The Homeschool Schedule

People are always curious about how homeschoolers organize their day. Is it free form, doing whatever the child wants (i.e. child-led or interest driven learning)? For some it is, this is called unschooling. We don't do that in our home. Others purchase a boxed curriculum for each grade and have school-at-home trying to replicate a public school experience without the crowded classroom. We don't do that at our home. 

What do Kara and the children do? They explore together different methods for learning math, science, English, history, etc. If Kara finds a good science program that suits the children, they keep using it. If the children aren't learning from a particular curriculum, out it goes. If the children express an interest in learning Spanish (Viva) or cello (Bentley) or trumpet (Jake), then Kara searches out a way for them to follow that interest. The science curriculum requires full participation of the parent, while the math curriculum can be done without any parental help (unless someone gets stuck on a concept). The history curriculum is a taped classroom lecture. Some subjects are studied as a group (history, science) and others are studied individually (math, English, music). 

Sometimes all three children are working on the same individual topic (math) at the same time, but other times they have freedom to choose which topic to tackle first. Kara's new method for scheduling the school day is working really well for her and the children. She puts on the magnetic whiteboard the subjects that will be covered that day. As the children finish a topic, the card is removed letting everyone see that the end of the school day is nearer! This method of daily scheduling is quick, easy, and flexible. When I asked her where she read about it, she said she evolved it herself after trying different scheduling methods in the past. I'm impressed! 

Science: Physics (Part 2)

Viva loves science. She is very hands on. Jake likes it well enough. Bentley is the least enthused about science, but he enjoys most of the experiments we do.

Chapter 6: Electricity
Experiment 6: Sticky Balloons
Electricity comes from electrons as they move from atom to atom transferring from one item to another. To demonstrate this principle we used balloons. The trio rubbed their balloons against different objects (their head, a wooden desk, an aluminum cookie sheet, a wool sweater, etc.) and then they stuck the balloon on the wall and observed how long it stayed on the wall. The longer it stuck the more electrons that had been transferred. Unfortunately for us, everything in the house had a high electron transfer rate--our home is too dry and static electricity was everywhere and on everything. Although this experiment did not work well, the trio loved playing with the balloons.

 

Chapter 7: Moving Electrons
Experiment 7: Moving Electrons
This lesson was about insulators and conductors. Instead of making a lemon battery (as the manual suggested) we used Opa's voltmeter to see which objects were good conductors (metal) and which objects were poor conductors (plastics).

Chapter 8: Magnets
Experiment 8: Magnet Poles
Magnetic force is caused by spinning electrons. Magnets have opposite poles. In the experiment portion of the lesson we played with magnets which is always fun. (It would have been nice to have some really strong magnets.)

Chapter 9: Light and Sound
Experiment 9: Splitting Light
Sound is a wave of moving air molecules. Light is an electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic waves are a tough concept. First we tried exploring the nature of waves by playing with water in the bathtub. It's hard to create a whirlpool! Then we used a light prism to split sunlight into its different colored wavelengths. We had a hard time with this experiment. We could not find enough strong sunlight (it was a cloudy day!) to get a good split of light into all the colors. We managed a few faint rainbows, but that's all. We could not get a flashlight to split light through the prism. Not the best experiment.

Chapter 10: Saving Energy
Experiment 10: Playing with Physics
Energy is neither created or destroyed; it is converted from one form to another. Another difficult experiment. All four of us tried and tried, but no one could build a card house. I tried different decks of cards. It was aggravating. Finally I used thin cardboard to build the house over the dish of vinegar. We were not able to get the baking soda to drop into the dish even when we did manage to knock the house down. This experiment was not well designed.

Although the last few experiments in the physics course were not to our liking, we enjoyed the other experiments. The lessons were very well written with some good information, but so much it overwhelmed young minds.

Science: Physics (Part 1)

We are continuing on with the Real Science 4 Kids series. Our latest unit was Focus on Elementary Physics. We did the first of the ten physics chapters in mid-March and the last one in early May. The children had fun with the physics experiments. It was a good unit once the trio understood a few basics such as electrons are negative and protons are positive.

Chapter 1: What Is Physics
Experiment 1: Falling Objects
Kara did this lesson with the children. For the experiment they dropped objects from the top of the staircase. They really liked dropping stuff down since this is not normally allowed. Their experiment reminded me of a short experiment I had recently seen on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so I pulled out three glasses of water, three mandarin oranges, three toilet paper rolls, and a piece of sturdy cardboard. We proceeded to see if we could get the oranges to drop into the glasses of water. I should have videotaped the children doing it. It was quite amusing. The boys were too gentle with their hits to make it work. Viva had no problem giving the board under the toilet paper rolls holding the mandarins a hard slam. Her first try all three mandarins landed in the glasses. Once the boys saw her do it, they quickly mastered the technique.

Chapter 2: Push and Pull
Experiment 2: Get To Work
This lesson was about work, forces, and energy. The children used their energy to force a change on different objects. Sometimes it worked (marshmallows) and other times it didn't work (wooden blocks). We learned you can use a lot of energy and sometimes do no work! (That's a good life lesson to remember.)

Chapter 3: Kinds of Energy
Experiment 3: Moving Energy in a Toy Car
This lesson was about potential energy. Bentley, Jake, and Viva took turns lifting a ramp with a car on it to different heights observing how much height (stored gravitational energy) it took to get the car on the ramp to move (kinetic energy). Lincoln and Evan showed up to join the fun. We also tried to measure kinetic force by seeing how much energy was transferred to a marshmallow when a speeding car crashed into it. This experiment was a big hit.

Chapter 4: Rolling Marbles
Experiment 4: When Things Move
I pulled the marbles out and attempted to prove two scientific principles using them. We saw that marbles roll more easily on a smooth surface (wooden table) than a rough one (carpet), but we could not prove that heavy marbles have more inertia than lighter marbles. How do you control the amount of energy (the force of your push) applied to a marble? Some of the time the heavier marbles rolled farthest (yes!), but other times the lighter marbles won the race (no!).

Chapter 5: Chemical Energy
Experiment 5: Lemon Energy
The children readily understood the concepts discussed in this lesson. The experiment called for making lemon batteries. We didn't have any lemons and we'd built a lemon battery just a few months ago, so we opted to do a different type of chemical energy experiment. Last summer they did film canister rockets with their mom and loved it, so I pulled out the film canisters and Alka Seltzer tablets. The trio went outside and experimented with their canister rockets for thirty minutes.

Our Homeschool

People often wonder how homeschoolers educate their children. Do they sit at the kitchen table and scribble away in workbooks for six hours? (Some families do.) Do they enroll in Internet classes? (Some families take one or more classes online.) Do they hire tutors? (If you're rich you could do this!) Do they let their children pursue their own interests without any adult interference? (A surprising number of homeschooling families follow this model of education known as unschooling.) Do they use public school textbooks? (Sometimes!) Do they give their children tests? (Some families do; many do not.) Do they put in six hours in the classroom like public schoolers? (I hope not!)

The cool thing about homeschooling is that you can use what works and throw out what doesn't work. You do not need school board approval when choosing your classroom materials! Kara has purchased seven or more math curriculums and an equal number of English curriculums. She tries them out and sees if they fit Bentley, Jake or Viva. Are they academic enough? Do the children like them? Is the course too dull? Does the course take up too much time--ours or the children's? 

One good reason we homeschool is so that our curious young learners have sufficient time to pursue interests of their own choosing. Public school children have to get up quite early to get to school on time, they are at school for six and half hours, they get a ride home, they do homework, they eat dinner, and they go to bed early so they can get up early to go to school the following day. When do they have free time? When do they play? Chase butterflies? Build forts? Kick balls? Ride bikes? Make cookies? Doodle? Craft? Play ukulele? Go swimming? Read books? Watch TED videos? Hang out with their dad? Play with their younger siblings? Childhood is too short to spend the majority of it pursuing public school education.

So what exactly is it we do in our homeschool in the pursuit of academic learning? 

The children use one or two workbooks--grammar books, for instance:

They use textbooks such as Saxon math:

They do online courses:

Or listen to TED talks for kids (excellent material!):

They have lessons with their mom:

We do weekly science lessons:

And occasional art lessons using a video course:

And they read, read, read:

They also help out by taking turns playing with their younger siblings:

Bentley, Jake, and Viva are well ahead of their public school peers academically. As far as socialization goes (the most asked question of homeschooling families is BUT WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZATION?), our children are being socialized to live, work and play in multi-aged groups which is how everyone outside of the public schools lives and works. The only place where it is important for a child to be able to get along with twenty-five other six year olds is inside a first grade classroom. Avoid such classrooms and the need to be so socialized is taken away. It really is that simple.

Review: EEME Project Genius Light

This fall the kids and I have had the chance to check out a fun electrical engineering project from EEME, entitled Project Genius Light.  We were sent it for the purposes of review.  EEME has been getting plenty of positive press from groups including the Wall Street Journal and the Maker Faire!

EEME was started by a father, Jack, who was having trouble finding the type of fun and educational engineering related experiences that he wanted for his son.  He decided to take action, and EEME was born!  Their goal?  To help inspire kids to think critically and to promote more interest in STEM fields.

The company offers a monthly subscription service.  Every month, for five months, you get all necessary supplies (including batteries!) to built the kit of the month.   You will then have access to the project videos online.  The how to videos for each particular project are broken down into short (3-7 minute) segments making them easy to do in small chunks or all at once if you have an overly ambitious child.  The program is aimed at the 7-12 age range, but my 6 year old didn't have any trouble with it either!  The cost is $18.95/month and this includes shipping.

The project we were able to sample involved building a small LED light detecting circuit board.  I was expecting the boys to jump at the project and was a bit surprised (happily!) when Viva also thought it looked fun and jumped in!  The videos provide not only instruction on building the project at hand, but are also providing a good foundation in general electronic theory.  As is often the case, I think we sometimes learned more when we had a circuit connector in the WRONG place than when we did it all right the first time!

The videos feature close ups of the pieces you are working with, as you are guided step by step through the building process.  The lighting and audio quality are good.  Although the continual close up of the board may not be extremely exciting I did find it helpful to keep us on track and in the right rows/columns!

The project took us about 2 hours in total.  It was an enjoyable experience and definitely did a good job of piquing the kids interest in a new topic.  You can sign up, for free, at EEME's website to do an all digital lesson and get a great feel as to how the program works.  If you have kids that like to tinker and want to know how everything works I think they will enjoy this program!  Are the projects with it complex and large?  No.  BUT - there's much to be said for "all parts included", and then just needing to hit the play button and sit back while your kids get busy!  I think EEME is worth it for the convience factor and as the spring board to other learning it will surely provide your kids.

 If you'd like to read more reviews about this fun program, you can check them out here.

Review: IXL Math

This fall Jake and Viva have been using IXL for math review.  IXL provides math (and english) fact practice that is tied to state standards for each grade level.  It is NOT instructional in nature, but it is an awesome tool for practice purposes.  IXL currently has math practice and, new to them, language arts practice tools available.

Upon logging in you select a grade level and then a whole screen full of practice areas is available.  As your kids get problems right in a particular practice area their score ticker on the screen moves upwards towards 100.  If you miss problems your score moves backwards.  For each area you complete you get little stickers revealed on your brag board (my word, not theirs!!!).  You also get a completion status next to that area in the list of skills, so you know what you've completed and what you haven't.

I used IXL with Bentley about 18 months ago to figure out if we had any gaps in our math coverage and where he *should* be if we wanted to be aligned with our state standards.  At the time we weren't using any formal math program so it was a good indicator of the holes that existed in what we'd covered.  With Jake and Viva this fall I've been letting them use it to bounce around and drill whatever type of math facts they fancy.  They spend about 20 minutes at a time when they use IXL - of their own free will!

What's to love?

• For the Pre-K up through 1st grade crowd you can click on the questions to hear them out loud.  This is nice if your child isn't a fluent reader yet.
• With your subscription you have the ability to jump between the different levels (aka grade areas). You aren't required to pick and stick with one grade level.
• IXL has a new iPad app, it's awesome!  My kids liked IXL well enough when it was just on the computer - it had the "game" type of feel to it that appeals to kids.  Now that they have a very well put together iPad as well?  Icing on the cake.  The kids ask to "play" IXL.  I'm happy to let them spend as much time as they'd like on a math app.
• You can use IXL for free - your child can do 10 problems a day per category for free, the only caveat being that your scores and progress are not saved in anyway.  If you want to enhance the tracking and enable the ability for more extensive practice then you'll need to upgrade to a paid license.
• The fact that IXL math standards are aligned to the standards for whatever state you live in.  It's a very easy way to see where your kids are compared to where they *need* to be.
• Access to detailed reports from the parents login area help you see what your child has been doing and what they might need additional study time with.
• It's colorful and fun but not too crazy with animation.  The kids like it, and it's a nice ad free and uncluttered site.
• IXL is great for your Pre-K students all the way on top to 12th graders.  Right now they have through Alegeba 2 available and Pre-Calc is on the way.  If your child enjoys the site you should be able to get many years of great practice out of it!
• I like that IXL times the kids.  The "fuzzy logic" of the site keeps an eye on how long it takes a child to answer a question and that helps to play into their score and if they are able to master an area.

How much does it cost?  It is $9.95/month, or $79/year for single subject access.  If you want access to both the math and english areas available through IXL the license is $15.95/month or $129/year.  Additional kids can be added onto your account for $2/month or $20/year.  There is a 30 day guarantee if you decide to try out the year access, so keep that in mind too!

Sometimes with kids it can be hard to tell which sites are the "two week hits" and which have more enduring power.  I myself have purchased access to IXL in the past because I find their practice well laid out for kids and their reports useful to me, so obviously I personally believe they're in the "more enduring power" category!

Go here to check out other reviews from TOS crew members.  Some of them also checked out the new English study side of IXL, which I have not had time to explore yet.  I'm betting it will be just as nicely put together as the math side.

Review: Bridgeway Academy

This fall Bentley has been taking an online class from Bridgeway Academy.  We were provided with access to this class for the purposes of review!  The class is a study of the Medieval Ages which uses the Magic Tree House books as a starting spring board.  To be more exact, our class was entitled "Social Studies Through the Magic Treehouse - Middle Ages" and is appropriate for the 1st-5th grade crowd.

The Magic Tree House Courses with Bridgeway Academy are 9 weeks long and cost $145.  This works out to a bit more than $16 per hour long class, which I think is a cost in line with other classes we've done.

The verdict?  Bentley had fun!

Bridgeway Academy utilizes Jigsaw Meeting Center, which was easy for us to set up.  Every week we get an email that our "meeting" is setup for the upcoming week, and on the morning of the class we log in and meet up with the ~20 other students, and teacher, in our group.  On occasion the class suffers from hiccups due to technology issues with kids and audio not working correctly.  This slows down the group once in a while but it is more of a minor than a major irritation.  Although technology can be bumpy, the pros more than make up for it.  The ability to go to "school" right from your home?  Awesome!  The fact the classes are "recorded" and you can go back and rewatch them, or check them out if for some reason you have to miss?  Also very cool!

I like that Bentley can do this on his own.  I help him print out some homework assignments, and initially showed him how to use the headset, but other than that it was simple for my 7 year old to participate on his own.

During class they chat, go through slides, participate in group "whiteboard" type of brainstorming together, and watch videos about the Middle Ages.  There is a nice range of material, everything from how people lived and what they ate to the reason for some of the wars and how the justice system worked.  I for one am glad I live now as opposed to then!

Bridgeway is very organized.  We received a syllabus before class began giving us a great outline of what was coming up.  This made it easy to incorporate extra study of the classroom materials into our other schoolwork time.  There were homework assignments most weeks but they weren't complex or overly involved.  They were easy to complete in less than an hour.  Much of the homework related to the grande finale assignment - the generation of a Medieval Castle, made out of materials of your choosing!  If you're thinking that our castle is made out of Legoes you are guessing right.

Ms. Kathi, the instructor of our class, is great with kids.  She keeps the class moving along and does a good job of answering questions and presenting the content in a dynamic and engaging way.  There was a positive happy vibe to the group - all the time.  I never have complaints out of Bentley in regards to waking up "early" on Monday morning to participate - which says a lot about the class, in my opinion!

You do need to have a headset you can use to listen and talk with.  I think the added element of audio communication with your class adds in a fun way to the experience for Bentley.

You can check out all of the fun 9 week classes available through Bridgeway, here.  The offer classes in all different subjects and for older students they offer classes certified to provide highschool credit.  Bridgeway is an accredited school and you can read more about what that means here.  The 9 week classes offered are called Learning Labs.  Bridgeway also has a huge number of semester long classes.  You could easily lose track of time looking at all the offering on their site.  I will be keeping them in mind for classes as my kids get older!

Interested in learning more about homeschool learning made easy with Bridgeway Academy?  Members of TOS's review crew tried out a number of different classes, for all ages.  Read their reviews here.

Review: Legendary Learning

People homeschool for many reasons.  My main reason?  A desire for a quality education for my children.  I am, of course, also concerned about the idea of children being taught morals by other children.  That doesn't sound like a good plan to me. But my primary motivation?  I want my children to learn.  And love to learn.  And know how to learn new things on their own.  And have time to pursue their own interests, not bogged down by a too long school day followed by ridiculous dictates on what they do with their precious few hours of home time (aka homework)!

Since homeschool requires quite a bit of my time and energy I am understandably always reading new books on how children learn and how to provide the best environment for them.  It's my job!  I started out my journey reading books on classical education.  Classical education appeals to  me because I'm a creature of habit and order and because it is familiar.  Lately I've ventured into more foreign territory - exploring student directed learning, unschooling, and democratic schools.  It's a crazy world of choices out there!

One of my favorite books is a newer one, entitled Legendary Learning: The Famous Homeschoolers' Guide to Self Directed Excellence.  It is by Jamie McMillin and I enjoyed it so much that I read it twice!  The first time I read it on Kindle because I keep trying to convince myself that I should be moving towards electronic books.  When I finished it I had a problem - I loved the book and wanted to reread it, with the ability to mark it and tag it and highlight it.  But I couldn't quite justify buying a second copy of it when I already had one, that's wasteful!  So I wrote Jamie and asked if I could review the book.  Luckily for me she said yes and I'm the happy and content owner of the digital AND physical copies now.

Legendary Learning is an exploration of how famous and successful individuals from history were home educated.  Why famous leaners?  Because, as Jamie points out, they are the ones we have records on.  Fame is not equal to success but it is a good subset of successful individuals to study due to availability of info.

Jamie is a homeschool Mom herself, which I like.  The stories about how she's applied the principles of self directed learning in her own home made the book more "real" to me.  What exactly IS self directed excellence, as stated in the book's title?  It is the paths that children follow when given the chance to learn about what they want to.  When given the ability to provide input (that is listened to!) about what they want to study kids are more likely to be passionate about learning.  They're more likely to remember what they learn.  And they're more likely to want to learn more!

Think about it.  In schools (and with some homeschool curriculum packages) we force feed children a prescribed and very specific set of information.  We can make them sit there while we do this, but we can't make them internalize or remember it.  We can't MAKE them excited.  I don't think this qualifies as learning (or as an education, for that matter).  When children are exposed to different options and allowed to roam where their interests lead, on the other hand, meaningful learning is happening.

Here are a few things I like about this book.

• The structure.  It's divided into discussion on three areas that work together to provide an optimal learning environment.  Passion, determination, and atmosphere.  The chapters are short and offer doable advice on how to implement the material.
• As mentioned above, the book discussions passion and determination.  In other words it discusses character formation!  It is crazy to me how many books on education neglect this core - without a child who can stick at it when things get tough, and without a child who is eager to learn - you're not going to get anywhere fast.
• The conversational tone.  It was an easy read that I was eager to come back to every day.
• The middle ground struck.  This isn't an extremest book about unschooling, but more of view on how you can become more effective at teaching and become more child directed.  Most of the stories about famous learners in this book show that there was still a guiding influence by the parents that provided the basic framework of learning (the reading, writing, and math), but then the children were encouraged and allowed the resources and space to work at what they wanted.
• The awesome resource list at the end of the book.  I want to read every book on the list!  But until I find the time to do that (haha!) I'm glad that all these great resources have been used and tied together by Jamie.
• The author's obvious passion for the subject, and for children!  The book ends with this thought: "We each have all the genius we need to live an extraordinary life."  Wouldn't it be amazing if we could convince our children of this?  With a toolbox that gives them the ability to learn new skills, and the confidence that they have the genius necessary to be extraordinary, they can do anything!  Extraordinary, I believe, simply means living up to our divine potential - finding what we are passionate about and becoming the best that we can at whatever that may be.  What an amazing way to live!

If you are interested, Jamie has a great blog that you can find here.  One of my favorite posts is this one, on *gaps* in curriculum and what to do (or, rather, not do!) about them.  You can also read the first chapter of the book for free, on the website, if you want to get a better idea for the tone of the book.  The sign up is on the right hand side of the main page.

Interested in diving into more about student lead learning?  This book is a quick, delightful, AND motivational read.  I highly recommend it if you're struggling to figure out exactly how to provide the best educational environment for your kids.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book for review purposes (at my request!).  All opinions expressed, however, are 100% mine!

Review: Flip Flop Learning

Last month we were sent See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish, from Flip Flop Learning, to review.  Flip Flop Spanish is appropriate for ages 3 on all the way up to adult age, and costs $99.95 (it ships for free, which is always a welcome bonus!).

What comes in the kit?  A 2 year Spanish program compromised of 4 audio CDs, a set of paddles for quiz/review purposes, flashcards, and of course - the curriculum manual.

What's to love?

• The schedule!  It's very doable and goes at a nice pace.  One lesson a week, and every 6 weeks is a "break" week to review what you've learned and take it easier.  It only takes 10-15 minutes for a daily session, so it's not hard to get it done.
• Extremely easy to get started with.  Follow the quick step guide which tells you how to start in 5 minutes - put your manual in the binder, open it.  Grab your flash cards and hit play on CD 1!
• The flashcards are organized by color and number (which lesson you see it in).  This makes it easy to find the ones you need.
• You can easily adapt this for different ages.  With younger kids (like mine) just do one lesson a week and stretch it out.  With older kids move at a faster pace and add in a Spanish notebook to focus more on their grammar.
• The program only teaches 160 words over the course of the curriculum.  But this means you really know those words, and you have plenty of practice with using them in sentences.  It also allows time to focus more on the grammar of the language, because you're using small set of words to practice with that you (hopefully) know very well!  The Pareto principle that 80% of the  value comes from 20% of the work may well apply here too - learn the common words, and their sentence structure, first and you're well on your way!
• It's easy for the kids to quiz each other with the paddles and the flash cards.  I can participate if I want to, but I don't have to be there for them to get some practice time in.
• Extra resources are available online.  Like this section of the website, for example, that provides extra tips and ideas on games to play to help learn the words!
• A big focus of the curriculum is actual USE of the words you're learning - the application of them.  Not just a laundry list of cool words in your head that you'll probably forget soon.
• Hand writing = optional.  My children (and I'm sure they're not the only ones) quickly get tired of writing during the day.  Since you can use flash cards to make your sentences the amount of writing required by this program is minimal.
• There is a white board paddle included that you can use to play Spanish Pictionary with your flash cards, and to write answers to questions on - the kids think that's fun!
• The audio tracks for the lessons are split out, so the tracks for one lesson are on 3 different tracks.  This makes it MUCH easier to review just the part of the lesson you might need to.
• If you want to make it all a little more *formal*, you can purchase student workbooks, available for different age ranges, to supplement the program.
• The flash cards are nice and sturdy.  Which means they can handle the abuse they will, inevitably around here, be exposed to.  :)
• Why is it called SEE It and Say It?  The curriculum revolves around the flash cards, which have pictures on one side and the word on the other! 
• Easy and more fun to do as a group!  As opposed to some language programs that are either 1) designed to only be used by one student at a time, or 2) workbook based so you can do them together but you're still, in effect, working alone.

How do we use it?  At lesson time on day 1 you listen to the CD while you follow along in the manual.  At different points in the lesson you flip over/arrange the flash cards being used in that lesson - so you need to have those out and ready.  On day 2 of the lesson you do the same lesson over!  On day 3 some teacher time is involved as the lesson is taught, again, without the CD this time.  Once all the words for the lesson are mastered you can move on to the next level!

There is a fun looking iPhone app that goes along with the program that I haven't checked out yet but I plan to.  It's a flash card app with some nice extras - tons of lists already in the app and more (free) coming when you purchase it, the ability to check or x the words you know, shake to shuffle, and more.  I think my kids will like it.

The verdict on See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish?  If you're looking for a different and entertaining Spanish program that is easy to use and fun then this should definitely be on your short list to research!  Fun and entertaining do not, however, mean that the program is not substantial and with value.  An easy and non intimidating introduction to Spanish?  Check!  I just wish it came in a whole slew of languages.  :)

If you'd like to see what other members of The Old Schoolhouse's Review crew thought of this product, you can check out their posts here.

Review: Logic of English

Last month I was very excited to receive a package from Logic of English - it contained materials from their Essentials program for the kids and I to review.  We received the Essentials Teacher's Manual, The Rhyhmn of Handwriting book that accompanies the program, a game book, and 2 sets of game cards.  We also received phonogram and spelling rule flashcards and last but not least we have been given access to their awesome phonogram app available for the iPad and iPhone.

The Logic of English program is relatively new.  Their company was founded in 2010 and their curriculum first "hit the market", so to speak, this past fall.  I have been seeing mention of it at my favorite forums online and the users there always speak very highly of it.  It's definitely been on my *short list* to check out so when we were given the chance to review it I jumped on it right away!

There are many approaches to teaching reading but from my point of view there are basically two camps.  One focuses on teaching common sight words as a gateway to reading and other focuses first on the basics of language - phonograms.  Phonograms are the sounds that letters, or combinations of letters, make.  Depending on the combination of letters in a word the phonograms make different sounds.  It's all very confusing to a new reader (and to many adults, myself included at times) - which makes me appreciate the name of this program, the LOGIC of English!  There is some logic in our lovely language albeit a not too simple at times logic.

The spine of the program is the excellent teacher's manual which is used together with the handwriting book.  The program gives you very detailed steps and a thorough roadmap, while at the same time giving you flexibility to either do everything (and there is a lot included!), or to tailor the program to different needs.  The Essentials level which  we received is designed for ages 7 on up to adults and consists of 40 lessons.  Suggestions on how fast to move through the lessons is provided, and obviously varies based on you and your children's prior experience.  For brand new readers you might only do 2 lessons a week, and on the other end of the spectrum you could do a lesson a day and be done in 2 months.  If you have a 7 year old you'll want to compare the Essentials program to their Foundations program, which is a bit more colorful and meant to engage the younger crowd better!

How do you use it?  Well, first of all you read the long but helpful roadmap and introduction.  If you, like me, like a full understanding of where you're going (and why) you'll enjoy this part.  Then on to the lessons.  Each lesson has 3 parts.  First up is the phonograms and sounds discussion, and then some spelling rules.  This is the part of the lesson where we use the flash cards, sometimes the iPad app, and review our spelling rules too.  In the middle of the lesson is the spelling list which I love the format of:

It is always a two page spread that you can easily have open in front of you and the guide lays out for you, as the teacher, the "recipe" for why the word works the way it does.  During this part of the lesson you get diction and handwriting work in!

After spelling time come the add-ons that turn this into a full language arts curriculum: the grammar, writing and vocabulary.   This is the "richest" part of the lesson in my opinion, and provides the extras that make this much more than just another spelling program.  I think the time the lessons will take varies a LOT from child to child.  At our place 30 minutes or so is the magic number.  The teacher's manual is put together very nicely.  Not only is the book nice and durable but you can tell a great deal of thought went into making the content easy to follow and pull what you want to out of.  This book would make a great reference book for your shelf on the subjects of grammar and spelling long after you're done using it as a lesson guide!

The game book that comes with the program is awesome.  I'm not always a fan of game books, but this one is a cut above most.  There are a huge number of games, and they are referenced from the teacher's manual to remind you to place them.

The handwriting workbook is available in both a cursive and manuscript version.  The beginning of the teacher's manual discusses why the author of the program, Denise Eide, believes cursive is still a valuable life skill.  I agree with her opinion that cursive should in fact be taught first to young kids.  I like that the program allows for those who disagree to still easily use the curriculum.  But, of course, I took it as a first sign I would like the program (which I do!) when I saw sentiments similar to my own on cursive in the intro!

I believe the handwriting workbook is one of the defining parts of this program that set it apart from some others I have used.  This program really is simple to pull off the shelf and use, and all of the prep work has been completely taken out of the equation for the parent.  The same thought that went into the teacher's manual has gone into the student book, and it's a lovely book.  Yes, an english studies book can be lovely.  I love English!

I like that the program incorporates grammar, spelling, vocabulary and writing all into one obviously painstakingly constructed package.  If you can't tell - I'm impressed!  I also like that the program appeals to all learning styles.  When you discuss syllables, for example, you tell the kids that you can clap the sounds OR use your hand on the bottom of your chin to feel the syllables.  I like that you're given more than one option to find what best clicks for your kid.  I also like the style of this program.  It fits in well with the classical approach to education that I've favored so far with the kids.

The iPad app is more than just a one trick app.  There are 10 levels in the app, a matching game, and a flashcard mode.  I think that phonograms are learned through exposure (again and again and then again!), so any opportunity to let kids study them on their own without having me hold up the flashcards is a win!  I think it's a great app for kids even if you don't use the Logic of English as your main language arts curriculum.

The website has an excellent overview of the program, that gives you a great look at exactly how the teacher's manual is written.  Go here to check it out.  In that same vein of thought, the website also has helpful freebie gems all over it.  Handwriting sheets, spelling lists, video lessons, and more.  If you are the type (like me) who likes to over research before buying - this is definitely a website that will let you do that!

You can buy components of the program separatel, but if you are fairly certain you're going to love it you will get a discount by selecting one of their packages.  The teacher's manual is $95 and the student workbook is $25.  The phonogram cards are $18 and the spelling rule cards are $15.  The game book is $15 and each set of flashcards to go with the games is $10.  The iPad app is is $2.99.  For $218 it comes as a bundle including everything mentioned and more.

As mentioned above the Logic of English program also has materials available for younger students - the Foundations levels.  Other members of The Old Schoolhouse's review crew have been test driving those materials.  You can read their reviews, and other reviews about Essentials, here.  I plan to check out the Foundations level when Lincoln and Evan are a bit older.  This program is definitely one of my new favorites!

Review: Reading Kingdom

This past month Genevieve has been trying out Reading Kingdom, an online access based program designed to develop literacy skills in the K-3 crowd (or the up to 10 crowd, depending on if their skills are below that of a 3rd grader).  We have been provided with free access for the purposes of review!

Reading Kingdom was developed by Marion Blake, a professor at Columbia who focuses on literacy in children.  It is designed to be used 4 to 5 times a week, or even more with older children who are struggling.

What's to like?

• Phonics are a big component of the program, which I appreciate.  I think phonics are essential to developing great readers.
• Basic computer skills, as well as spelling and reading comprehension, are built along with the reading skills.
• The lessons are very short.
• The program is designed (and easy) for kids to use independent of adult supervision.
• It's simple to log in as a parent and check on your child's progress with nice visuals and reports available.
• A free 30 day trial is available to see if the program is right for you!
• The games are engaging, Genevieve is eager to play more every time I invite her to give it a go.  There is a "passport" that you earn through the levels and it provides her with incentive to keep at it.
• Customization - you can choose if you want your kids using an on screen keyboard or a physical keyboard, and you can tailor the program's default response time if your child needs more time to get responses keyed in.

The placement test used to evaluate your child's initial placement isn't extremely flexible in my opinion.    As a word of warning - it is also very long to a young child!  I was initially hesitant about trying this product out because my kids all read at a 3rd grade plus reading level already.  I wondered what the program would do for them!  Well, as it turns out, the placement test suggests that they aren't keyboard experts.  I would completely agree with that.  How to use the space key, how to capitalize, and how to find the keys.   All important skills.  And in the sequence of this program those are skills learned before you get to the heavy duty reading and writing.  The Reading Kingdom system suggested placing them near the beginning of the program in terms of ability.

My initial instinct was to protest this!  After some thought, however, I concluded that the program was probably correct in thinking that some skill development was in order in the areas it noticed weakness.  So we stuck with the initial placement.  I do know that the support team with Reading Kingdom is very flexible and willing to adjust levels for you if you email them.

So right now Genevieve has been working on the keyboard land skills, but the reading material provided is definitely not difficult for her.  I have mixed thoughts on the typing she has been doing as I'm not a fan of hunt and pecking on the keyboard (I think correct hand placement should be taught from day one, so haven't encouraged or done much typing, deliberately, with the kids to date).  My preference is to have her use the on screen keyboard, in this way we're avoiding development of hunt and peck typing habits.

I think she's learned her way around the keyboard, and it's happening in a painless way.  :)

If you are looking for a program for a beginning reader this could be an excellent choice.  Programs that include phonics are definitely the way to go in my book and I love the integration of areas of literacy that Reading Kingdom utilizes.  I think that for my kids with their particular combination of skills it wasn't quite a perfect fit though.  It is, however, a fun supplement!

To be fair, it can be much more than a supplement.  There is an excellent overview of the program and the methodology behind it, here, that can give you a better sense of exactly how Reading Kingdom works.  I suggest reading it!

Access is either monthly or yearly.  It is $19.99/month, or $199 for a full year.  Additional children on your account are discounted at half the cost of the first.

Check out some of the many reviews detailing thoughts from other families about Reading Kingdom, here!

Review: Understanding Child Brain Development from Family Hope Center

This summer I've embarked on a new program of self education.  I have (with moderate success) been trying to discipline myself to read more books that have educational value, as a nice addition to the fluff I normally read for entertainment and relaxation purposes.  :)  As might be expected, a number of the books I read have to do with parenting and education.  So when my review group was looking for reviewers of a DVD about child brain development I jumped at the chance - this is right up my current ally of interest exploration!

The Family Hope Center, owned by Matthew and Carol Newell, is both a clinic in PA and a passionate group with a mission to provide hope and resources to parents of children with a wide range of neurological impairments.  They have put together a video, called Understanding Child Brain Development, as an introduction to what they do and what they are about.  I do not have children with developmental delays myself, but as mentioned above I'm a big fan of self education - and this is a fascinating topic.  

The video is just over 2 hours long and it was filmed live when given as a workshop.  There is a bit of a question and answer format, with the moderator being Andrew Pudewa from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.  I like that you can see the audience and hear their participation at parts.  This provides more interest than a front on presenter only format.  The sound quality is great, which is always a big plus.

Most of the presentation is given by Matthew Newell.  He is engaging and humorous (at points - this isn't really a funny topic, of course).  The tone of the presentation is informational and upbeat.  It is stressed that you CAN make a critical different in how your child develops and that the right therapy can make a big difference.  

Matthew and Carol have personal experience with the topic as they have helped their own children overcome some serious handicaps.  They describe treatment protocols and give you ideas on what you can do at home, for free, if you want to start there.  Some key points I grabbed:

• Work smarter, not harder.
• Help kids through their struggle to become superb.
• Focus on what kids can do, and not what they can't.  You need to figure out what in their brain is preventing their abilities from appropriately expressing.
• Correct stimulation can solve MANY neurological development problems.

A fair amount of the lecture focuses on babies.  Did you know that 30% of a baby's birth weight is his brain?  That's one big brain!  Matthew Newell talks about how we move our babies from their car seats to their jumper to their playpen to their crib, and we don't give them the time or space to learn what their brains need to.  First to crawl on their bellies, then to creep (on hands and knees) in a cross pattern.  He talks about issues that rise up when babies skip these steps and just go from sitting to walking.  I found it all quite fascinating, honestly!

If you have any interest in this topic for the price this is a cheap and informative video.  And if you have friends or children that are struggling, I think they would find useful knowledge and steps to try from this DVD too.

To order the DVD you can call the Family Hope Center at 610-397-1737, or you can find Understanding Child Brain Development online from the IEW for $19.  You can see an excerpt from the video at the IEW's website as well.

I found this DVD to be informative and enjoyable to watch.  In particular the last 20 minutes of it provide practical and simple steps you can take to help your children's brains develop properly!  Everything from avoiding microwave and computer usage to what to eat and establishing sleep schedules.  Interesting food for thought, for sure.

You can find more reviews from The Schoolhouse Review crew here.