Summer Learning

Summer has officially begun in our home! No more part-time work for a couple of months for me and a more relaxed school schedule for the girls. Instead of completely spacing out my insatiably curious girls have summer lessons which deviate from our typical curriculum. For now Heart of Dakota sits on the shelf with next year's books waiting in the wings for use.

So far we've been learning Latin, Sign Language, art, multiplication (Please can I learn multiplication, Mommy? Please, please, please?) and literature. When they are bored I hear, "Can we do some lessons?" When we're outside it's mostly, "Ooooh! Look at this cool bug! Let's go look it up in the encyclopedia!" When I give them each 6 strawberries for snack I hear, "That means 3 x 6 is 18!" from the seven-year-old quickly contradicted by the five-year-old with, "No, no, it's 6 + 6 + 6 is 18!"

No, I don't have abnormal children. Children are very smart and curious by nature. All we have done is encourage their natural curiosity. I will admit to you that sometimes the continuous, "Mommy, why does..." can get to be a little much, but then I see children younger than 10 shopping with their mothers with a hand-held game or ear-buds hooked to an mp3 player and I think, It's worth it. My kids love their time with the computer, kindle, tv, wii, and anything else electronic, but they are limited in the time they have with those things. As a result their whys and what fors dominate our conversation. Conversation...my girls converse with us and we with them.

No, I'm not trying to push them harder than I should. My girls beg, literally beg, to do school when we have too much time off. I love to learn and my husband likes doing math problems for fun. While that probably makes us a family of nerds, they come by it naturally. I'm not forcing them to go faster than they are able, but I am allowing them to move forward at their own pace. I'm okay if they are ahead of where they should be if they were in traditional school. What a blessing I don't have to hold them back! What a blessing they can work on something longer if they need to!

No, it's not just because we homeschool. I think homeschooling helps because our home is now a learning environment. I think the biggest difference is my mindset. I'm always looking for ways to engage the girls in learning even if it isn't "school time".

No, I'm not super-organized Mom-of-the-year. I have been making some intentional changes about how I manage our household since the summer began. This is has definitely changed some things for the better in our home, but I wouldn't dare claim that I have it all together. I'm working towards that, but I'm not there yet.

No, it's not because we're weird. Okay...maybe we are a little weird. Here are some definitions of weird from Merriam-Webster...

1. of, relating to, or caused by the supernatural
2. of extraordinary character

So yes, I guess we are weird. If you recognize the supernatural power of God then we fit the first definition and I certainly don't mind my children being labeled as having extraordinary character! We live outside the societal norm. My kids are a blessing, not a burden. My husband is the leader of our home. I am his suitable helpmeet,  I submit to him...and I don't secretly resent him or God for it. We make decisions based on our understanding of Scripture. We have a DVD player which filters out inappropriate content and we use it for ourselves more than the kids.

Here are some of the things we've been learning about...

Bible

Latin

Science

Sign Language

Math

Art

Learning fun!

We homeschool after all...what do you expect?

Prima Latin from Memoria Press: Review

Ever since I was in college I decided I was going to teach Greek and Latin to my students. This was when I discovered the connection to Greek and Latin and our own vocabulary. When I taught middle school English full-time they had roots each week and my current junior high homeschool English students I teach once a week also have roots to study and learn weekly. While I saw this as highly valuable for older students as they looked toward college, it honestly didn't cross my mind to teach them to my own young daughters as part of our homeschool curriculum.

When the Prima Latin pakage from Memoria Press arrived my girls were jumping up and down! I told them we would be learning Latin and they couldn't wait to start. This particular package is meant to be used with children in grades 2-4. The set costs $90.90 and includes a teacher's guide, student guide, DVDs, CDs and flash cards. These items can also be purchased individually. 

I initially starts this with Rose who is finishing up 2nd grade. She has started to learn small amounts of Greek from her grandfather and was very excited to embark on this new adventure. I like the layout of the student books as they are easy to follow and very sequential. The first lesson focuses on learning the Latin alphabet which was a bit of a challenge for the vowels. 

Beth saw us doing our Latin lessons and she asked if she could try. We were only one lesson in at this point so I decided to give it a try on her own. She has just finished up Kindergarten and I wasn't sure if she was ready....Boy did she give me a happy surprise! She quickly engaged with the text and seemed to really enjoy this lesson. The only part I modified a bit was to have her to more of the practice work in the book orally rather than written as her sister had done. 

Rose and Beth completed the first lesson on their own. After that first lesson the girls started working together on their Latin. This was a fun and unique experience because  I typically teach the girls individually on their own levels for different subjects. They enjoyed doing this work together. 

I would sit on the couch and teach the girls in the living room. They found some Latin words to be quite funny and would get a giggle out of them! We listened to the CD or DVD as the lessons indicated. 

The only portion of this program I did not care for as much was the teacher's guide. It was basically the student guide with answers written in. With subjects I'm not as familiar with, like Latin, I prefer a more scripted book for the teacher's guide. 

Don't forget to check out more reviews from my Crewmates below!

4D Heart Model from Tedco Toys:Review and giveaway!!!!

I've been on the search for high-quality science manipulatives to encourage exploration and curiosity. I don't follow a science curriculum during the school-year because my daughters are blessed to take a science class once a week starting in 1st grade. At the same time I don't want to completely ignore science at home. Therefore I've been systematically collecting and searching for good things to encourage their natural curiosity for how things work.

One of the newest items I've come across are the 4-D Anatomy Human Anatomy Models from Tedco Toys. Their company motto is, "Where Imagination Has No Boundaries." I love this! Our house is full of whys these days and much of it centers around science. My girls definitely do not have boundaries on their imagination and I love that the toys from this company are designed to encourage that. 

We have put together two 4-D models from Tedco Toys. The first was the human ear and the second the human heart. I say we, but I'll be honest and tell you my husband is actually the one who put both models together with my daughter as I snapped the pictures. They come with directions and are meant to be a puzzle. The direction booklet also contains and large amount of information to engage with more learning. My oldest daughter is only 7, so putting this together on her own wouldn't have worked. I believe older students, especially middle school and high school, would be able to manage fine on their own. 

Just upon opening the box my daughter was so excited to learn what each piece was for and how it all went together! I love how neatly arranged it is. 

My husband did say the only difficult part about following the directions was that some pieces were already put together which wasn't always indicated on the paper. . The directions are simply pictures so there is an element of problem solving needed to figure out exactly how the pieces fit together. 

My daughter enjoyed watching and held some of the pieces for her daddy as they put the models together. She curiously asked all sorts of questions which makes it worth all the hard work!

These are our completed models. It took about 15-20 minutes for my husband to put them together completely and they turned out so beautiful! Unlike other models I have seen the pieces are easily removed for further investigation. This is a unique feature which will certainly provide hours of learning inspired by curiosity. 

I also like how the heart opens up. My youngest daughter has an extra pulmonary artery discovered a few months after her birth. While it is a fairly common and minor defect it is something we will keep an eye on as she grows and she should be aware of as she gets older. This will be an excellent tool in explaining the unique feature God has given her.

Would you like to win this beautiful heart model? Tedco Toys is generously donating one to one of my blessed readers! Enter below with the Rafflecopter form below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer

I received the 4D heart model in exchange for my honest review from Tedco Toys. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Much More Than A Yummy Treat: National Doughnut Day

Did you enjoy a yummy treat on National Doughnut Day? Did you know it has its roots in the first World War? Did you know it is more about serving those in need rather than just a chance to get a free treat?

During World War I women who volunteered with the Salvation Army worked to encourage and serve the US troops on the front lines and those returning home. They collected supplies, cooked meals, and mended their clothes. They also made them homemade doughnuts. These tasty treats soon because a trademark of the Salvation Army and soldiers returning home were greeted with fresh homemade doughnuts as they disembarked their trains. 

I first learned about this story from reading Grace Livingston Hills' novel, The War Romance of the Salvation Army. In 1865 a pastor named William Booth began a ministry to those in society who were seen as unsavory...prostitutes, thieves, gamblers, drunks...which would eventually become the Salvation Army. While this organization has changed as the years marched on, it has remained  a constant in society. We often forget about them until we see the bell ringers at Christmas time, but they are serving and working all year long. 

The first National Doughnut Day occurred in 1938 in order to raise money during the Great Depression and to honor the "Doughnut Lassies" of World War I. It is traditionally the first Friday of June. 

Photos: From the Salvation Army Website

Wild Cards~Baby Animals Around the World from Birdcage Press: Review

I don't know if it is because I have all daughters or because it is their age or I am just blessed, but all three of my children are infatuated with everything baby related. Nearly every time they play pretend a baby is involved with the family. They all croon over newborns and label everything as a Mama and baby...even inanimate objects! One of our favorite car games to play at the moment is identifying the names of baby animals I will call out a baby animal name and they have to figure out what the adult version is called. Needless to say we were all excited when we received Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the World from Birdcage Press. 

Birdcage Press specializes in learning games which an be found in the world's finest museums covering a variety of topics including science, history, and art. These beautiful cards not only have stunning pictures, but are filled with interesting facts about each animal. Also included is a nice little book with even more information! To say my girls crave knowledge is an understatement. I could hardly tear them away from just reading these cards to play some of the suggested games. For only $10.95 this is a very high quality product. While it is intended for ages 6 and up all three of my girls (7, 5, and 3) enjoyed this set. 

The 28-page booklet also includes game ideas to use with the cards. This particular set has 3 pairs of animals from a variety of continents around the world. At the bottom of each card the other two corresponding animals are listed. Each continent represented also has a corresponding color and number for easier matching. 

Because there are two of each card go fish and old maid are easily played with this set. However my favorite game we played was reminiscent of rummy. Instead of simply searching for a match, we tried to get a set of animals from the same continent. This was a bigger challenge and was a more unique way to play. 

Grace really liked this game although my husband helped her out quite a bit. Our girls have played games of all varieties from the time they were about 15 months old. Sometimes in our laps, sometimes on their own, but always as a family. Grace often plays Go Fish with her sisters and she kept wanting to go that route, but she caught on once she and Daddy matched up a set. 

We inherited our love of game playing from our parents and are passing the tradition down to our girls! We're always on the lookout for something new and unique. Kids games tend to be very similar, but this one was different than any other we have. The only downside was our game went rather slowly...but I can't complain! The reason it took us forever to finish one game was because the girls couldn't help but read and discover more about the animals on the cards in their hands!

Here is the proof of the real test of a product. My girls organized this game on their own. Beth asked if anyone wanted to play the Baby Animal Game, they got out their beanbag chairs, and played without us. While the girls enjoy games, they don't typically play without us. It was fun to Rose and Beth help Grace along and see the have a good time making memories! 

Check out more reviews of this and other products from Bird Cage Press below from my Crewmates!