Thanks for stopping by to visit! Feel free to browse around to your heart's content. My hope is to inspire you, to encourage you, and to instill a bit of sunshine into your day. I do hope
Oh my gosh, who would’a thunk it? Seriously….we went to the library tonight and picked up some CDs, the kids and I. Well, of course, an Elmo CD had to make it into the mix. Elmo is Jaden’s hero right now; well, in Jaden’s words, Melmo. Anyway, who would have thought that I’d be driving down the highway, actually rocking out with the kids to Elmo, You Can Drive My Car? LOLOL Seriously, it’s such a fun song. It’s even cuter when you have a toddler in the back doing all the Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Yeah! LOL Oh, if you don’t have a library with tons of kids’ music, you are missing out on many good laughs, my friends!:) Enjoy! (Let’s see if you can keep from rockin’out.)LOL
I know my blog has been full of reviews this week….I’ve been desperately working to get completely caught up and ahead with the Crew, so that I can be ahead of the game and have more time for MamaBuzz and personal posts, as well….bear with me.:) This week has seemed like it’s in slow motion; I’m not feeling the greatest, haven’t really been for the last couple weeks. I don’t know what’s going on.
Last night in choir, though, Pastor Jeff introduced us to a new song, and I just can’t get enough of it. I thought I’d share with you all. It’s called Mighty Wind, and it’s written by Andrae Crouch. Oh my, it is beautiful, and I can not wait to sing it in church in the future. We’re just starting to work on it. Listen to it, and tell me if you can’t feel a mighty wind just come rushing into the very room where you sit….it’s amazing how the Holy Spirit can lift us up through music, isn’t it? Enjoy!:)
When I first started homeschooling, I did so much research into everything I could; I searched online intensively, I talked to other homeschoolers, and I went to local bookstores, just trying to find resources to help me figure things out. I still do much research and welcome any and all help that I can get.
When I receivedApologia’sThe Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, I was happy to add it to my resource shelf. Out of all the books I got in the beginning, I have a small resource shelf that I keep books on that I use for reference all the time. This book is so multi-faceted that it’s going there, as well.
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschoolingstarts out with a Foreword by Michael Farris, who is the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association. There are also tips on how to use the book and an introduction to the book. Throughout the book, there are suggestions for further reading and study on certain subjects, websites that will help you, examples and stories from the author’s experience, other opinions from other experienced homeschool families, and information on recommended resources. The end of the book also contains a Resource Guide, in which you will find pages and pages of Homeschooling Organizations and Publications, Recommended Supplier and Products, and Academic/Athletic Contests and Competitions. There is also an accompanying website for the book at Apologia. The book is formatted in an interesting, informative, enjoyable way. The following is a listing of the major sections of the book:
Part 1: Homeschooling: Is It for You?
Part 2: Choosing a Curriculum (a daunting but very pleasant task for any homeschooler)
Part 3: Organization and Planning
Part 4: Preventing Burnout
Part 5: What to Teach-When and How
Part 6: Homeschooling Teens
Part 7: Computers in the Homeschool
Part 8: Creative Solutions
Part 9: Measuring Your Success
Pre-Game Pep Talk
Part 10: Resource Guide
The parts that were most helpful for me are hard to say, for sure, because the whole book is really helpful. The section on burnout is one that I need to read over and over to remind myself of different strategies that could help when either I or Jacob are feeling that “can’t take this anymore” feeling. I want school to be an enjoyable time for my boys, so this chapter is quite helpful in offering advice and ideas on how to switch things up. Too often it’s easy to get sucked into the schedule and curriculum, when really, there are times when all of that needs to go to the side for more important learning opportunities, aka, life lessons. Another part that I found helpful was the Creative Solutions section, in which there’s a section on how to deal with different challenges, such as toddlers while homeschooling and even motivating a reluctant student. With a second grader who demands my attention in school, it can be hard to give my toddler the attention he requires at the same time, and I’ve tried some of the ideas from this chapter; so a lot of this was stuff I already do, but it still is great information for a beginning homeschool mom. The strategies to help motivate the reluctant student were very informative, creative, and helpful.
All in all, this book is a great resource to have on your shelf. With all of the resources it contains, there is something for every homeschooling family. You can get this book from Apologia for $20. Packed with information from one homeschool mom to another, this book is definitely one I’ll be keeping around.
Zeezok Publishing is a company that has a variety of different materials, including music studies, literature, character building, and penmanship.
We received Presidential Penmanship (BJ Style) to review in our homeschool endeavors. I just want to be up front and honest in this review; since this style is a different style than what Jacob is used to doing, rather than confuse him, I chose to not use the style with him. He began cursive writing early on, and he has really begun to grasp it, and I didn’t want to set a different style in front of him and confuse him by that. We can, however, use the quotes that are included in our own style. The BJ Style has a more modern feel to it than more traditional styles.
Presidential Penmanship is a handwriting program for grades 1-12. The lessons in first and second grades focus on manuscript writing. Lessons are broken down by weeks and days of the week. The lessons are shorter in the younger grades, and the student begins the lesson by reading and tracing the quote or passage. All of the quotes and passages included in the Presidential Penmanship program are taken from past U.S. Presidents and other historical figures. These people include George Washington, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, etc. Not only is your student learning how to have good handwriting and gaining practice, but he’s learning these historical quotes, which he is also encouraged to memorize in the younger years, at least. These quotes not only promote the founding principles of our nation but also good character qualities. Scripture is even included at certain points. Cursive writing begins in third grade, and the passages and quotes start to get longer. In the junior high/senior high years, he will copy passages from famous Presidential speeches/addresses.
You can purchase Presidential Penmanship (BJ Style) from Zeezok Publishing for $39.99; with this price, you get the complete program on CD or the ebook. You can also purchase each level separately for $9.99. Later on, after Jacob has fully grasped cursive writing, we may use this as a handwriting program because it will provide the practice he needs in learning how to write neatly, plus it is beneficial to the mind and heart.
