Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: The Hunger Game Series

2012-01-31T07:35:00.003-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

The Hunger Games movie comes out on March 23, 2012 (http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/index2.html). I always like to read a book before I see a movie, so I asked for The Hunger Games trilogy boxed set for Christmas (Book I $5.37; Book II $9.68; Book III $9.95; Scholastic Press; July 3, 2010).

The first thing that struck me about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was its similarity to the short story “The Lottery” by American writer Shirley Jackson (http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html). The premise is similar: youngsters are drawn via lottery to be “sacrificed” for the greater good.

The Hunger Games is a science fiction novel, set in the future when North America has become a new country, Panem, where the frivolous Capitol politicians living in what used to be the Rocky Mountains control the citizens living in the other twelve districts. To pay homage to the Capitol and repent for revolting 74 years earlier, the outlying twelve districts annually must send one boy and girl between 12 – 18 years old to the Hunger Games where they must fight to the death with the other tributes. The Hunger Games are shown on TV nightly to the entire nation and are mandatory viewing.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is barely scraping by in District 12—what was once called Appalachia—with her mother and younger sister Primrose, when Prim is chosen to be the district’s female tribute during a ceremony called The Reaping. Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place, an almost unheard of act.

Katniss is a survivor, who has been hunting in illegal poaching grounds since her father died several years earlier, but she still has little chance of surviving the bloodthirsty “Careers” from other districts who train and desire to be tributes. Her male counterpart is Peeta, the son of the town baker, who is friendly, kind, and charismatic, but whose primary talent is decorating cakes, not killing. They are thrown into the arena with 22 other tributes and the game makers “twists,” such as strange man-made beasts, like muttations. Throughout the game, Katniss feels conflicted over her feelings for Peeta and Gale, her childhood hunting friend back in District 12. Of course, she cannot allow her feelings to overshadow her survival instinct, as, according to the rules of the Hunger Games, at best, only one of them—Peeta or she—will be permitted to survive.

The Hunger Games is a well-constructed science fiction world with well-developed main characters and interesting twists. It presents intriguing political and socio-economic questions with connections to the present. It is a page-turner with action and romance, destined to be well-liked by both boys and girls middle school age and up.

Romantic scenes are restricted to kissing and snuggling together at night for warmth. The book is violent—seeing as one of the main premises’ is killing—but not gory. The violence moves the story along and is smart and interesting, such as death from Tracker Jackets (a type of killer hornet). It is not violent for violence’s sake. At its heart, it is a survival story, and those who like survival TV shows like Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls would enjoy it.

As is the case with many series, the author ends the book with a key question unanswered, which is somewhat irritating for the reader. Despite my mild disenchantment in the ending, the book is clever and intelligent, and I recommend it heartily with five stars (out of five).

Spoiler alert! Some of the details in this review and the next one will give away parts of the first book.

The second book in the series is called Catching Fire, and here Katniss returns to the arena with Peeta for the Quarter Quell, a special Hunger Games held every 25 years. The 75^th Quarter Quell is populated by past Hunger Game winners, sort of a “Survivor Favorites” idea. There is talk of a rebellion against the Capitol, and small signs of it as Katniss and Peeta embark on a Victory Tour, but neither Katniss nor Peeta realize what is in store for them in the arena. The violence in this book is grittier, including a public whipping. This book is interesting, but like many sequels, is not as compelling as the original. The ending is odd and unsatisfactory. I rate it four stars (out of five).

The final book in the trilogy is Mockingjay, named after a new breed of bird, a cross between a Tracker Jay and a Mockingbird. The book is about life in District 13 and the new rebellion, of which Katniss is the symbolic head. Katniss works with the leader of District 13, Coin, but often feels left out of the action and strategy, a pawn for both sides.

This book is greatly disappointing and not worthy of the other two. Despite her pledges of love, Katniss barely pays any attention to her mother and sister. What is most annoying, however, is the fact that Gale, Peeta, Haymitch, and even Katniss act completely out of character. There is a lot of mental illness and drug usage, both illegal and prescription. The story just takes a turn for the strange. Eventually, the characters act out a “real-life” Hunger Games on their way to take the Capitol, which adds some interesting action, but up until that point there are pages upon pages of teenage brooding and moodiness.

Mockingjay is a substandard ending to an otherwise interesting story in a clever fantasy-world. I struggled with how many stars to give this, since fans of the series will probably enjoy it, just because they are able to “live” in Panem for a little longer. However, the book is so unsatisfactory, that some fans may feel cheated (I did). In the end, I settled for three stars (out of five). I’d almost recommend readers stop reading the series after the second book.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 12 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Off to Oz!

2012-01-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

I posted last week about how sending my daughter off to take a class at the local public school was sort of like sending Dorothy to Oz (...or maybe prison!), and my reservations about our decision. The public school is a culture of its own, and most of it isn't representative of real life. Dd was coming in with a completely different perspective from the other students.

Today was the day...dd's first day of classes at a public school. I must say, after nearly ten years of homeschooling, it felt a bit strange seeing her walk up to the school building.

So, how did the first day go? It went just fine! The teacher was expecting her as a new student and introduced her to another student, who then got her settled and introduced her to the others, as soon as dd walked in. Her class (choir) is all girls.

The only slightly awkward moment was when the others asked, "Where are you from?" and my dd replied with the name of our hometown. Of course, this was a reasonable answer in any other circumstance, but the the other girls, who spend more of their waking hours in a school building than at home, were really inquiring what school she attended previously. When she answered that she was homeschooled, there were none of the negative responses she has occasionally experienced in the past from public schooled kids.

Overall, stepping into a public school classroom has so far been a pretty smooth transition. I'll be sure to share occasionally for the benefit of anyone else deciding to give this a try. Later this week, I'll also share our personal reasons for our shift from our homeschooling norm to "go to the dark side".

Review and Giveaway: Grapevine Studies Timelines

2012-01-26T23:51:00.000-05:00

I first heard of Grapevine Studies when I was given the opportunity to review their Old Testament Overview Level 5, which I found to be a straight-forward, chronological study. You can read the full review here. One of the things I mentioned in the review is the fact it started with the student writing on a timeline what they already new about the Old Testament, then concluded the study with the same exercise. I'm a big picture person. I need to see how it all fits together first, before I can get to the details. Of course, timelines are a perfect visual for the big picture.

Grapevine Studies has just released several new timeline products that coordinate with their studies, or one of your own. Both student and teacher editions are available for two new timeline books, the Old Testament Timeline and the New Testament Timeline. Printed and ebook options are both available.

The Teacher Timeline Books include a narrative, either to be used as a guide or read directly, along with instruction on colors, symbols, and stick figures to be drawn to correlate with the event. The Student Timeline Books include a pre-labeled black and white timeline that the student fills in during the lesson. When they are completed, the student will have a ten-page timeline booklet of either the Old Testament or the New Testament.

Each timeline can be completed in one longer lesson, or five short (10-15 minute) lessons, depending on your needs.

For some children, seeing a timeline stretched out on the wall ready as an always-available reference to touch and feel is very valuable. Grapevine Studies has three new Wall Timelines: Old Testament, New Testament, and Blank. The Old Testament and New Testament Wall Timelines come in color, and are over ten feet in length when the 8 1/2" x 11" sections are pieced together. They look like an old scroll with all the appropriate labeling for the study. The content is the same as the in the Student Timeline Books, but in a nicer format for displaying on the wall. The Teacher Wall Timelines are the completed timelines with all the stick figuring in color. There are no lessons included in the Wall Timelines. The Blank Wall Timelines, which are simply non-labeled scroll timelines that can be used for any study, are available in both color and black and white.

All of the Grapevine Studies' new timeline products are currently ON SALE, and will remain so throughout January. Sale prices range from $3.25 - $10.95, depending on the item and format (print or e-book). To sweeten the deal even more, use coupon code JANFS for FREE SHIPPING until January 31, 2012!

GIVEAWAY!!!

Grapevine Studies has provided a Teacher and Student Wall Timeline of choice (in either print or e-book) to one lucky reader! There are eight ways to enter. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you with each entry should you be the winner.

Leave me a comment telling me your favorite Bible story (mandatory)

For additional entries:

Like Grapevine Studies on Facebook.
Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect
Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook
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Leave a comment on another post on this blog (please note with post)
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on February 10th at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclaimer: I was provided the above products for review at no charge by Grapevine Studies. No other compensation was received.

We're Not in Our Homeschool Anymore, Toto

2012-01-25T06:29:00.003-05:00

A few months ago I posted that in the near future, my oldest would be heading to the local public high school to take a class. It was a decision that came with a lot of thought. I still think it is the right decision based on our circumstances, but I'll admit to having little doubts here and there. Last week I got a little dose of reality.

The last couple of weeks, I've been meeting a friend up at the high school to walk at the indoor track. Since I plan to walk (or eventually jog) the track every day while my daughter is in class, I figured an early start couldn't hurt. As I pulled into the driveway, around the time I will be dropping my daughter off next week, I saw four police cars, with several officers and police dogs entering the building. As I entered the building, there was a sign that announced a "non-emergency lockdown". Basically, they were doing drug searches of the student lockers. Sigh.

I am not ignorant to what goes on in the schools, nor is my daughter. If I didn't think she'd do just fine, I wouldn't have her attend. I was less bothered by the fact they were doing drug searches than I was with the fact that a student couldn't leave the building for the hour it took place. I was sort of symbolic of the parallel the public school system has to a prison! The regular students there know no different, but my student has experienced more freedom in her learning environment. She's had school in her PJs at home, in casual situations with friends at co-ops, in online classrooms, and at a university campus. None of those situations have involved drug busts and lockdowns. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

My daughter knows that the environment of the school system is mostly smoke and mirrors, and not really any resemblance of real life. Her perspective and life experiences are completely different than the ~~munchkins~~ students existing within those walls. I'm fairly certain she'll enjoy the instruction of her choir class, but I do hope that she can connect with at least a couple students that aren't trapped in a suffocating mentality of the high school world. After all, this experiment with the local high school is a path from one point to the other. It will be more enjoyable if she has some pals with which to travel down the road, and help her keep watch for lions and tigers and bears (oh my!).

Our countdown has now gone from months, to weeks, to DAYS. I have no idea how this trial semester will go, and but I am comforted by the fact that we have options on whether or not to continue. A click of the heels (and signing of papers) and she'll be home.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Between Shades of Gray

2012-01-24T06:53:00.003-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

I saw an audio CD of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys at my local library, but was unable to locate a print copy ($11.98; Philomel; March 22, 2011). Thus, I swam deeper into the sea of eBooks and ordered it for my Kindle, just as I was leaving on a trip. I discovered, while it is convenient to read on a Kindle while traveling, it is difficult to extract information from an eBook for a book review because the reader does not have a page number for the MLA citation, only a percentage of the book finished. Thus, I must use chapters for the MLA citation at the end of quotations, instead of proper page number format.

The historical fiction book begins, “They took me in my nightgown” (Sepetys 1). This cliff-hanger is one of many. “They” refers to the Soviet NKVD officers (eventually known as the KGB) who knock loudly at the door in the early evening in June 1941 and snatch fifteen-year-old Lina, her younger brother Jonas, and her mother from their Lithuanian apartment. Lina’s father, a professor at the university, has been trying to find a way for the family to escape to the west when the Soviet Union takes control of the small Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia and begins sending “anti-Soviets” to labor camps, also known as gulags, in the east. The book tells the story of an often-forgotten segment of WWII—the genocide and cultural elimination of people of the Baltic States by Stalin, as he and Hitler battled for control of Europe.

The story alternates between Lina’s family’s struggles en route in boxcars and life in various labor camps where they are almost constantly exhausted, cold, and hungry, and her “pre-World War II” life where her brother cannot finish his dinner, they visit art museums, and Lina’s cousin Joana studies medicine. The memories are in italics at the end of some chapters, and are in stark contrast to her current life. Other chapters end with suspenseful statements, like “I shut the bathroom door and caught sight of my face in the mirror. I had no idea how quickly it was to change, to fade. If I had, I would have stared at my reflection, memorizing it. It was the last time I would look into a real mirror for more than a decade” (Sepetys 3).

Lina keeps hope alive for herself and her family by drawing what is happening and where they are going on scraps of cloth and pieces of wood, in hopes that her drawings will find their way to her father in a Soviet prison and he will rescue them. The family works with other deportees, including a seventeen-year-old boy named Andrius, whom Lina alternatively likes and hates.

The book is divided into three sections: “Thieves and Prostitutes,” “Maps and Snakes,” and “Ice and Ashes.” There are some nice maps at the beginning for the reader to see Lina’s travels through Eastern Europe, Asia, and, eventually, the Arctic Circle, as well as a timeline of the story and locations.

The historical novel, based on family memories but not a memoir, is compelling and well-researched. Sepetys took two trips to Lithuania to interview family members and survivors of the gulags. Overall, the book is interesting and well-written. It is a story of forgiveness and compassion for mature 7^th graders and up. While the violence is mild, considering the subject matter, there is violence, cruelty, and adultery, such as a woman who sleeps with her captors for food and improved living conditions.

Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed in the ending, which resorts to a flat “vision of the future” and an epilogue to tell what happens to Lina and her family. The weak ending does not do the well-developed book justice. For this reason, I give the book four stars (out of five). Yet, for a first novel, Between Shades of Gray is a substantial contribution to young adult fiction, and I’m looking forward to reading more of the author’s work.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 12 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Lapbooking Giveaway from Pear Educational Products!

2012-01-23T11:49:00.000-05:00

Home Educating Family is featuring Pear Educational Products this week. Head on over to their new review website and check it out. While you are there, enter to win the giveaway package, valued at $30, which includes:

(1) 6x8 Blank Project Book
(1) 9 x 11 1/2 Blank Project Book
(1) 12 x 12 Blank Project Book
(1) Winners choice of Things That Go for grades K-2 or Transportation Firsts for grades 3-8 Project Pack eBook from Hands of a Child

You will also find a coupon code for 20% off! Be sure to stock up for all your lapbooking and creative projects for the rest of the year.

Visit Pear Educational Products to see the full product line (there are also some non-lapbooking items), as well as project ideas.

Is There a Way to Stop Birthdays?

2012-01-23T06:37:00.003-05:00

Oh how I wish there were! Dd is 15 today. 15! One year from a driver's license and three years from being a legal adult. How in the world did we get here so quickly?

Since she has an evening class tonight, we celebrated a little early with some family over the weekend. As usual, Grandma made a fabulous cake.

Those that have been reading this blog for a while know that theater is a huge love! This smile isn't acting though!

I really do love having a teenager in the house, but each year is a reminder of how close the next phase - adulthood - is creeping up. I'll save my panic for another post. Today, I'm just going to give my teenager a big birthday hug and celebrate the beautiful (both inside and out) young woman she's become. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Review and Giveaway: A Mile in His Shoes

2012-01-21T23:34:00.001-05:00

Only a miracle can help baseball coach Arthur “Murph” Murphy (Dean Cain) and his losing minor league baseball team. As Murph sets out to recruit a new talent for the team, he stumbles upon Mickey (Luke Schroder), a young farmer with an incredible pitcher’s arm. However, Mickey’s parents are reluctant to allow him to join the team because he has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. Murph convinces Mickey’s parents that life in the minor league will benefit their unique son, but he doesn’t realize just how much his new recruit will help the team’s game and, amore importantly, their spirit.

A Mile in His Shoes, adapted from a novel by Frank Nappi, is based on a true story. In addition to clean entertainment, the story also gives the viewer an insight into the challenges of autism.

The viewers are able to connect with the challenges of Mickey, who has Asperger’s syndrome, through a glimpse into his coping mechanisms though flashbacks to the farm and familiar places, “seeing” though his eyes of blurred vision when under duress, and his struggles to pick up on cues in social situations.

Dean Cain stars as Murph, the encouraging coach to Mikey. After watching the whole film trying to place the actor who did an excellent job playing Mickey, I quickly discovered why the familiarity when I saw his name was Luke Schroder, son of Rick Schroder. Another familiar face was the actor who played Pee Wee (Jarod Joseph of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief), a player on the team who was quick to accept Mickey.

This made-for-TV movie is suitable viewing for the entire family. (Note: There is one suggested scene of violence, but not very graphic.) Themes of acceptance, overcoming obstacles (both internal and external), and faith are woven throughout the story. Overall, it is an excellent choice for your next family movie night.

Giveaway!!!

One lucky reader will win a certificate to claim their very own copy of A Mile in His Shoes. See below for how you can enter. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you, should you be the winner.

Mandatory entry:

Simply leave a comment….easy peasy!

For additional entries (leave a comment for each):

Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect
Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook
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Leave a comment on another post on this blog.
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on February 3rd at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer

2012-01-17T06:14:00.001-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

Recently, I watched The Conspirator, a 2010, PG-13 movie, directed by Robert Redford and starring James McAvoy. It is an historical drama where Frederick Aiken (McAvoy) defends Mary Surratt against charges of conspiring to kill President Lincoln. It’s an excellent, historically-accurate film that brings to light some of the lesser-known figures in the Lincoln assassination.

Thus, when I saw the book Chasing Lincoln’s Killer: The Search for John Wilkes Booth by James L. Swanson, I was interested in learning more about this period in US history ($11.55; Scholastic Press; February 1, 2009). Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is historical non-fiction that reads like a thriller novel. Swanson does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the story and telling the tale one cliff-hanging scene at a time, even when the reader knows how it all ends. The story begins March 4, 1865, at Lincoln’s inauguration for a second term and continues to his assassination and the subsequent manhunt for the 9 conspirators (Booth, plus the other eight). Swanson does an excellent job of jumping between events that are happening simultaneously. Such skipping around could be confusing, but it isn’t because Swanson deftly glides back and forth between scenes.

The text is meticulously detailed and well-researched. All dialogue in the book comes from original sources: letters, trial transcripts, newspapers, etc. The book contains dozens of photographs and drawings from the era, and the text is illustrated with old newspaper-type font and brown ink for an “old-fashioned” look. At the very end of the book, it also has a map of the route the conspirators took. I wish I had known that as I was reading the story because it would have been helpful for placing the scenes in context while Booth flees to Virginia, back to Maryland, and then to Virginia again.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is actually based on another (adult) book by Swanson, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, a New York Times bestseller. Swanson does a good job of not watering down the adult book for the young adult audience. Instead, he changes the vocabulary slightly and shortens the overall story considerably (496 pages to 208 pages). In the acknowledgements, he says that several children were his “test readers,” and it shows. His niece’s second-grade classmate advised him to “Keep in all the blood and gore, but not so much that our parents flip out.”

Swanson appears to have taken that advice to heart. He maintains the detailed descriptions of Lincoln’s wound —the blood and brain grey matter that leaked out of the bullet hole — but does not carry on about it. Of course, there is some violence. In addition to Lincoln’s assassination, there is the attempted murder of Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family, Booth’s leg wound and subsequent shooting death, and the murdering of a pair of horses (this is a simple, one-liner; no description. I can’t take animal cruelty).

Despite its short length, the book is neither childish nor condescending, and is appropriate for mature 4^th graders through adults. It is a significant contribution to the “living books” movement. Students who are studying the Civil War or love history would find Chasing Lincoln’s Killer fascinating. I rate the book five stars (out of five) for making history come alive for a young audience, keeping the story simple without being simplistic, and scrupulously maintaining historical accuracy.

The author was born on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, February 12^th. It would be appropriate, then, to read Chasing Lincoln’s Killer as we approach that milestone.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 12 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Eight Glasses and Eight Tweets a Day

2012-01-16T22:51:00.000-05:00

My husband and I were out shopping for refrigerators this evening. In our seventeen years of marriage, we've actually never purchased a refrigerator, since both homes we've purchased included appliances. As we were browsing the many options and designs (and prices!), I came across a feature that I would have never considered for a refrigerator - the ability to Tweet.

If Tweeting isn't enough for you, you can browse photos, type up memos, look up the weather, and read the latest via AP News, all while you fill your glass up from the water dispenser.

Don't get me wrong. I'm quite the fan of technology. I love my iPhone that gives me access to information while away from home. But, really? Are we this attached to instant access of information that we need to have it located on the refrigerator as if it is some sort of food source?

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: R My Name is Rachel

2012-01-10T06:13:00.004-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

When my daughter recommended a book for me to review, I knew I had to read it. R My Name Is Rachel has become her latest favorite book ($15.99; Wendy Lamb Books; August 9, 2011). When I saw that it was by two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff, I knew it would be good. I wasn’t disappointed.

In 1936, twelve-year-old Rachel is confronted with moving from the city to an abandoned farm in North Lake, near Canada, with her father and younger brother and sister. The dire circumstances of the Great Depression force their father to leave the children on the farm alone in the spring to seek a construction job on one of President Roosevelt’s New Deal work projects. The children are forced to contend with loneliness, bickering, a looming rent deadline, and a dwindling pantry, consisting mainly of canned tomatoes and green beans.

The story is structured around the seasons, beginning in late winter and ending in summer. Rachel tells much of the story through letters written to a family friend. The book contains a lot of discussion of sibling rivalry and discord, with forgiveness and graciousness being the salve. Rachel fails to understand her sister Cassie, likening her to an orange rose in an arrangement of pink and white flowers. It’s a good description of sisters who are “different spirits” and how they can attempt to appreciate each other’s strengths.

The book also teaches readers to admit wrongdoing and take the consequences because that is better than suffering with guilt. As Rachel’s friend, Miss Mitzi says, “Look in the mirror and tell yourself what you did wrong, Rachel. Then figure out how to fix it no matter how hard that is. Know that I love you” (Giff 104).

The book is a sweet, overcoming hard circumstances tale well-suited to girls in 3^rd – 6^th grade. While older girls may like it, the book is short (166 pages) and relatively simple, so it would be a quick read for an older student. If you have a reluctant reader, she may have difficulty with Rachel’s letters, which are printed in italics. The correspondence is key to the story and appears in nearly every chapter, so be prepared to help your struggling reader or make it a read aloud.

The only thing I dislike about the story, and it is such a small quibble that it is hardly worth mentioning, is one comment about polar bears lumbering around at the South Pole. Of course, there are no polar bears at the South Pole, so that comment is inaccurate. However, the comment is said by Rachel, who may not realize there are no polar bears at the South Pole, and it may be that Giff put that in so that the reader would know that Rachel is not very worldly. However, it irked me nonetheless, since many young readers would not know that either.

Despite this minor irritation, I recommend R My Name Is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff as a solid contribution to tween literature and give it four stars (out of five).

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 12 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Review: Z-Guide to the Movies (Zeezok)

2012-01-05T22:25:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have those days where you just want to ditch the textbooks and watch a good movie snuggled up on the couch with the kids instead. Who doesn't? And with this cold, wintery weather upon us, add some tasty hot chocolate and a warm blanket along with the buttery popcorn.

While watching movies for school sounds a bit guilt-producing, it doesn't have to be. Many movies have great educational value in addition to being entertaining. Better yet, Zeezok Publishing has made tapping into all that education-waiting-to-happen easy-peasy with their Z-Guide to the Movies series.

With dozens of guides from which to choose, my high school daughter selected the Driving Miss Daisy Z-Guide. This review was actually perfect timing for her upcoming film review assignment for her AP U.S. History class.

Each Z-Guide is available as a PDF file, purchased as a download or on CD. Most of the
films are available on Netflix or the library. We found Driving Miss Daisy and many others on the Z-Guide list available at our small town library.

Ten educational activities related to a specific film are included in each guide. The student is first given a topic overview and a synopsis of the film to review before watching. Then, as they watch the movie, they are provided a series of review questions that are intended to keep them engaged and paying attention while viewing. The ones in our guide ranged from simple fact questions to those that hinted at the larger themes in the movie.

Following the questions, our guide had four activities that involved some extra study and reflection, such as further study of Martin Luther King or writing an essay on whether Miss Daisy was prejudice. Hands-on activities, an art project, a discussion of the movie's worldview, and exploration of the art of filmmaking (foreshadowing, for example) round out the activities. There is a 37-page sampler that includes activities from a variety of Z-Guides for your viewing.

The recommendation for the guide is to do two activities a day, with completion in about a week, making it an ideal supplement to other materials exploring the same time period. There are individual guides for movies covering Ancient Civilizations all the way through post-World War II.

Overall, I really liked the Z-Guide we reviewed. We didn't do all the activities, but the ones we did were a great starting point for discussing the depth of the movie and underlying messages that may have been overlooked otherwise.

Add a little edutainment to the day, and browse through the Z-Guide selections, which are available through Zeezok Publishing for $12.99. Then, break out the popcorn and hot chocolate and declare an official Movie Day in your homeschool.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool. You may read more reviews on this product by visiting here.

A Chance to Win a Package from Pear Educational Products!

2011-12-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night Hands of a Child is having a Facebook Christmas party and will be giving away a package from Pear Educational Products as a door prize. This is the same package I offered a month of so ago as a giveaway here at Chatter, Clatter, and Things that Matter, so here is a second chance to win!

You can join the Facebook party here.

You will have an opportunity to win the following:

A complete package of lapbooking products containing:

(1) Fold-up Project Base
(1) Fold-up Extended Project Base
(2) Adhesive Strips
(1) Blank Project Book, 6 x 8
(1) Blank Project Book, 9 x 11 1/2
(1) Blank Project Book, 12 x 12

Please visit Pear Educational Products to get a good look at all the goodies in this package, and then head on over to the party tomorrow night!

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: The House of the Scorpion

2011-12-19T06:39:00.001-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer ($9.99; Atheneum Books for Young Readers; April 27, 2004) is an original science fiction/fantasy young adult novel, set in the not-too-distant future in the country of Opium, which is a collective of poppy farms lying between the United States and Aztlan (formerly Mexico). The largest farm is the Alacran estate, which is surrounded by bodyguards and the Farm Patrol, who watch over the eejits, humans with computer chips implanted in their brains to make them only capable of basic tasks, such as harvesting crops, until they have been worked to death. Eejits are captured illegal aliens escaping from Aztlan or the United States who have been surgically altered.

The story is told by an omniscient narrator, but follows the fortunes of Matteo (“Matt”) Alacran, a clone of the rich estate landowner, El Patron. Matt lives on the family estate, but is shunned by most humans because he is a clone. The book details generations of twisted Alacran family relationships. Meanwhile, Matt puzzles out how he fits in this world, a world in which time has stopped. The estate is held in a time-suspended state, as life was 100 years ago in El Patron’s village in Mexico. Celia, Matt’s caregiver, cooks on a wood cook stove and the Farm Patrol ride horses, not hovercrafts.

The House of the Scorpion is a compelling, page-turning coming-of-age novel about what can occur when an evil individual has the money and power to clone himself, resulting in everlasting life. The book is full of well-developed, interesting characters with detailed histories and fabulous, plausible plot-twists. It’s understandable then, why the book has received so many awards, including the National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature, the Newbery Honor Book, and Printz Honor Book.

At 400 pages, the book is substantial and worth the money. It is divided into sections: Youth: 0 to 6, Middle Age: 7 to 11, Old Age: 12 to 14, Age 14, and La Vida Nueva (The New Life). The novel contains a cast of characters and an Alacran family tree at the beginning to help the reader sort out the characters. It is quite useful for the first few chapters, but unnecessary as the reader becomes engrossed in the story.
The violence is mainly hand-to-hand combat or beatings, but there are also some pitiful medical experiments and drug-induced deaths, as well as alcoholism and mild animal cruelty. Additionally, there is some mention of adultery. The story is appropriate for upper middle school and high school readers. Students who are studying bioethics, socio-economic classes, environmentalism, or communism would find this book a worthwhile complement. The House of the Scorpion is unique and believable, as well as thought-provoking, and I recommend it strongly with five stars (out of five). Science fiction lovers will not be disappointed with The House of the Scorpion.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Review & Giveway: Night of the Living Dead Christian

2011-12-15T10:25:00.002-05:00

What kind of monster are you? Matt Mikalatos' Night of the Living Dead Christian, published by Tyndale House, will help you realize your inner monster while at the same time causing explosive laughter. While seemingly an odd mix, it is quite reflective of Makalotos' exploration of spirituality and transformation in a unique, campy style that has been described as Monty Python meets C.S. Lewis.

The video below is of the author explaining the allegory and book.

watch on tyndale.com

Having read Mikalatos' first book, Imaginary Jesus, I knew I was in for some laughs and self-exploration. I was not disappointed.

The story starts out with Matt, self-appointed Chief Office of the local Neighborhood Watch, patrolling his neighborhood when he runs across a mad scientist and his side-kick android conducting an experiment with a machine that will bring werewolves out of their hiding. Not only does the machine work, but it calls out a horde of zombies as well. After being chased by zombies, then nearly taken out by a werewolf, who is then wounded by a monster hunter, Matt and his new friends run for safety and contemplate the new status of the neighborhood, concluding the first chapter. It left me thinking...very entertaining, in a B-rated movie sort of way, but just where is Mikalatos going with this?

Next, enter Luther. Luther has a problem. His lack of control of his anger turns him into a monster, a werewolf to be precise. He's desperately looking for a transformation from his state of lycanthropy. He's seeking a cure for his inner monster and he thinks Christianity may be the answer, even though his upbringing under a fanatical father makes him not want to associate with Christians. Yet, he's looking for answers - for salvation - to cure him. Hence the beginning of his quest, with the assistance of Matt, the mad scientist, and the android.

One of the first stops is visiting a church unknowingly full of zombies, people who lack original thought and are unaware of their undead state, yet try to infect you with their disease. Between the zombies trying get the victims to listen to podcasts and breaking out in song and dance to a blend of polka and 1980s praise music, this chapter was by far my favorite in the book.

And so the quest continues, and the introduction of other monsters, too. A neighbor is a vampire, intensely selfish creatures that steal the life force of others for self-preservation. Matt eventually explores his own inner monster, that of a mad scientist, a person who thinks they have "the answer" to any problem and tries to fix the world. Androids are beings with stunted emotions and relationship issues. It seems monsters are everywhere. Eventually the group learns what it means to be truly transformed. The ending isn't all neat and tidy, and shows that transformation is a process.

Night of the Living Dead Christian is an allegory about transformation and become the person Christ intended. I love humor in this book and appreciate Mikalatos' willingness to approach a serious subject in such a manner, all the while digging deep down. I never thought a book with singing zombies would cause much self reflection, but I found a monster or two hiding within me. There is even a monster guide in the back of the book for a "layman's self-diagnosis". I look forward to future titles from Matt Mikalatos.

Giveaway!!!

One lucky reader will win a certificate to claim their very own copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian. See below for how you can enter. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you, should you be the winner.

Mandatory entry:

Just let me know that you are ready to discover your inner monster and that you'd like to win.

For additional entries (leave a comment for each):

Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect
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Leave a comment on another post on this blog.
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on January 6th at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of the above title from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: The Auslander

2011-12-13T06:23:00.002-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

The Auslander by Paul Dowswell is a different kind of German WWII novel ($13.13; Bloomsbury USA Childrens; August 16, 2011). Typically, German WWII novels are narrated by those fighting or escaping the Nazis. This book tells the perspective of a fanatical Nazi family, a “100 percenter,” as they are called in the book.

The tale is about an orphan, thirteen-year-old Peter (Poitr) Bruck from Poland, who is sent to a poor orphanage when his parents are killed by a tank. Peter is Volksdeutsche, of German descent. When a German doctor from the Nazi Race and Settlement Office comes to the orphanage, Peter is “repatriated” to the Fatherland and placed with a German family, who are fervent Nazi believers. Peter tries to fit into his new family, but as the book progresses, he becomes more estranged from them, which explains the title of the book The Auslander, The Foreigner.

What is intriguing about this book is the fact that the reader sees what it was like to live among those who strongly believed in Hitler as Germany’s savior. The reader sees descriptions of Swastika Christmas tree decorations and Nazi textbooks with questions like “The iniquitous Treaty of Versailles, imposed by the French and English, enabled international plutocracy to steal Germany’s colonies. France herself acquired part of Togoland. If German Togoland covers 56 million square kilometers and contains a population of 800,000 people, estimate the average living space per inhabitant” (Dowswell 59).

The Auslander is an exciting book, with well-developed characters and interesting plot twists. The story is well-researched, with locations and times at the beginning of each chapter to help the reader place the story within the context of history (“Warsaw, August 2, 1941”). The book would make a great complement for students studying bioethics or genetics because it tells a lot about the Nazi perspective on race and “pure blood.” It gives arguments about how the Nazis were trying to “strengthen” their people by eliminating the weak and discusses some of their race research projects. Peter’s perspective makes it clear to the reader that what the Nazis are doing is wrong, but the 100 Percenters are so rational in their arguments of “the ends justify the means” that it is useful for teaching students about propaganda and how even the most evil plans can be made to sound benign. The Auslander describes some unsettling medical experiments and deaths, as well as some deaths resulting from the Allied bombing. However, the violence is not overly gruesome. It is appropriate for mature 7^th graders and up.

The only thing that I dislike about this book is its point-of-view narrations. The book is told mainly from Peter’s perspective, but every so often a minor or major character narrates a few pages. If Dowswell had been consistent in this perspective change, starting a new chapter for every new point-of-view, this might have been OK. As it stands, though, it is clumsy and forced, as if Dowswell didn’t know how to introduce a new character without shifting to his/her perspective. It would have been better if Dowswell had simply introduced characters through their actions, mannerisms, and dialog as they interacted with Peter. This would have meant that he had to leave off some plot twists (when Peter is not present in the scene), but I think the story would have flowed better overall.

However, this is a minor quibble and does not greatly mar the story. For the unique perspective and solid historical content, I give The Auslander four stars (out of five).

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Early College and Lessons Learned

2011-12-12T17:03:00.001-05:00

I mentioned earlier in the year that I was nervous about my daughter's first day of college. What I didn't talk much about, however, was that this semester was very much an experiment, a testing of the waters. While taking a college class or two isn't that unusual for high school students, we decided to pursue this option a bit earlier than most. While my daughter is only 14 and a freshman in high school, I felt that she was more than academically ready. What I wasn't entirely sure about was whether she would fit in with her older classmates. Now that the semester is over, I've discovered my worries were very much unfounded. So, I'd like to share our experiences thus far in case others are in a similar situation.

I had considered very early college a while back, but ultimately decided that the caliber of the local community college was not at the level of what I could find with rigorous high school courses online. I decided we'd try a class or two later in her high school career just to show a variety of experiences on her transcript, but would pursue other choices that were a better academic fit in the meantime.

Last spring, however, someone on local homeschooling list shared info about dual enrollment at a small university down the street from where my husband works. I had explored this university before, thinking it would be better than a community college, but the tuition, at $486/credit, made the classes out of reach. What I didn't realize was the drastically reduced tuition offered to non-degree seeking, dual-enrolled students. I called the admissions officer to ask if a 9th grader could be considered for dual-enrollment and to my surprise they were very open to it, and extended the discounted tuition to us as homeschoolers. In fact, the admissions officer was homeschooled K-12! After I sent along ACT scores, she was quickly enrolled for her first college course in the fall. Doing so changed my original plans for 2011-2012 upside down. Lessons Learned for Mom: Don't be afraid to ask and be ready to quickly change plans.

Academically, the course, College Composition I, was too easy. I knew it wouldn't be difficult and selected this course for its likely success, but I was very surprised at the low level. This isn't a top university, but I did expect more from both the students and instructor at the university level. The professor was an assistant adjunct professor, so perhaps it wasn't the usual level for the class. Yet, many of her classmates struggled in the class. While there were other capable students, dd was appalled that some of her classmates didn't know certain things, such as the proper use of there/they're/their or how to paraphrase. Lesson Learned for Dd: Dd got a taste of teaching to the lowest common denominator and discovered true boredom. It wasn't a good feeling and gave her appreciation for more challenging coursework.

My initial worry wasn't academics, but social implications. I was not worried about dd's maturity, but instead concerned that she would be treated differently simply because of her age. When I look at her, she looks like a young teen. I assumed this would be obvious. I was wrong. Through most of the semester, her classmates and instructor assumed she was 18 or 19. The only reason it was discovered otherwise was because she actually did fit in quite well and spent time getting to know the other students. Eventually she was asked questions like, "Where did you graduate high school?" and "Do you work?" It wasn't until the third to last class that some of her classmates discovered she was still a high school student. I told her to be prepared for the age question the following week, after her classmates had a chance to process she was not 18, but in high school.

Sure enough, the following week a classmate asked her if she was a high school senior.

"No," dd answered.

The classmate worked her way down the grades until she landed on 9th. Dd just quietly smiled and her classmate said,

"That's cool."

However, one of the boys in the class overheard the conversation and loudly exclaimed,

"You're only 14?! You can't even drive and you are doing better than me in this class!"

All true, though I don't know what driving ability has to do with academic ability. In fact, it seems to have an inverse relationship in our household. (smiles) The classmate shared his disbelief loudly enough that my dd soon found every head turned toward her, with the exception of the instructor and a student conferencing. Some would be mortified, but my dd just smiled with a shoulder shrug.

So, the cat was out of the bad, but at least it had good timing. Dd had already proven herself and been accepted by her peers at this point. Lesson Learned for Classmates: There isn't much difference between a mature young teen and older teens. Of course, homeschoolers are already aware of varying abilities within ages. And now a classroom full of college students realize this too.

All in all, dd's first semester at college was successful. At some point she may try a different university, but for now the situation is ideal. The university has been very accommodating, the classes are small (18 max), and she can even catch a ride with dad on the way to work.

She's enrolled for two classes next semester. Her instructor for College Composition II is the department head of the Journalism Department and we've been told that he'll push her.

"I certainly hope so," was dd's response.

I'm hoping for more academic learning next semester. Even so, while she may not have learned much as far as composition this semester, there certainly were lessons learned.

Who Knew I Could Be Crafty! (Personalized Earring Holder)

2011-12-07T00:11:00.000-05:00

Martha Stewart, move over. Ok, I'm no competition for Martha, but I did feel rather successfully crafty when I recently made an earring holder for a young family friend. Let's just say that "successful" and "craft" usually don't appear in the same sentence in my world.

I actually completely stole this idea from Etsy while looking for the perfect gift. Yes, I'd rather purchase crafty items over making them. However, the one available wasn't to my liking. In fact, it looked a little chintzy. When I thought, "Even *I* can do better!" I decided...hey, why not? Here is the end result (sorry, no in-process pics to share):

What you will need:

Wooden letter
Decorative wood pieces
Glossy craft paint
Matching ribbon
Screen material
Craft glue
Staple gun

I purchased the letter, decorative pieces, and paint at Micheal's. The paint colors and hearts were selected based on the theme and color scheme of the recipient's room. My materials total came to around $8, with $3.50 of that being the letter. There were a variety of letters available. I went for a larger one with a finished surface, which also had predrilled holes for hanging. Depending on what you already have at home, your biggest investment might only be a couple of dollars for the wooden letter.

The ribbon was purchased at Walmart for a couple of dollars. While shopping for the ribbon, I came across a heart earring set that just happened to have the exact colors of the ribbon. Perfect! The rest of the items I had at home.

Assembling was fairly easy. The first step was to paint the hearts. I decided on double wooden hearts to provide extra weight to hold the screen material down, but it also gave me the option to add some more color. While the hearts were drying, I cut my screen material. If you didn't want to do the two separate pieces, you could do one larger piece across the entire letter.

The ribbon down each side of the screen was a bit of an afterthought, and I wish I had tested the ribbon with my glue first. I used Tacky Glue, but it soaked through the ribbon a bit and made parts darker where it dried. I had bought the last of the ribbon available, so there was no turning back. If I had another chance, I think I would try hot glue instead. Once the ribbon was attached, I used a staple gun to attach the hearts on the end of each screen strip.

The bow took a bit of finagling, but I was finally able to produce something presentable. I put a stitch in the center and ran a piece of left over thinner ribbon through the center to use to tie it to the letter. I wanted the recipient to be able to remove the bow if she didn't like it. I used hot glue to place the wooden heart on the center.

One tricky part was to make sure the screen strips were straight. To do this, I first attached them with a dab of hot glue, then held up the piece level against a wall, adjusting and regluing as necessary. Once satisfied, I attached the pieces permanently with a staple gun.

You can completely customize with different colors and decorations. I spent some time looking at embellishments in the scrapbooking section, and also considered hand painting designs on the letter. You could even include the matching paint with the gift for a "design your own" option.

No matter what you decide, if I, the craft challenged, can pull it off, you can too! This turned out to be a fairly inexpensive and stress-free craft that was well-received.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Your Eyes in Stars

2011-12-06T06:42:00.003-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

Your Eyes in Stars by M. E. Kerr is one of those books that does not know what it wants to be. Is it a prison-break mystery novel? A Great Depression coming-of-age story? A Jewish Holocaust tale? A WWII German freedom fighter saga? A love story? The reader cannot tell. Your Eyes in Stars ($6.80; HarperTeen; January 3, 2006) begins interestingly enough: “I don’t believe anyone was actually afraid of the prison” (Kerr 3). However, by the end of the book, the reader is left scratching her head, wondering, “What was that all about?”
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The story begins in the early-1930s in a small town, Cayuta, in upstate New York. The central feature of the town is the prison, known as The Hill, where the father of the protagonist, Jessica, is the warden. When the family across the street is unable to pay the mortgage on their home, they rent it to a visiting German professor and his family. The professor’s daughter, Elisa, and Jessica become fast friends. This part of the story is entertaining and, for the most part, believable. The girls, while young acting for their ages (high school), are interesting enough. They become obsessed with a “lifer” at the prison, Slater Carr, who plays the bugle and other instruments in the prison band. There are several intriguing subplots regarding Jessica’s brother Seth, her father, the inmate, and other townspeople. The characters, even minor ones, are quirky and memorable. There are quite a few plot twists, which gives the story some pizzazz.

And, yet, three things bother me about this part of the book. One, the girls are overly obsessed with literature. They discuss T.S. Eliot, Constantine Cavafy, and Sara Teasdale. Having spent a lot of time with well-educated high schoolers, I find this forced. When I hear high schoolers discuss literature, it is usually to say how long-winded Emerson or Hawthorne was, not to recommend this poet or that essayist, especially not lesser-known ones.

Second, the story is mainly narrated by Jessica, but every few chapters the inmate Slater Carr narrates two or three pages. This is incongruous. If the chapters by Carr were better developed, perhaps the construction would work, but they are not. Carr remains too underdeveloped to be a main character, and yet he is supposed to be one. The reader cannot relate to him and the chapters by him stick out.
Thirdly, this part of the book concerns itself a lot with suicide. Jessica writes about contemplating suicide, and the girls discuss it. Later on, (spoiler alert!) a minor character commits suicide. This would be OK for a high school book, but the rest of the book is too short and immature for high schoolers. It strikes me as a middle schooler book with high school themes, a bad mix.

About three-fourths of the way through the book, there is an exciting climax with several plot twists, including the sudden death of a main character. If the story ended there, I might give it three stars (with a warning regarding the suicide obsession), but it does not. Here is where the book goes haywire.
The rest of the story — about fifty pages worth — is “told” in letters from Jessica, Elisa, and a couple of minor characters who suddenly take center stage. The letters span 1934 – 1946-- twelve years! What??? The first 176 pages of the book cover less than eighteen months! (Spoiler alert!) Elisa moves back to Germany, just as things are heating up for WWII. She writes about the changes in her homeland, including joining the German Youth Program. Jessica, who has been a tomboy the entire book, suddenly falls in love with a minor character. Other minor (and major) characters disappear, never to be heard from again. The prison, which is such a key feature in the first part, is hardly ever mentioned. A Jewish German family from Cayuta goes to Berlin to give a concert and is treated as one would expect. (I find the fact that they would visit Germany in 1935 utterly unbelievable. A lot of news regarding the treatment of Jews may not be escaping Germany in 1935, but certainly enough was to give Jews pause about visiting.)

It is as if the author suddenly wanted to “cram” all sorts of other historical events — WWII Germany, the Jewish Holocaust, US fighting in the Pacific in 1942, and others — into an already complete book. The result is a mish-mash and a great detraction and distraction from the previous 176 pages. While the beginning is quirky and witty, and the middle has clever plot twists, the end spoils it. Thus, I give this book two stars (out of five).

Review: Medieval Machines Pack (Pitsco)

2011-12-03T22:58:00.001-05:00

Two of my son’s favorite words are “build” and “projectile”. As you can imagine, he was super excited when the Medieval Machines Pack from Pitsco arrived for review.

Our pack included:

Trebuchet Kit
Catapult Kit
Mass Plates
Siege Machines Book

In addition to the above Medieval Machines Pack, we also received:

Klean Klay (for projectiles)

The first machine we built, by the request of my son, was the trebuchet. Punching out the pre-laser cut pieces from the wood was no problem; in fact, some of the pieces had already come loose during shipping.

I was a little concerned that the wood pieces would not be very sturdy, but this was an unfounded worry. While lightweight, the wood strength was up to the task at hand.

The instructions were very clear and my son was able to put the trebuchet together almost completely on his own. The requirements to read and follow directions during the building process, measure (twice) and cut (once), and be precise were great learning exercises. The most difficult part of putting the trebuchet was the sling portion, which involved a piece of nylon and thread that needed to be attached both to the nylon and the machine, with the end result of thread of equal lengths on either side of the sling. A bit tricky, but not difficult with some patience. Patience, however, is not something that comes easily to my son, which is also the reason we opted to use Super Glue to construct our machine rather than wood or Tacky glue that might take a bit longer to dry.

We built the kits on two different days, but doing both in the same day is completely feasible. While the trebuchet took us a bit longer, construction of the catapult was less than an hour. My husband joined in on the catapult construction. (As a side note, these kits are great for getting Dad involved with homeschooling!) Again, the construction for the catapult was simple, aside from a very tight-fitting dowel. Wood glue was used for the construction this time, and I found that to work better. On the trebuchet, I ended up regluing a couple of pieces together.

Both kits have survived a fair amount of play battles. My son set up a battle field of pewter figurines, and needed to adjust either the size of his projectile, the distance of the machine from the target, or the load used in order to hit his target. While the included Siege Machines book has experiments and activities to do with the kits, free play alone has provided a natural learning experience.
The Siege Machines book includes a history section among its 32 pages, in addition to the science behind them, hands-on experiments, and math integration. The last few pages are devoted to the standards addressed from three national education organizations, such as NSTA, ITEA, and NCTM. As a testament to the focus of learning through play of this product, we discovered this same kit is also distributed in the Lego Education catalog. As a Lego fan, that made my son love the kit even more!

Overall, I found this kit to be an exceptional value of building, learning, and playing and a wonderful blend of educational and just pure fun.

The Medieval Machines Pack can be purchased from Pitsco for $21.95. Be sure to check out the many other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related items available or request a catalog.

See what others have to say about this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: In My Hands

2011-11-29T06:23:00.000-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

It’s always a thrill to find a book that is signed by the author, so I was tickled when I opened my inter-library loan copy of In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke ($7.99; Laurel Leaf: 2004) to find the author’s signature tucked inside the cover. The book was addressed to someone, and then donated, I suppose. A signature makes the reader feel closer to the author. At one point, Irene Gut Opdyke touched this copy of the book. It’s exhilarating to contemplate. After reading her memoirs, I’m convinced Opdyke would be an interesting person to meet.

While I have read a lot of Holocaust memoirs, all of them—except The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom—have been from the Jewish perspective, the perspective of the person being saved. In My Hands is different, then, because it is from the perspective of a Christian Polish woman who risks her life to save a dozen Jewish people from the hotel complex where she works, right under the noses of the German officers housed in the complex. In the pages, the reader can feel her fear and concern for her refugees, as well as the heart-wrenching suspense where even a cough can result in discovery and death.

This quote from the book is one of my favorite parts:

I did not ask myself, Should I do this? But, How will I do this? Every step of my childhood had brought me to this crossroad; I must take the right path, or I would no longer be myself.

You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis all at once. One’s first steps are always small: I had begun by hiding food under a fence. Now I was making plans to get a dorozka, a wagon, from the farm where Helen lived, and to transport in secret the Morris brothers and their wives....I might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. The Nazis did not distinguish between leaving food under a fence and smuggling four people in a dorozka, and so I did not either (Opdyke 142-143).

One of the intellectual pleasures of this book is contemplating how the reader would react to the situation. Would you hide Jews or other refugees in your home? Would you risk your life repeatedly to bring Jewish strangers food in the ghetto? Would you drive to a seemingly deserted forest alone and leave food for strangers? Would you sleep with the enemy in exchange for your friends’ lives? They are intriguing questions without easy answers. And, it may be, that none of us would know what we would do unless we were faced with such a situation. Still, it is fascinating to consider....

As you would imagine based on the subject matter, the book has some horrific descriptions of Jewish executions and other atrocities. Although these descriptions are not overly detailed, they are too raw for a youthful audience. This book is well suited to 10^th – 12^th graders and adults. The book has a dozen black-and-white photos of the primary people mentioned in this segment of Opdyke’s life. There are pronunciation guides for the Polish and German words and two maps of Poland to help track Opdyke’s travels.

And yet, there were parts of the book that I didn’t like. I wasn’t overly fond of Opdyke’s partisan adventures, where she lives in the forest with Polish rebels, fighting for her country’s freedom. Although the cause may be admirable, it pales in comparison to her other brave actions to save the lives of more than a dozen Polish Jews. Moreover, the years spent living as a resistance fighter, sabotaging the Germans and the Russians are not as well described as the years Opdyke spends helping her fellow human beings. For this reason, In My Hands isn’t one of my favorite WWII memoirs, but I still enjoyed it greatly, and I energetically recommend it, giving it five stars (out of five).

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

10% Off All About Reading Level 1

2011-11-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

All About Learning is running a special through December 6th. Purchase All About Reading Level 1 and get 10% off, PLUS you'll also receive A Taste of Outer Space for FREE!

If you have a student that is ready to learn how to read, now is a good time to buy and save! These products don't go on sale very often, and this special is only good for a week.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Chains and Forge

2011-11-22T06:37:00.001-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite historical fiction novelists. Although she has only written three “historical thrillers,” as she calls them, they are exceptional, and I can’t wait to read more. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in her “Seeds of America” series, which I am hoping will be released soon. The first two books, Chains ($6.99; Atheneum Books for Young Readers; January 5, 2010) and Forge ($11.55; Atheneum Books for Young Readers; October 19, 2010) are fabulous, comparable to Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes and Lynd Ward.

The series begins with Chains, set in New York City in 1776. The protagonist Isabel, a thirteen-year-old slave, and her sister Ruth are sold to a Loyalist couple, after being promised freedom by their dying mistress. Spirited Isabel will do anything to secure freedom for herself and her mentally-handicapped sister, including spy for the Patriots. She is a well-developed character, with strengths and weaknesses, not just a caricature who acts for the sake of teaching about a historical period, as some characters do in young adult historical fiction. In fact, most of the characters in the novel are well-developed.

Every chapter begins with a quote from a primary source document, such as Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and or a Revolutionary War journal. The book is well-researched and steeped in history. I like the way each chapter is dated, such as “Friday, June 7, 1776,” in an old-fashioned typeset on rough-cut paper. The book details life as it was lived in the Colonial Period, including common chores, which adds to the realism and usefulness as a teaching tool. For example, Isabel says,

“I was stuck on the back steps with a pile of dull knives and a whetstone. It was a dreary job. First, spit on the stone. Next, hold the knife at the proper angle and circle it against the stone; ten to the left, ten to the right, until the blade was sharp enough to slice through a joint of beef like it was warm butter” (Anderson 53).

Isabel’s desire to escape builds throughout the book, increasing the suspense and making for a climactic and unpredictable ending. While there are some horrific parts to the book, including a “branding” with a hot iron, overall it is suitable for 5^th – 10^th grade. Chains is a wonderful supplement to the study of the Revolutionary War, as it demonstrates the shifts in power between the Loyalists and the Patriots in NYC.

The story continues with Forge ($11.55; Atheneum Books for Young Readers; October 19, 2010).
However, in Forge, the point of view and setting change. The protagonist is now Curzon, a young male slave and Isabel’s friend introduced in Chains, who has been sent to fight in the Revolutionary War in his master’s stead, with the promise of his own freedom when his military service ends. When it becomes clear that promise will never materialize, Curzon plots to escape. The majority of the book takes place in Valley Forge during the winter of 1778, and a nice map of the encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge in 1778 is included in the front of the novel. Forge, too, begins each chapter with a primary source document quote. While I have read accounts of the winter at Valley Forge before, Anderson’s book makes the experience come alive. The descriptions of the hardships suffered by the soldiers are much more moving than in other young adult literature I have read. In describing firecake, the primary food eaten by the soldiers that winter, Curzon says, “I’d expected to smell bread, for bread was little more than flour and water. Instead, the firecakes gave off a scorched smell, like damp charcoal. The thinnest of the smears caught fire right atop the rock” (Anderson 83).

At first, I was put off by the change in narration. I liked Isabel, and it was hard to switch to Curzon in the second book. Also, Anderson seems to take a few chapters to warm up to this character, as if she is not entirely certain of his “voice.” However, eventually I came to be fond of Curzon, as well. Readers would be wise to persevere, as it is worth the effort.

The only other qualm I have about Forge are the sections titled “Before.” In an apparent attempt to make Forge a stand-alone book and to answer some questions that readers may have about Curzon’s past, Anderson has chosen to put these flashbacks into separate chapters. While it might help struggling readers to be able to distinguish between past and present, the constructions are awkward and jarring. I think they would have been better had they been woven into the main storyline, through a flashback, Curzon’s thoughts, or a conversation with another character.

As in Chains, Forge contains some violence, but it is not excessive, and seems appropriate to the story. It, too, is suitable for 5^th – 10^th grade. I heartily recommend both Chains and Forge. I give Chains five stars (out of five) and Forge four stars (out of five). If you are looking for a great “living books” series on the American Revolutionary War, look no further. The Seeds of America series will more than satisfy.

Please note that I have not read Anderson’s modern novels, and I don’t think I will, as I don’t care for books that focus on school. I mention this so readers of this review won’t assume that my endorsement of Anderson’s historical novels are endorsements of her other books, including Speak and Catalyst. Her modern-era books address raw problems, like rape and suicide, through the eyes of high school student characters submerged in mainstream culture. If you would like to learn more about Anderson and her books, visit her website at http://madwomanintheforest.com/. Her website, especially the part on censorship, is very interesting.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Restaurant Quality Possum Stew

2011-11-21T06:09:00.019-05:00

My husband and I were driving down a suburban freeway this past weekend when we saw this:

"Delivering restaurant quality meats to your family at wholesale prices"

I hope this is just someone hauling an old second-hand freezer. The thought that someone would really purchase meat out of a rusty cooler from the back of someone's rusty pick-up truck is frightening. We were speculating that there might be some possum from the side of the road in there.

Pear Educational Products Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

Congrats to LeAnn for winning comment number 34 on the Pear Educational Products giveaway! Enjoy your lapbooking products!

Sneak Peeks K.E. Weeks: Milkweed

2011-11-15T06:08:00.001-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

I found the book Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli ($8.99; Ember; March 23, 2010) in the Tween section of the local library. Tween is typically classified as ages 9 – 12 years old. Oftentimes, tween books are shorter than teen books, too, which, at a little over 200 pages, would include Milkweed. It quickly became apparent, however, that Milkweed is not a book for tweens, or even thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds. It is a book about children for older teens or adults. It is an artistic, sophisticated book, but not one that anyone under fifteen would enjoy.

The narrator is a tragically naive, uneducated, borderline crazy eight-year-old orphan boy coming of age in Warsaw, Poland during World War II. He knows nothing beyond cold and hunger. He thinks that the march of Nazis into Warsaw (Jackaboots, as he calls them) is a parade. He has never seen a camera and doesn’t know what one is until it is “shooting” his friend. He doesn’t know about medicine, birthday cakes, hardboiled eggs, or even what “happy” means. Surprisingly, he doesn’t even have many survival or intuitive instincts one would expect from a street urchin, such as to hide in the face of danger.

He lives in city rubble by luck, theft, and the kindness of others. At the beginning, he does not have a name. An older boy, Uri, takes him under his wing and asks, “What’s your name?” The narrator answers: “Stopthief.” Uri names the boy Misha. Uri thinks Misha is a gypsy, but Misha ends up in the Jewish Ghetto anyway. Misha smuggles food into the Ghetto because he is small, fast, and able to squeeze through a two-brick-wide hole. Eventually, he is “adopted” by a little Jewish girl and her father.
The book unfolds as a tale of Misha’s WWII experience, but without prior historical knowledge, a reader would not be able to decipher Misha’s descriptions. As the book progresses, the narrator describes more graphic details, including beatings, starvation, illness, hangings, and death by flamethrower.

Seven-eighths of the way through the book, Misha ends up on a farm where he waits out the remainder of the war working as a farm hand. He lives on the farm for three years, and yet the experience barely encompasses two chapters. This is where the story gets truly strange. (Spoiler Alert) After the war, Misha becomes a carnival hawker, saves enough money to buy a ticket to America, and then becomes a street hawker. He marries a woman, fathers a daughter (though he doesn’t know it), gets divorced, goes crazy, and then ends up in an armchair in his daughter’s living room comforting his granddaughter after a fall and reaching a sense of peace. The ending is utterly incongruous with the rest of the story and comes across as “tacked on.” Spinelli is obviously a talented author, but the conclusion gives the reader the impression that he lost interest in the story or did not know how to end it. The conclusion is confusing and disappointing.

After I wrote the bulk of this review, I checked out the ratings of the book on Amazon.com. Overall, the ratings are overwhelmingly excellent (4-5 stars), which baffled me. While the book is well-written, it is bizarre and too artsy, almost pretentious. However, when I dug deeper, and read only the low rated reviews (1-2 stars), I noticed a pattern. All of these were “Kid Reviews.” It confirmed my initial findings. This book is not one young people would enjoy.

There are so many better WWII Holocaust fiction and non-fiction books for young adults—such as Black Radishes, Number the Stars, Escape from Warsaw, and The Diary of Anne Frank—that I cannot recommend this one. Although I appreciate the interesting, “flawed narrator” perspective in Mlikweed, I do not like the book. It reminds me of going to the opera; I can appreciate the artistic elements and work that goes into it, but I am never swept away by the performance. I rate Milkweed two stars (out of five) because the ending is terrible, and the book fails to be appropriate or satisfying for its intended audience.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a Master of Art degree in American Literature and a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Review: VocabCafe Book Series

2011-11-14T22:28:00.002-05:00

Do you have a college-bound student? If so, you are likely well aware of the importance of your student doing well on the ACT or SAT in order to receive the best scholarships and gain admission into the top colleges. You have probably also discovered that some of the prep materials for these exams are a bit dull, and likely not the highlight of your student’s day. In an effort to minimize boredom, I’m always in search for a more creative approach to SAT study.

When I first heard about the VocabCafe Series books by College Prep Genius, I was very intrigued. I received the complete series, which currently includes four titles, with two more scheduled to be released soon. The titles that arrived in my review package were:

IM for Murder
Operation High school
Planet Exile
Summer of St Nick

The purpose of the the VocabCafe series is to introduce SAT words within a “modern novella”. The SAT words are in bold text, with the definition of the words included at the bottom the page. The books are meant to both expose students to SAT words, as well as save the student time in looking up words in the dictionary. Each book includes about 300 SAT words.

The College Prep Genius website says the following about the content:

VocabCafé books help students easily learn SAT-level words while reading an original wholesome story.

These modern novellas contain no foul language, no illicit sexual themes, and no sorcery!

With one high school student that will soon be starting regular prep for the ACT and SAT, and one middle school student who could use a little boost to his vocabulary, I really liked the idea of these books. However, while a great concept, I wasn’t as thrilled with the execution.

VocabCafe was written with an intended audience of high school teenagers. However, I feel the interest level is well below those needing to prep for the SAT. The educational value of introducing new SAT words is a bit lost with a more juvenile storyline and quality of writing. On the other hand, while there is no foul language, illicit sexual themes, or sorcery, I wouldn't call them "wholesome", making them more questionable for a younger audience.

For example, IM Murder, probably the most “dark” of the four titles, is about a serial killer that utilizes the Internet to find naive teenage girl victims. When the main character discovers the murderer’s secret and is involved in protecting a friend, he soon becomes a target. Following several threats, such as the beheading of the family cat, the police get involved and have a plan for capture. After deciding to secretly get involved in the plans to capture the murderer, the main character and his friends visit a weaponry supply, located in a remote area, to purchase weapons as protection. They soon discover the murderer, whom they did not realize is the owner, is in the secluded warehouse. The murderer eventually captures them (with no blood shed, despite open access to swords) and tortures them with a Taser before forcing them to dig their own grave. They are saved from death just in the knick of time when the police come in for the rescue. IM Murder is pretty tame (no blood, no fatalities, and no traumatized victims) in its description and has sort of a B-rated Hardy Boys feel to it.

The other titles involve terrorists, secretive children, and evil rulers as part of the plot, but are more tame than IM Murder. All of the titles have a happy and all-is-well ending. I did see attempts to hit the wholesome criteria in other titles, e.g. grace before dinner or detailed scenes of church-going, but it seemed a bit intentionally placed in an effort to appeal to a variety of audiences. I don't shield my kids from mature themes, but I prefer a bit more substance and purpose in doing so than I'm seeing with these titles.

Exposure to SAT words is definitely accomplished, and I enjoyed learning some new words. The SAT words integrated into the story, clearly bolded on the page, and defined at the bottom of the page are all very nice features. SAT word usage sometimes seems a bit forced and not quite a fit contextually. Granted, I realize that fitting some of these words, many that aren’t used in normal conversation, was an ambitious task. There is a fair amount of success, just some miss the mark a bit.

Aside from the content, there are many typos and grammatical errors throughout the books. While I can overlook a few errors (and I hope my readers do the same!), when a single title contains errors in the dozens, I have a harder time ignoring it.

Sadly, while the concept behind the books is fabulous, this book series just isn't a fit for my family. I love the SAT word exposure, but there are too many trade-offs in the delivery for me to give a general glowing recommendation. As each family and student is different, I suggest that you read more reviews from the TOS Crew and explore what others thought.

The VocabCafe book series is available as a set for $38.85, or as individual titles for $12.95. College Prep Genius is also offers a complete SAT prep course on DVD with options to schedule a local session. Visit the College Prep Genius product page for a list of all available products and options.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review and Giveaway: Christmas Lodge

2011-11-13T23:38:00.001-05:00

The Christmas decorations and music hit the stores weeks ago. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And last week there was even SNOW. Are you looking for some decent family movies to get you into the Christmas spirit?

I was recently given the opportunity to review Christmas Lodge, presented by Thomas Kinkade.

Synopsis:
Thomas Kinkade presents Christmas Lodge: a place where a heart-warming past and loving future meet for one remarkable group of people. During a weekend trip to the mountains, Mary (Erin Karpluk) finds herself at the now- dilapidated lodge where she spent the holidays with her family growing up. She becomes determined to restore the building to its former glory. Inspired by her grandfather and guided by her grandmother in heaven, Mary throws herself into the project, and during the process finds herself drawn to Jack (Michael Shanks), a handsome man who loves the lodge as much as she does. Historically unlucky in love, this chance encounter allows Mary to renew her faith in life and discover her one true love. For an uplifting story about the importance of faith, family and the true holiday spirit, go to the Christmas Lodge.

You can watch a trailer below, or visit http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1554553881/ to learn a bit more about the movie and see a "behind the scenes" clip.

I thought this was a very sweet movie with themes of family, tradition, determination, and love all revolving around the holiday spirit. While faith is not a central theme, the family does say grace before dinner, talk to loved ones in heaven, and has other examples of a faith-filled family. It is a DVD suitable for all family members. The storyline is a little predictable, but of the variety that even though you know what might happen, you want to just keep watching for the warm and fuzzy feeling in the end. It is the perfect movie for a family movie night during the holidays.

Giveaway! (Now Closed. Congrats to Valerie, comment #4)

I have one copy of Christmas Lodge to giveaway to one lucky U.S. reader. See below for how you can enter. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you, should you be the winner.

Mandatory entry:

Leave a comment telling me your favorite family-friendly Christmas movie.

For additional entries (leave a comment for each):

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The giveaway will end on November 28th at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

How Many Workouts Does it Take to Lose a Pound?

2011-11-10T23:38:00.000-05:00

I recently rejoined the YMCA with a friend. If it weren't for her, my renewed membership probably would have been largely unused thus far. She sets the time and day, and makes me accountable to actually show up. We use the elliptical machines for about 45 minutes while we gab, vent, and sweat. At the end of each workout, the machine tells me that I burned approximately 375 calories. We've gone at least 12 times so far.

12 x 375 = 4500

According to my sources, to lose one pound, you need to burn 3500. Me? Nada. Not one pound. What's going on here? I was due to lose a pound 1000 calories and three workouts ago! Would someone please tell my body?

I don't know how many workouts it really takes to lose a pound, but I do know it is more than a dozen. Apparently just exercise doesn't cut it when you are over 40, and I need to start adjusting intake, too. Perhaps the real question is, how many Tootsie Roll Pop licks does it take to gain a pound?!

I've Been Nominated for Being Thrifty!

2011-11-08T13:33:00.001-05:00

I had a surprise today. Someone nominated my blog for the Best Thrifty Homeschooler Blog category for the 7th Annual Homeschool Blog Awards.

While I *am* thrifty, I'm shocked to be nominated. I really don't blog that much about my being a ~~cheapskate~~ frugal person. I do have a scattering of posts on the topic, and you can read those by clicking the Money Savers tab in the navigation bar. Also, I love educational freebies, and have a Freebie tab for those as well. Those that know me in real life, will agree with the nomination. I just didn't realize that it showed through at all on my blog. Let's just say that I'm not above asking for discounts at a garage sale, digging through clothes at the Salvation Army, making laundry soap, finding Internet deals, and taking on DIY projects in the name of frugality. While that frugality has gotten our family through some rocky finances in more recent years, I admit to the same tactics when it wasn't needed to pay the bills. So, I'm rather honored to even be nominated among some of those that blog more regularly about thriftiness.

That said, do check out the Homeschool Blog Awards by clicking the button below, and look at the other categories and nominees as well. Voting is easy, so do some blog browsing and pick your favorite for each category!

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Greener Grass

2011-11-08T06:08:00.001-05:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

This summer, we grew potatoes in our garden. It was more of an experiment than a serious planting. We had some potatoes in the pantry growing “eyes,” and my daughter was curious if they would grow. They did! From our original three potatoes, we harvested 25 small new fall potatoes. We discovered many things along the way — that you must mound up potatoes as they grow, pinching the flowers off yields larger potatoes, and that potatoes are part of the nightshade family, which means other plants don’t like companion planting. We lost a whole mess of zucchini squash in the process. Still, we were thrilled with our little potato harvest and cooked up a fabulous, albeit small, batch of lovely, white mashed potatoes.

I recalled our experiment recently when I read Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat (Red Deer Press; March 13, 2009; $11.01). The book is set in 1847 during the height of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1850. Fifteen-year-old Kathleen (Kit) Byrne must struggle to hold her family together and fight off starvation when their potato crop fails.

The beginning of the book is somewhat predictable, but it gets edgier and more interesting as it progresses. The book incorporates a lot of elements of the famine, such as the belief that it was caused by the “Grey Man” (a kind of spirit), the government initiated public works road projects where the men were worked to death for unpredictable or non-existent pay, and how many landowners abandoned the country to their agents, who were often ruthless in the eviction of tenants in an effort to clear the land for more-profitable sheep grazing. Also, I like that the book uses proper vernacular like “Gale Day” (the day the rent was due).

Greener Grass would be a good book for middle school or early high school girls who are studying the Irish Potato Famine or who like underdog stories. I say it would be good for girls because the protagonist is a young woman, and she spends a good part of the book daydreaming about the landowner’s agent’s son, Tom. While many girls will enjoy the crush, most boys, I think, would tire of this unrequited love affair.

Primarily, the reader is spared from detailed descriptions of the harshest realities of the famine. For instance, some characters go off to the workhouse and are never seen again; the reader just hears they die of fever. The book does not give a brutal play-by-play of dying and death. (Spoiler Alert) However, there are a few scenes that are inappropriate for elementary-school students, such as when Kit plots to murder the landlord’s agent.

The book reminded me of Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Riley Giff, except the target audience for Greener Grass (12+ years old) is older than for Nory Ryan’s Song (8+ years old). Greener Grass is more complex, grittier, and longer. Another difference is that Nory’s Ryan’s Song focuses a lot on the promise of emigrating to America (which the protagonist does at the end of the book, described in the sequel Maggie’s Door), whereas in Greener Grass, Kit does not dwell on the promise of emigrating. She focuses on her struggles to survive in Ireland. The book is more depressing and less hopeful. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. (Spoiler Alert) Eventually, Kit is forced to leave Ireland for Canada at the end of the book.

Canadian readers may like this, as not all of the Irish immigrants ended up as Yankees. The book is the winner of several Canadian awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Award from the Canadian Council for the Arts. Moreover, the author is an Irish-born Canadian. (For more information on the Famine, readers may want to check out Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, recommended to me by a friend, but which I haven’t finished reading yet. Still, it has interesting illustrations, mainly pen and ink drawings from the time period.) Overall, I give Greener Grass four out of five stars.

Although I love potatoes in every versatile form they come, I can’t imagine living on the potatoes we grew. The idea of my family’s survival depending on one crop frightens me. I suppose that is one of the messages of the Irish Potato Famine: Diversify. Do not depend entirely on any one thing...except God.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

A Strange Visitor

2011-11-07T06:11:00.003-05:00

I have no idea how this guy (or gal?) got in our house, but we found it trucking right across our kitchen floor. It obviously took a wrong turn somewhere!

I've never seen a caterpillar that looked quite like this one, with the black spikes protruding from its body. Our dogs found it interesting, too, so we quickly scooped it up and took it outside right after snapping this picture.

Review: First Form Latin (Memoria Press)

2011-11-04T02:29:00.001-04:00

When we were new homeschoolers and I was toying with the idea of a Classical Education, Memoria Press was a name mentioned to me early on. Furthermore, their Latin program for elementary students, Latina Christiana was one that I had received good reviews from friends that had used it. Cheryl Rowe, the author of Latina Christiana, has since authored First Form Latin, part of a 4-book series for grades 5 and up.

I received the following items in my review package:

Teacher Manual
Student Text
Student Workbook
Quizzes and Tests
Teacher Workbook & Test Key
Pronunciation CD
Flashcards
DVDs

Wow! It was quite the package. My first impression pulling the items out of the box was that the texts looked very professional, academic, organized, and thorough.

First Form Latin focuses on grammar and vocabulary, following the sequence of Classical Education. Regardless of age, new learners of the language start with the grammar stage because that is the current stage of learning as a beginner.

The program will work for instructors with no Latin background, but only if you, as the teacher, are willing to learn along with your student(s). With the support materials, this is certainly obtainable, if you are patient (and the Teacher manual suggests calm as well!). The support materials are extensive, and everything needed for successful learning is provided. Scripted lessons, schedules, pronunciation reminders, teaching tips, answer keys, games and reviews activities, and more are all included. Going through the materials, I found that my first impression of a very organized program was true, and then some.

First Form Latin's lessons are written for a classroom, but are very adaptable for one student. It is encouraged to use the program with others, whether that class is siblings or as a class with friends and fellow homeschoolers. Learning a language as a group makes it more interesting and fun.

Each week's studies consist of five parts:

Lesson
Workbook
Oral Drill
Quiz or Test
(optional) Lingua Angelica and/or Famous Men of Rome, or other history resources

Expect to devote around 3 hours a week using the program, plus additional time if adding history resources.

Sample pages and a Table of Contents are available by clicking below.

Student Text
Student Workbook
Teacher Manual
Table of Contents

The DVD lessons, taught by Glen Moore, run around 15-20 minutes per lesson. As someone with zero Latin background, I highly recommend purchasing the DVDs to go with this program. It is doable without them, but definitely worth the investment to have them available. I learned quite a bit from the lessons I watched. A sample from Lesson 8 can be viewed below.

After mastering First Form Latin, the student will have a solid grasp on the six indicative active tenses of the first two verb conjugations, five noun declensions, first and second declension adjectives, and 185 vocabulary words. After completing the series, which also includes Second Form Latin, Third Form Latin, and Fourth Form Latin, a student will have completed all of Latin grammar. First Form Latin alone is equivalent to one year of high school foreign language.

While the program states it is for beginning students grades 5 and up (or younger if they've completed Latina Christiana), I felt the bar was set pretty high and many students in the younger range would not be ready for the program. It is a solid study of Latin, and students need to be prepared for the discipline and memorization to be successful. I didn't feel my particular 7th grader, whom struggles in the language area, was anywhere near ready. My advanced 9th grader, on the other hand, would have been ready for this program at 5th or 6th grade. At this point, now in her fourth year of high school Latin and second year of Latin literature study, is beyond the material. Since she is now our "resident Latin expert" (and I am definitely not), I had her review the program with me and give her opinion.

She felt the program is very thorough and covers the amount of grammar similar to her first year of high school Latin. However, in her opinion, there is too much emphasis on charts and memorization, and not enough of seeing the language in action. This is a bit different from the teaching approach to which she is accustomed (a blend of immersion and memorization, with a heavy dose of history and side projects thrown in) and not as suitable to her learning style. A student that likes a very systematic and textbook format will likely find the approach of First Form Latin more appealing. As far as the DVDs, she found the instructor presented accurate teaching, was engaging, and looked a bit like Peter Parker from Spiderman. :) So, not only do you have a thorough and well-organized Latin program, you get to enjoy an engaging presentation of the material from a superhero look-alike as well!

Overall, I liked the looks of this program. If learning Latin is part of your homeschool goals, First Form Latin is certainly worth checking out. I recommend that you explore the sample pages and DVD lesson segment to gauge whether you and your student are ready for this level of study, as well as if the style suits your needs. You may also want to read the reviews of other TOS Crew members that used the program with their new Latin learners.

First Form Latin is available from Memoria Press in two different packages. The first package includes all the teacher and student texts, plus the Pronunciation CD, for $55. You may also purchase the material of the first package, plus flashcards and the DVDs for $115. Visit the Memoria Press website for information on First Form Latin and other programs for a Christian classical education.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

I've Gone to the Dark Side

2011-11-03T06:02:00.011-04:00

At least, that is how it feels. I just completed registration for my daughter to take a class at the local high school.

In Michigan, homeschoolers can register for electives at the local school. In fact, many schools want homeschoolers to do so, as it means extra funding for them. However, I usually don't recommend homeschoolers do this, because most often the hassle outweighs any gain. Sure, a free art class would be nice, but there is no guarantee of the quality and the daily schedule isn't very favorable either (as opposed to a once-a-week extended art time taught by an exceptional teacher hand-picked by me). That is still my position - in most cases, at least.

However, my daughter is now signed up for 2nd hour choir, starting second semester. For us, it really isn't about the choir class, nor any other class she might have taken. I have other reasons, and I believe they are very good ones, with some unique circumstances. I'll share my reasons another time, because this situation required special permission with benefits beyond a choir class, and I want to be sure everything goes as it should first. While I'm not looking forward to the required strict morning routine that it will impose every day (bleh!), I think it will be worth it in the end.

To be clear, I'm not exactly the type that goes around spouting that public school is evil and bad and homeschooling is pure and good. Public school hasn't been the choice for my kids up until this point, but each family needs to make that decision on what is right for them. It isn't us vs. them or one perfect education decision. Everyone has a choice in the matter, and should have one without criticism.

The problem is, my choice for the last 9 1/2 years has been homeschooling. It has not gone without sacrifices and determination, and there is a lot of identity that goes with that. Granted, we are still considered homeschoolers in our state and it *is* just one class. And if it doesn't work as intended, we'll just go back to how things were. I still have complete control over my daughter's education, and that is my goal in my homeschooling decision. However, it still feels a bit...strange...and like I've gone to the "other side".

I'd love to hear from my readers...if you came across an "ideal" school situation/opportunity (whether part-time or full-time), would you take it? By "ideal" I mean one where your student would enjoy and thrive, was financially and/or academically beneficial, and left you with all the control cards? Would you give a try? Or, would you pass it by regardless because of your homeschooling principles or ideas?

I think this will make for an interesting discussion! However, I don't want a debate. Please share your thoughts and opinions respectfully.

Review: Excellence in Literature (Everyday Education)

2011-11-02T01:18:00.001-04:00

Having a student in the household who just requested "more Shakespeare, please" reinforces that I need to find and provide quality literature programs in our homeschool. Unfortunately, my less-than-stellar high school experience required very little reading of quality literature. In fact, I don't even remember any of the classics being required in my high school courses (Sad, isn't it?). Since I pursued an engineering degree, I didn't have many literature requirements in college either. All this means that I really need a guide to help me with my Shakespeare-requesting student!

After I heard a fellow homeschooler rave about Excellence in Literature, authored by Janice Campbell, I was very excited to learn that I would have the opportunity to review it. Intended for grades 8-12, there are 5 levels available in the series: Introduction to Literature, Literature and Composition, American Literature, British Literature, and World Literature. I received the first, Introduction to Literature (English 1), in the e-book format to review.

Excellence in Literature is a self-directed literature study course written to the student. Each level, which has nine 4-week units, has the same format and includes the following:

Introduction
Overview and Objectives for Excellence in Literature
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Read A Book
Discerning Worldview Through Literary Periods
***Units 1-9 compose the bulk of the book, providing guidance for weekly lessons.
Honors
Formats and Models
Approach Paper Format
Historical Approach Paper Format
Author Profile Format
Literature Summary Format
Sample Poetry Analysis
What an MLA Formatted Essay Looks Like
Excellence in Literature Evaluation Rubric
Excellence in Literature Evaluation Rubric for IEW Students
Glossary
Selected Resources

Each unit is structured similarly. It is centered around a focus text (a full-length novel, play, or poem) and includes context works to round out the study. The context works include supplemental readings, biographies, poetry, audio resources, videos, art, and music. In addition, a suggested honors text is given for those students needing an extra challenge.

Students are given a weekly schedule. Each unit is similar with the first two weeks spent reading the focus text and context works, and writing "approach papers" (these aren't really full papers, but an assignment designed to prep the student for writing an essay), the third week starting a 500-750 essay, and the fourth week editing and revising. A rubric is given to assist in evaluating and critiquing assignments.

A free sample unit from English I (Introduction to Literature) is available if you would like to see exactly how each unit is structured. You can also view a 5-year book list that includes all the focus and honors text for all 5 levels. If you are curious on how the texts were selected, read Janice Campbell's explanation, How I Chose Great Books for Excellence in Literature.

The daily workload for the program is estimated to be a minimum of an hour a day. I think this is highly dependent on the ability of the student. For example, while my 7th grader isn't anywhere near being ready for this program, my 9th grader felt the writing assignments to be a bit light and that 4 weeks was too long for one unit. However, my 9th grader has done similar studies already and is working several grades ahead. Because the levels progress in difficulty, I showed her samples from English III and IV, which are co-published with IEW, and she thought these looked to be a more appropriate level. It seemed the essay requirements were a bit more difficult, as were the works, even though the structure was length per unit was the same. Even so, English I covered works that she hadn't yet studied and would provide a great introduction to literature for those just starting out.

Much of this program was a fit for us. I loved the flexibility and self-directed approach of this program. The units can be mixed and matched. The providing of just a basic weekly schedule requires the student to self-plan just as they would in a college course. It is easy enough to add the honors track into the program if needed, and scaling the requirements back with shorter essays is feasible. Furthermore, many units give audio options of the focus text, which would be of benefit those students that might struggle because of learning challenges.

While it is suggested that students have their own copy of the focus text to encourage active reading, digital versions of many of the focus texts are available for free or inexpensively. Also, links are provided for most of the context works and there isn't a lot of digging around trying to find materials.

Lastly, being a fan of Institute of Excellence in Writing materials, I really appreciated that in addition to a standard rubric, there was also a rubric specifically for IEW users included.

There were a few things either I struggled with, or that may pose problems for others. I didn't care for the digital version and ended up printing the entire document. Since it is non-consumable, I think I'd prefer to just purchase the printed version. Being able to just click on links with the digital version is a bonus, though I encountered a couple that needed copied and pasted to work.

Either students using this program need to be independent, or the parent/writing mentor needs to fill in the gap and provide some guidance and structure. For one of my students, the self-directed approach is perfect. For my other student, I would have to work more closely on the day-to-day tasks with a goal of future self-planning.

Lastly, though a rubric is provided, evaluation of the final assignments may be difficult for parents that aren't confident writers themselves. In this case, it would be beneficial to seek out someone that could provide writing evaluations. Janice Campbell has some suggested resources for evaluators, or a relative or another homeschooling parent could assist in this area.

Overall, this is a nicely done literature study and I would definitely consider a future purchase of other levels in the Excellence in Literature series. Each level is available from Everyday Education for $27 in e-book format, or $29 plus shipping in a printed coil-bound version. Or, all 5 levels can be purchased at once at a discounted $135 for an e-book or $139 plus shipping for a printed version.

See what others have to say about this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Registration for PhysicsQuest 2011: Spectra Heats Up!

2011-11-01T20:13:00.001-04:00

Each year I register our homeschool for the PhysicsQuest challenge. By doing so, we are sent a great science kit with supplies for several experiments, all provided free to educators (including homeschoolers).

I received an email today notifying me that registration for 2011 is now open. I've copied and pasted the notice below for those of you who also might want to register. Kits will arrive after the holidays, usually in February, if I remember correctly. Have fun!

PhysicsQuest 2011: Spectra Heats Up!

Sign up to receive a FREE PhysicsQuest kit. Students will do experiments relating to heat and temperature as they try and help Spectra solve the mystery of Tesla Junior High’s mysterious weather. Kits contain all the materials needed to do 4 fun and exciting physics experiments as well as a manual and comic book. As the students complete the activities they will be learning the physics they need to save the world, or at least Tesla Junior High. There are a limited number of kits so sign up now!

A few weeks into their second year at Tesla Junior High the gang realizes things are really changing, well, the temperature at least. Why is Lucy’s pool too hot to handle? Snowed in in the middle of September? No one can figure out what is going on. On top of all this physics confusion, Lucy is being harassed by the newest student at Tesla Junior High, Tiffany Maxwell. Could she be behind the odd things happening or is Lucy just blaming her because she is trying to steal her spot on the relay team? Is she just a typical “mean girl” or is there more to her than her well-manicured nails, high-heeled boots and a sharp tongue? Join Lucy Hene (aka Spectra) and her gang as they once again use their physics knowledge to save the world, or at least Tesla Junior High.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

2011-11-01T06:09:00.002-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

What first attracted me to The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird ($8.99; Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; April 18, 2011) was the fact that it is set in Scotland in the seventeenth century. My mother moved from Scotland when she was twenty-five, and I have been to several places in the book, so it was a “must read” for me.

The historical novel begins on the Isle of Bute on the west coast of Scotland. Scotland has a lot of isles, and many are rough, wind-swept places. The book contains a nice map of Scotland to help the reader visualize the action as the protagonist traverses the country. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair lives in a ramshackle cottage with her grouchy old maternal grandmother who scrapes out a living as the village midwife. When one of the babies she delivers dies, Granny is falsely denounced as a witch, and Maggie is swept up in the accusations as well. Like in the Salem Witch Trials in America, the two are sentenced to hang. Maggie escapes to the mainland and seeks out asylum with her paternal uncle, who is a Covenanter.

For those who may be unfamiliar with them, the Covenanters were Scottish Presbyterians who, in the mid-1600s, refused to swear allegiance to Catholic King Charles II of England as the head of the church. They signed covenants where they swore they would remain true to God as the head of their church. Maggie’s betrayer, a vixen by the name of Annie, follows her across the moors to Maggie’s uncle’s home, where Annie eventually betrays the Covenanters.

Though the book is fiction, it is based on historical fact and the author’s own family ancestry. Maggie’s uncle is based on a real person, Hugh Blair. In 1685, English soldiers threw 122 male and 45 female Covenanters into prison in Dunnottar Castle, including Hugh Blair. They were forced to endure deplorable conditions, packed so tightly that they were unable to sit down and even had to pay for water. Below is a photo of Dunnottar Castle I took while visiting there.

Here is a photo of the one window in the Whigs Vault, the prison where they were kept. The window faces a sharp cliff drop to the North Sea. The ocean spray and the rainy climate blow inside, forcing the prisoners to endure the elements as well as starvation and lack of space. Many of the Covenanters died standing up.

This book provides a lot of fodder for discussion, especially in the area of faith. How far are you willing to go in defense of your faith? Are you willing to endure torture and death? What if your death meant the likely death, from starvation, of your children because you weren’t there to harvest the crops and care for them? The characters in The Betrayal of Maggie Blair are faced with these decisions.

Maggie listens to the famous preacher James Renwick, and thinks on her life as he preaches: “Was it Christ who had rescued me from the gallows and the fire? Or just Tam? [her surrogate grandfather] I knew that I wasn’t pure enough – that I had never been good or faithful enough – to deserve that Christ himself would make such an effort to rescue me. I could believe much more easily in Tam’s love and his delight in making mischief.....Nobody has ever loved me like that. But does Jesus? Is it really true?” This provides a good opportunity to discuss Grace.

The book also deals with moral dilemmas, such as is it ever acceptable to lie? What if you lie to protect an innocent man? What if, to protect yourself and your family, you lie and sign that the King is the head of the church when you really believe it is God? Is that a sin? Are you betraying the First Commandment? The Ninth? There are no easy answers, which makes the discussion edifying.

One of the great things about this book, though, is the fact that it doesn’t beat the reader over the head with these questions. They are woven naturally into the fabric of the story, so that it doesn’t sound pedantic. It would make a great book for a book club or a young adult mother-daughter read aloud. There are parts of the book that move slowly, such as when Maggie is traveling from one part of the country to another or pondering philosophical questions, which might bore impatient readers. However, there is enough action, fighting, and threat of death to keep the story moving along.

The book is well-suited to high schoolers or sophisticated 8^th graders. Aside from the aforementioned moral dilemmas, sin is also rampant in the form of adultery and abortion, as well as thievery, all of which are committed by the villain. These transgressions are not described in detail, and they do not detract from the overall respectability of the book. Still, you wouldn’t want to give the book to a 4^th grader. For the interesting setting, deep philosophical questions, unique historical period, historically-accurate content, and good dialogue and description, I give this book five stars (out of five).

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Giveaway! Lapbooking Supplies by Pear Educational Products

2011-10-31T00:46:00.002-04:00


Pear Educational Products

After giving the website a brand new look and adding some new products, Pear Educational Products is having a Grand Re-Opening! In celebration, I'm offering a giveaway package with a sampling of our lapbooking products.

One lucky winner will receive:

(1) Fold-Up Project Base

(1) Fold-Up Project Extended Base

(2) Project Base Adhesive Strips

(1) Blank Project Book, 6 x 8

(1) Blank Project Book, 9 1/2 x 11

(1) Blank Project Book, 12 x 12

Designed specifically for lapbooking, the supplies at Pear Educational Products have several features to make your final lapbooking and notebooking projects extra special.

The Fold-Up Project Bases come are made of heavy card stock and come as a 3 or 4 panel folder. Double scored folds allow you to stuff your lapbooks full of learning goodies and easily close flaps. Not only does the clean white background look nicer and give more options, but the working area is a much larger than standard manila folders.

The Project Base Adhesive Strips are our innovative solution for easy storage in a 3-ring binder. Strips come with mylar reinforced holes and a heavy-duty ahesive strip with peel-away backing. Simply peel and adhere to the back of your lapbook. Non-adhesive side can be colored or decorated to match your lapbook. No more using ugly duct tape for 3-ring binder storage!

Our spiral-bound Blank Project Books, also made of heavy cardstock, come in three different sizes. Our 9 1/2 x 11 and 12 x 12 books are made of 14 sheets, plus an additional page with a pocket on the front and back to store extra pieces. This is enough for 26 usable pages inside and a front and back cover to customize. Our 6 x 8 book is 16 sheets - enough for a front and back cover and 30 usable pages to fill with memorable learning material. This smaller size is great for younger children. On all of our books, the spiral is larger than a standard notebook, allowing for expansion of the overall thickness when items are added to pages.

Giveaway Entry Information!

There are numerous ways to enter. Be sure to leave a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner!

Mandatory Entry: Visit Pear Educational Products and tell me which is your favorite product (lapbooking or otherwise).

For additional entries (leave a comment for each).

Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Twitter, or Facebook. Please specify which in your comments (3 entries each…please leave 3 comments for each post!).
Like Pear Educational Products on Facebook.
Follow Pear Educational Products on Twitter.
Follow the Pear Educational Products’ blog with GFC. (I've love for you to follow me here on Chatter, Clatter and Things that Matter as well, but the extra entry is to follow the Pear Educational Products specifically.)
Subscribe to Pear Educational Products’ blog via email.
Subscribe to Pear Educational Products’ blog via a reader.

This giveaway will end on November 18th at 6 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents ages 18 and up only, void where prohibited by law. Winner will be selected by a random number generator at random.org. No purchase necessary for entry. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be selected.

Review: Marshall Publishing (George Washington Carver DVD)

2011-10-30T00:44:00.002-04:00

Quick...what do monster trucks and George Washington Carver have in common?

Give up?

They are both topics covered on DVDs by Marshall Publishing!

You (or your kids) may already be familiar with some of Marshall Publishing's AS SEEN ON TV product lines covering topics such as jets, trains, fire trucks, and yes, monster trucks. What you may not realize, however, is that Marshall Publishing also has a number of award-winning historical and educational DVDs. Of these, I received George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work for review.

Recommended for grades 8-12, this 30-minute DVD covers George Washington Carver's life from his beginnings in slavery through his final years at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The story of Carver, with his perseverance and insatiable appetite for knowledge, is sure to be inspirational to all who view this DVD.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work begins with quotes of Carver while various still pictures and short clips are shown. This style continues through-out the DVD, with the narrator taking the viewer through the various periods and accomplishments of Carver's extraordinary life.

My 7th grade son and 9th grade daughter both watched the DVD. My son briefly studied George Washington Carver about 6 months ago, and thought the DVD was a great review with some new information, too. My daughter, who is currently studying U.S. history, said it was informative and interesting, but the found the accompanying visual presentation just ok. While definitely not boring, it isn't a presentation with a lot of flash. Even if this isn't your student's style, the narration is quite good and enough to maintain interest alone. I personally found the photography, clips, and musical score to be a nice compliment to, while not detracting from, the narration. A study guide with discussion questions is also available at the website under the product description. This documentary style and approach, however, probably won't appeal to younger kids. While the DVD is recommended for grades 8-12, I'd say that kids as young as 4th or 5th grade would probably enjoy learning about George Washington Carver in this format.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work is the type of educational resource that I would hope to see on the shelves of my local library. It would be a nice addition to a homeschool co-op library or a personal library as well. Be sure to visit the Marshall Publishing website for more educational titles.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work is regularly priced at $24.94, but is currently available for a web sale price for $19.95. If you use coupon code TOSC1, you will also receive an additional 15% off this title. And while you are at it, add a DVD to learn about monster trucks to your shopping cart, too!

Read more reviews of this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Say Anything (North Star Games)

2011-10-26T21:16:00.000-04:00

When our family sits down to play a board game, it is usually a spur of the moment thing. Often that moment is late in the evening, which rules out long strategy games or games with complicated rules and directions. We also have some variances in ages and interests, so the selected game needs to be broad enough to appeal to all. Sometimes it is a bit difficult to find a game that fits that criteria. One that does, however, is Say Anything Family Edition by North Star Games. Last year I reviewed Wits and Wagers, also by North Star Games, which was a hit with our family. I was curious how Say Anything Family Edition would fit with our family.

The game is very easy to learn how to play. It only took me a minute to explain the rules to the other players. Each person is given a Answer Card, a Dry Erase Pen, and two colored Player Tokens. Players take turns being the Judge, who is given a SELECT-O-MATIC 6000 (a small cardboard selector with a pointer) and question cards. The Judge reads a question from a card, and the other players write an answer and put it in the middle of the table. Answers should be written with the opinion of the Judge in mind.

Once all answers are down, the Judge selects his or her favorite answer on the SELECT-O-MATIC 6000, keeping it from view. Then, before revealing the selected answer, the other players place their tokens on the answer card that they think the Judge selected. Players do not need to play their token on their own answer nor do both tokens need to be placed on the same card. Once the tokens are placed, the Judge then reveals his selection. Points are awarded to those who placed tokens on the selected answer, to the person who wrote the answer, and to the Judge for tokens placed on the answer selected. After each person has had a turn playing Judge twice, the game is over. The winner is the person with the most points. Simple, eh?

While I definitely appreciated the simplicity, I didn’t realize how fun this game would be until we actually played it. Much of this has to do with the very serious and thought provoking questions provided, such as:

Which superhero outfit looks the most uncomfortable?

What would make the worst stuffing for a mattress?

What would be the best monster to be?

There are other questions that could be interpreted more seriously, such as,

What company would I most want to work for?

Who was the most important person in history?

What makes people happy?

However, my family somehow managed to come up with silly or unique answers even for these types of questions, which entirely added to the fun.

Also, a bit of knowledge about the other players is not only helpful in coming up with an answer that appeals to the Judge, but also can cause a race to get a particular answer first because the rules state that there can’t be duplicates. For example, the question below came up while my daughter was Judge.

Which celebrity least deserves to be a celebrity?

Knowing my daughter despises Justin Beiber, my son and I had a race to get his name written down on the answer card and placed on the table. My son won the race, but then my husband came in with the answer my daughter actually selected (Lindsay Lohan), making us both groan at our loss.

The thing about this game is there are no wrong answers or any real strategy involved, other than trying to come up with an answer that appeals to the Judge. It is a game meant to get conversations and laughs going, while learning about the deepest thoughts of the other players. (While my son's answer of "jet packs" for the technology I'd most want was certainly appealing, I had to go for the "cleaning robot" *wink*.)

While knowing the other players well gives opponents the ability to customize silly or serious answers for the Judge, I also think Say Anything Family Edition would be a great game to act as a great ice breaker and get to know others a bit better. I’m tempted to bring it to our next Mom’s Night Out and see what sort of crazy things come up.

Overall, Say Anything Family Edition is a great game that is easy to learn, can be played by a variety of people at once, and is just plain fun.

Say Anything Family Edition is recommended for ages 8 and up and for 3-6 players. It retails for $19.99 and can be purchased at local and online retailers. To learn more about this game and others by North Star Games, as well as find a store near you, please visit the North Star Games website.

See what others have to say about this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Running Out of Time

2011-10-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

Have you ever dreamed of living in another time? As a kid, I used to watch “Little House on the Prairie” on TV and wish I could be Laura Ingalls. Who am I kidding? I still do. The idea of living in a “simpler” time, one where people lived on the land, self-sufficient, has always appealed to me.

That’s why Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 1, 1997; $5.99) was so attractive to me. The premise of the book is fascinating. Thirteen-year-old Jessie lives with her family on a frontier village in Clifton, Indiana in 1840....or so she thinks. When children start suffering from diphtheria, her mother secretly reveals that they actually live in 1996, and the village is a tourist site. The tourists watch the villagers through one-way mirrors and cameras placed strategically around the village, and Jessie must escape to find help to prevent children from dying.

How would a child who had lived her whole life in 1840 adjust to 1996? It was a fascinating idea. The first half of this science fiction novel is definitely intriguing. It forces the reader to view the modern world in a whole new way. Modern toilets are amazing compared to outhouses. Telephones, radios, and TV are strange. I remember my mother telling me once that when TV first came out, my grandma was standing in the living room alone, changing her clothes in front of the fire. When the TV anchorman came on and started talking, she jumped and rushed to cover herself. Then she laughed as she realized he couldn’t see her!

As the book progresses, however, it takes a turn toward the dark side. (Spoiler alert! I give away the rest of the plot in this paragraph.) A man who unleashes the diphtheria on the village as a science experiment is trying to kill Jessie. Meanwhile, Jessie navigates modern-day Indianapolis and holds a press conference to draw attention to the children’s plight. She saves the day for most of the children (a handful of the children die), but ends up in the hospital with diphtheria herself and separated from her family. Meanwhile, all of the remaining village children are removed from their parents’ care and placed into foster care. The father ends up in psychotherapy and the village is broken up.

While I greatly enjoyed the first half of this book, I was disturbed by the conclusion. Haddix may have thought that no other ending would be plausible, but I think the ending would scare many kids. To introduce the concept of being forcefully separated from one’s parents by the government would frighten some less sophisticated readers. Moreover, if you are a homesteader, you might want to avoid this book, as by the end, it portrays people who live a back-to-the-land old-fashioned lifestyle as “kooks.” Overall, I would give the book three stars (out of five), with a warning.

The book states it is for readers 8 – 12 years old, but I would say it is geared toward the top of that spectrum, since there is the threat of murder, drugs (the villain tries to tranquilize Jessie with a sedative in her water), dying children, and encounters with social services. Though all of these themes are gently touched upon, they are touched upon nonetheless.

These dark elements reinforce my desire to live in an earlier time. But I am reminded when we tent camp how immensely grateful I am to the men who invented indoor plumbing.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

My New Car Bling

2011-10-24T10:15:00.001-04:00

After three weeks of less-than-exciting classroom time and 6 hours of driving practice with a very patient instructor, my daughter is heading to the Secretary of State to get her Level 1 license this afternoon. After the first two hours of instructional drive time, students are issued a pink slip to drive with a parent, so we've already experienced a few outings with her behind the wheel. Our first trip was to karate class, when her little brother discovered another use for his sparring helmet. It was quite the adventurous ride.

If you spot a cute, short blonde behind the wheel with slightly nervous passengers, I'd appreciate your kindness and sympathy. The last thing either of us needs is an impatient, tailgating driver behind us. So, much to my daughter's embarrassment, I've decided to announce our situation by adding a little bling to my car. Michigan roads, here we come!

http://studentdrivermagneticsigns.com/

Kid Review: Raising Dragons (Dragons in Our Midst, Book 1)

2011-10-20T07:00:00.003-04:00

I'd like to welcome a guest blogger today, my 12-year-old son, as he shares his opinion on a book he's recently read.

Everyone knows about dragons, huge beasts that can breathe fire. I never got interested in dragons until I read the book Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis*. This book is about two kids named Billy and Bonnie that find out that they’re dragons. They also discovered that dragon slayers, who swore an oath to the round table, are trying to kill them.

What I liked about the book is it has a lot of commotion and conflict. It also has some Biblical references about dragons. There are also some verses and some Bibles woven into the story. For example, they were illegally smuggling Bibles into another country. Another example is Billy’s parents brought out their family Bible to show Billy verses. What I didn’t like is that the main characters got hurt almost every other chapter. It was very repetitive. I also didn’t like that the slayers thought that they were the Knights of the Round Table.

Overall I give this book a four out of five stars and I think that grades sixth though ninth would like it because it has a lot of action. I wouldn’t recommend it to little kids because of the violence.

*Affiliate link

Review: E-Mealz

2011-10-19T02:16:00.000-04:00

Each time I sit down to meal plan, I print off a blank calendar for the month, and write in some standard meals, e.g. tacos, hamburgers, and spaghetti. Then I pull out my recipe books, review clipped favorites or recipes I’ve been wanting to try, and even surf recipe websites in an attempt to come up with enough interesting meals to fill in the rest of the days. It is quite the process that I often drag out over days, and I hate it. Absolutely hate it.

I’ve thought about planning weekly, but feel it is almost better to take my suffering all at one time rather than endure it four times a month. So, I continue to go on as normal and fantasize about having a personal chef to both plan and cook for me.

E-Mealz, which is recommended by financial guru Dave Ramsey, is a subscription service that provides a weekly meal plan and shopping list. The idea is that the service will save money in the long run by avoiding costly dinners out and planning meals around store sales. There are twenty-eight different meal plans are available. A list of meal plan options and samples are available here. The weekly plan includes ingredients and instructions for one meal a day, with suggested side dishes.

How it works is fairly simply. Subscribers select a meal plan that suits their family. Once a week, a new plan is available on the website for download and/or printing. The entire plan is two pages, with the recipes on one page, and the shopping list on the other.

E-Mealz isn’t a perfect system. A perfect system would be that personal chef that works for free. However, unlike my other options, E-Mealz is fairly practical.

What I liked:

Easy recipes – There are no overly complicated recipes. Older kids could easily take over some of the cooking!
Catagorized shopping list – Grocery items are listed in five categories: Deli/Produce, Meats, Dairy/Refrigerated, Frozen, and Canned/Bottled/Packaged.
Meals specified on grocery list – Next to each item is a number that signifies the recipe that requires that ingredient. This makes tweaking recipes or accounting for items on-hand very easy.
List of staples – At the bottom of the list are all the staples needed for each recipe. I often forget to check my supply on staples and get in a bind come preparation time.
Variety – New meals are provided each week. Some recipes are cycled again, but only about every 5-6 months.
Ease of use – Nothing complicated here. Simply print and go.

This Poppy Seed Chicken dinner from the Any-Store meal plan was a hit with my daughter.

What I disliked:

Easy recipes – Yes, this was also in the “like” list. However, sometimes the recipes were too easy. One “recipe” was simply a purchase of precooked ribs from the deli with a can of beans and frozen french fries.
Finding a plan – It was hard to tell if you’d like a plan from the sample menus. I was not happy with my first plan and switched after several weeks. Subscribers are allowed to change plans one time during a 3-month subscription.
Needing to substitute – My family can be picky, and I definitely had to substitute some meals every week.
I didn’t save on grocery expenses – I didn’t find a great cost savings. Many of the items were convenience or packaged items. Also, when I shop sales, I purchase sale items in mass quantity and stock up my pantry for maximum savings. This program isn’t designed to save that way.
I would have preferred that my meal plan arrived via email rather than needing to go to the site to retrieve it.

Despite some of the cons, I liked E-Mealz quite a bit. Yes, I had to substitute or tweak some meals, but it was easy enough to replace with an old stand by or leave out ingredients. With the grocery list items labeled with the corresponding recipe, it was quick to cross off items no longer needed when substitutions were made. And the time and fussing it saved…oh, my. One week was particularly busy and I desperately needed to get groceries, but with no real time plan. I grabbed the E-Mealz plan, quickly did a few tweaks, and headed to the grocery store while my son was at a sports practice. I had about an hour in the store to accomplish my shopping and did so easily. While E-Mealz didn’t save me a lot on actual grocery cost, it did save me time and sanity, both valuable things!


Simple Chicken Kabobs

I’m not sure that I would use a subscription service like E-Mealz indefinitely or exclusively, but I can definitely see using it to avoid cooking ruts, to help during very busy seasons, or to act as a starting plan to tweak. Sometimes I just need reminders of other simple recipes to use, rather than get stuck in the taco/hamburgers/spaghetti rut. At $5/month (purchased as a 3-month subscription at $15), even if I only put part of the plan to use, it is worth it to me. Plus, if I opt to not use the plan for that week, I can always download the plan and save it for another week and/or use the recipes that look promising from the unused week as substitutions for another. I plan to put E-Mealz on my Christmas list to extend my review subscription. There isn’t much I need as far as things, but I certainly could use some more time!

To learn more or to purchase a subscription, visit the E-Mealz website.

See what others have to say about this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Small Steps

2011-10-18T07:02:00.001-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

“I never thought it would happen to me” begins the book Small Steps. Isn’t that the way it always goes? We never think we’ll have to deal with illness, tragedy, or hardship in our lives. But unless you live your life in a bubble, at some point, “it” does happen to you. And then what...? It is what happens next that separates the wheat from the chaff. Will you take on the role of victim or victor?

Peg Kehret, author of Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio (Albert Whitman & Company, January 2006; $10.85), chooses to be the victor. This superb autobiography describes how Kehret survives and, eventually thrives, despite becoming almost-fatally infected with polio at twelve years old.

In the fall of 1949, Kehret contracts polio, and ends up quarantined in the hospital for months. It is a story of compassion, triumphing over adversity, and finding joy in everyday experiences, as Kehret moves from hospital to hospital, meeting other polio-stricken children and caregivers on her rehabilitation journey.

The book is written chronologically, with few flashbacks, which makes it easy to read, even for reluctant readers. While there is some difficult vocabulary as it relates to polio, all of it is explained in everyday language. The book is ideal for students in grades 4^th through 9^th, though younger advanced readers may be able to read it as well, as long as parents don’t mind having youngsters tackling the concepts of paralysis and the threat of death. If you have a student who is interested in medicine, she will love this book.

This autobiography brings to life our country’s not-so-distant past when it was not uncommon for children to die before reaching adulthood. I remember my grandmother talking about polio, and how every afternoon she had forced my father and the neighborhood children to take a nap in her living room. She was proud that none of them contracted polio and attributed it to strengthened immune systems from her daily nap ritual. Small Steps reminds readers of the miracles of modern medicine and the fragility of human life.

The book includes black-and-white photos of Kehret, her roommates, doctors, and polio researchers, as well as back matter describing polio and efforts to eradicate it, resulting in Jonas Salk’s vaccine. I highly recommend Small Steps and rate it five stars (out of five). Kehret becomes stronger through her trials and is an inspiration to all of us who have had “it” happen.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Review: Principles of Marketing (Professor in a Box)

2011-10-12T09:39:00.003-04:00

Does your student desire to have a career in business, or aspire to own a business one day? If so, basic marketing knowledge will be valuable in working toward his or her goals. Professor in a Box has recently released Principles in Marketing, a college-level marketing course for high school students with an interest in business. Students completing this course will also be prepared for the CLEP Principles of Marketing Exam.

Suitable for any high school level student with basic reading and math skills, there are no prerequisites for this course. In Principles in Marketing, Dr. Julie Pirsch, Ph.D. covers 19 chapters of typical introductory marketing material in 28 lessons. The course can be completed in a semester with 2 lessons a week, a standard college pace, or in 28 weeks at 1 lesson a week. The lectures are presented as flash lectures, in 1-2 parts, with 10-20 slides each. The students are presented with audio of the professor that correlates with the self-advancing slides. Each lecture is approximately 30 minutes long. You are able to sample Chapter 1 in its entirely to get a feel for the style of the instructor and presentation.

I felt the content and delivery of instructor was fairly typical of a first year college-level marketing course (and I’ve had a handful of marketing courses in my day for good comparison). The instructor was easy to listen to and follow. While I would caution that if your student isn’t ready for a lecture style presentation, you might want to wait a bit for the course, it is also a great exposure to a formal lecture style course that students might see the first year of college.

This is a completely independent course and extremely easy to use. There is no textbook to read and students simply watch the lecture, spend some time reviewing the lesson’s concepts, investigate online resources by chapter, and take the quiz. Each lesson has a multiple-choice quiz, which takes about 15 minutes to complete; there are also 3 exams for the course.

I can’t say my daughter loved the course, but she felt the presentation and method were fine and it would certainly be manageable to carry through to the end of the course. Given that it is an introductory course on a topic that is much more exciting when studied at higher levels, I wasn’t exactly surprised she didn’t die of excitement over the course. One of the very reasons to take such a course that prepares for the CLEP is so that you can test out of it for college and move on to the more exciting material!

She mentioned that she liked that you could watch lectures whenever you wanted, unlike the numerous live online classes she’s taken. From this I gathered that she felt the course lectures had a class feel, rather than learning from a book, or watching a course on DVD.

It would have been nice if the quizzes and exams had some sort of record keeping ability. The student is told whether an answer is correct or incorrect when each individual answer when submitted, then given a overall grade at the end. Then the student has the option to go over the quiz and review selections and answers. However, once exited, a record of those answers are not kept; the student needs to record the score before leaving the quiz. There is a positive that the quizzes and exams can be taken over and over for review without evidence of previous answers.

At first I wasn’t sure about the lack of a textbook and I was worried about the course being thorough enough. This was an unfounded concern. Then it occurred to me that I never actually read much of my marketing textbook in college, mostly because the material was covered again in the lecture. Rather than Principles of Marketing lacking with a lecture-only format, it is simply efficient.

Overall, efficient - and thorough - is how I would describe Professor in a Box’s Principles of Marketing. It gets the job done as an introduction to marketing and preparation for the CLEP exam. Principles of Marketing is available from Professor in the Box for $119.99. If you aren’t happy with the program after working through the first 3 chapters, it comes with a full money back guarantee. Professor in a Box also sells a Financial Accounting course that may be of interested to your future entrepreneurs.

See what others have to say about this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Sneak Peeks from K.E. Weeks: The Seamstress

2011-10-11T07:02:00.001-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

While the pain of every survivor is individual and personal, many Holocaust memoirs relate similar tales and situations. The Seamstress by Sara Tuvel Bernstein with Louise Loots Thornton and Marlene Bernstein Samuels (Berkley Trade, 1999, $10.88) is different. First, it covers more of the author’s life than most memoirs, including her childhood and adulthood long after surviving World War II. The reader is able to see the contrasts of her life before and after the war, as well as how the war changed the trajectory of her life.

Secondly, Seren Tuvel is a Jewish girl from Romania, a part of Europe that is rarely discussed in Holocaust memoirs, though it was equally touched by the war. Seren, who is a teen when the war begins, uses her talents as a seamstress and her cleverness to stay alive from her time in her home village near the Carpathian Mountains to Bucharest to Budapest and, eventually, to the women’s work camp Ravenbruck in Germany, near Berlin. The book would provide a good starting point for a study of European geography.

Lastly, this story is one of hope and determination. It is inspiring to see how one woman’s sheer willpower kept her and her companions alive despite starvation and deplorable conditions. Berenstein tells her story in a straightforward, practical manner, without hatred or bitterness.
The only criticism I have of the book is that time is not more clearly marked for the reader. It would have been helpful if every chapter would have started with the month and year of that portion of the narrative to give the reader a reference point.

The book includes several black and white photographs, scattered throughout, which is nice. Berenstein’s co-author and the president of the World Jewish Congress provide two introductions and Berenstein’s daughter pens an afterward. These can be confusing and might be better read after completing reading the main narrative. There are two maps included: Europe in 1923 and again in 1942. It is an enlightening comparison!

While the book was voted one of the American Library Association’s “Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults,” this book is not for children. It contains brutal violence, death, and suffering. Although the violent scenes are not described in a vivid manner nor dwelled upon, I would discourage parents from giving it to any child under 14. It is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it for a mature high school student or an adult.

I would include The Seamstress among my all-time favorite books (and I have read a lot, so this is high praise). I give it five stars (out of five). Tuvel teaches by example: “Always be prepared, always plan ahead, anticipate, be ready, don’t depend on anyone but yourself, be inconspicuous, be observant, and always stay alert.” Good advice in a dangerous world.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Can You See Your Brain When You Do That?

2011-10-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

My daughter started Driver's Ed last week (which has brought up numerous feelings of feeling old, but that is a different blog post...) and has gotten a little taste of your typical high school classroom. The kids are unengaged, with glazed-over eyes, and really don't want to be there. I get the impression that the same applies to the teacher as well. While this is typical (I don't remember having an overly engaging Driver's Ed teacher, do you?), it is a newer experience for her. She doesn't want to be there either and basically has the attitude of putting her time in so she can get that Level 1 license.

While I have heard lots of murmurs of dissatisfaction on the situation from her, the main theme has been comments about homeschooling in the classroom. The very first class the instructor asked who *didn't* attend the local high school just next door. Only my daughter and one other homeschooler raised their hands. When he asked where they attended and they replied that they were homeschoolers, he sighed and rolled his eyes. Nice, eh? Originally, I gave him the benefit of the doubt since when telling the story, my daughter said she and her friend replied with a "We are both homeschooled," precisely *in unison*, and I thought that prompted the eyeroll.

However, there have been multiple comments since, like the story of how the instructor knew a homeschooled student that was only "homeschooled" so she could babysit her younger siblings, or the homeschooler who worked at Wendy's all day. Seriously? My daughter exerted great will power and held her tongue, which at times isn't as restrained! On another occasion, even another student got in on the 'tude about homeschoolers and made a comment under her breath.

The most recent comment was on Thursday when the instructor said, "Well, you all enjoy your homework this weekend...except you two. You don't have homework." It was about all my daughter could take, and she replied with exasperation,

"Just because we don't go to the same school doesn't mean we don't *do* school!"

The assumption that she had no schoolwork over the weekend was entirely laughable. Her current studies include all honors, AP, and college courses.

My daughter now talks of creating a community awareness program where she goes into the public schools and gives presentations about who homeschoolers really are. Ok, she's not really serious, but it is a fun fantasy. Can you tell I have a justice seeker in my house? If the comments continue, I'm afraid there might be an impromptu presentation right there in Driver's Ed!

It is a shame that homeschoolers have to continuously battle stereotypes wherever they go. Whether or not a student is homeschooled is entirely irrelevant in Driver's Ed. I'd just like to say to the instructor, "Can you see your brain when you do that? If so, I suggest you use it!"

Review: A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers

2011-10-08T18:54:00.000-04:00

I sometimes get caught in a rut and focus only on the 3 R’s, neglecting topics that may fall in the fine arts or other area. Making way in the schedule to study something that doesn’t fall within the basic skill set needed as an adult is sometimes difficult, especially if your student is struggling with things like writing a decent paragraph or other necessary skills. After all, some may reason that writing skills as an adult are more important than knowing whether Bach was from the Baroque or the Classical period. If only there were unlimited hours in the day with which to learn! My other obstacle is *my* time. Not only am I often lacking knowledge in such areas, I don’t have time to put something together. Those homeschool moms that “just put together a study” on whatever subject you’ve always wanted to know more about, happily scouring the internet, creating timelines from scratch, and creating thought-provoking questions and activities always awe me and make me want to send my deprived kids to their house!

I realized I didn’t have to after receiving A Young Scholar’s Guide to the Composers by Bright Ideas Press. This program is a study of music for homeschoolers, regardless of previous knowledge of the subject. Everything is done for the busy (and intimidated) homeschooling mom. Furthermore, each lesson is completed over a short days three days a week.

A Young’s Scholar’s Guide to the Composers includes 32 weekly lessons covering 6 periods of music and 26 composer biographies. The first few lessons cover give an overview of the Ancient through Baroque periods. Once a broad understanding of the early periods is obtained, focus on particular composers starts with Lesson 4 and the Baroque period. The composer lessons are grouped and studied according to the period.

This program is intended for grades 4-8, but is very adaptable. In fact, while I used it with my 7th grade son, I already have some materials on my shelves that would be a wonderful supplement to make it a comprehensive high school course for credit for my high school daughter. The Appendix also makes many suggestions for resources to explore, including books, CDs, DVDs, and websites, as well as gives ideas for games and folderbooks (simplified lapbooks).

The schedule is very easy to follow and not overly involved in preparation. The suggested schedule is:

Day 1: read-aloud, note-taking or student review, listen to music (links provided). The student pages are all provided. The lesson/read-aloud takes about 15 minutes to read. Students can also read this to themselves.

Day 2: timeline, map work, and composer info card, listen to music again. All of the prep work is done for you. This is hands-on work and mostly involves highlighting lines, drawing a line from a picture to a map location, and using provided graphics and prompts to complete informational cards.

Day 3: listen to music selections again.

As noted, links to music selections for each lesson are provided, along with questions and things to which particular attention should be paid for each piece.

The music selections, graphics, timeline and map printouts, glossary, answer key, and other supplemental resources are all provided in the Appendix. While I see this is a very organized way to do things (e.g. all composer graphics together), I would have preferred to have some of it right within the lesson. The lesson portion includes the reading and the student or note-taking pages. The schedule information and hands-on instructions and printables are located elsewhere.

For the map work, students draw a color-coded line, which correlates to certain periods, from the composer to the country.

We’ve never done a study like this and I was pleasantly surprised at how much my son seemed to enjoy it. I had him complete the note-taking pages while I was reading, which helped him maintain focus on the material. I thought he might not want to listen to the selections, since they are much different from his preferred music, but this was not at all the case.

For the hands-on component, we decided to use a blank spiral book, that will keep all of the composer information, in one place rather than individual folders. I was shocked at how into the cutting, pasting, and deciding on the design he was. Truly shocked. I am heavily considering more hands-on work in his studies.

We reduced the size of the timeline and map so they would fit on one page. Composer cards are kept in a pocket on the opposite page. Terms, designs, mini-books and more are planned to fill in the pages. At the end of the study, the completed notebook will be a great review and memory of the study.

Overall, I thought A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers was very nicely done and made this normally stick-to-the-3Rs mom want to branch out a bit. It just took a snippet of our week and was extremely easy to execute with everything at my finger tips. My son has really enjoyed this study, and I have too.

A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers is available from Timberdoodle. Visit their website or request a free homeschool catalog to browse other products.

Disclaimer: As a part of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team. I was provided this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

The It-Takes-A-Village Carpool

2011-10-05T06:58:00.002-04:00

I love carpools. It makes no sense for several busy homeschooling moms to all be driving to the same location if it isn't necessary. My kids are actually able to participate in more activities because of carpool arrangements. Carpools save gas, they save time, and they save sanity.

But it is a sure sign that we moms can overschedule when even the carpools can get a bit crazy. Below is a true happening. Real names are not used in order to protect the ~~insanely self-inflicted over-scheduled~~ innocent.

Mom A,Child A
Mom B, Child B1, Child B2
Mom C, Child C1, Child C2
Mom D, Child D

Mom A is scheduled for a football carpool required to get Child A and Child B1 to practice. However, Mom A would really like to go to a special dinner event, and asks Mom B if she wouldn't mind switching carpool days with her.

Mom B is quite willing to switch, however, Child B2 has a special evening activity and if Mom B drives to football, Child B2 won't have a ride. So, Mom B asked Mom C, whose Child C2 is attending the same event, if she doesn't mind picking up Child B2 for her event, so she can take Child B1 and Child A to football practice, so Mom A can go to her dinner.

Mom C certainly doesn't mind picking up Child B2. However, in order to do so and not make both Child B2 and Child C2 late for the event, she needs to make sure that Mom D can drive Child C1, who needs to attend a play rehearsal with Child D. If Mom D can, Mom C can then pick up Child B2 and take her to her event with Child C2, so Mom B can take Child B1 and Child A to football practice, so Mom A can attend her dinner.

Luckily, Mom D can drive, so Mom A can go to her dinner. That means that all will go smoothly among the four moms and six children all needing to be at four different events at the same time. Whew. All is well and another evening of carpooling has been accomplished.

Hillary Clinton has it wrong. I don't need a village to raise them; I just need a village to get them to their activities!

Review and Giveaway: My Memories Suite

2011-10-04T22:49:00.001-04:00

Can I just start this review off by saying that I am not a scrapbooker so you know from where I'm coming? I do like the concept, and have even tried it a time or two. However, there are a few things that get in my way. The cutting. The pasting. Actually having printed photographs.

Ever since I went digital with my photographs, I rarely get them printed. If I do, it is for a particular purpose (e.g. the annual framing of photos for grandparents at Christmas), rather than to put them in some sort of order for viewing. Instead, they remain on my computer's hard drive with good intentions. I had heard of digital scrapbooking before, but really didn't think I had the level of creativity that would be needed, not to mention the time to get down the learning curve of the software. So, I left it at something that is a great idea - for other people.

When I was given the opportunity to review some new digital scrapbooking software, My Memories Suite, the wanna-be-scrapbooker in me took over. I really wanted to give it a try, fully recognizing that I might when all is said and done, I still think it is a great idea for others, but not me. This was new territory with an unknown outcome.

My Memories Suite is a downloaded product, though you can purchase a CD back-up if you'd like. The download and installation process went smoothly. When I opened up the program, it was pretty straight-forward and intuitive. This is a good thing, since I tend to not bother to read instruction manuals.

When creating a new file, users are given the option to select a template or create their own. I started off with the template option. There are over 30 templates already preloaded. Some of them have a theme already, others are more customizable with your own selection of background papers and colors. Of course, text, shapes, and embellishments, and can be added as well. Even video, music, and narration can be added to the pages for a more interactive scrapbook. Additional pages, templates, and embellisments can be purchased from My Memories, and there is also a selection of free products to download.

I think I fared pretty well. The only real problem I had was finding some of the items I downloaded from the site. They landed in areas and files of the program I didn't expect, and it took a bit of hunting around at first. I didn't make a full scrapbook, but I did make some single pages. I have to admit, it was much easier than I anticipated. I've tried creating similar items in graphics programs in the past and more often than not ended up frustrated.

My first attempt was a page that showed off the various birthday cake creations of my husband's mom. This took no time at all. I simply pulled the pictures into the template, selected a festive background, and added a bit of text that matched the colors of the background.

After seeing how the basics worked, I decided to play around a bit more and opted to create my own page, rather than use a template. This time I created a display page for some of the lapbooking products available from our family business. Sizing, moving, rotating, and framing the pictures was a breeze. After a textured background, some flower embellishments, and text, I was done. When this is an 8 1/2 x 11 as intended, the text is more readable.

One thing I've attempted before on a graphics program is a simple photo composite. I've needed to do these in the past for my daughter for theater opportunities. Though I've managed, it has never been as easy as the one below. This one was a template. I just selected three photos and a background. I did adjust the size of two of the photo areas so it didn't crop as much from the original.

My last project was more like a traditional scrapbook page and documented my son's last birthday celebration. I got "fancy" on this one by adding and positioning/rotating some embellishments.

I imagine there is a lot more that can be done with this program, but I didn't think the above was too bad for a first try. Check out the Page Gallery on the My Memories website for better ideas of what can be done. Wow! There are some great pages to see there. I'm looking forward to playing around some more, especially with the interactive features, like adding video and audio to the pages, or creating a complete themed scrapbook.

There are a variety of ways to share your creation, including exporting it as a jpeg file, getting it printed as an album, printing on your own printer, or burning to a DVD. You can easily share with friends and family or make a special scrapbook as a gift.

Overall, I liked My Memories Suite quite a bit and can now see a place for digital scrapbooking, even for me. The program was fairly intuitive, and I liked that the products that you can download (either purchased or free) can also be used in other graphics programs. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, finding some of those products was a challenge at first, but I figured it out soon enough. Also, I couldn't find a way to make the pages a size that wasn't standard (e.g. 8 1/2 x 11, 12 x 12, or 8 x 8). There may be a way to do this, but it wasn't obvious. Regardless, I can do this type of scrapbooking. No cutting, no pasting, and no printed photographs required!

Now, I have two bonuses for all of my readers. I have a coupon code that will give you a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!). Please enter code STMMMS53515 to get your discount.

Secondly, I have a giveaway for one lucky winner who will receive a code to download the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software, a $39.97 value, for FREE!

Giveaway Closed! Congrats to the winner, Sarah, comment #8.

There are numerous ways to enter. Be sure to leave a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner!

Mandatory entry:

Visit www.MyMemories.com and click "free kits" in the navigation bar. Leave me a comment letting me know your favorite.

For additional entries (leave a comment for each):

Follow My Memories via their blog, Facebook, or Twitter. One entry for each.
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.
Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook (this is a brand new page and needs a little love!)
Follow Chatter and Clatter on Twitter
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on October 21st at 6 p.m. EST and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclaimer: I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation, though the given coupon code is part of an affiliation program. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Among the Hidden and the Shadow Children Series

2011-10-04T07:02:00.003-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

Can you imagine what life would be like if you had to hide your whole life in one room? What if you could never go outside, never see the sun? What if your family couldn’t even mention your existence outside of your home? Luke Garner lives such a life. He is an illegal “third child.” Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000; $6.99) explores the idea of life after droughts and famines when, to ensure there is enough food for all, the Government outlaws anyone from having a third child.

The novel’s premise is not so far-fetched, as adults will recognize China’s “one child” policy in the pages. This provides plenty of discussion fodder for parents and students. Who has the “right” to live? Does the Government have the “right” to dictate such intimate choices to families? How would you ration food if it were scarce?

Among the Hidden is a compelling, page-turning science fiction novel about twelve-year-old Luke’s experiences on his family farm when the Government forces the family to sell their woods and the Government builds fancy houses for the rich, called Barons. But everything changes for Luke when he spies another illegal third child in the new Baron house next door.

Among the Hidden is well-suited to 4^th – 7^th graders, though older reluctant readers would like it, too. The language and story are easy-to-follow. I would give the book four stars (out of five). The book reminds me of The Giver by Lois Lowry and the series that followed. Among the Hidden is not quite as good as Lowry’s book, but if your child liked The Giver, he will like this as well.
The series continues in the following titles. Like most sequels, though, the serial books are not as good as the first title. However, for Shadow Children series fans, they do hold readers’ interest. Overall, they are unpredictable and action-packed.

Among the Imposters – The series continues with Luke’s story as he goes to Hendrick’s boarding school, which has strange happenings and no windows. In the woods, Luke discovers other illegal third children. Four stars.

Among the Betrayed – The point-of-view in the series shifts now to Nina, an illegal third child introduced in the previous book. This takes the reader to Population Police Headquarters and introduces three new characters: Alia, Percy, and Matthias, who are in jail on suspicion of being illegal third children. This is the weakest book of the series, as the danger is only perceived as being real by the protagonist, not by the reader, who knows the villain in this book is really a good guy. Two stars.

Among the Barons – The series shifts back to Luke, who has taken on the identity of Lee Grant, a Baron child who was killed in a suspicious skiing accident. Luke lives among the Grants and their servants, trying to determine who is friend and who is foe. While this book will be well-received by those who like the Shadow Children series, it isn’t the best one in the bunch. Three stars.

Among the Brave – The point-of-view in the series shifts again to Trey, Luke’s close friend from Hendricks, who is thrust into the role of an unlikely hero. It also brings Luke’s brother Mark in as a more major character. It is set in the new Population Police headquarters and surrounding work camps. Even though the adults come off as inept and cowardly, this is one of the best books because Trey is likeable and grows as a person throughout the book. Four stars.

Among the Enemy – Matthias, one of the characters from the third book, takes over the narrative here. After the coup in the last book, Matthias ends up at the Population Police’s new headquarters in the Grants’ old house. He saves a Population Police officer’s life, and ends up as a favored “son” of the commander. Although the ending is a bit far-fetched, as is the fact that every crucial character lives within walking distance, it’s intriguing overall. It is a grittier book, with more death and danger, as Matthias’ life has been a hard one. It is a book about questioning one’s values and loyalties, with a lot of references to God. It’s another strong addition to the series. Four stars.

Among the Free – The series concludes by returning to Luke’s point-of-view. However, Luke appears to have changed a lot in the interim. He is less confident, more defeated, and running scared. The book confronts a lot of interesting concepts about freedom and choices. What does it mean to be free? How can freedom with its wealth of choices be scary? It also confronts the possibility of trading one totalitarian regime for another. The concluding book wraps up loose ends well, though, in the case of Nina, Matthias, Trey, and the rebel adults, a little too neatly. It foreshadows the characters’ futures and is a satisfactory ending. Four stars.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Review: Visual Latin

2011-10-03T20:50:00.002-04:00

Latin is a subject that I always felt was beneficial to learn because it is not only the gateway to other foreign languages, but to English as well. However, I've always been intimidated by teaching it. Thankfully, there are many programs out there with plenty of teacher support and DVD lessons, even for the completely Latin-challenged homeschool mom. I've reviewed some of these in the past, and while many of them were decent programs, I haven't found one that was a fit for my youngest *right now* for a variety of reasons. The end result is that I have several programs on my shelves waiting for a potential fit in the future, with a lack of Latin studies in the present.

When I had the opportunity from Timberdoodle, a provider of homeschool curriculum, to review Visual Latin, my first thought was that the readiness for Latin in my student simply wasn't there and perhaps I should pass it up. However, Visual Latin is a new program and the sample videos looked very interesting. Furthermore, this one for sure wouldn't end up taking space on my shelves because it is a download (DVD versions are also available).

Visual Latin is taught by Dwane Thomas, who has been teaching Latin for 15 years. I'll share more on the instructor later. Two levels, Latin 1 and Latin 2, are available. For this review, I received Lessons 1-10 of Latin 1 in the download format. Visual Latin is a self-paced course and can be adaptable for a variety of ages and learning pace. The recommended age is 9 and up, and is designed for a pace of 20 lessons per semester, or 2 lessons per week. No additional texts are needed, though there are recommendations and suggestions of texts to use with the program to count it as 2 high school credits. By itself, Latin 1 could be counted for 1/2 high school credit, and Latin 2 for another 1/2 credit.

The structure of the program is very simple. Each level has 30 lessons, purchased either 10 at a time or as a complete set at once. Each lesson is broken down into three parts - Grammar, Sentences, and Reading - with a separate video for each. There is one worksheet to complete after each lesson part.

Below is an introductory video by the instructor that explains the approach of Visual Latin and also gives you a feel for the instructor's style.

Much to my surprise, my reluctant student did not balk when it came time for Latin studies. In fact, I actually heard him refer to various things from his lessons outside of the time spent on it. He started in with an attitude of "Latin is hard", yet gained confidence the more he was in the program. I believe there are several contributing factors to this for our particular student.

The lessons are presented in small bites. The video for each part is anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes, perfect for those that tend to have limited attention spans.

Similarly, the worksheets are one page for each part. I had my son complete the worksheet immediately after watching the video while the content of the lesson was still fresh in his mind. He wasn't overwhelmed by the writing requirements or length of the worksheets.Furthermore, clear answer sheets are provided for mom.

Dwane Thomas has a quirky sense of humor and lots of energy. He is definitely not a stuffy Latin teacher. Stuffy Latin teachers wouldn't dare comment on being a Ninja or use a Snuffleupagus as part of the lesson!

Similarly, Dwane Thomas does not present himself as the perfect teacher. He makes mistakes and casually corrects them, sometimes poking fun of himself. This is great if you have a perfectionist at home.

Students start reading Latin very early and there are no dreaded charts to memorize. This gives a sense of early success in the program.

The video sessions alleviate the requirement of teaching for intimidated moms. In the case of the downloads, they are also extremely portable for watching at home or away.

My son preferred to watch on his iPod, even at home.

The worksheets aren't lengthy and reference charts are provided in the working space.

In the words of my son, "He was really funny, which is why I liked it so much." This program has a ton of wiggly boy appeal. It's efficient. It's funny. It's portable.

You can purchase Visual Latin DVDs from Timberdoodle. At the moment, they don't carry the download version, but if you can't wait to get this program, you can purchase the instant Visual Latin download version directly from Visual Latin.

Disclaimer: As a part of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team. I was provided this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Who Knew I Could Be So Cool?

2011-09-29T15:23:00.001-04:00

I'm earning a lot of bonus points with youngest lately. First, it was my utterly impressive and unexpected cartwheel, next it is an awesome garage sale find.

I used to garage sale a lot years ago. My kids were clothed in garage sale finds, fed food fixed with garage sale appliances, and sat their tushes on garage sale chairs. What can I say? I'm thrifty. I really don't garage sale that much anymore. I can't find clothes to fit them or to their liking, I have all the appliances I need and then some, and our house is filled. On occasion though, I will take a detour when I see a garage sale sign. I usually don't buy much, but still like to check them out on occasion.

Today on the way home from a class, I spotted a sign. It was a huge sign and had *balloons*. I'm a sucker for balloons. One child groaned as I drove by the turn to our house. My younger still tolerates garage sales, so merely inquired. When we arrived, my son walked to the table of kid stuff (my groaning child stayed in the car) and walked away. I took a peek at the same table and spotted *it*, my tool to become the. coolest. mom. ever. I couldn't believe that my son didn't spot it. He usually has unexplained super powers to sniff these things out.

Anyhow, *I* spotted *it* and that is what matters. *It* is a completely unused Lego Mindstorm robotics kit. It is an older one, but we already have the new one and this one has different parts (even better!). What, dear son, you don't have your money with you? Why, your awesome mom just happens to have $20, the super low asking price (these sell on eBay for $80 plus shipping), that you can borrow.

You see that face? That face has "I have a super cool mom" written all over it!

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Wildthorn

2011-09-27T08:32:00.002-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

I don’t believe in banning books because then the question becomes not which books to ban, but who gets to decide. However, I do believe that some books should carry warning labels or movie-like ratings (e.g., “R” or “Graphic Content”) so that readers can better decide for themselves which books to read or discard. Wildthorn by Jane England (Houghton-Mifflin Books for Children, 2010; $12.48) is one of these books.

Wildthorn is an historical fiction young adult novel, set in England in 1840, about a young woman who is put into an insane asylum by her family. She is completely sane, and this is simply a plot to get her inheritance and prevent her from disgracing the family. (She wants to become a doctor, which is a shameful profession for noble women at that time.) The author was inspired by true stories of women who were incarcerated in asylums in the nineteenth century. This part of the book is well-written and full of interesting plot twists. The escape from the asylum is a bit too easy, but for the most part, the book is realistic and compelling.

Here's where it gets dicey. The book cover says, "Treachery locks her away. Love is the key." What the cover or book jacket doesn’t tell you or hint at anywhere is that the "love" is a lesbian affair with her female nurse. I've had lesbian friends, so I'm not completely aghast at homosexuality among adults (Is it sinful? Yes, but we're all sinners, right?). What bothers me about this book is that it is written for teens and it describes in detail several trysts with women. I considered including an excerpt to demonstrate my point, but decided I didn’t want unsuspecting eyes to read it. Instead, to give you a sense of the affairs, I’ll just say that scenes include disrobing, beds, touching, and kissing. You get the idea.

If the book jacket hinted or clearly stated that this "love" was with another woman, then a parent or teen could opt out of reading this novel. Moreover, the reader doesn’t discover the protagonist’s sexual tendencies until half-way through the book, which means a teen might read to the end, just to see how it turns out (I did). Why do authors feel the need to put sexual ideas into teens’ heads that they never had before?

What irritates me most about this book is the feeling of being ambushed by the author. I felt that by not hinting at the nature of the protagonist’s love affair somewhere on the book jacket, the author had broken a bond of trust between author and reader. Overall, I would give the book three stars (out of five), with a strong warning. While the book is well-written, the broken trust left me cold.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

Review: Aletheia Writing Magazine

2011-09-27T01:44:00.000-04:00

My daughter has loved to write since she was a very little girl. Even before she could write, she was crafting stories and sharing them verbally. While some interests come and go, writing has been a true passion. I am always looking for ways that serve as an outlet for that passion, and for opportunities to learn and share. Reading the works of others of a similar outlook and position is certainly inspiring and having a written piece published for others to read is the ultimate encouragement and validation. Read on if you have a teen writer needing inspiration and encouragement.

Aletheia Writing Magazine is a quarterly publication comprised of literary and artistic works of Christian teens ages 13-19. I received both a print copy of Altetheia Writing Magazine and a digital copy of a previous issue for review.

Aletheia Writing Magazine takes teen writers, and their need to have a place for expression, seriously. You won't find watered-down and cutesy works or features. Among the pages of stories, poems, and artwork, each issue also offers a variety of features, included a Writer's Challenge, the Featured Contributor, a book review, Glory to God for the Beauty of Nature, Ancient Ink, interviews, and more.

Regardless of the style of the story or poem, the magazine does have one particular requirement for publication, and that is that all pieces must contribute a final message of hope. The website's explanation is as follows:

This is what differentiates Christians from the rest of the world- they have hope. They have hope that Jesus is truly who He says He is, and that He has conquered sin and death and all of the darkness of this world and opened up the gates of Paradise for humanity. So, even admist the struggle, the hope needs to shine through.

What we're not looking for: sentimentalism, apologetics, legalism, preachiness, plainness, recreations of biblical stories or events, themes that focus on drugs/alcohol, stories or poems that end in hopeless situations.

While some of the published works are more obviously Christian pieces, others are more general expressions of a teen's thoughts on life. While I found quite a bit of variety in the pieces, I did find that all followed the above criteria.

My daughter is currently a subscriber to another literary (secular) magazine that targets teens, and Aletheia reminded us both quite a bit of it in terms of the target audience and the variety of pieces. However, there are a few distinctions worth noting. First of all, my daughter has mentioned in the past that some of the pieces in the other magazine have been outside of her liking as far as content, even venturing into the area of strange and bizarre. The stories in Aletheia Writing were refreshing in that in addition to Christian works, they had much more positive themes in general. Secondly, she felt that the quality and tone of the writings in Aletheia Writing Magazine were deeper and of a different quality and focus. Aletheia's target seems to be older teens and has a more serious tone than other literary magazines for kids that we've seen in the past. For us, this is a very positive difference and I intend to add Aletheia to our subscription list as a result.

Overall, I think Aletheia is an excellent resource for any teen interested in writing, illustrating, and artistic pursuits. You can check out a sample issue for yourself to see if you agree.

Aletheia Writing Magazine is approximately 40 pages each issue and is published four times a year. Subscriptions are available for $26/year in the United States and $29/year in Canada. You can subscribe though the website, as well as get writing tips, read reviews, submit pieces, and more.

Want to see what others think about this product? Visit the official TOS Crew blog to read more reviews on Aletheia Writing Magazine.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Tri-Cross (Games for Competitors)

2011-09-25T22:35:00.000-04:00

What do you get when you combine the strategy of chess and the simplicity of checkers? Tri-Cross from Games for Competitors.

I was supplied with two editions of Tri-Cross for review. Both play the same and differ only in matters of storage and portability. The Tri-Cross Standard Edition, which includes a folded playing board and 20 playing pieces, is the typical style of a boxed board game.

The Tri-Cross Eco-Friendly Travel Edition has the same 20 playing pieces, but the playing board is cloth and folds into a smaller square. Everything fits conveniently in a drawstring cloth bag. This version is made of organic-cotton and non-toxic inks. The size of the board and bags were also reduced, making it both eco and travel friendly.

Tri-Cross is intended for 2-4 players, ages 10 and up. There are also several versions of play, from beginning to advanced. Players need to strategically move their pieces, which have different playing power, around the board challenging and jumping the pieces of others. In order to win, the player need to accomplish just one of two goals: jump all the pieces of the opposing player(s) or occupy the center square with any piece for four turns in a row. Below is a video explaining the most basic game (called the Face-Up Version).

If it seems simple to learn and play, it is because it is exactly that. We found the Face-Up Version of play to not be overly challenging. There is strategy involved, but it comes down to who can best place and play two critical pieces, the "tri-cross" and the "six". Since the "six" is the most powerful pieces on the board, but can be also be jumped by the "tri-cross", the otherwise weakest piece on the board, players need to pay special attention to both of these pieces and the board center. This version was a very quick game, though we only played with two people. I imagine it would have gotten more lively with additional players, introducing more critical pieces to watch for and challenge.

The Face-Up Version is intended more as a way to introduce how the game works and develop some basic strategy. Things get a bit more challenging with the Standard Version of play, where the pieces are initially placed face-down. Players not only have to remember the power of the face-down pieces until a challenge (when they are turned face-up for the remainder of the game), but they don't have knowledge of the power of their opponent's pieces before a challenge. There are three variations of the Standard Version, Guts, Reverse Guts, and Team Play, which differ on the beginning knowledge of the power of the pieces played on the board. You can see a video explaining the Standard Version of play and its variations here.

Tri-Cross develops many skills that we all desire in our children (and ourselves!), including logical thinking, cause and effect, predicting, interpreting outcomes, abstract thinking, memory and visualization. One of the more difficult things for my son, who tends to make quick decisions, was to anticipate the following moves. I saw his strategy improve as he learned from his mistakes. While Tri-Cross can be a simple game, as the strategy of the players increases and different variations are applied, it becomes more challenging.

I really appreciated the simplicity of learning how to play Tri-Cross. I dislike games that have numerous and complicated rules, requiring just as long to learn the game as it takes to play. Yet, the simple to learn doesn't mean simple strategy. We only played the game one-on-one, but once we started playing pieces face-down, I quickly realized how I needed to make better use of my brain ("Let's see...is this piece my "6" or this one? Oh - why is he moving that piece there? I wonder if he's going to challenge that piece over there. Uh oh...that is only a '3'. Perhaps I need to move it. ") Like chess, the game requires more strategy than luck, and I would suggest that players be more evenly paired in strategy skills. My son initially got frustrated that I was further along in the strategy, but as soon as I started to give him some pointers and guide his cause and effect thinking, he was able to win.

Overall, we enjoyed this game. It is simple, yet challenging, and it doesn't take forever to play. I can see why Tri-Cross has been referred to as the "new chess".

Both editions, in addition to a wood version, are available at the Games for Competitors website. While you are at the website, check out the About Us page that shares how the Tri-Cross was reintroduced after 20 years from its original debut (a great family story!). The Standard Edition sells for $24.95, and the Eco-Edition for $19.95.

Want to see what others think about this product? Visit the official TOS Crew blog to read more reviews on Tri-Cross.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review and Giveaway: The Shunning (DVD)

2011-09-23T22:48:00.002-04:00

I saw the trailer for The Shunning a while back as part of the previews for another family movie. It looked rather interesting and I made a mental note to keep an eye out for the movie. When I recently receive an opportunity to review it, I was thrilled.

The Shunning is based on the novel of the same name, which has sold more than 1 million copies and is authored by Beverly Lewis, a New York Times Bestselling author.

Before she succumbs to cancer, the dying wish of Laura Mayfield-Bennett is to be reunited with the daughter she never knew. Unfortunately, that daughter, Katie Lapp, is a member of the Amish order. Katie is about to be married, but uneasy about the path ahead. Now she discovers the secret her parents have kept from her: she's adopted.

The film is based on the celebrated first novel of the best-selling "The Heritage of Lancaster County" book series from author Beverly Lewis. Stars Danielle Panabaker &; Sherry Stringfield.

You can read more about this Hallmark Channel Original Movie at the official website for the movie. On this site you can also watch the original trailer that drew my attention as well as read about the cast, some of whom you may recognize (e.g. Sherry Springfield of ER).

I really enjoyed the movie and it would make a great selection for the family to watch together. I watched it one evening on my laptop with headphones, because my husband was listening to something on his iPod and I didn't want to disturb him. At the point when the main character, Katie, was shunned by her Amish community, my husband, who hadn't watched any of the movie until that point, became interested and started grilling me with questions to catch up to the previous half of the movie. Then, he continued to watch it with no sound until the ending. So, I guess you can say that it is interesting enough to hold the interest of someone coming in half-way, even with no sound! Since it was a late night viewing, I didn't have my kids watch with me, but I think my daughter in particular would really enjoy it. I haven't read the book, though it did want to make me seek the title out and give it read.

I will say that I did not like the ending, which is open-ended. It left me with too many questions about what exactly happened to the main character. I was still thinking about it the next day, which I suppose is the main point of having such an ending; the author wants you to ponder on it.

GIVEAWAY!
Closed: Congrats to comment #3, Dianna D.

I have one copy of The Shunning to giveaway to one lucky U.S. reader. See below for how you can enter. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you, should you be the winner.

Mandatory entry:

Leave a comment telling me your favorite family-friendly movie.

For additional entries (leave a comment for each):

Like The Shunning Movie on Facebook.
Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect
Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook (this is a brand new page and needs a little love!)
Follow Chatter and Clatter on Twitter
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on October 7th at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Review: Earth Book (AIMS Education Foundation)

2011-09-21T14:28:00.002-04:00

I hear and I forget,

I see and I remember,

I do and I understand.

-Chinese Proverb

The above Chinese proverb is on the very first page of the Earth Book from AIMS Education Foundation that I recently received for review.

AIMS, which stands for Activities Integrating Mathematics and Science, is a non-profit organization. It has been publishing hands-on instructional materials that build conceptual understanding in mathematics and science since its beginning in 1981 with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

The Earth Book, which is full of hands-on activities about our dynamic planet, is targeted toward grades 6-9. It is broken down into four sections:

Hydrosphere – the water on the Earth
Geosphere – the solid portion of the Earth
Atmosphere – the gaseous layer that surrounds the Earth
Interactions – the unequal heating of land and water and the resulting affects

There are almost 60 topics in all, with several activities each. Each topic has an overview for the instructor that covers the following: topic, key question, learning goal, guiding documents (state standards and benchmarks), math and science topics, integrated processes, materials, background information, key vocabulary, management, procedure, connecting learning, and extensions. It is obvious that a goal of AIMS is to make sure that the instructor thoroughly understands the purpose and goals of the activities.

Following the instructor section are several handouts for the students. The student pages always include one with Key Questions and Learning Goals, which covers the purpose of the activity, and another with Connecting Learning, which gives thought-provoking questions about the activity. Depending on the activity, graphs, diagrams, and other visuals are offered as support material. Many of the activities include “rubber band books”. Rubber band books are created by folding pages with important information on the topic and securing with a rubber band as binding. The books serve as a review for the students as well as a way for the students to share with others what they’ve learned. All of the handouts and student materials are available as PDF files on the included CD.

A 30-page sample of this title is available that explains the approach of the materials and provides the topic titled "Accounting for Water". Be sure to check it out to see how nicely these topics are covered.

Many of the activities are best done as a group and were designed for a classroom. However, most of the activities can be modified for a single student, which is the situation in my family. One of the topics my son selected was weathering, which included 8 activities to explore how processes can change the surface of the earth.

Most of the materials needed were easily found around the house, though this isn't always the case with all of the experiments and you may need to run to the local hardware or craft store. We selected those activities for which we already had supplied. The set up was very simple, though, a definite plus when doing experiments and hands-on projects.

What will happen to chalk when left overnight in vinegar? What about a marble?

If you put some soft clay in the freezer, what will it do to it? How is this like the earth?

Overall, I've found Earth Book to be full of excellent hands-on activities, with detailed supporting materials for the teacher. Aside from the materials, everything is provided, from charts and templates, to worksheets. It is very easy to use and the goal of the experiment - what is to be learned - is very clear. I really like the thought-provoking questions in the Connecting Learning section.

The set-up for some topics might be a little much for one student. For example, one set of activities required stations to be set up for a series of quick activities. This would be perfect for the classroom or a group, but with just one student at this level, I'd actually prefer one more involved activity over a series of simple ones. That said, those leading science clubs or co-op classes will likely love this book. This title would also appeal to families with several students in the same age/grade range. The content is presented in such a way that it would work with many grades, making multi-age grouping very feasible (and preferable, likely). A note, this title states it is for grades 6-9. I felt the upper range was a stretch and that the content and activities were within the middle school range, but not reaching into high school.

While I was exploring the book, I kept thinking how classroom teachers would love this! Coincidentally, while I was penning this review, a fellow homeschooler that had previously been a traditional classroom teacher saw me browsing the title and exclaimed, "I love AIMS! Everything is laid out for you. Oh wow...this is a newer title. I love this! I *want* this book!" I kept a close eye on it for the rest of the time (wink).

You really can't go wrong with a nearly 500-page book full of hands-on activities. My son enjoyed the ones we did, and there are plenty more waiting for us for future exploration. Maybe next time we'll invite some friends over to get the added benefit of group discussion, learning, and exploration!

The Earth Book can be purchased through the AIMS Education Foundation website for $49.95. While you are there, be sure to explore all the other resources that are offered. You may find some of these other products reviewed by other members of the TOS Crew at the official TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks: Black Radishes

2011-09-20T12:02:00.002-04:00

This feature is presented by guest blogger, K.E.Weeks.

I’d never even heard of black radishes before. Usually, I don’t care for the sharp taste of radishes. I look upon them as little more than pretty garnishes, cut into roses at the edge of plates of Japanese food. But, recently I’ve become curious about black radishes, which play a key role in the World War II historical young adult fiction novel by the same name, Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer (Delacorte Press, 2010). This is Meyer’s debut novel, and if it is representative of her work, I’m eager to read more.

The novel is based on her father’s experiences growing up as a French Jew during WWII. While protagonist Gustave Becker faces similar circumstances as Meyer’s father, the novel is not a memoire. The book opens in Paris, France in March 1940. Eleven-year-old Gustave Becker and his friends Jean-Paul and Marcel are on a scavenger hunt for the Jewish Boy Scouts. This typical childhood activity is interrupted by a French woman spitting on him, shouting, “Dirty Jews!” As Gustave runs home, he spies the words, “France for the French! Jews out of France!” scrawled on the street.
And so begins Gustave’s journey across France to escape the Nazi German occupation. Gustave and his family escape to Saint-Georges–Sur-Cher, a village which eventually becomes the demarcation line between occupied and unoccupied France. The book includes maps of France and Europe to help the reader picture the action.

The coming-of-age novel has an appropriate amount of danger and implied danger, but little violence, which makes it ideal for upper elementary and early middle school studies of WWII and the Holocaust. Oftentimes, realistic novels on WWII contain too much horror for youthful readers. This novel is the exception.

That is not to say that the novel is watered down or somehow “simple.” It isn’t. The book has a fairly complex plot and subplots, including anecdotes about the black market and the French Resistance. Moreover, the book isn’t overly predictable and is meticulously researched. Meyer weaves historical facts into the story with relative skill, such as the description of the chocolate manufacturer Menier family castle that straddles the demarcation line. What I like most about the book is the attention to small details which make the reader feel as though he is there, like the yellow postcards families are permitted to send across the demarcation line where they can circle “We are well/ill.”

In his dealings with Nazi soldiers, Gustave discovers they love to eat black radishes, salted, with their beer. This discovery helps him distract the soldiers as his father crosses the demarcation line with precious cargo.
Overall, I give this book five stars. And, while I’m not going to rush out and buy heirloom black radish seeds for next year’s garden, this book has sparked my curiosity enough that if I stumble upon black radishes in my travels in Europe or elsewhere, I would definitely try a slice.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this review is to guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. I have no connection with the author or publisher of this book. I am a home educator of two children, 11 and 14, with a keen interest in historical fiction for young adults.

New Blog Feature: Sneak Peeks with K.E. Weeks

2011-09-20T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to announce a new feature on Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter featuring guest blogger, K.E. Weeks.

K.E. Weeks is a very good friend of mine that loves to read young adult fiction. She was drawn to such titles originally because they typically have less objectionable material in them, but often have very interesting plots crafted by talented writers.

As a result, I've been the recipient of many great suggestions for titles for my tween and teen, as well as some titles I've been advised to avoid. Just because a book is in the young adult section of the library does not mean it is always safe to hand over to your teen.

What book lover doesn't desire to share her findings with others? My friend would love to share her findings with other parents, and will be regularly posting her thoughts on titles she's discovered in the young adult section of the library. Her goal is to help guide parents into selecting appropriate, significant, high-quality literature for their teens and tweens. And who knows...you might find a few excellent titles for yourself, too!

Do you Groupon?

2011-09-15T14:28:00.000-04:00

Heard of Groupon? Essentially, it works on the power of buying in numbers. An offer is made, and if so many get in on it, it becomes a live deal. You pay a certain discounted amount upfront, then get a coupon to claim.

I had seen info about Groupon a while and pretty much ignored it...until they offered a Groupon for Amazon. I don't remember the exact amount, something like pay $10 and get $20 worth of product. The amount of savings didn't matter much, since I buy from Amazon all. the. time. and it was a deal no matter the amount. I joined, got my Amazon coupon, and have been getting Groupon offers since. I've cashed in on a few, and have been mighty tempted with others. The nice thing is the Groupon offers are often for local areas, too. There have been quite a few for stores in little downtown area of my small town over the past year.

There is no fee to sign up. If you would like to check out Groupon, please click on the following link:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu15631893

Full disclosure! Yes, I could benefit. If you get in on a Groupon before September 28, I get a little bonus for a future Groupon on my own. It is a definite win-win, as I suspect you'll be thrilled with the offers that come through.

My Impressive Cartwheel

2011-09-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

My son came home from jump rope team practice last night a little bummed that he was one of the few that couldn't perform a cartwheel. One of the tricks team members need to learn for double dutch is to cartwheel into the rope jumping area. Of course, you need to be able to do cartwheel in the first place. I didn't anticipate not being able to perform a cartwheel was going to hold back my son in any interests at this point, but here we are, needing to teach him to do a cartwheel at 12.

I asked him to try one out for me to see what was going wrong. He was trying to bring his legs over at the same time, so I gave him some verbal tips on how to correct that. He still couldn't figure out. Since one of the best ways to teach someone is to show them, I said, "Here. Watch," and performed a cartwheel for him to see.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After my performance, my son exclaimed, "WOW! I didn't know you could do a cartwheel!" Huh! Who knew that a cartwheel would impress my 12-year-old son? I guess he thought his old mom didn't have any spunk left in her. If only I had known this sooner! I'm quickly running out of ways to impress him.

I just hope he doesn't come home from practice next week saying he needs to learn how to do a back flip. I'm not entirely sure I can pull that one off anymore without some serious injury!

First Day of School Jitters…for Mom!

2011-09-12T13:42:00.007-04:00

Just this weekend, some friends and I were reminiscing and discussing how incredibly fast our homeschooling journey has been. I had started our journey with these friends when our kids were all toddler and preschool age. At this point, we have all tweens and teens amongst us.

It was a timely conversation, given that my daughter started college today. No, she hasn’t graduated from our homeschool yet, but is an early dual-enrolled student. In fact, she’s starting her first year of high school and her first year of college! We found a (hopefully) ideal situation with a small private university that is just a couple miles from our family business. She rode in with Dad for her 3-hour 9 a.m. class, will do some school work on campus for a couple of hours, and then be picked up by Dad to help in the office for a bit before heading home with him after a long day.

This morning as they were heading out, it felt a bit like her first day of preschool. I was nervous that day, too!

Almost exactly 11 years ago on the first day of preschool.

She was branching out into new territory and new experiences. I remember giving her plenty of advice that first day heading into the world of 3 and 4-year-olds:

Pay attention to your teacher.
Play nice with the other students.
Be sure to act like a big girl!
Watch out for boys that might hit.

My advice really wasn’t all that different this morning. The class might be dull, so try to stay awake. Get along with your classmates and remember...this is a college class. I did have one slight variation on the last one:

Watch out for boys that might hit *on* you.

What can I say? I want her to blend, but am also a bit worried that she'll blend too much! I really wanted to write something like, "too young for you" across her forehead with a Sharpie marker, but she wasn't going for it. "My dad owns guns" and "I aspire to be a nun" were equally dismissed. Fine. A lecture will have to suffice.

There was another stark contrast. I remember we teased her the first day of preschool by pulling her into the parking lot, stopping the car, and saying, “Well, you have a great day!” pretending that we had no intentions of walking her up to the building and her classroom. Today we were teasing her that her dad was going to hold her hand and walk her to her classroom (smiles). Yep, she was just as mortified as her first day of preschool when she thought we wouldn't walk her in. Oh, and the fact that I had to text her after her class because she didn’t think to call her nervous mother to let her know how it went…well, a definite sign that the dependence of the preschool years is long gone. Sigh.

First day of college with breakfast on the run (and a side of 'tude!).

As you can see, she wasn’t thrilled with my insistence of documenting her first day of college. In fact, I think her response was something along the lines of, “There. You have your memory. Can you stop now?” Aww… I’m not sure if the sweet preschooler smile or the eyerolling teenager pose is more endearing. You just want to hug them and tousle their hair either way!

Growing up sure is hard…on the parents, that is! Have a great “first” day of school, honey!

Review: Civilize This! (Griddly Games)

2011-09-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Needing to inject your studies of cultures with a little fun? Griddly Games' recently released Civilize This! presents "cultural trivia with an adventurous twist."

Civilize This! covers topics and civilizations from three categories: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern. The card game with one die can be used as a stand alone game, or as an expansion pack of the Wise Alec Family Trivia Game. The play rules are very similar either way.

Each person rolls a die on his or her turn. Rather than numbers, the die has six different colors. Red indicates the player draws a card from the Ancient category, green is Medieval, and yellow is Modern. There is a purple side that prompts a draw from the Wise Alec card pile (explained below). The blue side of the die allows the player to pick which category and the orange side means his or her opponent can select. The bonus with the latter is that if the player answers correctly, double points are earned!

Each card has two levels of questions on a similar topic, earning 3 or 7 points, with the higher being the more difficult. The player can select which level question, or game rules can be structured such that players of certain ages get a certain level question. A winner is determined either by a predetermined point goal or time limit. There are no real hard and fast rules with this game and it is completely open to customization (you tweakers will be pleased!).

I played several rounds of this game with my son one afternoon while we were stuck upstairs for the day while some work was being done on our house downstairs. The age on the box says ages 8 and up. Don't let that deceive you...this 40-something had a hard time answering a lot of the questions. I made it a point to select only the 7-point questions so as to not have an adult advantage, but I think I should have stuck to the 3-point ones! A deal was made with my son that if he attempted the 7-point question and got it wrong, he could then take a stab at the 3-point question (my sneaky way of getting double the learning in). We played until the first person reached 50 points.

My son didn't feel at a disadvantage playing with his "wiser and older" mother, because I apparently really stink at trivia. So, what did my son learn, other than his mom will never appear on Jeopardy?

In New Zealand, Haka was a ritual traditionally performed before which kind of events? Answer: war (Modern, 7 pts)
What tool did the Ancient Egyptians use to measure the water level of the Nile? Answer: the Nilometer ~ of course! (Ancient, 7 pts)
During which century did the Aztecs settle Mexico? Answer: 13th (Medieval, 7 pts)
In Thailand, if the bus is full and a child and an adult get on, who will be offered the seat first? Answer: the child (Modern, 3 pts)
Where did the Ancient Hindo game of "Snakes and Ladders" come from? Answer: India (Ancient, 3 pts)
When Aztec people made small purchases, they used these beans as money. What were they? Answer: cacoa beans (Medieval, 3 pts)

Of course, all this learning is occasionally broken up by a request to do your favorite dance move (Wise Alec, 2 pts) or a disappointing point deduction for using your left hand to eat in India (Wise Alec, -2pts), giving the game some unexpected twists and turns.

We ended up playing several rounds. With about 50 cards in each category, and two questions on each, we didn't even put a dent into the questions. By the time we get through all the questions, I suspect we'll be ready for a refresher course on ones we've already covered!

Civilize This! was a lot more fun than I expected it to be, given it exposed my ignorance on various cultures. I like the flexibility it offers with the suggestions of optional ways to play and it is very portable to take on the go. This would be the perfect game to play when the kids needed a little break to mix things up in their studies, but you don't want their brain to go to mush for the day. Just adjust the time or point limit to fit the amount of time you have to play. The focus is on learning, but the Wise Alec cards throw a bit of extra fun into the game. When isn't humming a Mexican Mariachi tune fun? (and worth 3 pts to boot!)

Civilize This! is available at a variety of online retailers, and perhaps in a store near you! You can find where to buy this fun and educational game at the Griddly Games website. While you are there, be sure to check out some of the other game offerings.

Want to see what others think about this product? Visit the official TOS Crew blog to read more reviews on Civilize This! and a similar game, Nature Nuts.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

But I Don't Want to Be Like Betty!

2011-09-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

This is crazy; my email somehow got on the distribution list for AARP! Granted, I'm not necessarily young, but at 41, I'm hardly ready for AARP. Yet, I keep on getting emails with pleads to join AAPR so I can "live life to the fullest". Today's email suggested I could be "Be Like Betty"....Betty White, that is.

While I remember watching The Golden Girls in the 80s, I can't exactly remember aspiring to "be like Betty" as a tween. And guess what? I don't want to be her in my middle-aged years either. No offense to Betty White. I'm sure she's a nice person and all. A very, nice 89-year-old person.

But there are at lot of other people I'd like to be like. The fellow homeschooler that seems to have more hours in her day than the rest of us...how does she do it? Or the person in the church band that has a beautiful voice, very unlike my own voice that inspires others to cover their ears. Oh, and the disciplined jogger with the trim body that passes by my house every day. I wish I'd be that motivated. That very patient mom...yeah, I'd like to be like her, too.

I'm certainly not old enough to "Be Like Betty", so I have no idea how I even got into the sights of AARP. However, the good thing is, I don't need to pay $16/month and get a free travel bag to try to "be like" anyone. Aside from the beautiful voice, I pretty much have control at striving toward certain qualities "to be" like those I admire, and making those qualities of my own. At 41, I have many more years to practice on improving myself. Sorry, Betty and AARP.

A Long Past Due Visit

2011-08-30T19:59:00.001-04:00

We recently returned home from a trip to visit my folks in South Carolina. While I've never lived in S.C., my parents and brother have for about 20 years. We don't get to visit nearly often as we'd like, especially over the last couple of years with the economy limiting our travel quite a bit. The kids and I finally were able to head for a visit last week.

The rural area my folks live in is always a change of pace for my fast-moving kids. For starters, the only internet available in their home is dial-up! (Ok, that impacted me more than the kids!). They live in a log cabin home on 50 acres of wooded property with the Blue Ridge Mountains visible from the yard.

Grandma and Grandpa’s house is filled with lots of interesting critters, both in and out. The kids enjoyed playing with their three dogs, but they also visited with the two (domestic) rabbits, not to mention the lizards that are not common to our neck of the woods. Thankfully there were no scorpions or bats on this visit! My mom is also a fairly new beekeeper and they watched her collect honey one day.

Aside from the critters, there is just a lot of interesting “stuff”. Though I sometimes worry that my parents will one day appear on the show Hoarders, I have to admit that the décor in and around the house is quite interesting. It is impossible to take it all in at once. My mom is particularly a fan of the old and unusual. My daughter decided to borrow my camera one slow afternoon and “pretend to be creative” while she browsed Grandma’s things.

Some of Grandma’s “stuff” actually provided some entertainment, too!

After looking at a strange contraption in the guest bedroom for several days, my son finally asked my mom what it was. To imagine that this was the iPod of the olden days!

Of course, we didn’t stay around the house the whole time. We visited Caesars Head State Park on the mountains. On the way up, we stopped at this huge rock, which is decorated with graffiti. If you are brave enough to go to the very edge, you can see where people have rolled their junker cars off the edge. Might I add that *I* didn’t see any cars. Note how far back the photographer is standing. <grin>

If you use your imagination, you’ll see how the park got its name.

Do you see Caesar in the side of the mountain? It looks like he needs to shave his beard of greenery.

A favorite part of this park is the Devil’s Kitchen. It isn’t for the claustrophobic, but it does provide a nice shady spot away from the summer heat. Given that, I don't know how it got its name!

Another interesting site we visited was a small vacant lot in the middle of a residential area that my dad recently acquired in a tax auction. After his purchase, the county informed him that there is a slave cemetery located on the property. You would have never known if you weren’t told, but sure enough there is a small wooded section, about 50’ x 30’ that has plain upturned stones as markers throughout. Some of the stones were smaller than the others, and we wondered if these might mark the graves of children. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera on me. Visiting it brought up emotions of sadness. My folks were thinking of contacting a historical society to see if they might be interested in the property.

And lastly, the night before we returned, we were treated to a local theater performance of Shenandoah. My theater-loving kid especially enjoyed this.

We definitely had a very enjoyable visit and it reminded me that we need to do so more often. My kids talk on the phone to my folks quite a bit and they see them once or twice a year when they come to visit us when traveling this way. But, it isn’t quite the same as going to visit Grandma and Grandpa on their turf. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long before our next visit.

My Summer Summary in 30 Seconds

2011-08-22T11:03:00.001-04:00

I'm always blogging in my head, with very good intentions of actually sharing here, but in reality it doesn't always play out that way. Here is a list of titles of all those posts I *wanted* to write since the start of summer, but never made it to the keyboard.

Silvers and Golds (Congrats to both kids for bringing home 5 medals from the karate tournament!)
Exciting Beginnings (Oldest is starting high school *and* college this fall!)
Two Brown Belts are Living at My House (Congrats to youngest for moving up a color and to oldest for moving up a rank. Black belts here we come!)
Another Year of TOS Crew Reviews (I'm starting my 4th year!)
Fine - I'll Get You an Agent! (Oldest just won't let the acting thing go.)
Goodbye Clunker! (Hello brand new car!)
Jumpin' Allstars! (Congrats to youngest for making the jump rope team!)
Check Pear Educational Products! (There are now some wonderful reviews posted about our products. See the sidebar for links.)
True Friendship (Treasure those friendship where you can be real! They don't come by often.)
Do You Hear That Music? (Congrats to oldest for landing a part in her very first musical!)
Arrogant Teachers Suck (Seriously? Can we be a bit more professional? Is name-calling necessary?)
I'm on the Timberdoodle Team! (More reviews are coming your way!)
Life Ain't Fair, but Keep That Chin Up! (Hard lessons that it doesn't always matter how or what you do, sometimes justice doesn't prevail.)
Am I the Only One that Doesn't Like Small Groups? (And what to do if this is the heart of your church?)
I'm a Travelin' Gal (The kids and I are going to visit my folks in SC for the first time in a few years. Better yet, we're flying instead of making the 11 hour drive....haven't done that in over 10 years.)
Watch Out for Crazy Drivers (I just signed oldest up for driver's ed!)
Anyone Got $65,000? (Owning a business is never dull and mistakes, whether yours or not, cost money.)
News Flash! Oldest is Happy with Her New Math Program! (Finally, a math program that doesn't cause tears!)
Public School / Homeschool Partnerships (These new partnerships are likely coming your way. Make sure you understand what they are all about.)
Lapbook Product Giveaway Coming Soon! (Are you a lapbooker? Stay tuned!)
Homeschooling Mom vs. Legos (My homeschool room is now clean, ready for the start of school!)
I Know I'm a Misfit, but This is Ridiculous! (Vague for now, but it is a doozy.)

I hope to expand on some of these in the future, rather than just think them!

Review and Giveway: The Grace Card (DVD)

2011-08-19T22:37:00.001-04:00

I've been happy to see an increase in the production of family movies with a strong message over the last few years. There is entirely too much garbage out there for viewing and not enough quality films for the whole family. I had the recent opportunity to review THE GRACE CARD, which was released on DVD on August 16th. THE GRACE CARD is the first movie from Memphis-based Graceworks Pictures in conjunction with Calvary Pictures.

Everything can change in an instant … and take a lifetime to unravel. When Mac McDonald loses his son in an accident, the ensuing 17 years of bitterness and pain erodes his love for his family and leaves him angry with God … and just about everyone else. Mac’s rage stonewalls his career in the police department and makes for a combustible situation when he’s partnered with Sam Wright, a rising star on the force—who happens to be a part-time pastor and a loving family man.

Can they somehow join forces to help one another when it’s impossible for either of them to look past their differences—especially the most obvious one? Every day, we have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and heal deep wounds by extending and receiving God’s grace. Offer THE GRACE CARD … and never underestimate the power of God’s love.

The story line of this movie had a wonderful themes of forgiveness, redemption, and grace that were portrayed in ways that are very relevant to our culture today. It is rated PG-13 and does have some mature themes (drug use, violence, racism, death, bitterness), but still very appropriate for family viewing. The topics also leave plenty of room for discussion afterward. If you go to THE GRACE CARD website, you will also find ministry resources to use with a church study or Sunday school class. It is unfortunate that movies like THE GRACE CARD often lack in budget, which is all the more reason to continue to support them. They certainly make up for it with solid Christian themes for family movie viewing.

NOW CLOSED

Congrats to #75, c allen!!!
Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!

I have a copy of THE GRACE CARD to give to one lucky reader! See below for how you can enter. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you should you be the winner.

Mandatory entry:

Just leave me a comment! Simple!

For additional entries:

Like The Grace Card on Facebook.
Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect
Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook (this is a brand new page and needs a little love!)
Follow Chatter and Clatter on Twitter
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on Sept 2nd at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Giveaway! Grapevine Studies

2011-08-01T07:00:00.005-04:00

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to review a Bible study, titled Old Testament Overview, from Grapevine Studies. You can read that review here. Now, my readers have the opportunity to receive a copy of a new study on the life of Joseph. This title, for ages 7 and up, was just released.

Walk with Joseph as he goes from a prince in Canaan to slavery in Egypt and then to the courts of Pharaoh. Your students will enjoy this engaging Bible study!

Follow Joseph as he travels from the tents of Jacob to the house of Potiphar and eventually becomes second in command to Pharaoh. Watch to see how Joseph reacts to slavery and false accusations. See how God uses difficult circumstances in Joseph’s life to prepare him to save thousands of people, including those who mistreated him. Joseph’s story is one of betrayal, forgiveness, and restoration. Take a look at this fascinating Bible story today!

NOW CLOSED:
Congrats to Lynne@TDHGP, who posted the 34th comment. An email is on the way!

I am giving away an e-book copy of the student and teacher e-book, which retail for a total of $28.90. There are several ways to enter. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you should you be the winner.

Leave me a comment telling me your favorite Bible story (mandatory)

For additional entries:

Like Grapevine Studies on Facebook.
Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect
Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook (this is a brand new page and needs a little love!)
Follow Chatter and Clatter on Twitter
Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment). This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on August 12th at 6 p.m. EST and will be chosen by a random number generator.

If you'd like to purchase this title, which is currently on sale, you may do so at the Grapevine Studies website. While you are there, check out some of the other studies that will have your students "stick figuring through the Bible"! Use coupon code BLOG55 for 20% off of non-sale items!

Review: Keyboard Classroom

2011-07-24T23:30:00.004-04:00

I remember when I learned to type in high school, hunched over a typewriter with an instructor chanting keystrokes. It wasn’t exactly thrilling, but I now say it was the most useful skill I learned in high school.

Hardly anyone waits until high school to learn typing any more. It is too much of a necessary skill now to wait that long. My daughter learned at age 8 with a popular software program. I intended to use the same program for my son, but it just didn’t take off with him. After another software failure, I switched over to the old flip book style that reminded me more of how I learned to type. Unfortunately, it wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I especially wanted him to learn to type early because writing is difficult and tiring for him. However, while he can now type at 12, he just isn't as functional as I think he needs to be at this point.

While all of the programs we tried were somewhat successful, none were the best program for him. The software programs seemed to either have too many distracting games, or weren’t systematic enough. The flip-books were very systematic, but didn’t have any motivation tools and also required constant supervision from me. The end result was that my son could type, just not with the needed speed to get maximum benefit. He was pretty good about knowing the location of the keys, but his hands still floated around the keyboard, creating errors. As a 7th grader with increasing writing requirements, he really needs to be a more proficient typist.

When I was presented with the opportunity to review Keyboard Classroom, I was exited to see how it might work in our homeschool. Keyboard Classroom, which was developed over 20 years of research, is based on a timed fluency approach. The program takes a systematic approach, building muscle memory toward mastery.

There are five fluency levels: Finger Trainer, Typing Words, Home Stretch, Typing Sentences, and Capital Stretch. Each fluency is based on a 1-minute time limit. With passing levels closely monitored by the program and gradually increasing difficulty of skill levels, mastery is more easily achieved and ensured.

As the student progresses through the program, tokens are earned to play games. The users also increase in rank (Cadet – General) as they move up in levels, which gives the student a big picture of their progress.
A unique feature of this program is the finger guides that are affixed to your keyboard.

They are attached with Velcro, allowing you to remove them when desired. I was anxious to give the guides a try, since wandering hands were slowing down my son’s progress.

The video below explains more about the program and allows you to see it in action.

We all know that something can look great, until we try to implement it into our homeschool. I’m happy to say that we’ve had a lot of success Keyboard Classroom. It seems to have all the features we need that other programs we tried didn’t.

For starters, the finger guides immediately solved my son’s problem of his hands floating around keyboard and improved his accuracy and timing by not having to constantly look down at his hands.

While there are fun games in the program, the games are being used as reward and reinforcement, not the method of instruction. We’ve tried too many programs where either a focus on games was too distracting or the program was so dry by not having any games that it wasn’t motivating. Keyboard Classroom seems to hit the right balance of having students learn through systematic repetition, while earning tokens to play games.

For my distractible son, the 1-minute fluency exercises were perfect. The short exercises gave immediate feedback and clear goals (master 6 times before moving to the next level). The ranking system helped him see his overall progress so far, which is motivation to keep continuing. Earning tokens to play the games was also motivating, without the games becoming the primary focus.

There are a couple of things which you need to be made of aware before purchasing. The software can be purchased with a license of 1, 2, 3, 5, or 25. So, if you have more than one student needing to learn to type at the same time, make sure you buy accordingly. However, if you want to use the program for one student, then save the software to use with another child later, that is possible with licensing for just one. Just be aware that once you remove and add a username, that all work for the previous user will be lost. You should also be aware that in order to play the games, an internet connection is needed. The basic program will still run without internet, though.

Keyboard Classroom was designed with the student with learning differences in mind, but the methods used would be a benefit to any child learning to type. I’ve had my son practice his typing for 15-minutes a day and have been pleased with the results. While he has learned to type some over the course of everything we've tried previously, I think Keyboard Classroom has the repetition, independence, and motivation to finally get him where he really needs to be. It is definitely a program that we’ll continue to use.

Keyboard Classroom sells for $39.95 for a single license. Please visit the Keyboard Classroom website to learn more about the software or to make a purchase.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this product in exchange for my honest review.

Childless Staycation for Mom

2011-07-20T10:57:00.001-04:00

We haven't been able to afford the cash nor the time to take a family vacation for entirely too long, at least 4 or 5 years. However, each summer our kids do head off to camp, which provides a bit of a staycation for me. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to coordinate their camp schedules for the same week since they've started attending. They'd head off with different groups of friends and different camps, which would leave me a parent of one while the other was gone, but never completely off duty. Now, I will say, having only one child at home can be quite peaceful since there isn't another around to complain, bicker, or annoy. I must say, I think my son talks more in a week with his sister, who can be vocally domineering, absent, than he does all year. And my daughter, without her little bro hiding in corner ready to jump for a scare, is a bit more relaxed when he's off to camp, too. Even so, though I love my kids to pieces, it would be nice for this homeschooling mom to be able to ship them off at the same time just once.

This year we were able to pull it off! We drove my daughter to camp on Sunday and my son left on Tuesday.

Dd (right) and her pal outside of their cabin shortly after arrival.

Ds (in navy blue) and his buds by the bus that will take them to camp. I never worry about bullies with friends like this!

My daughter returns on Friday and my son on Monday. This allowed my son a couple of days home sisterless on the front end, and my daughter a couple of days brotherless on the back end. And the middle? The glorious middle? That means Mom, yours truly, gets to spend a few days childless for the first time in, well...I think the first time EVER.

So, how did I spend my first childless day? After dropping my son off, I have to admit that I turned on a court TV show and had an Oreo cookie. I rarely watch TV (and usually not such drivel), and especially don't during the day. My husband called it my "bonbon moment". Then, after a bit of time on the computer, I took a 2-hour nap (also unheard of). Now that I've gotten being a sloth out of the way, I hope to be a bit more productive in the next couple of days. Today I'm going for a much needed haircut and some time with a friend, also much needed. Tomorrow entails heading to the Dr. for a physical. Not exactly fun and relaxing, but well overdue. Some uninterrupted time with my husband is in order too. There will be a fair amount of just enjoying the QUIET that this house rarely experiences.

I know I'll miss my kids at some point. I'll miss my daughter's exuberant singing of show tunes and the sound of my son raking through bins of Legos in search of the perfect piece. Eventually the house will seem too quiet. Not yet, though. At the moment, it is perfectly silent, and I plan to enjoy it. We all need a vacation, even (especially) homeschool moms.