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Families Again
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Families Again
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Sadness, Sickness, and Selebration!
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Family

Yes, I know how to spell celebration. I just wanted my title to look good.

Sadness 

It truly has been a week of sadness, sickness and celebration though. It all began last Wednesday night. While out with some friends, Sarah got a call from another friend about a terrible accident that had happened in our small town. Five youths from the church that we used to attend were on there way to evening service when the drive lost control of his truck and crashed into a tree. In an instant five families were changed. Two families are with out their son and daughter tonight. One family has a daughter that will be hospitalized for some time and have a long road to recovery. Two other families have children to hug, but those children will have emotional scars for the rest of their lives. We knew four of the five teens. We are friends with their families. We hurt with them.

John Allen put it best the other night when he and I were talking about the accident. He told me he knew why God allowed the accident to happen. When I asked him why, he said so that more people would be saved through the testimonies of these young people. He said that if he ever had to die so that even one person would be saved it would be worth it. Sometimes I wonder if my kids are really "getting it". I thank the Lord that in this case John Allen did "get it".

Sickness 

Then, on Friday, I took Joshua and Jacob to therapy in Cookeville. Soon after Jacob went back his therapist came back out to the waiting room to tell me that he was sick in the restroom. Sure enough he was white as a ghost. He slept much of the day.

That night John Allen caught the bug and had to miss a big shooting match on Saturday. I was upset because he missed it. I was wondering if he was just nervous and that is why he was ill. Until the next day.

That's when Sarah got sick with the exact same symptoms. So, I had to swallow crow and apologize to John Allen for doubting him. Ah well, even fathers have to learn from their mistakes sometimes.

Celebration

On a lighter note! We are blessed with two boys that are very good at shooting. Both are on a competitive BB gun team. Since John Allen is older, he is obviously the better shooter. He's expected to make the national team this year and perhaps win the state match.

Although, Joshua is probably a much better shooter than John Allen was at this age, he seems to get caught in the shadow of his older brother. Well, because John Allen was sick and couldn't compete, Joshua was out of the shadow and able to shine. And shine he did! Although he still doesn't have the score to qualify him for the shoot off (top eight overall), he was able to make the top five in the prone and sitting positions and...get this...he WON the GOLD MEDAL in the sitting position!

Really, he only had one really bad shot in the standing position and one bad shot in the kneeling position. Otherwise he could have been in the top five in each of them as well. It's the fifth component of the score that really drags him down...the dreaded test.

Each competitor has to take a test on the rules and other gun safety items. Sometimes the questions can get tricky. It might be a two part question with the first part true, but the second part false. In that case, the shooter should mark false on this fifty question true/false test. Joshua often doesn't listen to the complete question or gets mixed up and ends up marking the wrong answer. If we could get him to slow down and listen, I know he could score higher on the test. Well, in two weeks it's the state match. Prayerfully John Allen will be able to compete, and we can practice some test questions with Joshua. Who knows what might happen?

Pre State bb Match Slideshow: Bend’s trip to Bend of the River PSC,Tennessee (near Rickman), Tennessee, United States was created by TripAdvisor. See another Rickman slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.
 

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Posted by tink38570 at 12:04 AM CDT
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Sunday, 10 April 2011
Science Weekly - Another I've Got A Secret Post
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Homeschool Product Review

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Now, I'm pretty sure that I've never revealed this secret before so this one will be totally new to all of you. Here goes:

I was never much good in science!

Math I was pretty good at - I guess math is considered a science - but I wasn't overly good in things like Earth Science, Biology, Physical Science, Chemistry, etc. Oh, I liked them all right, I guess. I had an excellent Biology teacher. Dr. Tubbs was awesome and I liked dissecting, so I guess that was probably my best year. I got okay grades because I volunteered for extra credit experiments a lot but I really didn't understand what I was doing a lot of the time.

It's really not been until my adult life that I have gotten more interested in science. That has it's pros and cons when it comes to homeschooling. I know that it is important and want my kids to succeed, but since I wasn't really interested when I was younger, I don't know what to look for in a good science curriculum. I found something that worked great with John Allen, but wasn't a good fit for Joshua. So I've stumbled around pulling things from here and there and using this or that unit study/lapbook. So, when I was chosen to review Science Weekly, I was excited to try something and see if it was a good fit for him. I wasn't disappointed.

The people from Science Weekly generously sent us a whole set of all of the levels of mail-outs for one issue including the teachers addition that covers all levels. That's one thing that I like about this every other week newspaper. Every level talks about the same thing but the older the grade the more advanced the subject matter is. So, if you want to order multiple subscriptions for your different aged kids in grades K-6 then they will all be studying the same thing. But, that's only one thing I like about this great newspaper.

Another thing I love is the very easy to understand way that the authors explain things. The other day I had read over the level that I wanted to use with Joshua but I hadn't shown it to him yet. It talked about fractions. While we were riding in the car I decided to begin to explain to him about fractions using the same language that was used in Science Weekly. Joshua had never studied fractions until now, but understood the concept almost immediately just by what I was explaining to him. Later on when I showed him the Science Weekly newspaper it reinforced what we had been talking about even more. I was amazed.

Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension 

Each issue of Science Weekly, no matter what level, has the front page, main explanation section, and also has a math section, vocabulary section, weekly lab section (using simple things found around the house) and a "Writing in Science" section. Each section, although titled the same, is geared to the different level learner. There are also two or three sections that are exclusive to that different age group. For example, Joshua's level had a "Challenge" section and a "Bring it Home" section that was geared toward his grade.

The Teaching Notes section is separate from the regular newspaper and has all of the teaching notes, instructions, and answer keys to all of the levels. Everything is well laid out and easy to follow.

A couple of small caveats. Science Weekly is mainly used in classrooms, so the language is classroom language, especially in the Teacher Helps. It will say things like, "We suggest you do this after recess" or something like that. It sometimes can get a little humorous when your child reads that his teacher will provide him with supplies for this experiment and to share with his classmates. Homeschooler's, however, are used to that. Another thing - although I didn't see much talk of evolution in anything that I read online or in any of the materials that were sent to me, Science Weekly does not tout itself as a Christian company, so I can't promise that it would never show up. However, when and if it does, it would be a great opportunity to discuss what you believe with your children.

Okay, you may be thinking that it's called Science Weekly, but only comes about every other week. Well, that is true, but the Science Weekly website has a lot of really neat things that will keep your child busy during the off weeks as well. There are six free science coloring books that you can print out and use, and there are also five interactive Science Weekly issues where you can complete the activities directly on the computer, or print out to use if you would like. There's even a free trial issue that you can print to see what this fantastic four page newspaper is all about.

So, what are you waiting for? Get on the site by clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above and begin boning up on your science  - I mean your kid's science - I mean have your kids get on to bone up on their science - oh you know what I mean! And while your on the site, don't forget to order your subscription(s). The cost is only $19.95 for each single subscriptions. Your kids will love you for it.

Other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed Science Weekly and you can find out what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent free copies of every level of Science Weekly along with the Teacher Notes in order to try out and review on my blog.


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Posted by tink38570 at 9:59 PM CDT
Updated: Sunday, 10 April 2011 10:18 PM CDT
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Thursday, 7 April 2011
Kinderbach - Well if Joshua doesn't become a linguist, maybe a pianist!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Homeschool Product Review
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Last year we got to review a fantastic online piano program for Joshua called Kinderbach. Joshua loved it! So, when the opportunity came up to review it once again, we were on pins and needles hoping that we would be one of the ones chosen. When Joshua heard that we were, he was thrilled!

Kinderbach is made for pre-schoolers to get a fun introduction to the piano or keyboard. In fact all you need is a small keyboard or piano to be able to use this great program. We found, however, that this easy approach was perfect for our Joshua, who is in second grade this year but has aspergers syndrome. Since this is a very gentle approach, it is perfect for kids who may have trouble learning piano in a traditional way. Joshua has a tendency to get frustrated very easily. With this program, you can move at your own pace. If Joshua is having a good day, he can easily do one, two, three or even a whole week of lessons in one day. That may not be advisable for younger children, but since Joshua can handle more on good days then that's what we have done. On the other hand, if Joshua becomes frustrated we can simply turn it off and try again later or, even watch the same lesson over again. That is the beauty of Kinderbach! Work at your own pace.

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Kinderbach is divided into six levels and each level has 10 weeks of lessons in it. So, this program can easily go for well over a year or more if you choose to repeat lessons. Each level has an accompanying downloadable workbook for your child to work in. They will use it during the lessons, so have it handy. Each week has four lessons in it, so if you miss a day there is no problem - you won't get behind. Of course, as I said before, there is no time limit. You don't have to do a lesson on a particular day. It is at your own pace.

Joshua loves the lessons. Karrie, your teacher, is in every level, but each level also introduces some colorful cartoon characters that help miss Karrie teach the lessons. A young boy named Frisco and a donkey called Dodi are introduced in the first few lessons, but along the way you will also meet Carla the Caterpillar, Edward the Eagle, Felicity the Frog, Gracie the Gorilla, Alan the Alligator and Bob the Bear. They are so famous that they each have their own web page!

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The lessons start off very easily by learning such things as high and low and learning about the keys on the piano. Soon, however, you child will be learning about notes, rhythm, rests, beats, spaces, lines, proper finger placement and even Crescendo and Fortissimo! And it's all done with fun games and activities that you either play along with the video or do in your workbook.

Since last year there have been many changes to the website as well. There are is a new section with added fun worksheets if you want to print them out, and a fun song section and game section are going to be added in the near future.

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This was once again a hit for Joshua and is definitely a keeper for us. How much does all of this cost? If you purchase an online membership for a whole year at once, it's just $7.99 per month. If you would rather buy it on a month to month basis, the cost is still very reasonable at $19.99. They also have physical CD's and DVD's that you can purchase. Check out the website by clicking here or on any one of the links above for bundle pricing for there physical products or to become a member online. They are also selling themed products this year like a Patriotic Songbook and a Christmas Bundle. As always, you can check out what other TOS Crew members had to say about Kinderbach by clicking here. Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free limited time membership to Kinderbach's online program to try out and review on my blog.


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Posted by tink38570 at 11:47 PM CDT
Updated: Friday, 8 April 2011 12:37 AM CDT
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Monday, 4 April 2011
Haven't Been Very Active But...
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: General

A new series is coming!

We just got back from the MidWest Homeschool Conference and I have a series of three or four posts about our adventures. The first will appear tomorrow and it has something to do with "The Clampetts Go To Cincinnati"!

Should be interesting Surprised!


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Posted by tink38570 at 10:45 PM CDT
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Wednesday, 30 March 2011
My Son the Linguist! Another Reason not to Worry About Retirement!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Homeschool Product Review

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When we first began to homeschool, our oldest, was going in to fourth grade and the other two weren't in school yet. We wanted John Allen to have the best education possible. One that he couldn't get in the public school system. I did some research and found a great Latin program that was geared toward elementary kids. He liked it so much that I planned on teaching all of my kids Latin when they were old enough.

Unfortunately it was about that same time that we began noticing major problems with our middle child, Joshua, and began the process of trying to find out what was wrong. After a couple years of misdiagnoses or incomplete diagnosis we finally were thrilled to finally get to the bottom of what was was causing his difficulties. He had asperger's syndrome - which is on the autism spectrum. However, although we were relieved, we also knew that our son would never learn the same as other children his age. One of the furthest things from our mind was trying to teach him another language. That just seemed out of the question...until this year.

If you remember, about a month ago I wrote a review on a great online Spanish program that Joshua loved. Nevertheless, when we had an opportunity to review a Latin program by Classical Academic Press that was on his level, I had reservations. He loved Spanish and wanted to continue with the program that I reviewed. Could he handle Latin as well? Could he handle Latin at all? We decided to try it and find out. We were not disappointed.

Although we aren't as far in it as we had hoped because of the death of my mom and the illness of Sarah's mom, we have had a lot of fun with Song School Latin and are planning to continue with both the Spanish program and his new Latin program.

One of the biggest helps with the Spanish program was the great songs that went with the new words that he was learning. Well, sure enough, Song School Latin is true to its name. The back bone of the program is it's catchy songs. The songs, the wonderful, easy layout of the program, and the fun workbook are what has sold us on this curriculum that is geared toward Kindergarten through Second Grade students. The fact that he has loved it helped alot of course!

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There is really no set number of days that you have to do this program. I will tell you that each of the 31 Chapters has three to five workbook pages that the student works with so it would be very easy to take a week for each Chapter. Every four or five chapters is a review week (seven total) and those usually have more workbook pages and could take more than a week to do. Therefore, if you wanted to work quickly and do more than one workbook page a day, you could easily complete this in about half of a school year or, if you took it at a slower pace you could use it as a whole year study.

We have been taking the first day to go over the new words (each chapter has up to five) and listening to the songs (most chapters have one but some have more). Then, throughout the rest of the week, we will listen to the song (s) again, and do one of the workbook pages. The instructors manual has copies of the workbook pages with the answers and has extra practice pages that you can copy for your student if you feel he needs more review. By the way, if you have a preference of Classical or Ecclesiastical Pronunciations, the song CD has all of the songs sung with both pronunciations. So, just click on the one that you want your child to learn!

The following video is not of my son, but this could very well be my son singing one of the catchy tunes during the day.

 

Each of the regular chapters has some type of matching or filling in the blank section, but they all have a place where your student can practice his printing skills by doing a "trace the dot" where they trace the new words or phrases for the chapter. They also have a really neat section that's called "Grow Your English" where your child learns what English words came from the words that they are studying in that chapter.

The review chapters have the matching and fill in the blank questions to review the previous words but also has a really fun chapter story where a familiar story is told but with some words replaced with Latin words. For some reason the three little pigs asking "Quid est tuum praenomen?" (What is your name?) and getting the answer "Meum praenomen est wolf." (My name is wolf.) struck us as funny.

As you can tell, I am really thrilled about this beginning Latin curriculum. When he is finished, Joshua will have learned over 100 Latin words that deal with such things as manners, people, pets, weather, the body and even Christmas. And, you really can't beat the price. The bundle price, where you get the Student Book and CD, the Teacher's Book and a fun matching game called the Latin Monkey Match Flashcard Game, is only $64.95. You can find out more about this and levels of Latin curriculum by clicking here or on any of the hi-lighted links above. Speaking of other levels, some of the other TOS Crew Members reviewed other levels and you can find out what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a Student Copy (including listening CD), Teacher's Copy and a partial set of the Latin Monkey Match Flashcard Game in order to try out and review on my blog.


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Posted by tink38570 at 10:28 PM CDT
Updated: Friday, 1 April 2011 10:31 PM CDT
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