The Nutcracker by Maestro Classics - A Review

It's reviews like this that I love the most.  It's not that they're easy to write, because they're not.  In fact the writing is more challenging.  Rather, it's the product quality and enjoyment that we receive as a family that makes me love them so.  The just released CD The Nutcracker by Maestro Classics is a real treasure.  I may be just a tad partial as to the story, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a superb product.

When I was a young girl I had the pleasure of experiencing The Nutcracker Ballet at Fox Theater in Detroit.  I will never forget it as long as I live and remain truly thankful to the wonderful woman that saw the importance of exposing young people to true works of art and took the time to share her love of music and dance with me personally.  It was my first live production, and it was amazingly incredible!  The story of a Clara, the Nutcracker Prince, and the Rat King is a sheer delight of imagination and wonder.  Unlike the original production, no intermission is needed for this one-hour adaptation.  Even if you've never seen or listened to The Nutcracker in any form you will surely enjoy this adaptation in great part due to the wonderful narration provided by Jim Weiss.  Not to mention the musical perfection of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Like any good product preferred by homeschoolers and educators alike, Maestro Classics provides supplementary resources that complement this production quite nicely.  The insert itself provides a program so you can follow along with the acts and scenes as they are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and narrated by Jim Weiss.

Included within the insert is a little history on the art of ballet, the harp, and Tchaikovsky himself as well as a musical snippet, Overture to The Nutcracker, and a couple of fun activities.  Also, tucked right inside the front cover of the case you will find a web address that leads you to additional educational materials.  There are such an abundance of resources associated with this CD that one could easily put together an entire unit study.  There are countless possibilities for the incorporation of this into an educational plan.  There are even resources for teachers of dance.  An MP3 version is available as well.

The kids and I enjoyed listening to The Nutcracker on CD a few times already.  We're sure to enjoy it for years to come.  It was fun to explore online videos that elaborated more on the history of the story, the composer, and the actual production.  I was disappointed to discover that the original story I viewed as a child is not available on DVD, but we do have plans to enjoy a newer adaptation as a family this week.  The story just never gets old.  There is such value in music for children, especially classic pieces.  If you've not yet introduced such things into your homeschool this is the absolute perfect place to start.  Children and adults of all ages are sure to enjoy the talent, history, and creativity that all came together perfectly to create a musical memory, maybe even a tradition, for your family.

Maestro Classics can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

FishFlix - Little Boy - A Review

I have to admit I LOVE GOOD MOVIES.  Like, I really, really enjoy movies, especially the quality films that make you wonder, if you don't already know, was this a book before it was a movie?  I have very fond memories of enjoying movies together as a family with pizza and popcorn for birthday celebrations when my older crew was growing up.  As the oldest ones grew into young adults and ventured out on their own, we transitioned into a different tradition of private outings with just me and one of my teens which always seemed to include a trip to the "cheap theater."  I have to admit I didn't always enjoy the film we saw together, but I cherish the moments spent one on one.  Now, raising three more young ones we've become a bit more discerning in our viewing selections.  We have the occasional family movie night, and have ventured to the drive-in once as a family to enjoy a double feature under the stars.

With this round two parenting journey we are traveling I am so thankful for companies like FishFlix.com where you can find quality films at an affordable price in the convenience of your own home.  A good movie is a real treasure; similar to a good book.  As a homeschooling family that caters to the individual learning styles of each family member, movies are included in our learning experience from time to time.  I am thankful that I had the honor of reviewing the movie, recently released on DVD, Little Boy.  The hubby and I enjoyed it on our own after the children were tucked away for pleasant dreams.  Although this story is told through the eyes of a seven year old little boy, it's rating is PG-13 for "some thematic material including violence."  All of mine are 10 years and younger, so we wanted to preview it on our own first to determine if it was appropriate viewing material for any of our crew.

The story takes place in a small town in the United States during World War II.  This appealed to me, because we recently studied World War II in our homeschool.  Harmony has found it fascinating, and I really like building on what we've learned through various types of resources.  I do plan to watch this with her in the future.  Despite her age, I do feel that she will find the movie enjoyable, and I am not concerned about the rating having viewed the film and discerned the elements for myself.  I should note that it is an appropriately emotional movie at times, but it is difficult to have a story about war not contain at least some violence and emotion.

Little Boy is a wonderful film filled with faith and inspiration.  I love that it's told from the perspective of a child.  Many elements of family life are present and well represented providing an abundance of opportunities for quality conversations between parents and children.  There is great potential for inclusion within the homeschool as part of a unit study or a curriculum supplement in a family with middle school aged children and above.  We will be enjoying it for years to come as a family, and also within our homeschool.  I can't wait to watch it again!

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Old Fashioned Tooth Powder and a Life Lesson

Things have been just a little on the hectic side this summer.  I've found it challenging to keep up with all my normal responsibilities.  I have to confess.  In many ways I am looking forward to the more structured routine that fall brings.  I always have a lot on my plate, but some seasons see the salad leaf falling to the floor, and this summer has been one of those seasons.  I think if we tried to cram anymore into these past three months my hubby and I would have just collapsed from exhaustion.  It's not over yet, but aside from one last celebration this Sunday all of the outside infringements on our calendar have come to a stop.

Insert BIG deep breath here.

The kids and I have squeezed a bit of fun as well as a lot of learning into the moments we found between the responsibilities   Of course, being the eclectic souls that we are, we live and learn every day.  Learning is a natural side effect of living when you try to squeeze life for all it's got.  One of our purposeful experiences we shared was actually connected to a review I wrote not long ago for The Old School House Review Crew and Funtastic Unit Studies.  We really did enjoy the unit very much, but I happened to leave out one experiment we did that I got a little chuckle out of.

One of the things that is most fun to me about guiding young ones into being more experienced older ones is the process of discovery.  It seems the older we get the more we take for granted the knowledge that we have.  We all started at the beginning, however, and that means everyone has to first taste the lemon to learn that it is sour.  Everyone finds out what hot is "the hard way", and we all learn the lesson about bringing our coat with us by spending a fall evening shivering.  It's just how the process works.  Somewhere out there I am sure there were moms like me who got a little pleasure out of that first sour lemon pucker.  In fact maybe you are one of those moms like me right now.

If you are, or if your mom was a little more like me than you are, then I am sure you'll understand the element of fun that I experienced as my children learned what old fashioned tooth powder tasted like.  We learned about caring for our teeth.  Part of that lesson was to make homemade tooth powder like they used to back in the day before back in the day.  If you bake at all you've likely tasted baking soda somewhere along the line.

This was our recipe:

4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Flavoring - we used strawberry extract

The kids dampen their toothbrushes and then brush their teeth with it.  Watching the process unfold was marvelous.

Look how innocent she is.

They're realizing something is up.

Race for the water!

She ran to the kitchen so the little ones could use the bathroom faucet.

Not sure this one needs a caption!

Too bad I didn't have them get a picture of me.  I astonished them with my ability to thoroughly brush all of my teeth using the toothpaste powder.  I was SUPER salty!  Seriously not sure why we bothered with any flavoring.  It just made it a pretty, pink color.  LOL!  What they didn't know is that I was keeping my tongue out of the way so that none of it got on my taste buds.  That's the only way I could pull it off.

Thinking about this experiment with the kids got me to thinking about how we start out with no real knowledge.  Then, through different experiences, and trial and error, we slowly learn how to navigate various situations safely and make it through circumstances that may not be ideal with as little discomfort as possible.  The more we learn the better equipped we are for facing the challenges before us with a good attitude, the stronger we become, and the better able we are to make a difference in the lives of others.

I've really been trying to be more present in the moment, whatever it may be, and get just as much out of what is going on as I possibly can.  In so doing I am able to give to others, especially my family being as I spend the vast majority of my time with them, in a way I wasn't capable of before.  Allowing myself to let go of all the things tugging at my time, and be 100% involved in what I am doing has been very freeing.  I sure wish it was something I had mastered earlier in life.

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 

‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

For the Gentiles seek after all these things, 

and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you. 

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

~ Matthew 6:31-34

New American Cursive by Memoria Press - A Review

In today's world it's becoming increasingly important to support family run businesses.  Personally, I try to go out of my way to support local companies, family businesses, and American made products.  Aside from New American Cursive: Penmanship Program Workbook I being a top notch program for teaching children to write cursive in a fun and easy fashion, Memoria press is a family run business.  For me, that's the icing on the cake!  Memoria Press was founded by Cheryl Lowe and her son Brian in 1998, and in 2000 they opened the Highland Latin School where all of the Memoria Press products are taught and field tested.  Cheryl is an experienced homeschool parent as well as a teacher of many other subjects from phonics to Latin.  Today's Woman magazine even voted Cheryl one of the "Most Admired Women" of 2014.

I've read a lot over the past year about the benefit of cursive handwriting to the development of the young brain.  Learning to write cursive has benefits that reach far beyond the ability to read cursive that naturally accompanies the learning to write process.  It has also been brought to my attention that there could even be benefit to young children to start with cursive right from the beginning as opposed to the standard printing that we seem to teach most often.  Within the New American Cursive workbook it is pointed out that cursive does improve the speed of writing thereby improving the attention span as well as the ability to excel academically.  The mere act of writing in cursive provides an impressive amount of benefits to the young student.

With the above information in mind, I decided to try New American Cursive with all three of our children in mind.  Harmony, the nine-year-old, is our primary focus. She has a strong desire to write in cursive, and we plan to ease into having her submit more and more of her assignments in cursive writing over the next year. Just watching Harmony write in cursive excites the younger two. I let them practice letters separately, but I use the same approach provided withing the New American Cursive workbook. Avery, age 5, enjoys it very much. Bella, age 4, is not quite ready. She can write a few letters, but her attention span for this sort of thing is much more limited. When working with the workbook, Harmony usually spends about 15 minutes per day working on letter and practice pages. Watching Harmony practice her cursive is providing the younger two with a glimpse into cursive writing and all it entails as well as substantiating the information I have been learning in relation to this subject over the past year. I feel encouraged and inspired to teach the younger two cursive right from the start, and they seem eager to learn. Bonus! As far as I am concerned there is everything to gain and nothing to lose.

We will certainly stick with this program for the duration.  New American Cursive is fun and simple which are two very important factors for learning tools making it into our homeschool.  Despite being geared to grade 1 and above, I plan to use this method of teaching cursive with all of my children over the next year. Anything that can span the vast age gap of my children is a top contender for sure.  Talk about a shining star!  With the nine-year-old, I will be following the advice of the program and slowly requiring more and more work submitted in cursive after she's mastered the letter spacing, accuracy, and speed.  This process will surely take longer for the younger two when we incorporate it into their day, but it will occur at a much younger age for them which is totally exciting.  Just think, all that's needed to learn cursive is a workbook for each child and 15 minutes or less per day.  Couldn't be more simple!

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What Oxygen Mask?

I don't know about you, but when life gets crazy and hectic the care and keeping of me is the first thing that slips to the wayside.  It's not like a conscious decision.  Things just seem to slip slowly off my radar.  The first to go, I think, is my supplement regimen.  With my current health challenges this is a really important thing for me to maintain.  I don't know why I stop taking the things that contribute so greatly to my well being, but I do it every.single.time and I pay for it accordingly.  This mama is T-I-R-E-D.

So, what was the trigger this time?

All three of the young ones at home contracted Pertussis.  Don't worry!  It's not as alarming as it sounds.  It is just a TREMENDOUS inconvenience.  Today marks week seven for the first to contract the dreaded cough, and he's still exhibiting symptoms.  Mind you they are markedly improved, and Lord willing my sleep deprivation will soon be a thing of the past.  For right now, I remain thoroughly exhausted.

What are the symptoms of Pertussis anyway?

Initial symptoms can include low-grade fever, runny nose, mild cough, and infants can experience a pause in breathing.  As the disease progresses symptoms can include many rapid coughs followed by a "whoop", vomiting, and being very tired after coughing fits.  Some of these symptoms were present for our three, but some of them weren't.  It was also a very different experience for all three of the children.  For us it began with a random cough here and there with NO other symptoms.

How did we get Pertussis in our home?

We were actually exposed to two families that struggled with the 100 Day Cough, as they call it in China (for very good reason, I might add), and I thought we'd made it through unscathed.  (I'm currently singing, This is the cough that never ends.  It goes on and on my friends. Some people started coughing not knowing what it was, and they'll continue coughing forever just because...This is the cough that never ends...)  Personally, I think we may have made it through without contracting it had I not made what I consider a terrible lapse in judgement as a parent.  My children rarely have sugar, but we had a little celebration of sorts.  I allowed them each to have VERY high doses of sugar in a very small amount of time.  The very.next.day the first one was exhibiting symptoms, and we've been battling Pertussis ever since.

Don't worry.  I don't beat myself up about it, but it sure did get my attention and remind me of just how dramatically the intake of sugar can impact our health. It reminded me that our diets are our first line of defense when it comes to maintaining good health.  This whole experience has forced my hand so to speak and given me the extra nudge I needed to make some more dramatic changes to our diets and make better choices for my family.  I've never been more mindful of the sugar and grains present in our daily meals, ever.

What did you do about it?

Fortunately, I have a wonderful friend that is very knowledgeable and willing to share her wisdom, experience, and resources to all who are willing and eager to learn.  She gave me a push in the right direction by sharing her personal experience with the disease as well as giving me enough information and resources to educate and arm myself.  I took the time to look at several opinions on the handling of the disease (It's amazing the amount of reading that can occur by a stressed out parent in the middle of the night.) including the CDC website, and The International Medicine Council on Vaccination as well as books like The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, and Natural Remedies Encyclopedia.

From these resources we decided to treat our children with Elderberry Syrup, Sodium Ascorbate, Liquid C, a probiotic, and a good multivitamin/mineral as well as Colloidal Silver.  Coupled with the strict supplement regimen we have also held to a very strict diet consisting of no sugar or grains along with diffusing and vaporizing specific essential oils in our home on a regular basis.  This has proven very effective, and our children are well on their way to getting better.  One is completely well now, and the other two are not too awful far behind.  All of them are past the contagious stage, but we still keep our distance from others.  Even if we aren't contagious, the cough can sound bad and might make others uncomfortable.  Hopefully, we'll feel comfortable mingling with the general public, and not just those that we know have already battled Pertussis and won, in the next couple of weeks.

What's Next?

After I was almost completely out of breath I remembered that I needed to put my oxygen mask on and take care of myself.  I may may not have remembered to do it first, but at least I got it back on before I passed out fully.  I'm back on my supplement regimen, and I was already keeping a strict diet along with the kids, but I have also implemented a much earlier bedtime for all of us just for a while.  We all seem to need it and benefit from it greatly.

We'd already planned to take the month of December off from our regular scheduled programming to focus more on Christmas, organizing our home, and some good old fashioned playtime.  Everyone is having a ball.

Speaking of ball!  It's almost time to get back on the ball with The Old Schoolhouse and The Review Crew, and I am super excited.  Being part of The Crew has been such a blessing to our family, and in particular to me.  I love to write, and I love the way that being a member of The Crew challenges me to write more, write better, and learn more and more about using social media.  (sigh - LOL)  It has been challenging at times, but I LOVE a good challenge and nothing motivates me more than a strict deadline.

In the coming days and weeks you will see me on here more.  The kids and I have been having fun doing special crafts and activities in preparation for Christmas that I am very excited to share with you.  We have been enjoying bird watching and will start our photography study soon.  (Shhh,,,they're all getting cameras for Christmas.)  Day after day our home is looking more and more like Christmas.

Things are changing around here, and it's not just the holidays.  We've had the first half of the school year to see what is working and what is not.  The second half will look a little different for us, and I hope it brings more fun.  Not to mention, I'm already thinking about spring and our plans for animals and vegetable gardening here on our little homestead.

We may be part of The Crew, but we're also part of a bigger crew.  Our family can feel our Captain steering our little boat into different waters, and we wait with anticipation to see what lies on the horizon.  All of us are growing around here, not just the kids, and for some of us it's a bit of a bigger stretch.  I hope you stick around and enjoy the cruise with us.  2015 is bound to have many surprises in store for everyone.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, 

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have gained access by faith

into this grace in which we now stand.

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, 

because we know that our suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And hope does not put us to shame,

because God's love has been poured out 

into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,

who has been given to us.

~ Romans 5:1-5

IXL Math & Language Arts - A Review

Our family has been enjoying the additional learning exercises provided through IXL.  Both the math and the language arts programs have provided fun supplementation to the resources that were already part of our home education routine.  Harmony is old enough to benefit from both of the online programs provided.  IXL Math supplies her with both reinforcement of her current skills and extra practice on strategies that pose her more of a challenge.  Currently we are not using a formal Language Arts curriculum.  Rather we have been using a few less formal resources, and IXL Language Arts has been a nice fit.

We use the programs in a couple of different ways here at Royal Academy.  Harmony can go online and practice her choice of skill sets, and the IXL program keeps track of her progress.  Alternately, I can assign her certain exercises and check back later to see if she's grasping the concepts.  I should note that the assignments cannot be given within the program.  I just write the exercise numbers on a piece of paper for her, and she looks them up on her own to complete them.  As you've heard me mention previously, instilling independence and self-sufficiency is high on our priority list.  Using the programs is another simple way for me to work toward that end goal.  In this way we have put IXL to work as our primary math program to fill the gap in our transitional time since she has completed her previous math program.  It is nice to have a resource to help keep her skills fresh as well as provide an added challenge while we decide where we want to go from here in regard to her mathematical education.

Harmony assisting Avery while Bella observes.

Annabella and Avery are both of the preschool age, and they really enjoy IXL Math.  The Language Arts program begins at Grade 2, so they are too young to utilize it yet.  Harmony loves to work with them on the math program.  Reading them the questions and helping them understand the concepts and answer the questions is a great opportunity for all of the kids.  Not only do the little ones learn math skills, but Harmony gains confidence through teaching them.  It's a win, win!

We are also excited about the potential of IXL in our homeschool thanks to the availability of apps.  It is not something we've managed to implement at this point, but we certainly plan to in the future.  Most likely it will be after Christmas since we are planning to add some new technology to our school supplies this holiday season.  The complete program, math Pre-K through 12th Grade and language arts 2nd through 8th grade, is available through the iPad app.  Pre-K through eighth grade math can be accessed through the Android and Kindle apps with higher level access on the horizon.  The math portion goes all the way from Pre-K through 12th grade when accessed via the internet.

Although IXL is designed for skill practice as opposed to a full curriculum, we have found a way for it to take center stage in our current routine.  If you would like to utilize IXL in your homeschool family memberships start at just $9.95 per month or $79 per year.  For more information or to purchase a family membership, visit the IXL website.

You can connect further with IXL via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

If He Had Not Come by David Nicholson - A Review

I have to admit that I have never heard the original version of If He Had Not Come by Nan Weeks, but I can see why it is considered a classic.  The story is thought provoking and a great conversation starter between parent and child.  David Nicholson retells the story sharing his thirty year family tradition so that we can begin our own tradition of reflection and conversation within our own families.  Tradition has been at the forefront of my mind and a big topic for me lately.   Ever since Avery joined our family five years ago, and with the addition of the girls two years ago, I have learned a lot about the importance of tradition.  If He Had Not Come is a perfect fit for our family.

This year is the first year we are planning to take the month of December off from regular academics and take the time to really enjoy the season.  One of the things I have planned is reading Christmas themed books all month.  I really like the idea of keeping a basket of wrapped books in the family room and having the kids take turns picking one to unwrap and read each night before bed.  If He Had Not Come will be in our basket for sure.  I even plan to read it as a special activity for Christmas Eve, as that is when the story takes place.  We'll light candles, make hot cocoa, pop popcorn, and read and discuss the story before bed.  I can think of no better way to send my children off to bed on Christmas Eve.

Even though If He Had Not Come is geared toward the six years and up group, all of my children enjoyed reading it.  (Mine at home are currently three, four, and nine.)  The story is told through the eyes of a young boy.  I like that the relationship in the story is between father and son.  That, along with the artwork reminiscent of days gone by, gives the story a comforting feel lending to that word tradition that keeps popping up around here.  David Nicholson provides some great resources in the back of the book.  Harmony, the resident nine year old, and I enjoyed discussing the questions posed on the Interactive Topics page.  The questions definitely are not geared for toddlers.  Throughout December we will further explore the questions provided by Josh Mulville for Digging Deeper.  We'll even do the Christmas activity in the back.  The little kids are sure to enjoy it with us!

The added resources really make this beautifully bound, hard cover copy of If He Had Not Come a treasure to last generations.  It's a timeless story with a timeless message that is sure to ignite valuable conversation within every family that reads it together.  It's a wonderful resource for beginning a simple tradition that could have eternal implications.

You can order your own Casebound Hardcover copy for $18.95 and begin your own family tradition.  If He Had Not Come is also available for $3.99 as an E-Book.

Follow David Nicholson and his book If He Had Not Come on Facebook here.

Clued in Kids - A Review

This second journey we are on as a homeschooling family is rather different than the previous one we took.  One of the biggest differences is technology.  Clued in Kids is a prime example of a fun resource that we get to enjoy now that would not have been part of our homeschool experience 17 years ago.  This wonderful, educational resource came about as the realization of one mom's childhood dream.  How exciting is that?

The motivation behind Clued in Kids is to provide a fun and healthy way to educate our children while being reminded that life is a journey to treasure.  Mission accomplished!  Our family loves opportunities to share fun times with each other as well as other homeschool families.  This year we are gathering together once per month to share activities relevant to our current course of study with a nearby family traveling a similar course.  This month the gathering was at our home, and I was excited to tie in our Gluten-Free Treasure Hunt as well as our Soccer Treasure Hunt with our current studies in human biology.  I'm sure my three would have enjoyed the hunt on their own, but some things are are even more fun when shared with friends.

Our afternoon together went like this:

1 - Explain and execute Soccer Treasure Hunt.

2 - Make articulated hand.  (I'll share more on this another time.)

3 - Explain and execute Gluten-Free Treasure Hunt.

5 - Snack and Free Time.

6 - Dinner


Since we had already studied the importance of muscles and our need to exercise them, the Soccer Treasure Hunt was an easy tie-in.  The kids worked together to solve the puzzles and locate each clue.  I had everything set-up before they got here.  I created a treasure box out of an old shoe box and purchased a treasure for each child from the dollar store.  For this hunt everyone received a different game as their treasure.  The suggestion from the author on labeling each clue with a specific child's name was one that was very much appreciated on my end.  We did our hunts with seven children ranging in age from three-years-old to 14.  Even though some of the kids in our group were outside of the recommended Pre-K through elementary age range they still very much enjoyed participating in the treasure hunts.  Labeling the clues ensured that everyone got a turn, or two depending, and that skill level appropriate challenges were given to each child.  None of us were very familiar with the sport of soccer, so we all learned something new.

Some of the kids working on one of the clues.

The Clued in Kids website offers an abundance of treasure hunts on various topics including health, holidays, sports, and education related subjects.  Middle and high school level hunts are in the works.  You can even use their Puzzlemaker to create your own customized treasure hunts!  One feature that I really like is that you can purchase a treasure hunt in a greeting card.  Oh, the possibilities!  We are currently waiting for our 13th grandbaby to enter this world.  With raising three young ones of our own it is very challenging to be an involved Nana and Papa.  This is a wonderful way for me to be able to send a little love and fun through the mail to our grands.  I am very excited about doing that in the future.  Here is a video demonstrating the process of the treasure hunt:








Our second treasure hunt was the Gluten-Free Treasure Hunt.  Honestly, I chose this for personal reasons.  Our family has been directly impacted by the whole gluten madness, and this was a fun way to learn a little more about why some of us are sensitive to gluten in our diet.  Food allergies have become a norm in our society, and it seems we know many people that suffer due to sensitivities.  You can read about the Clued in Kids author's personal journey of discovery with autoimmune disease here.  It was exciting to have a fun way to educated the kids on gluten sensitivity and hopefully empower them to be more aware of the issue and why it is important for some people to avoid gluten in their food.  It was nice to watch the older kids get excited and help the younger kids figure out their clues.  At the end of this treasure hunt everyone received a gluten-free snack, and they all enjoyed it.  Some were amazed that the cookie included in their snack bag was gluten-free.  This treasure hunt was a nice prerequisite to the next topic in our biology book, digestion.

One of the older kids helping a younger one figure out a clue.

It was fun gathering together and being able to provide enriching activities for the children in such an easy fashion.  I wish I could download, print, and prepare all of the activities in my life in under 10 minutes.  Now, that would be the day!  (Maybe my house would actually stay clean.)  You can purchase your own treasure hunt download for $5.99 and instantly provide a fun and enriching activity for your children.  Sign up for their newsletter and receive a FREE treasure hunt!

The treasure!

Flourish by Mary Jo Tate - Apologia Book Review

Honestly, I was nervous to take on this review.  I, a homeschool mom, struggle greatly with finding balance in my day, my week, my life, and reading had somehow gotten knocked near the bottom of my list of priorities.  I had been existing in survival mode.  However, when the opportunity to review Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms came to me through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew via Apologia Educational Ministries something in me told me to take on the challenge.  The big clincher for me was that Mary Jo Tate is a successful homeschool mom that works from home, and when I reviewed the chapters of the book I saw that she included one titled Home Business where she shares her personal experience and wisdom as a successful, SINGLE, work-from-home, homeschool mom.  Talk about some pretty big hats!  My attention had been peaked, and I accepted the challenge.

If I chose to focus on the perceived negative, I failed my challenge.  I have not finished the book.  However, I choose to focus on the positive.  There are 16 chapters in Flourish, and I am a mere five pages from completing Chapter 15, Home Business; the magic morsel that I had been searching for when I began this personal challenge.  I did get a little more than I bargained for.  Once I received my book in the mail from Apologia, and I read the first chapter, I was hooked.  What I didn't realize was that Mary Jo Tate would call on me to take some action on my own behalf.  At the end of each chapter Mary Jo a page titled Take Action!  I was a little nervous when I saw that first action step at the end of Chapter One.  However, I would not be so easily discouraged.  I grabbed a blank composition book from our homeschool cupboard and got to work.

The first Take Action! step was basically a review session for me.  See, I have been really working on self-reflection and have really been taking the time I need to evaluate where I am as an individual, where we are as a family, and where we stand as entrepreneurs.  I have been doing a bit of the dirty work already, so the first step didn't throw me any real curve balls.  The one glaring thing that did stand out to me though is that I do not have ANY written goals.  NONE!  I, the constant goal setter, had somehow allowed the waves of life to grab hold tight and beat me against the shore, over and over again.  Somehow, I have managed to lose my footing and stop doing something I consider completely essential to a successful life.  I have NO written goals for myself.  I have NO written goals for my family.  I have NO written goals for my homeschool.  I have NO written goals for our business.  ZIP.  ZERO.  ZILCH.  NADA.  This, thanks to Mary Jo Tate, will soon be remedied.

I have worked myself through each chapter so far diligently working on each and every Take Action! step at the end of each and every chapter.  I even completely read the chapter on single parents.  If you are not a single-parent this chapter is still for you.  Mary Jo does a wonderful job giving insight to both the single-parent that has made the commitment to homeschool her children as well as homeschoolers like me who have the benefit of a supportive husband.  She provides Take Action! steps for both groups of people as well.  I appreciate the wise quotes throughout the book as well as the personal input from real-life individuals in the trenches today, especially in this chapter.  The single-parent led homeschool family can easily slip through the social cracks, so to speak, and there is great advice given here that both empowers the single-parent as well as equips the traditional homeschool family to be both empathetic and supportive.

Mary Jo Tate has provided a true blessing in the writing of Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms.  I have been telling others about it since I read the first four chapters in one sitting.  (Your do remember what I said about my struggle to find time to read above, right?)  It's a breath of fresh air, and should hold a place on the shelves of all homeschoolers, both new and veteran.  It would make a wonderful gift for any occasion to any homeschool mom.  Flourish is loaded with practical advice given from personal experience.  It is real life lived successfully with bumps and bruises bared.  For me, this equates to wisdom, and wisdom shared is multiplied.  Mary Jo Tate has effectively shared with us wisdom worth sharing.  Reading Flourish has been a blessing to me, and I know it will continue to bless me and many others for years to come.  It may just be the best $15 investment you'll ever make in your self, your family, your homeschool, and your business; all in one fell swoop!

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 

for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 

She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."

~Proverbs 3:13-18

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Kinder Cottage Publishing - Peter Rabbit Review

Kinder Cottage Publishing was founded in 2012 by a husband and wife eager to teach their children through encouraging a love for their western heritage using literature, history, culture, and Christian faith.  Their first project was to publish the Peter Rabbit and Wizard of Oz series of books.  Our family was richly blessed by receiving two of the 10 books in the Peter Rabbit series for this review.

Let me just say that I was super excited when I saw this opportunity as I just loved listening to The Tales of Peter Rabbit as a young child.  My poor grandma read our one copy of a Peter Rabbit book to me countless times, and there was no way she could skip a page, ever!  Peter Rabbit's Birthday and Peter Rabbit at the Farm are the titles we were fortunate enough to have added to our collection of books we love to read.  The nice thing about this series is that the original artwork has been preserved, so the pictures are fabulous.  My four-year-old often asks me to wait before turning a page so that he can have more time to take in the details of the picture before continuing with the story.

I don't know about you, but reading to more than one child can be a bit of a challenge for me.  It always seems someone is missing out on the ideal viewing angle, and I need to be able to actually see the words in order to read them the story.  This may be a minor detail to some, but I noticed right away that all the words are on the left hand page, and all the pictures are on the right hand page.  This made it SO MUCH easier for me to read the words while my three children enjoyed the picture.  I could hold the book up for everyone to see with much ease as I shared that particular tale of Peter Rabbit.

Of course, Peter Rabbit is known for all his lively antics and the circumstances he seems to create for himself.  Nothing of that spirit is lost in these stories.  The only real change is some of the language usage.  The original stories were written by Duff Graham for the Henry Altemus company over 90 years ago.  Kinder Cottage Publishing has updated some of the text to make it more modern and easily understood by today's readers.

The children and I are very much enjoying these new additions to our library.  As usual, Peter has issues keeping his clothes together and manages to get completely soaked in both tales.  In Peter Rabbit at the Farm he encounters several characters on his adventure after sneaking out of his home near Mr. McGregor's farm.  Even though he seems to irritate a few of his fellow critters, Peter always manages to set things right.  I like the personal courtesy expressed in Peter Rabbit's Birthday as Peter gets much more than he's bargaining for while traveling to personally invite his friends to his birthday party.  The innocence with which he faces each encounter is inspiring, and the nostalgia seeps through the pages like a refreshing drink on a hot day.

As a family we read the stories together after our morning devotions, and my four-year-old even requests them at bedtime.  It is so much fun to travel with Peter Rabbit on his journeys and adventures.  They are excellent teaching tools and with Peter's vivid lessons and lively adventures could easily be used as the basis for a unit study.  We will be using them on and off throughout our next school year as part of our values and virtues lessons.  There is much to be learned from Peter Rabbit, and we are enjoying every minute spent inside these wonderfully written tales.

The series is designed for the three to nine age group and is affordable, priced at just $30 for the set of 10 books, or $4 for each individual title.  The books are beautiful, full color, 5x7 hardbacks.  They are a wonderful addition to any home library, and would be a perfect gift for a mom to be or a young child.  Any family would be proud to have this collection on their shelf, and the pages are sure to become lovingly worn over the years.

Logic of English Review

As an Eclectic Educator reviewing the Logic of English Foundations, Level A (manuscript version) was a bit of a challenge at first.  It is a very precise curriculum that starts with some super basic reading and writing foundations.  The name truly does fit the product.  It begins laying the foundation at a level that I have never even considered.  Level A is geared toward children ages four through seven.  I had planned to use it with my four year old and my eight year old, however the four year old quickly became the primary focus.

Logic of English provides everything you need to teach a child to read and write.  I chose the manuscript version of Foundations A, but a cursive version is also available.  Had I known more about the benefits of teaching children to write using cursive as opposed to manuscript, a new concept to me, I may have chosen the cursive version.  As you consider Logic of English for your child, it is definitely worth exploring the idea of teaching cursive first.  I have been inspired to consider this option for my three and four year old.  The eight year old is currently learning cursive using another curriculum.

Foundations, Level A is very thorough and uses some new-to-me methods of teaching reading and writing.  The lessons are easier approached in two parts for my four year old.  He eagerly participates in the first half of the lesson which involves pronunciation using multi-sensory activities.  However, he's not so keen on the pencil to paper part of the lesson.  Over time I have discovered that he responds better if we do the non-writing portion of the lesson in one sitting and the writing portion of the lesson in another.  The thoroughness of the lesson easily allows for portioning it in such a manner.


As an educator I enjoy the layout of the teacher's manual.  It walks you through step by step providing you with a list of objectives and necessary materials right at the very beginning.  Everything listed is not included in the curriculum.  However, all items are things most of us would already have around the house; Dr. Seuss books, balls, toy animals, shaving cream, food, and the like.  Each lesson lists teacher tips, multi-sensory fun, and other bullet points, including teaching tips and optional activities.  The lessons are easy to prepare for, simple to follow, and completely able to be customized to your specific style, and individual student needs, using the provided options or your own creative variation of said provided options.

Even though my little guy isn't too keen on the actual writing process I am able to rope him in with the various options provided.  The included white board, you provide the dry erase markers,  is a wonderful tool.  So far, I have been unsuccessful in getting him to write on the practice writing sheets, but I can get him to write on the white board most of the time; a suggested strategy within the curriculum.  He also loves the tactile cards.  These are the cards you use to help teach them the different strokes involved in writing the English language as well as the actual letters.  They are textured with a mild kind of sandpaper feel, and he loves tracing the shapes with his fingers.  This is just as effective as actually writing the letters and strokes and an important part of the reading and writing process.

Avery's first attempt at the letter 'a'.

Logic of English Foundations, Level A is a much more thorough approach to learning to read and write than I have ever considered.  Honestly, at first I felt it was a little too involved, but after using it for several weeks I can now clearly see the benefit.  One reason I had thought it would be a good fit for my eight year old is that she's a bit behind on her reading.  I can completely see how this would benefit a struggling learner.  However, it is too simple for my eight year old.  BUT, we did find a way to include her.  The program is so simply presented that she is able to actually teach portions of the lesson.  What better way to cement what you know than by teaching someone else!  On occasion the three year old even becomes interested in what we are doing and participates in portions of the lessons.  So, in many ways Foundations A appeals to all of the children in our home.

Aside from the teacher manual, manuscript workbook, white board, manuscript chart, tactile cards, flashcards, and game cards there is also a book included, Doodling Dragons.  I especially like this book.  It is subtitled An ABC Book of Sounds for good reason.  Each letter A-Z is covered.  The thing that makes it special is that all the sounds of each letter are presented.  In my opinion, this fact makes Doodling Dragons a superior ABC book.  This is a super simple way to introduce the letters of the alphabet and all the sounds they make.  The letters and sounds are simply presented, and the illustrations are cute and fun.

Another aspect that Logic of English Foundations, Level A covers that I had not given much consideration as an educator is the various font types in which a letter can be presented in our reading material.  What an important lesson!  If a child is aware from the beginning that the letters he reads in books and other materials can be written in different formats how much less frustration he will experience.  Brilliant!

My overall impression of Logic of English Foundations, Level A based on my personal experience is that it is a wonderful program best suited for struggling learners and/or those that desire a specific, structured, and detailed method for teaching their children to read and write.  The program is thorough, fun, and produces a quick understanding of letters; the sounds they make and how to form them in the writing process.  There are several packages that can be purchased through Logic of English.  The products we have reviewed, if purchased simply as we have them, would be Foundations, Level A for $71.00, and $85.00 for the Foundations Reusable Resource Set.  Visit their website to explore the various package deals and to learn more about how Logic of English may benefit your homeschool.

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Captivated Movie Review

Phillip Telfer, a former youth pastor, founded the ministry Media Talk 101 in 2005 with a mission to teach media discernment.  His journey of public speaking and ministering to the youth of today has led to the production of the Captivated DVD, a thought provoking and inspiring movie that challenges the viewer to evaluate their relationship with media in their everyday life from a Christian perspective.  The evolution of technology is explored as well as the science behind brain development and the effects of technology from a neurological standpoint.

Having raised seven children to adulthood and currently rearing a third batch in the emerging generation I can plainly see the dramatic difference in technology availability and use just between these two groups of children.  It was noticeable between the first two age groups in our family, but it is glaringly evident between the last two age groups.  I currently have children between the ages of four and twenty-eight.  I have had to learn loads in the technology realm since my first B.A.S.I.C. computer class in junior high; nearly all of it in direct relation to raising children in a media saturated world.  I still remember the scene in Back to the Future when Marty McFly travels back in time and the television is brand new.  When he is asked if they have a television he replies that they have two.  The reaction is that it's crazy.  Of course no one has two televisions!  Now, just look at the typical American home.  We have two televisions, and that makes us odd; not because we have two, but because we have ONLY two.  Most homes in the United States have multiple televisions.  They are everywhere, and it is uncommon for the children in our home not to have televisions in their rooms.  (Our older batches of children did have them in their rooms.  Lesson learned.)  In fact, as mentioned in the movie, there are more televisions than people per American household.  Is it just me, or is that just plain crazy?

In today's world media encompasses so much more than television.  We have smart phones, laptops, the internet and wi-fi, social media with Twitter and Facebook and a slew of others, i-pods and i-pads, x-box with wi-fi, and the list goes on.  It's everywhere we go, and we even carry it with us.  Am I the only one that finds it refreshing to eat in a restaurant that has no television hanging from the wall or ceiling?  It's a wonder we can even sleep.  How can we rest with this constant stimulation?  Just in my lifetime we have progressed from a single, black and white (gasp), television, Atari (that we didn't get until I was in high school), and a corded phone in our home to multiple televisions, home computers, the internet, smart phones, and wi-fi.  The implications of that alone is mind numbing.

As a parent that longs to provide an enriched environment for my children finding a healthy balance and relationship with technology can pose a great challenge at times.  I thought I had it all figured out when my older kids were growing up, then the playing field changed.  With the younger children now in my charge one of my biggest concerns in relationship to technology use is brain development.  Through the interviewed experts in Captivated the Movie we learn that children under the age of two should watch no television and abstain from the use of technology like smart phones and i-pads and such.  This is not the first time I have heard this concern mentioned.  However, it is a timely reminder for me.  I have seen the effect of the increased technology use on the wee ones in our home, and it prompted me to action.  Watching the DVD was a healthy reminder and an encouragement that I really was taking a step in the right direction for the healthy brain development of my beautiful children.

I have seen the signs of addiction and withdrawal in relation to our three-year-old and my Kindle Fire.  It still seems weird for me to call it that.  I mean addiction?  Really?  Yes!  The most disturbing fact that I learned while viewing Captivated the Movie is that video game addiction parallels gambling addiction.  That is just frightening to me and a real incentive to remain conscious and purposeful in our use of technology as a family.  Currently there are no dedicated gaming devices in our home, and I do plan to keep it that way as long as we can.  Maybe forever.  Is that possible?  I am not sure, but I plan to do my best to provide an enriched environment that provides lots of physical activity in the outdoors with hopes that real life, live and in living color, will be more rewarding than a virtual "reality".

The personal testimonies in the movie are encouraging and offer a challenge.   What about a media fast?  It is suggested that we take an assessment of our media usage and determine if there is something that we are putting above all things that may be hindering our real life relationships as well as our relationship with God.  If we determine that there is, then do a media fast.  This can be done as an individual or as a family.  It may not be easy, but it will surely be eye opening.  It may even be life changing.  Personally, my heart longs for the time when families gathered together in the evening and played music, sang, and read together.  We have actively been working toward this ideal with more active time together doing hands on and involved activity and less time in the passive pursuits involved in the world of media.  Viewing Captivated the Movie reinforced my belief that this is truly what is most important.

Through the various experts, personal testimonies, and the interwoven message of a life focused on a biblical world view, Captivated the Movie is a timely message for today's culture and a gentle reminder to use the bible as our spectacles to determine what is good and what is harmful.  It is a call to accountability, and an encouragement to stand apart using discernment and wisdom.   There are over two hours of extras included on the DVD with extended interviews as well as a word from the producer himself.  Captivated the Movie is a wonderful resource for education within the home as well as ministering to friends and family.  It is priced at just $16.95 with FREE shipping and the option to add a second for sharing for just $5.00 more making it an economical way to reach out to family and friends.  We highly enjoyed it in our home, and I know others will surely be blessed my this ministry.

"See to it that no one takes you captive

through philosophy and empty deception..."

~ Colossians 2:8

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