The Geography Drawing Series: Initial Thoughts

Hi! I have the pleasure of trying a brand new product from Brookdale House! It's the geography drawing series which has a USA and Europe edition. I will be continuing to use the USA edition with my kids in the coming weeks.

How this program works

Each week there's one state to study. The activities are broken down into four days worth of practice.

Day 1: Study the New State.
Complete the State Fact Table.
Locate and label each new state onto the dashed, black and white map.
Draw all states studied thus far.

Day 2: Locate and label each new state onto the dashed, black and white map.
Draw all states studied thus far.

Day 3: Locate and label each new state onto the dashed, black and white map.
Draw all states studied thus far.

Day 4: List, from memory, the states studied thus far.
Using the blank text box, draw, also from memory, all of the states you
have learned.

What I think So Far

I love that it's scheduled for you and broken down in a way that is quick and easy to follow. You're not just given a packet of worksheets to figure out how to use. The schedule slowly introduces kids to each state, lets them practice drawing it alone and then moves on to placing it on the map.
ve that it's already

The states are introduced in a way that makes sense. They aren't just sporadically introduced. They start in the north east with Maine and work across the map toward the west.

Drawing Around the World can be used with a wide age range. Younger kids can learn how to trace the states and all the information while older kids can have more of a challenge with timed drills.

I really like that you're not just teaching geography with this program. While that's the focus, it's also teaching information about each state such as the capital, big industries, state bird and other interesting facts.

Be on the lookout in July for how my kids liked using this program! 

Choosing Curriculum: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself when Considering a Change

It's the time of year when many of us homeschoolers start planning and buying for the next school year. What do you do when you stumble upon something new, but you're unsure of whether or not to make the switch? This is an issue I've wrestled with this winter. We have loved our current program but at the same time I've found something else that I really like. I have five questions to ask yourself when considering a change in curriculum. If you are doing the back and forth in your head these may help you work through your decision making process and come to a conclusion one way or another.

1. Do I enjoy teaching and do my children enjoy learning from our current program? 
Now, children aren't always going to "enjoy" school but there shouldn't be tears daily over lessons or even daily battles. When we were using workbook based curriculum with Chelsea school was a daily struggle. When we switched to a more hands on approach the atmosphere of our school changed drastically!

2. Is our current curriculum meeting the goals I have for my children?
Each year we have a general idea of the things we'd like our children to accomplish. Some may write them down or you may be like me and just have them in your head. When considering our possible change this year I spent a lot of time contemplating this question.

3. What are the pros and cons of each curriculum choice? 
If you are really feeling undecided this is a good activity to help you along. Write down good things about changing and possible draw backs. Do the pros outweigh the cons?

4. Have you prayed about it?
This really should be number one! Pray about your options. God will tell you which way you should turn. Maybe you really enjoy your current curriculum and are afraid of a change? Pray about it and go where God leads you!

5. What do others have to say?
I often find myself asking homeschool friends about curriculum choices. They don't have the exact same child I do but they can definitely point out some things that I may not know just by looking at a book or a website. you can also checkout reviews on the Homeschool Reviews website.


Have you started planning for the next school year? What changes are you considering/

Multi-Age Homeschooling Without Going Crazy

This year has been, well I guess every year of homeschooling is a learning experience. This year it has been figuring out how to deal with kindergarten, first grade and fifth plus a toddler in the mix who no longer takes a morning nap (isn't 14months too young for that?) Many days I felt like I was going crazy trying to get all of them done even though My Father's World kindergarten is fairly quick and easy. I asked around, saw the color coded charts people used to teach their families and tried making up my own schedule.

Even after all of that I still felt frazzled, unorganized and just frustrated! Finally I figured out what I needed to do and it worked! Instead of trying to do math with one then the next and the next then going onto another subject and switching between the three of them I thought I'd try and just sit down with one child and get through ALL of their work before moving onto the next. The first day it was SO nice! We were done fairly earl in the day and I didn't feel like I was losing m mind.

Here are my tips for schooling multiple levels.

1.Combine when possible
Many curriculum are made for just this! Using things for Bible, Science and History that can work for a variety of grade levels helps a LOT when trying to fit it all in. Think of the one room school house style. One classroom for all the grades and letting kiddos work together on crafts and projects makes it so much more fun!




2. Experiment with Your Schedule
It may take a while to figure out what works for you. Do you like having a set schedule? Try that and see how it works for you. If it's making your more stressed out than it is being helpful you may want to try  more relaxed schedule. For me, it was having a set start time then working with one child at a time while the others played. You may be able to work with more than one at a time without going crazy and if that works for you go for it! Experiment and find what works

3. Expect Interruptions

At least in my house, with a toddler, there's always something happening! Toys being dumped, her stepping on the kids workbooks as they are trying to write, the dog barking or a fussy toddler who wants attention! SO many things can get in the way when trying to get through the school day, learning to expect them and go with the flow really helps you keep your cool (even though picking up the pile of cards for the fifth time may not be fun lol).


Now, Mama, it's your turn to share! How do you teach several kiddos without going crazy?

All About Reading Level 4 is Here

Last week I shared about switching back to All About Spelling for Chelsea. Well this weekend I got some exciting news from All About Learning Press that I couldn't wait to share with you. Their All About Reading Level 4 is finally available!

August: Creation and Scrolls, Messes and Fun!

I never remember to do a weekly review so I'm thinking maybe a monthly review would work a little better for me! We started school early August at the request of my middle two kiddos and they had a lot of fun with it!

Tot School 
Well, Miss Allie still sleeps through most of the excitement during her morning naps but a few times she's had fun stepping on Hunter's workbook or trying to get the alphabet matching game cards from Natalie. One day she sat in her seat to scribble for a few minutes but she mostly just likes wandering around finding things to make a mess of!

Kindergarten
We started out with a creation unit for her. We spent a day for each day of creation and then had fun reviewing, learning about the earth and comparing what God made vs. what people made.

After our creation unit we started with the first letter in the My Father's World Kindergarten program. S for sun! We read Bible verses and made a badge to remember that "Jesus is the light of the world."  One day we made a sundial (which daddy unknowingly removed from the yard) and saw what the sun did to a piece of black paper. Miss Natalie had a lot of fun learning about the S sound, writing the s and drawing a sun!


First Grade 
Hunter's first grade work started out with a review of the letter sounds and how to write them. After getting through the entire alphabet we made the pages into a scroll like they would have had in Bible times! Once that was finished we started reviewing the short vowel sounds and reading several words with them in the words. He also got to read sentences to match with pictures. Here in the next week or two we'll be getting into long vowel sounds.

We've learned about ants and worms and other creatures in and on the ground, the seasons and how plants grow. The rain forest at the zoo had a great big ant hill we could see inside of which went great with what we had read in the "Things Outdoors" book! We currently have a bean seed in a baggie with a wet napkin to see what happens to it!

In math we have worked with patterns, the 100 chart, place value and our coin jar. I'm always amazed at how quickly this boy picks up on math concepts!

Fifth Grade
History this year ties in with our study of the Old Testament. We've learned about creation, the first sin in the world that Adam and Eve commited., Noah's ark and the tower of Babel. It amazes me that the Bible gives an account of such important events so early in history so that we can use them today as we learn more about science and the world around us.

A few weeks ago our family celebrated the Sabbath. It was a really neat experience! We had dinner at dusk (quite by accident but that's when it was supposed to be anyway) and used the Celebrating Biblical Feasts book to guide us through. Wayne and I both had a sense of calm and the dinner was enjoyed by all of us.


This past week we used a fun story to learn how to draw a map of the Bible lands. We've gotten our timeline going and talked about the Jewish calendar..





In sciience we've talked about the first day of the creation of the Earth. Light! we've learned how light can be bent to play tricks on our eyes and made the fun discovery that you cannot see a penny under a clear glass of water unless you look straight down on it!

We are still really enjoying the Shiller math program! We've learned several songs from their Kit 2 CD and started a section on geometry this week after doing some review of telling time, reading larger numbers and multiplication and division.

We're using Learning Language Arts through literature this year and finished up reading the Boxcar Children this week. This is another change we made that I'm really enjoying! The workbook is quick and she can do it fairly independently.


Other Happenings
It's been a fun, busy, crazy month! We've had fun gathering vegetables from our garden, playing with the water hose, going to the park and lots and lots of legos! Chelsea finished her 4H projects, just in the nick of time for judging. We also celebrated Wayne's birthday this month and surprised him with a cake. I still can't believe he didn't see it! The best part of the month though is that yesterday, my sister came home from CA so we've spent most of Friday visiting with her after a fun day at the park with some homeschool friends.

How was your August? I'd love to hear about it!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. They do not effect the cost to you in any way, only blesses my family with a small portion. 

Back to Homeschool Giveaway! Brought to You by A+ Interactive Math

It's an exciting time of the year! It's that time when homeschool moms and families everywhere are gathering curriculum, making plans, and stocking up on Back to HOMEschool  supplies. With that in mind - we've put together a Facebook party to celebrate with FREEBIES, books, and curriculum you are sure to love. Welcome!  You will have the chance to enter to win a Laptop Computer with lots of curriculum. You'll also have the chance to enter many individual giveaways all together worth thousands of dollars. We are so glad you are here. The giveaways will stay open through Monday. Check the A+ Facebook page and your email for winners.

One family will win products from all of the following companies as well as a laptop from A+ Interactive Math  . . . AND math curriculum for the entire family with access to ALL grade levels.

 See more about our Family Packages HERE 

Fantastic homeschool companies participating in the Back to HOMEschool MEGA Giveaway:

Writing with Sharon Watson 

Diana Waring
A Journey Through Learning 
Homeschool Legacy 
Teach Them Diligently 
Founders Academy 
Homeschool Adventure Co. 
Next Generation Homeschool 
SKrafty Homeschool Minecraft 
Frugal Homeschool Family 
Intoxicated on Life 
Adventures In ChildRearing-Everyday Exploring 
HEDUA - Home Educating Magazine 

We Choose Virtues 

Media Angels 

Moore Family Films

Sidetracked Sarah- recipes for homeschool moms

A+ Interactive Math   

Enter the MEGA Giveaway with 1 entry - or use them all for more chances to win BIG!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take advantage of our Back to HOMEschool Special - The only math program your family needs with access to ALL grade levels. Get 1 - 10 student packages for $67.50 - $135 with the link below.

Head back to the A+ Interactive Math Facebook Page to join the party and enter MORE giveaways! We have tons of individual giveaways - each with a different winner. GO HERE

Extra! Extra! Have you seen these?

All week I've been showing you the great bundles available from the Build Your Bundle, Hoemschool Edition. I realized today though that I haven't even looked at the other products being offered at a great discount.  The "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition sale is going on for only a few more days. (ends July 28). Check out some of the great programs, classes and other products that are greatly discounted for this sale.

Lesson Trek Review

Lesson Trek is a great tool for homeschoolers and I was quite excited to get the chance to use it and tell you about it! 

Pros:

• Quick and easy to navigate
• You can add multiple children and subjects for each
• It keeps track of time spent on lessons and grades.
• Children and subjects are color coded so they are easy to recognize.

Con:

• You can only see one week at I time. I wish there was an option for looking at a few weeks or even a month at a time.