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Latin's Not So Tough ~ Curriculum Review

4/29/2011

I wouldn't call myself an expert in the Latin language, by any means. I have been guiding students in Latin studies for the last two years, but when I first began presenting lessons in Latin, I was learning it right along with the students. I've noticed that Classical Conversations, a classical homeschooling cooperative, utilizes Latin's Not So Tough in order to teach Latin to their students at various levels, so I've been curious to see this..
I've browsed through Latin's Not So Tough at homeschooling conferences, briefly, but I hadn't been able to sit down with the curriculum to really see what I thought of it...

...until this school year.

     As a member of the TOS Crew, a curriculum-reviewing group of homeschooling parents who work for "The Old Schoolhouse" homeschooling magazine, I was offered the opportunity to try out Latin's Not So Tough this year. Greek 'n' Stuff, the parent company, provided Level 1, 2, or 3 to us, depending on the ages of our children. I received Level 3 since my children were in the upper elementary and junior high grades.

     I must admit that after browsing through the student workbook, I was slightly disappointed to see that everything in Level 3, except for a few vocabulary words, had already been learned by my two daughters using the first year material of another Latin language program.

     I think I was expecting, at first, that Level 3 would be more advanced and would provide more of a challenge to my daughters. However, since they had learned almost everything in Level 3 except for maybe 5-10 vocabulary words, we found that the product wasn't able to be fully used like we would have done if it had been at or above their skill level.

     What I have learned since I first received Latin's Not So Tough in the mail is that Level 3 is the beginning level for students who are in upper elementary grades or older. Basically, I received a beginning level student textbook, answer key, and pronunciation guide - when I would have found Level 4 or Level 5 to be more useful for my own family, if that had been offered to us for review purposes.

     But that's okay. I was still able to look closely at Latin's Not So Tough to evaluate the program and see "close up" what it was like.

     Latin's Not So Tough was designed to very gently guide students through the beginnings of the Latin language without it causing stress to the parent or the child. It is based on the classical pronunciation of Latin, vs. the ecclesiastical (church Latin) pronunciation of Latin. The differences are minor between the two, but I thought you may want to know this in case it's important to you for your children to learn ecclesiastical Latin.

     Because of its gentle approach, the material is not really broken down into weekly or daily lesson plans, although some guidelines are provided. Karen Mohs, the author, ideally prefers that students complete one page of their workbook each day, as well as practicing flashcards daily. I did notice in very tiny print that sections are divided into actual "lessons", but it isn't meant to stand out to the parent or child. Simply working through one workbook page each day is adequate without having to do a lot of lesson planning on the calendar. So for those of you who don't have much time to plan lessons during the week, this is definitely a bonus for you.

     Teacher tips for each lesson are provided at the beginning of the answer key book. The teacher tips include derivatives to help students learn vocabulary, although the derivatives aren't reinforced in any of the workbook pages or flashcards, and I didn't see a place on the workbook pages to include this information, although the parent could instruct the child to include them on the same pages each week.

         If you aren't sure what a derivative is, let's say that the new Latin vocabulary word is "pugno", which means "I fight." A derivative of "pugno" would be the English word, "pugnacious". A very thorough list of derivatives in the teacher tips are provided for each of the vocabulary words in the lessons. In fact, this list of derivatives is much more extensive than what I've seen in other Latin programs. Unfortunately, there seems to be no "built-in" method of including studies of these derivatives into the Latin's Not So Tough program, unless the parent figures out a method of including them in regular study with the student. I've notived over the last two years that learning derivatives well are one of the better methods of remembering new Latin vocabulary words. My students tell me that, as well.

     The pronunciation CD goes step by step right along with the lessons in the student workbook, and the girl's voice on the CD is very clear and distinct without being distracting at all. I placed the CD into my DVD-ROM drive on my computer, and I didn't seem to see an index or table of contents, so I would probably choose to use the CD in a regular CD player, and then I could skip through the lessons to get to the desired audio portion.

     Also contained within the Teacher Tips section at the beginning of the answer key book are suggested Latin resources to help both the parent and the student. These would be an additional cost to purchase, but I do think it is useful to suggest additional resources.

     Like I mentioned already, the Teacher Tips section is very helpful. Yet for someone who may have never studied Latin before, I'm not sure that it's adequate for the parent to use to communicate those concepts to the child. Some children wouldn't mind learning Latin with the inductive (part-to-whole) method in Level Three, although Level Four does transition to a deductive ("whole to parts", "tell my why and how") approach.

     For me, not having studied Latin, French, or Spanish before, I decided that this material would be difficult for me to explain to children who would want to know "why" word endings were changing or other questions that undoubtedly would come up during the school year. Now that I've guided two years of Latin classes, I would be able to answer most of my students' questions about what is contained in Level 3 of Latin's Not So Tough, but prior to studying Latin myself, I think I would have found it a bit tricky to use this program to teach Latin to my children. They are too inquisitive and want to know WHY!   I don't think I would have known how to help them.

     The index in the back of the student workbook is thorough and organized well, but to be truthful, if I hadn't already studied Latin with my children, I wouldn't have had a clue how to use pieces of the index which used words like "conjugation", "declension", and other parts of learning Latin, since those particular words don't seem to be introduced to the students at all in Level 3 in their workbook pages.

I have a friend who has used Latin's Not So Tough at all of its levels with her two very intelligent and diligent children. Her opinion after teaching multiple levels of this is that the program would have been difficult to have used with any level of competence if she hadn't already known French and Spanish. She noted that the student workbook included pages to reinforce the vocabulary, like matching and "circling the correct answer" exercises, but some of the other pages were difficult for them to figure out because they didn't know why some word endings changed the way they did in the lessons. The answer key book didn't seem to offer rules, helps, or explanations; instead, it simply included the answers to the workbook pages (except for the brief Teaching Tips).

As her family advanced through the levels of books and began to learn the different endings of Latin words, they discovered that sometimes, they couldn't figure out why certain things were done in a certain way. Her comment to me was that it probably would have been frustrating for them all if she didn't already know portions of the romance languages. She mentioned that since the other languages of which she had knowledge came directly from Latin, they were connected enough to make sense for her to then explain to her children.

     I was a bit disappointed to hear this from my friend whose opinion I greatly respect. Many homeschooling parents haven't extensively studied foreign languages, so this could possibly be quite frustrating to the parents trying to use this curriculum.

     On the flip side of things, I would say that most parents would comment that Latin's Not So Tough would be extremely easy to use, especially if their children weren't asking the why's and how's of the language.

     I would say that for visually challenged students, the layout of the workbook pages is clean and exclusively black and white. The directions for each page are clear and easy to understand. At the bottom of each page is a little check box near which is written: "I practiced my flashcards today." I thought that was an appropriate reminder each day for the child to work through the flashcards on a daily basis.

     As far as any other methods of reviewing the material in this book, however, I didn't see anything. It is pretty basic in that it merely provides one workbook page per day plus the use of flashcards.

        You may view samples of the various levels and peruse the Table of Contents HERE. Just scroll down to the Latin's Not So Tough section.

       The flashcards are on regular printed paper at the back of the student workbook, so to make them durable for daily use, you'd want to copy these flashcards onto cardstock and possibly laminate them and put them on a wire ring so none of them would get lost. Or, you could purchase Latin's Not So Tough's "Flashcards on a Ring."

     After studying Latin's Not So Tough for myself, I'd say that this kind of program would work well for homeschooling parents who have some experience with declensions and conjugations with at least one of the romance languages - or it would work well for children who naturally aren't quite as inquisitive as some. It provides a very gentle, slow approach to learning a foreign language, which can help children not stress out quite as much.

     If you haven't had any experience with declensions and conjugations in a foreign language, however, this program will still work for you, if you are willing to invest time and money into some of the other suggested resources and books and learn a bit more about the material for yourself before teaching your children, especially if your children tend to be the inquisitive type like mine!

      Also, if your children really don't enjoy using flashcards, you could use one of the free online flashcard-maker websites like Quizlet and type out the vocabulary words for online review and more independent study.

Here are the Latin's Not So Tough materials which are necessary for each level, except that the parent may choose from either the "Answers Only" answer key or the "Full Text" answer key:

Latin Student Workbook ($14.95 - $25.95)

Latin "Answers Only" Answer Key ($4.00) or Latin Level One "Full Text" Answer Key ($14.95 - $25.95)

Latin Level One Quizzes/Exams ($5.50)

Latin Level One "Flashcards on a Ring" ($6.00 - $12.00) or make your own or place them online for free

Pronunciation CD for Latin - covers Levels One-Three or Levels Four-Five ($10.00) or Pronunciation Cassette Tape - covers Levels One-Three or Levels Four-Five ($8.00)

Read what other TOS Crew members have to say about Latin's Not So Tough!

Disclosure: I received Level 3 of Latin's Not So Tough by Greek 'n' Stuff for the purpose of using and reviewing this curriculum product in my home. No other compensation was provided.

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Winners for my recent GIVEAWAYS ~ Magdalena DVD and The Crossmaker DVD

4/26/2011

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I was hoping to get these two winners announced before Resurrection Sunday, but that didn't happen. We were busy preparing for a fun houseful of relatives and friends here at our home!

I've had two giveaways going on in the last couple of weeks, and here are the winners:

Magdalena: Through Her Eyes DVD

The winner for the Magdalena: Through Her Eyes DVD was commenter #13, Dawnmarie, for her Networked Blogs entry. I've emailed Dawnmarie, as well as sharing this here, and she'll have until midnight, Pacific Time, Friday, April 29th, 2011 to contact me and let me know that she's received my message.

The Crossmaker Art Lesson DVD
(from "See the Light")

The winner for The Crossmaker DVD was commenter #3, Katherine (MumOfFunKids) for following me via Google Friend Connect. I've emailed Katherine, as well as sharing this here, and she'll have until midnight, Pacific time, Friday, April 29th, 2011 to contact me and let me know that she's received my message.

Thank you!!!

A great big HUG and a "thank you" to all of my sweet commenters who took the time to write your comments here and enter these giveaways. I appreciate you! And welcome, to all new followers here via email subscriptions, Google Friend Connect, and Networked Blogs.

Congratulations to our winners! And for everyone else, a blessed spring to you!

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Mother-Daughter "Tug of War" over a magazine?

4/26/2011

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     Our house is generally quite peaceful.

     Even with pre-teen and teenage daughters in our home (we prefer to call our 13-year-old a "young adult" because that's what we expect from her behavior), it's unusual to observe fighting and bickering.

     Oh, yeah, you'll find the girls nitpicking each other occasionally, or getting on each other's nerves from time to time, but it's usually fleeting and doesn't last long. And, it's pretty quiet. No screaming or yelling.

     I feel so blessed. Yeah, we're human, but we're all really trying to live in a godly way with each other.

     Until something arrived in the mail that began to create some playful strife - and even, tug-of-war in our home. Between sisters. Between mother and daughter. No, Dad didn't get involved. Thankfully. That would have been U-G-L-Y, because Daddy always wins. He's bigger, stronger, and generally outwits us all.

What caused all this uproar?

It was simply this:

www.EternalEncouragement.com

     Huh?

     A magazine?

     Some little magazine that arrived in the mail turned a fairly peaceful home into chaos?

     Okay, not literal "chaos", because my house right now has looked cleaner and more organized in the last month than it has in the last couple of years.

     And no, the females in our home weren't really fighting fist to fist over a magazine. Ha!

     But we were finding ourselves all wanting to read through the articles in Eternal Encouragement at the same time.

     One magazine...three people wanting to read it at once...

     I know I'm "the Mom" - I can just make them give it to me NOW if I want to.

     But what mom wants to discourage her daughters from reading something biblical, heartwrenchingly honest, and life changing?

     NOT me.

     After letting the girls browse through the articles in the April 2011 issue of Eternal Encouragement, I finally told them that it was MY turn. After all, I had a deadline - I needed and wanted to read through the entire magazine before sharing my thoughts about it here with you.

     They understood, and let me have my turn. Hooray! :)

     As I began to read in little snatches of time here and there, I began to see what drew the girls in to the articles. I think they were reading about some of the failures and frustrations of other moms, and how the Lord was using those women to make a difference in their world. That probably gave them hope about their own mom. :)

     I think they also liked reading about the mother/daughter relationship and comparing how I've nurtured a close friendship with them with what they read in "Lady in Waiting," an article about how to help mothers and daughters to be best friends.

     This quarterly issue focused on the use of TIME in our schedules, households, and relationships, and it was definitely beneficial for both the girls and I to read through the articles. We all enjoyed reading the different perspectives on mothering, housekeeping, discipline, and home educating that were presented in Eternal Encouragement.

     And you know what? I find this interesting. Maybe you will, too:

        I have a box of really great, biblical or useful homemaking/home decorating magazines that I've received in the mail over the last year or so, and none of these good magazines have received the attention from my girls as Eternal Encouragement from www.eternalencouragement.com did this last month.

     Seriously.

       These nice magazines have been sitting here for, well, probably over a year now. When they arrived in the mail, the girls gave a glance to the front covers, and that was about it.

     But not this issue of Eternal Encouragement.

     To me, that speaks volumes. Maybe, at first, it was due to its smaller, less intimidating size. But once they began reading, I could hardly wrench it away from them!

     So, while those magazines in a box, which I really don't have time to read, are probably going to be given away to my local pregnancy center soon, I think I should frame this quarter's issue of Eternal Encouragement and hang it on the wall.

     Not really. Then, I wouldn't be able to do with this issue what I plan to do next: start at the beginning of the magazine again, and read one of the 24 articles every morning. Then, I'm going to use the index in my Bible to look up additional Scripture verses that go along with the theme of that article, and spend some time meditating on God's valuable principles that can really enhance my life and bring me peace, if I'll let Him.

     While all of the other magazines I receive at home are either free subscriptions to me, or were gifts, Eternal Encouragement will be one magazine that I'd like to continue receiving every quarter. As my girls grow, they will gain even more from the godly articles contained inside its pages. The girls and I always enjoy spending time together reading godly writings and the Bible, so this will just enhance what we're already doing.

      Interested to see for yourself what's inside Eternal Encouragement magazine?

     Here's the Table of Contents for the Spring 2010 issue of TEACH Magazine, before the name changed to Eternal Encouragement. This will give you an idea of what you'll see in their magazine (new name, but same godly content):

If godly articles like these sound like something you'd enjoy bringing into your home for hope and faith-building reading for you and your daughters, you may want to consider becoming a subscriber.

Most Christian magazines these days have tons of advertisements and very little content. Eternal Encouragement magazine has tons of content and no ads except a couple of references to other products available from Eternal Encouragement.com.

When my girls are grown and out on their own, this will be the magazine I'll be renewing for them each year as a special gift of love and encouragement for them. Then, they can have their own tug-of-war with their own daughters over their quarterly issues!

A special "thank you" to Eternal Encouragement magazine and The Gabby Moms Blogging Program for introducing me to such a wonderful way to spend my day, reading articles of faith and hope and encouragement.

I received one copy of Eternal Encouragement magazine in exchange for my honest review as part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

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"See the Light" Art DVD classes ~ Art Classes to Bring into Your Home

4/22/2011

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    I can't draw. My girls know that, and while they tease me in a fun way once in a while, they also sympathize with me. They are also very patient with me when I do make attempts at drawing and artwork.

     Because I was never taught to draw or have basic art skills when I was in public school, I wanted to make sure that my girls at least had some basic drawing skills while we educated them at home.

     One of the ways I've helped them to gain confidence in drawing and artwork is to check out drawing books from the library for them. I've also purchased a few art and drawing books for them.

     While "how to draw" books have helped them to some extent, being able to watch an art teacher "in person" via DVD has been more successful. We've been able to view a few of the art DVDs from See the Light Shine.com, and we're impressed with them. After seeing a few art instructors in summer art classes in which my girls have participated in years past, I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing it is to have these Art Lesson DVDs come from the biblical perspective!

I want to tell you a little bit about their new Art Lesson DVDs that are now available from See the Light. Using mostly simple art supplies found in most homes, we have been able to gather a few supplies, pop in the DVD, and begin having art class in our home!

In the first Art Lessons DVD, the girls were able to sit down and preview the lesson before watching it with their art supplies in hand. This helped to reduce any frustration about the art teacher talking too quickly or anything like that. Fortunately, the art teacher on the See the Light art DVDs speaks in a calm, reasonable manner that makes it easy to follow along.

     Each of the nine "See the Light" art DVDs contain four lessons, making 36 art lessons in total.

     According to the See the Light Shine website, the age/grade range for the 9 DVD, 36 lesson ART CLASS series is as follows:   ages 6 and above, or grades 1 and above. "Within our homeschool focus groups in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Nashville, the moms agreed that, if a child had no drawing lessons, ART CLASS could be appropriate for middle school as well, and that high schoolers could benefit."

     My daughters are ages 11 and 13 and enjoyed the lessons very much! They didn't feel talked down to or that they were being babied, which is important at their ages.

     If a child has drawing experience, he/she will move quickly through the first lessons. BUT - that elementary age child will still enjoy them because of Pat's engaging personality and her teaching style. And - review of concepts is always good.

     In the video below, you will be able to meet the Art Lesson instructor, Pat, and hear a little bit about how these art lessons work.

     Our family was able to use and review the first Art Lesson DVD in the series. We liked the four lessons well enough to consider possibly purchasing the remainder of the series in the future.

     If you'd like to take advantage of three free art lessons which are similar to the Art Lesson DVDs but not quite exactly as lengthy or the same, click HERE.

     You may also sign up for a free DVD HERE.

     For those of you who enjoy looking at the nitty gritty of curriculum, you will appreciate being able to get a close-up view of the concepts which are presented from lesson to lesson HERE.

     Thank you to See the Light for encouraging my family to enjoy your Art Lessons DVDs. The instruction is thorough, uses basic supplies found around the home, and is easy to follow. I hope that your children enjoy these as much as mine, because these Art Lesson DVDs will work wonderfully for students who are being home educated, as well as for those students who possibly aren't receiving any art instruction in their schools today.

     To read what the rest of my TOS Crew buddies have to say, visit the Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: See the Light Shine presented me with the first Art Lesson DVD to use in my home for the purpose of my honest review of this product. No other compensation was provided.

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Tips on How to Start Marriage Right!

4/21/2011

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     You're excited to sit down and begin planning your wedding. You've thought about it, casually, over the years, but now this is the real "to do."

     If you're a woman, you'll probably spend countless hours and days finalizing every last detail. If you're a man, well, all those details probably aren't as important to you.

     With all of the planning for the wedding, you are probably thinking that your marriage will be off to a great start! A perfect day, a beautiful honeymoon, and wedded bliss, right?

     If you have been blessed to be a part of pre-marriage counseling with someone who really cares about the future of you and your intended, then you will receive wisdom and counsel from a trusted source.

     If you haven't been able to participate in any pre-marriage counseling, you may have a lot of ideas about your marriage and your partner that may clash with reality once you're back home from the honeymoon...or maybe that clash with reality will happen sooner than you want, while you're on your honeymoon together.

     I'd been acquainted with my husband for several years before we discussed a lifelong marriage commitment to each other. He spoke with my dad, to ask his blessing on our upcoming marriage, and then he popped The Question. The story of that evening will be worth another blog posting, I'm sure. Some day, I'll write it out for you. It's not as romantic as some of you might have hoped!    :)

     While we wanted our wedding day to be very special for both of us, we were both thinking ahead to the future, to our lifelong commitment to each other.

     We had already discussed many aspects of marriage, our personalities, our ideas about budgeting and finances, how many children we might want, whether I'd continue to work after marriage or after children, and a lot of other important issues.

     Even if you have already discussed many of the "Top 10" areas that can cause conflict during marriage, you will both have a lot to learn. I still have a lot to learn after being married for 16 years!

     Thankfully, we were able to do several things before we married that at least got us going in the right direction. We attended a marriage conference for engaged couples; we participated in an 8-week course on budgeting and finances. We talked a lot about many different things!

     I'm delighted to share with you a website designed for those couples who want their marriage to start off on the right foot:

StartMarriageRight.com is new to me, but the principles and helpful ideas found on this site are timeless. At StartMarriageRight.com, I read a blog posting called, "The Art of Letting Go", by Stephanie Smith, and I was touched by her insight into our everyday acts of selfishness in our marriage. She has a unique way with words and in sharing her heart with other couples like myself. I think you'll enjoy what she has to say in her articles here on StartMarriageRight.com.

I also found another article that was - lo and behold - written by two of my college professors from my college years so long ago. That was a nice surprise! "Switching Gears from Immaturity to Maturity", written by Drs. Rich Rollins and Marty Trammell was inspiring for me to read as well. Most of us realize that we can be selfish and babyish at times, even as adults. This is a must-read.

www.StartMarriageRight.com also has some added features - all FREE:

Articles on money, relationships, sex, faith, issues in marriage, and interviews
Q&A: submit a question, get an answer!
Topics and areas for couples who are dating, engaged, or are newlyweds
Freebies
Recommended books
Helpful web links
and a great one - Discover Your Love Language!

If you feel like you need some encouragement for your marriage relationship, or you know someone who is a newlywed or will be marrying soon, www.StartMarriageRight.com is a great resource. Feel free to pass on the information to those you love.

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Nutrition 101 - Choose Life! Great Health Course for Homeschoolers

4/20/2011

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     What kinds of things do you remember from your health classes back when you were in school? Or do you even remember that you took a health class?

     I think most of us found that the way we were taught nutrition, food safety, and about the human body was done so that most of us don't remember all that much about what we learned.

     I remember studying the different systems of the human body, the USDA Food Pyramid from back then, and the shockingly large amount of servings we were to eat each day from food groups.

     While my family ate a lot of vegetables when we were growing up, and occasionally whole wheat pasta, low fat meats, and fresh fruit, some of the concepts about foods and healthy eating came from my own parents' knowledge of healthy foods and food safety.

      How many of us continue to prepare and serve food in the same way our parents did when we were children?

     I wonder how many Americans merely rely on the "old" knowledge that they learned in school or from their parents, instead of really researching exactly what makes foods healthy, or how to best prepare and serve foods in our homes.

     I'd suspect that most Americans still trust and believe in the 1970s and 1980s USDA Food Pyramid, although that has long been done away with. Or maybe you follow the newer USDA Food Pyramid, which isn't much better than the old one.

     Do you actually find that your family is healthy and eating wholesome, real foods? Or are you still relying on old nutrition information from your childhood?

     Over the last five or six years, I've become acquainted with a sweet friend in my community who has become "famous" in the bloggers' realm with her website about eating wholesome, real foods that are not processed. At first, sometimes when I would read her website postings, I would have an attitude. Can you believe that? Me?

     Well, what she was sharing with her readers (including little 'ol me) was completely different from the nutritional standards I'd been taught in school. Some of it instantly made sense to me. Some of it caused me to think and think on the concepts, sometimes, for months! And once in a while, I'd get frustrated with what I was reading and learning. But over the years now, I've realized that much of the way we eat as Americans is really not all that good for us.

     Have you noticed that no matter how many "healthy" foods are introduced onto the grocery store shelves, Americans are still dealing with health issues that aren't improving with some of the changes in the diet?

     This is why I was thrilled to be able to use and review Nutrition 101: Choose Life from Growing Healthy Homes with the girls this spring.

Nutrition 101 covers the various body systems, like some health books you may have read in the past. However, this eBook on CD or in print form contains up-to-date information that will be quite different from what you may read in the newspaper or see on television. Much of the nutritional information we find today comes from scientists working for or swayed by humongous food corporations, so it can be difficult to find accurate nutritional information.

Okay, so here's what you'll find in Nutrition 101. It's 448 packed pages of information, colorful photos, and helpful diagrams, charts, and recipes!

The units include:

The Brain and Nervous System
The Digestive System
The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory, and Visual Systems
The Skeletal and Muscular Systems
The Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
The Endocrine System and Emotions

Each unit contains:

new information about one of the systems in our body
discussion questions
activities from which to pick and choose
additional resources section for those who want to learn more
"power" recipes plus additional recipes
an activity guide
an appendix

     Nutrition 101 is designed for people of all ages. While the girls and I were reading through some of the chapters, Kelsi (age 13) was highly interested in all of the details and scientific information. Brittany (age 11) loved the colorful photos, the basic information, and the Fun Facts scattered throughout the eBook. Since they're opposites in most things, their reactions were what I expected to notice.

     As we were reading each chapter, we took extra time to look for videos on YouTube that would visually explain in video format what we were reading about in Nutrition 101. This helped to cement some of the more complex ideas into the girls' brains. For example, while reading about the nervous system and how nerve cells communicate with each other, we watched a computer animated YouTube video that visually demonstrated the various parts of the nervous system and how the cells communicate with each other. I'd also like to search through some of the Netflix DVDs to view those that would accompany some of the topics we are discussing, as well.

     I'd like to tell you that we finished reading through all 448 pages of this nutrition guide...but that wouldn't be true. We began at the beginning, and since Growing Healthy Homes recommends that families work through each chapter over one to two weeks, that's what we did. In the amount of time we had access to Nutrition 101, we were able to nearly finish Unit 1 which contains the first four chapters.

     While Nutrition 101 contains some detailed facts, it also contains a lot of helpful and very interesting information to even those children in the elementary school ages. We'll be working through Nutrition 101 until June this spring, and then picking it back up at some point over the summer or when school begins in September. When the girls are both in high school, I'm planning to use Nutrition 101 for the girls' high school health textbook - it's that good and thorough.

     At the end of each chapter are extra book suggestions, web links, and extra recipes.

     The recipes in Nutrition 101 are great! The concepts are excellent. I was very impressed with this book. You will be, too!

   I received the electronic version of Nutrition 101, which costs $79.95. Before you gasp, let me explain that this is a very high quality eBook/textbook. This isn't your usual "39-page" eBook that you see online occasionally. We will use portions of this book, especially some of the pages in the Appendix, over and over again. A lot of care and preparation has gone into the nearly 500 pages in this eBook. While I don't particularly like paying that much money for eBooks on CD, if you are interested in teaching some of the best food nutrition and information about the human body that is out there right now, this is probably worth planning into your homeschool budget in the future.

If you'd rather have this book in paper form, Nutrition 101 is also available as a full-color hardcover book for $99.95, or it may be purchased as a combination of both the electronic and physical versions for $129.95. While I haven't actually seen the hardcover version in person, some of the members of the TOS Crew have seen Nutrition 101 in hardcover form and homeschooling curriculum conferences, and they have told me that it is beautiful with its full color pages printed on heavy, high quality paper. I'd love to see it some day!

     You may be interested to read what some of my fellow TOS Crewmates have to say about Nutrition 101, so here you go!

     For those of you who enjoy viewing and reading PDF files like this on other devices than a computer, Nutrition 101 can also be viewed on an iPad using the GoodReader app for PDFs or the iBook app. This will also work for an iPod Touch.

     If you have a Kindle, you can transfer the PDF file to your Kindle by connecting your Kindle to your PC via the USB cord and then opening up the Documents folder on your Kindle. Simply drag your Nutrition 101 file into the Documents folder. I wouldn't recommend viewing Nutrition 101 on a Kindle, though. I transferred it over to my daughter's Kindle, and while the Kindle easily accepted the file and it was easily accessible, the print was very tiny. Unfortunately, with PDF documents, some of the features of the Kindle, like adjusting the size of print, are unavailable, at least for the new model we have. Let's just say that unless you have incredible eyesight or very accurate bifocals, you probably won't want to be reading Nutrition 101 on your Kindle, even if you turn the viewing to landscape mode.

     On April 21, 2011, The Old Schoolhouse is hosting a webinar with Sera Johnson, one of the authors of Nutrition 101. This webinar will take place at 4:00 p.m. EDT, so if you'd like to know more, this is a great resource!

You may also view a sample of Nutrition 101. This will help you decide if this is the right kind of health and nutrition study for your own family.

Because the curriculum is designed for both elementary and secondary students, Growing Healthy Homes expects customers to use it for multiple years ... and then with their grandchildren.

Growing Healthy Homes is graciously offering my readers a 15% discount coupon from Growing Healthy Homes using the code "TOScrew11". This is the same discount you would receive at a homeschool fair where they would be exhibiting this product.

I do recommend Nutrition 101 to you. We'll be using this again and again, even after we have completed going through the chapters as a family. Health class - here we come!

Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of Nutrition 101 for the purpose of using it with my family and reviewing it here for you. No other compensation was provided.

4 Comments

Daily Geography Practice for Homeschoolers - does it work?

4/19/2011

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     I don't know what your experiences were like in school when it came to learning geographical terms, being able to adequately read and use maps, and have a deeper understanding about our world from studying geography.

     I had very little geography in my school career, but I remember always enjoying working on maps. The only thing I didn't care to do with maps was to color them in. We were usually required to use colored pencils to color in our maps, and back then, I didn't have access to the very nice watercolor artist pencils like my own children do these days.

       They have no idea how spoiled they are!

       While I loved working on maps back then, I didn't care for the screechy way that my colored pencils would fill in the countries or regions or bodies of water. It actually became quite irritating to me!

     In our state, as homeschoolers, our children are now required to take a completely different test than we have in the past. Now, we are required to have our children tested on social studies and science in addition to the usual tests on language mechanics and comprehension, and mathematical reasoning and computation. I feel comfortable with this, because we have fairly rigorous history and science curricula in our home.

     Some of our homeschooling history curriculum has addressed the use of maps and mapwork for the last few years. I thought we were doing pretty well at having the girls learn geography skills and map skills.

     Then, Timberdoodle asked me to review their Daily Geography Practice for Grades 6+, by Evan-Moor.

      When Daily Geography Practice arrived in the mail, Kelsi looked at it to see what it was like. She loves to work on maps and learn about maps, or at least she has in the past. She decided right away that this was something that I'd need to teach to her and her sister instead of this being something that she would work on individually each day. And sure enough, in the introduction of this book, it carefully notes that the skills in this book should be taught in direct instruction, and not used as independent practice.

     I agreed. While Daily Geography Practice is designed to be worked on for about 15 minutes per day, I would agree that this is not an independent learning workbook.

     While I thumbed through the book that first day or two, it was obvious to me that there were quite a few geography concepts that we had not yet introduced to the girls at home. While I'm not overly concerned about how the girls score on the standardized tests that they take in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, I also don't want them to freeze up on the tests because they're unfamiliar with some of the terminology.

      In Daily Geography Practice, Grade 6+, 36 map lessons introduce basic geography skills and over 130 geography terms. What a perfect hands-on approach to geography instruction!

The geography skills presented at Grade 6+ include

globes
compass roses
map legends
map grids and coordinates
map scales
physical country and continent maps
projections
regional maps
road and tourist maps
historical and cultural landmark maps
population and product maps
climate and time zone maps
land use, product, and resource maps
political country and world maps

     Here are some of the features which I really like about using Daily Geography Practice - Grade 6+ in our home.

     The pages are reproducible for classroom use - in one classroom. My girls are now working through the lessons together, so I'm allowed to photocopy the pages so that both of them have their own individual worksheet pages. Even if there were 10 children in my family, I wouldn't need to buy a separate book for each child. That's economical, and I appreciate that!

     Each of the 36 weekly sections can be completed in five 15-minute time periods during the week, or in longer sessions one to three times per week. We chose to work through each weekly section over two longer sessions each week.

     Background information and an answer key is available for the teacher, for each weekly section.

     A map page is included for each week's lesson.

     Vocabulary and question pages are included for each week.

     A geography glossary can be found at the back of the book. In fact, it is printable so the students can make their own easy reference booklet throughout the year!

     This book also contains 36 black-and-white transparencies of the maps and globes in the book. If I was using this in a classroom setting, I would use overhead pens to highlight and mark special features as we would be discussing the week's lesson and questions.

     I've found Daily Geography Practice - Grade 6+ to be very simple for me to use as a busy home educating mom. The only advanced preparation required of me is to photocopy the girls' weekly lesson worksheets, and to check to see if I need to grab the globe or have us sit in front of the wall map in our schoolroom. Other than that, this book is very simple to use.

     Brittany is now finishing up the 5th grade. While she's needed to think slightly harder while working on the questions during the week, she's understanding what we're doing. That's important to me!

     If you're interested in taking a closer look at Daily Geography Practice - Grade 6+, you can flip through the first 24 pages of this book HERE.

     Daily Geography Practice is also available for Grades 1-5. While we haven't used any of the earlier levels, we would have, had I known about this excellent series of geography study workbooks.

     Timberdoodle also carries a variety of additional geography helps and tools for families on their website , like other geography curriculum, puzzles, and supplements.

     You may also view their online catalog to see what other treasures they carry. I love looking through the Timberdoodle catalog. They offer so many neat educational supplies and materials that other catalogs and companies generally don't carry.

     Daily Geography Practice is one book series that is perfect for home educators, and I highly recommend this! You have the flexibility as the parent to spread this out over one semester for advanced students, or over two years for younger students who need more time to absorb new concepts like these.

     I'm very thankful to learn about this book series this year. My only regret is that I didn't know about it any sooner!

Disclosure: As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

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Rise Up - A Celebration Flash Mob for Resurrection Sunday!

4/15/2011

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If you are finding yourself in need of some spiritual encouragement and refreshment, watch the enthusiasm of this church in Houston, Texas, in a "flash mob" type of scenario that they did recently. I love seeing the joy in the faces of each of them! I know that some people who aren't followers of Jesus Christ will probably think that being able to do this with millions of other Christians in heaven is no big deal, but for those of us who love music and dance and artistic expression, this will literally be HEAVENLY! (Pun intended.)

I pray that God will bless you now until Resurrection Sunday when you are able to celebrate the risen, living Savior, Jesus!

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"The Crossmaker" Easter Resurrection Story & Art Lessons AND GIVEAWAY!

4/13/2011

18 Comments

     Kelsi and Brittany LOVE art - and art lessons. They were blessed by God with some artistic creativity and the ability to draw far better than their mama can draw. They surpassed my stick figures a L-O-N-G time ago!

     This is our third "See The Light" art DVD that we've been privileged to review as a family. We were not disappointed! The art lessons are clear, succinct, very beautifully presented, and the Gospel is also presented throughout the lessons.

     While you and your children will view three artists on this particular Resurrection Easter art DVD, we loved watching chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann present and teach about drawing an interpretation of the Resurrection event on this DVD.

     While we don't own a black light to use with this art DVD, it isn't absolutely required. Your family will enjoy these art lessons with or without the benefit of having a black light.

Here's what your family will see on this beautiful
"The Crossmaker" art DVD:

THE EASTER STORY: Dominic, the son of a carpenter, finds himself drawn into the unforgettable trial of the man called Jesus. Share in this amazing adventure that takes Dominic from Christ's crucifixion to a place of redemption, and a face-to-face meeting with the risen Christ. See The Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann draws her stunning interpretation of the Easter story.
ART LESSON! GLORY! See The Light artist Heidi Shorts teaches on the art of Creative Lettering
HE IS NOT HERE! HE IS RISEN! See The Light Art Club Master Teacher Pat Knepley leads budding young artists in a step-by-step drawing lessons using chalk pastels. Plus, create your own black light reveal!
THREE CROSSES ON A HILL. See The Light's Jim Pence gives a tutorial in water colors as young artists discover The Joy of Art

Bonus Features:

REVEL in original contemporary music performed by "Breathing Room" recording artists Jan Roper and Kevin Dukes while watching Gloria Kohlmann draw her remarkable art expression of the Easter Story.
WATCH and HEAR the plan of salvation, clearly and creatively presented as you have never seen it.
HEAR See The Light chalk artist Glory Kohlmann's commentary as you watch the Easter scene being created.
MEET the See The Light team.

      Thanks to the folks at See the Light and Propeller, they are providing a giveaway copy of The Crossmaker Easter Story & Art Lesson DVD to one commenter here on Joy In Our Journey! Here's how to enter:

1. Required: Leave me a comment here letting me know about your favorite type of art to draw or view.

Additional entries you can earn (optional, though):

1. Sign up for a free email subscription to any postings I place here on this blog page - so you won't miss a thing! Please remember to leave me a comment saying that you have just done this or that you are already signed up to receive email subscriptions through my website.

2. Be a follower here on Joy In Our Journey by clicking on Google Friend Connect on the right hand side of this page. Please remember to leave me a comment saying that you have just done this or that you are already a follower here using GFC.

3. Follow me using Networked Blogs. Again, click on the "Networked Blogs" widget on the right hand side of this page. Please remember to leave me a comment saying that you have just done this or that you are already a follower here using Networked Blogs.

     This giveaway will end on Friday, April 15th, 2011 at midnight, Pacific time. We want to get this shipped out to you in time for Resurrection Sunday, although we can't guarantee that it will arrive in time.

     Thanks to all of you for taking the time to comment and be an encouragement here on Joy In Our Journey! You are the best readers ever!

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

18 Comments

We have a winner ~ Rebecca St. James' new CD!

4/13/2011

0 Comments

Congratulations to TerriB, our newest winner here on Joy In Our Journey!

Terri was commenter #20, and her comment was chosen automatically by the random number generator at www.Random.org.

I will be forwarding TerriB's information to the promoter of this wonderful audio CD, and TerriB should hopefully receive this in the mail very soon. Congratulations - and thank you, to all who commented and signed up for this giveaway. We are still thoroughly enjoying this audio CD as a family.

God bless you, and thank you for sharing your wonderful songs that are blessing your lives right now. I pray that you will have a very blessed Resurrection Day indeed!

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Hi! I'm Julieanne!
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Magdalena: Through Her Eyes DVD

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The Crossmaker Art Lesson DVD
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Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.

Find
Joy In Our Journey on:

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