Crossbow Reading Rulers Review

October 21, 2012 2 Comments

When it comes to textbooks, keeping your place while reading and staying focused and alert can be a challenge for students of all ages. Whether a student struggles with significant visual or reading issues or not, eye strain when consuming information in any subject is a common problem.

Crossbow Education specializes in tools that address reading issues for anyone, and especially for those who struggle with dyslexia or other special needs. As part of the Old SchoolHouse Review Crew, I received a set of 10 colored Eye Level Reading Rulers that NerdGirl and I took for a month-long test drive.

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Box of I.D.E.As. Review

September 28, 2012 1 Comment

Did you know that the Great Wall of China was paid for by salt?

Neither did we until we had the opportunity to explore the Box of I.D.E.As. unit on salt. The Great Wall of China module and the Salt March module were just two of the fascinating activities that we enjoyed as we worked our way through this treasure chest of ideas.

A physical box product from Box of I.D.E.As. is a unit study-like package that contains 10 or more zip-locked bags (modules) that focus on one unique, particular topic such as Salt, The Number 11, WWII, Quilting, or Laundry, and there are many more to come!

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A Cry From Egypt Review

September 17, 2012 Leave a Comment

“Up until 3-ish reading A Cry in Egypt! Do not wake UP!” That pretty much says it all for this review. You can read the rest if you like, or you could save time and go buy the book right now.

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America in the 1880s Review

September 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

American history is full of fascinating events ranging from the pilgrims’ arrival to the Declaration of Independence, from the Civil War to the first moon landing and beyond. Taking time to pause and study a certain time period or event in depth can be a rewarding endeavor. Marshall Publishing offers a selection of videos that are great resource for such studies.

Unbeknownst to most people, the 1880s was a decade filled with intriguing people and exponential growth and progress. I learned this when, as a member of the SchoolHouse Review Crew, I received a copy of The History of America in the 1880s to watch with my family. The 60 minute DVD is divided into 2 parts – a 30 minute overview of the decade’s highlights and a 30 minute dramatic reproduction of Alexander Graham Bell’s work.

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940 Saturdays

September 2, 2012 Leave a Comment

I was reading over at Jennifer’s blog, and she said something that deeply moved me today:

Recently I read that we have 940 Saturdays with our children from birth until their 18th birthday. For my girls those are more than halfway gone. I hope we have many more as fun filled as this one.

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Incoming!!!

September 2, 2012 6 Comments

I think I know what a humble little stone in a sling shot might feel just before being released into the wild blue yonder. I can feel the tension… pulling, pulling, pulling… back, back, back… and suddenly Tuesday morning I will be launched into the new school year!

I will have 17 classes this year, and most of them are filled to overflowing! It was a surprising turnout, considering the economy and all. I’m ready though. NerdGirl and I made over 70 handouts which multiplied to somewhere around 30,000 copies for 250 students.

I am down to just two of my own kids now that the oldest has packed up and moved on to college *sniff!!* Thankfully, I have had NerdGirl and Fashionista up and running on their own homeschool work for a couple weeks now. They also have their co-op texts, notebooks, and packpacks all ready to go.

So I was sitting here on this Labor Day Weekend (Ha! What an ironic holiday name when you are a teacher, right? ;-) ), and I got to thinking, I better make a schedule for next week so I know when to get up in the morning and where to be when… Good thought, huh?

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Notable Novelists Review

August 31, 2012 Leave a Comment

As a writing teacher as well as a homeschooling mother, I have a passion for unique and entertaining products that celebrate literature. I happen to be blessed with a sixteen year old NerdGirl who is a chip off the old block. We were tickled pink when the SchoolHouse Review Crew received the opportunity to review the Notable Novelists card game.

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Ten Girls from History Review

August 31, 2012 Leave a Comment

The SchoolHouse Review Crew has had some great opportunities to review books of living history this summer. Ten Girls from History by Kate Dickinson Sweetser is the latest. Sweetser lived around the turn of the 2oth century, and she wrote a number of books to inspire children with stories of heroes and heroines from the past. Her books live on thanks to history-loving, homeschool graduate and publishing entrepreneur, Amy Puetz. Amy is the owner of Golden Prairie Press, a superb resource for living history collections, curriculum, and devotional materials.

Ten Girls from History has ten substantial chapters – one for each of the following remarkable women:

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3 Keys to Fitting It All In

August 27, 2012 Leave a Comment

One of the most common questions people ask about educating your children is “How do you fit it all in?” There are so many opportunities and topics and subjects to cover throughout the course of a student’s K-12 education, how can anyone possibly cover all the bases?

The question is somewhat a red herring because the truth is, you can’t fit it all in, and you shouldn’t even try. Somewhere along the line, homeschoolers (and other teachers too!) learn that trying to fit in all the possibilities is a short cut to burnout and the quickest way to suck all the love of learning out of your student.

Any sense of accomplishment and success in education, homeschooling or otherwise, is in the basic, foundational approach. In reality there are just 3 key skills that will actually unlock everything else your student will ever need to study.

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Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers Review

August 24, 2012 Leave a Comment

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers is a charming chapter book, the first of many in a series by Douglas Bond. Published by Christian Liberty Press, the series follows the affable Mr. Pipes and his young American friends as they journey through the fascinating history of Christian hymn writers.

I was privileged to read Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers as part of the HomeSchool Review Crew this summer. I received a PDF version of the book that I read aloud via iPad to my 13 year old Fashionista each evening at bedtime. The book itself is quite long – 242 pages – which offers quite a few pages to each chapter, so some nights we read only a portion of a chapter.

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