teacher’s guides for each book. These are really nice additions to the set. You can feel very confident in using this for your curriculum as there are more than enough resources to guide you through. 
Disclaimer: I received The Universe as well as the teacher’s guide and students journal as part of the Moms of Master Books Team. I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. 

The Queen’s Handmaid: Book Review

Grace-Filled Writer
I’ve found a new genre of fiction which I now love! This is the second novel from Tracy L. Higley I’ve reviewed…and loved! I love history and historical fiction, but I’ve stayed away from anything that wasn’t American History. I pretty much stayed with novels set in the 1800’s. I’m so glad I gave something different a try. 

It may be because my oldest daughter and I are studying this period of history extensively, but I found it much more interesting than I would have a few years ago. Set in the time of Cleopatra (About 40 years before Christ’s birth) and follows the journey of her oldest son’s nurse, Lydia, as she travels from Egypt to Israel in search of her own heritage. 

This beautiful tale weaves history throughout the pages in a way that doesn’t feel as if you are reading a history book. I’ve become a huge fan of living books, books which tell history in a story-like way. This is an excellent example of how one can enjoy learning history. I knew Cleopatra existed, but had no idea what time frame or what she was really like as a ruler. This was not an area I remember studying in grade-school. I actually did a little historical research of my own as I began reading because I wanted to make sure I knew when it was taking place. 

I really enjoyed Lydia’s spiritual journey as well. She struggles with knowing what or who to follow religiously because of the Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish cultures she has learned. She knows she must choose, but it is a long process, not a quick decision. 

I also was surprised at many turns this novel took. It helped to be rather unfamiliar with the history surrounding the story, but I love a novel that keeps me guessing. So much already published is predictable and I’m more excited to read author’s who don’t take the predictable route. 

Even if you don’t normally read historical fiction or this particular time of historical fiction I urge you to give this book a try. I think you’ll find yourself as drawn to it as I was!


Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook.com® <http://BookLook.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Heart’s Pursuit: Book Review

Grace-Filled Writer

One of my current favorite author’s is Robin Lee Hatcher. I really enjoy her style of writing and that her stories tend to hold some suspense beyond the typical boy-meets-girl romance. I always look forward to getting my hands on her next endeavor!

The Heart’s Pursuit was an interesting read which took twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. That’s always a fun change. As an avid reader I can often predict the plot development of a story and anytime I’m surprised or caught off guard by a certain turn of events I’m thrilled.

The plot is also unique. A young woman, Silver Matlock, is jilted at the alter. She hires a bounty hunter, Jared Newman, to find him merely to recover the family money and jewels which he pilfered away. Their journey is difficult and takes unexpected turns and Jared discovers information about a different criminal he is hunting for a very personal reason. You’ll be quickly drawn into the lives of each character as they travel across the west both seeking justice for different crimes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character development of Jared and Silver, the hero and heroine of this western story. Several books I’ve read recently have been lacking in the area of character development, but I can always count on Robin Lee Hatcher to provide interesting, imperfect individuals who grow in their personalities as well as their relationship to God.

I also love that her stories draw the reader to think more about God and His role in our lives, but she isn’t preachy. Some author’s write entire sermons. This isn’t wrong, but I don’t particularly enjoy reading a story I feel is preaching at me.

If you’re looking for a good read this summer pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed!

Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook.com® <http://BookLook.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

2 Weeks in Review: May 12-23

Grace-Filled Writer

Two weeks is better than four, right? This time I had a little better reason…we were on vacation! We left after church on Mother’s Day for Florida and had a wonderful time on vacation. Here are some of our highlights…including an awesome field trip!

Disney!!!! No, this is not the field trip I mentioned, although it was awesome. We saved up for a one-day trip to the Magic Kingdom. The girls had a great time and had amazing attitudes considering our crazy our day was. We arrived before the park opened and left just 30 minutes before it closed. We managed only one melt-down which occurred just a little while before we left and didn’t last long at all. They were patient and kind with one another and thanked us frequently throughout the day for bringing them. All of the stuff we did was fun, but for me the best part was having everyone get along so well!

Then we headed further south to my husband’s parent’s house. The girls had a great time in their pool.

It is a tradition to always get Dairy Queen when we visit with Grampy! It is his favorite. This is the first of two different DQ visits.

Here is our field trip to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. It was sooooo much fun! Make sure to follow the link to see more pictures from this visit.

There was a lot of playing and just plain fun! I spent a lot of time reading and working on my scrapbooks. No pictures of that to show though!

We’re back home now and life is settling back down. Next week will be another week off from regular lessons as we work through standardized testing. I’ve got some field trip plans in the works for the summer and hopefully some of those will pan out soon.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center: Field Trip

Grace-Filled Writer

This is the first field trip I’ve blogged about in a while. We’ve been on a few, but some of the ones I had planned fell through at the last minute. We’ll hopefully get a few more in now that things have calmed down a bit with other things in our life!

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center was recommended to us by a good friend for when we visited family in Florida the next time. I’m so glad we gave it a chance! This beautiful nature preserve is tucked away in Boca Raton, FL and worth the drive no matter where you are in the South Florida area.

I have a strong desire to instill in my girls how important it is for us to be good stewards of the earth given to us by our Creator. I love how Gumbo Limbo is more than just an aquarium. They work in coordination with Florida Atlantic University and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to rehabilitate and help injured sea turtles along 5 miles of the east coast of Florida. Admission is free to the public and the volunteers are extremely knowledgeable.

In the main building there are lots of aquariums housing all sorts of reptiles in addition to the large salt-water aquarium pictured above. These were some really fun things to see.

Rose enjoyed the bird guessing wall. It may have a different name, but this is what she called it! Birds which are native to Florida are pictured along with their names on the bottom along with a button. When you push the button the correct bird lights up on the board! She really enjoyed guessing these.

We were incredibly blessed to arrive about 10 minutes before feeding time! We didn’t realize it when we got there but the nice lady at the front desk let us know we’d want to hang around for that.

Can you see the eel? There are three eels in the tank and they have to use a special contraction in order to let them eat. Otherwise the other fish will devour the little shrimp!

Next we got to see the seahorse feeding! The girls thought this was really cool because they dump a bunch of food in and the sear horses look like they vacuum up each piece with their noses!

Next came the sea turtle tanks! In these tanks are injured and baby sea turtles who are waiting to be released back into the ocean. This was probably my favorite part!

Here is one of the little babies waving to us…reminds me of Squirt from Finding Nemo!

We also very much enjoyed the butterfly trail. 
I wouldn’t begin to call myself even an amateur, but I do enjoy dallying in nature photography every once in a while. The trail and garden provide many opportunities for this. We saw many beauties fluttering around as well, but they never stayed still long enough for me to capture them. It may have had something to do with my own three little beauties flitting and dancing their way through the garden rather boisterously. 
Just outside the main building is a fun little play area with sea turtle statues. My daughters loved this part. These beautiful sculptures are available for climbing, sliding, and overall enormous amounts of fun! The girls hopped from one to the other singing, laughing, and playing. 

This was an excellent field trip for us. If you are going to be in South Florida make plans to travel up to Boca Raton for a few hours and check out this truly amazing facility with genuine, pleasant, and knowledgeable staff. You won’t be disappointed!

4 Weeks in Review: April 14-May 9

Grace-Filled Writer

Trying to catch up on my weeks in review, but seriously…4 weeks? Oops! The end of April and first week of May are always beyond chaotic in our lives. I am wrapping up my literature class at Deerstream Leaning Center as well as gearing up for my piano recital. I manage to squeeze homeschooling in, but just barely and for all my good intentions something has to give. This year clearly it was my blogging!

So here is a bit of our life from the last 4 weeks…seriously, has it really been 4 weeks???? Oy, I need to get back on track!

Preschool: Patiently Waiting to Begin Little Hearts for His Glory

Okay, so patiently may be the wrong word at this point. Grace is seriously chomping at the bit to “do history” and “have activities” like her big sisters! I can’t complain though. Having daughters with insatiable curiosities is a blessing for homeschooling and thankfully Heart of Dakota only increases their hunger for learning, never satisfying it! Sometimes the constant why-factor can become a bit tedious, but I take a moment to breathe and thank the Lord I have girls who want to know more about the world around them!

Since we finished up Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons we moved into the Abeka Kindergarten readers. I have these already because of my daughters one year in Kindergarten at private school. I’ve found these to be an incredible follow up to Teach Your Child.

So far it hasn’t felt redundant for her and we’re zipping through the books rather quickly at one or two a week. Following these we’ll move into the 1st grade readers and All About Spelling.

I love this picture! It captures my sweet little Grace so well. She craves to learn, begs to learn, but she’s every inch a preschooler holding lambie and blankie close while she’s learning. The really cool thing about homeschooling for me is that I can let my Grace move ahead academically at whatever pace she’s comfortable, but allow her to stay where she is emotionally, psychologically, and developmentally. I want to make certain as Grace is excelling beyond her age in academic expectations that I don’t push her too quickly ahead through childhood, if that means a few extra friends join us then so be it.

Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory: Units 23-26

Beth is finishing up the review workbook for 1st grade with Math Mammoth. I’m so happy with this math curriculum. I feel very confident teaching math now, something quite new to me!

I love how it uses real-life to teach mathematical concepts. For instance while reviewing graphing I sent Beth up to her room to graph her stuffed animals! Talk about fun!

We’re pressing ahead with All About Spelling. I’m trying to figure out how to manage three levels which will happen in a few months. Hopefully it won’t be too big of an adjustment.

And in the craziness of our last few weeks I didn’t remember to get a single shot of our history! I do need to mention our history lessons though because nearly every day she asks, “Do we get to read history now?!?!” She loves it and gets so excited when we read or see something that relates back to our history readings.

Preparing Hearts for His Glory: Units 15-17

Here is my seriously little learner, Rose, always the studious focused one…

But she does get a little silly sometimes!
And here is one of the main reasons I’m loving Math Mammoth. Rose still feels self-imposed pressure with math and needing to be perfect, but she’s enjoying learning about it a little more. I gave her a bucket of water, a bunch of measuring cups and off she went to learn about liquid measurement! 
Rose thoroughly enjoys all our history projects. We’ve had to skip a few because of our busy schedule, but I’m getting better at making sure they happen. This boat was particularly impressive and fun…especially since it floated!
Here are a few more things we did during the last few weeks…
Art show at Deerstream!
Piano Recital!
Fun with friends visiting from the Netherlands! 
Rose got her ears pierced! 
So yeah, it’s been busy. And I managed to squeeze in a few reviews…
Bluebonnet Bride (Fiction for Mom)
101 Color and Sing Bible Stories
Illustrated Family Bible Stories (Moms of Masterbooks Review)
AND…there should be a review of this week coming soon!!!!

2014 Art Show

Grace-Filled Writer

My girls attend classes at a local learning center for homeschoolers where I also teach junior high literature. It is different from a co-op in that it is run more like a private school along with a board, director, hired teachers and tuition. It is a blessing and a beautiful thing for my girls to be in a nurturing environment once or twice a week outside our regular homeschooling.

Each year the girls will have artwork as part of the art show. Here are some of their submissions…

Rose has mosaic art featuring gears, one of many simple machines she studied this year!

Rose also wrote a sweet poem about a bee and made a nice illustration as well.

Here is Beth’s version of Sunflowers by van Gogh. So beautiful!

Beth also had a collaborative story telling project which she then illustrated with Aboriginal art. She loved this project and has talked about it almost constantly since working on it!

Grace is too little to participate in the classes offered, but she wanted her picture taken by some artwork like her sisters. These masks were some of her favorites!

This manatee was another collaborative piece done by Beth’s entire class. She said it was neat to work on it together.

This is also something very cool. An amazingly talented group of 7th and 8th graders created a radio drama for their contribution to the art show for their literature class. They also wrote some pretty hilarious commercials as well. Click here or on the picture to listen to the full drama. 
(pssst….These are all my students!!!!!!! Aren’t they amazing?!?!)

Rose also just had a poem accepted for publication in a Creative Communications poetry contest! This is her second piece accepted which is really cool. Anyone can enter and homeschoolers are welcomed into the competition. I recently had an article published with this group because one of my 7th and 8th grade literature students was a finalist and won a prize in the essay contest! You can click here to read the article. 

If anyone tells you homeschoolers don’t have the same opportunities as traditional schoolers, don’t listen to them. You  may have to make an effort to provide those opportunities, but they are out there! If anything, the opportunities are more open because time is not a limitation. I love opening the world wide for my girls to explore and experience the creativity God has blessed them with!

Bluebonnett Bride: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
I’m always game for reading a new author! I had never read any of Colleen Coble’s books, but had heard good things about this author. I was interested in the premise set in the early 1900’s, around the time of Anne of Green Gable’s setting. I’ve also always been a fan of stories about mail order brides, so I dove into this with a lot of anticipation.  
Elli, the main character has traveled from Finland and a very wealthy upbringing to escape a man she believes to have been involved with the death of her father to start a new life as the wife of Nathan White and mother to Nathan’s four-year-old niece, Hannah. The first day of their marriage begins in turmoil as Elli is attacked for no apparent reason in her own new home. Soon more attacks and trouble begin to test the fragile threads of Elli and Nathan’s barely begun marriage.
Although the story-line had promise, I was actually a little disappointed in this novel. It is a very light read and only took about and hour and a half to read. That is nice in some ways for me because I do not have enormous amounts of time for leisurely reading. I completed most of this as I waited at a doctor’s office and it was simple enough to follow that I wasn’t distracted by all going on around me. 
My disappointment came in the actual content. The conversation between the characters seemed forced at times and rather unnatural and the background information vital to the story was inserted in what felt like awkward moments at times. I also felt there was a lack of character development which I like in my fiction. Part of this may be due to the length of the novel since it is not very long. 
I was also a little disappointed in the references to faith. While I’m not a fan of fiction that preaches at its reader, I do appreciate seeing the faith of the characters more than merely quick prayers for help or a passing reference to their spirituality which is what it felt like with this novel. 
I don’t know that I will be reading more in this series, but I would definitely recommend this author to a younger audience just getting ready to step into more grown up Christian fiction. I’m planning on having my daughter (she is eight now) read it in a few years when she is more mature. 

Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook.com® <http://BookLook.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.