Home School Navigator: A Language Arts Curriculum Review

All the way through school, one of my most favorite classroom activities was discussing literature.  I had always been good at reading aloud and then found myself full to the brim of analysis and ideas!  I'm sure my classmates got tired of listening to me, but I adored it.  In my homeschool daydreams (long before I had kids), I would imagine a family of kids sitting around discussing a book we had just read.  It was glorious until I actually had kids and lost part of my brain along the way.  At the early stages of learning it is so easy to get pulled down in the mud of learning to read and not falling behind in math.  Even though I'm an avid writer, the demands and pressures of life had misplaced my love for literature and writing when it came to educating my kids.  I'm so thankful to be reviewing Home School Navigator Reading and Language Arts Curriculum from Home School Navigator because it has reminded me of an early love and orchestrated a fantastic language arts curriculum based on those loves.

Home School Navigator is a comprehensive language arts curriculum for beginning readers all the way up to established readers working on their paragraph writing skills (about K-5).  What sets this program apart is that it is divided into colored levels rather than typical grade levels and provide you access to all of them.  They understand the uniqueness of students and how they very well may find their expected grade level too challenging or too simple.  With your student's subscription, if at any point the curriculum becomes a stumbling block (too easy or too hard), you are welcome to move to the next appropriate level!  This speaks volumes about their innate design intended for homeschooling.

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Each color/level provides 36 weeks of instruction (with catch up days built in) complete with book lists, extensive planning guides, handouts with answer keys, instructional videos, games, handwriting, vocabulary, word study, poetry, creative writing and so much more.  For higher levels (beginning with Green), they also offer some really neat interactive notebooks that are great for the hands-on student.  All of the various assignments and activities usually connect to the read-aloud book of choice for that day/week.  Most of the books are ones you might already own or certainly can get from a local library.  While it is ideal for students to have the books in hand, the curriculum provides a video of each book being read aloud both for reinforcement and in a pinch, your main focal point isn't lost because you don't have a book.  In addition to the assortment of videos, handouts and lesson plans,  the other online component of this program is the portfolio option.  At the end of each lesson or section their is an option to check items as completed and/or upload files to add to the student's portfolio.  In many states there is a portfolio requirement so this is a super handy element that they have built right in.  Otherwise, it still will keep track of how far you are from completing a level as you check off assignments.

You can manage a total of 4 students so we tried the program out with my 7 year old and 4 year old which translated into Level Yellow and Level Red.  The read-aloud videos were everyone's favorite and resulted in a double blessing because they both wanted to listen to each others'!  Some of the favorite activities all centered around writing.    In Level Red they are still learning to read so the writing began in the audible stage where the student and parent create together before it makes it to the page.  The 4 year old is enamored with stories already so this was right up her alley.  A similar activity expects more independence in Level Yellow.  The instructional videos were extremely helpful in part because it was someone else doing the teaching and I was merely reinforcing.  In the beginning when the Writer's Notebook is introduced, my 7 year old took to it really well and before I had even directly assigned it, during his afternoon quiet time he had written the first chapter of his book, Vacation to Colorado!  It was as if something sparked a fire in him and he just went with it.  As a writer, educator and a mom, I LOVED it.                                                                                      

                             

Overall, I highly recommend looking into this program.  The interface was a little daunting at first, but made a lot more sense with more use.  The best part of the program is its versatility.  Wherever your student is in their learning and comprehension, this program encourages them there.  If one element is already mastered, it is flexible enough for you to leave it out with no issue at all.  It is designed with the typical home school family in mind!  If you would like more information or other perspectives on the Home School Navigator Reading and Language Arts Curriculum, check out other reviews at the link below.

Home School Navigator on Social Media: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolnavigation/   
• Pinterest: Home School Navigator
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolnavigator/   

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC Review

 

Long before I had kids and jumped into the homeschooling adventure, I loved books.   My Type B personality makes me worry I'll miss something really important one of these days, but then I watch my 1 year old fall in love with books over the last month like the big kids already have and I can relax.  Loving books becomes synonymous with a love for learning.  A love for learning is the entire point of education!  Our latest review is a beautiful book called T is for Tree: A Bible ABC from

Reformed Free Publishing Association that encourages a relationship with the English alphabet that also points to God's Word all along the way.

As the title suggests, this is an ABC book where every page is devoted to a letter of the alphabet.  Each letter and its chosen word is then illustrated on the page somehow and depicted in rhyme that is connected to a Bible verse quoted at the bottom of the page.  In addition to the main illustration, all the pages include a thick frame decorated with some element mentioned in the scripture.  This is a sturdy, hard-bound book that provides many opportunities for learning and further discussion.

At church and in our own reading at home we rarely use the King James Version so it didn't take very long for the kids to give me a funny look when words like whereunto and wilt were used.  I bring it up not as a criticism though.  While KJV hasn't always brought about ease of understanding, in this context it actually broadens things for the reader.  Many of the verses are familiar enough that they recognize them, but also highlights new or different words.  My 7 year old would try his hand at inferring what the word meant and the 4 year old simply expands her vocabulary.  So not only are we reinforcing alphabet knowledge and vocabulary, we're given the opportunity to discuss illustrations in the Bible.  It is a safe and easy environment to learn a little more.

The variety of words used is a nice mix of the familiar with the unique.  Things like nest and king weren't a surprise, but things like faith and zion definitely set this book apart.  The author Connie L. Meyer also did the illustrations that are all worth noting.  The pictures are beautiful with bright colors and detailed drawings that are also simple and attainable.  Drawing is something we try to include in our children's curriculum pretty often (Mr. Butler is quite the artist himself) and this book could be used to draw from or imitate in drawing practice.

This book would make a great gift with plenty of room on the inside to write an inscription and sturdy enough to last a while.  Check out other books from the author and Reformed Free Publishing Association by keeping up with them on social media.

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• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ReformedFreePublishingAssociation 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/reformedfreepub   

PandaParents: An Early Education Resource Review

When my oldest was a baby, I knew we were going to try homeschooling so I was already eyeing curriculum options.  From that time to now, when I have a 7, 4 and 1 year old, I can see a change in my perspective.  Finding just the right method or materials seemed really important - and yes it can be.  What I missed sometimes is what is MORE important.  It is more important for a child to have a positive connection with learning and the person facilitating the learning.  Whether you have one small book or dozens of them, with the right relationship and time spent most children will thrive either way.  My latest review from the PandaParents has kept that concept in mind with their MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS monthly program that includes a pdf book, online videos, and a pdf workbook for ages 3-6.

MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS is a monthly subscription that sends you a new set of resources each month.  Each set (book, video & workbook) relates to each other through the story combining various subjects and skills. The MESSYLEARNING title might give you the impression that it requires heavy clean up or something, but that is not the case at all. 

MESSY stands for

• Mixed subjects & activities for integrative learning
• Engaging activities that challenge minds
• Simple 1-2-3 steps: READ, LEARN, CREATE
• Smart designs for creative learning
• Yeah, a new way to learn!

There are various arts and crafts activities but they aren't any more destructive than a simple cut and paste activity.  The workbook activities are really flexible in that you can pick and choose what you want to do without taking away from other ones.  Collectively, the workbooks provide a balanced variety of activities, but each can stand on their own when necessary.  

Having three kids to keep up with now, I understand all the more how tempting (and sometimes necessary) it is to find something educational for your kids and just leave them to it.  How else does anything get done, right? Still, the 7 years learning process of motherhood is still teaching me how valuable I am to their education no matter what they are learning.  The comfort and assurance of a parent combined with engaging activities sparks a love for learning that is rarely matched.  So, to that end, this is NOT something you can leave them to work independently very easily.  The videos you can of course, but the activities build on the story and those require a parent involvement.

 For this review, we received 3 months worth of stories, videos and resources.  We started with the Christmas themed story first and even in April, it still gets kids excited. Then we moved on to Scotty Skunk, which even in the title I half expected miss Z to turn her nose up at it.  In fact, she LOVED it.  According to her, there aren't enough books about skunks, I guess.  She has her moments of being scared about things so I think she identified with all of Scotty's fears.  The final story is Mommy's Baby that introduces a lot of different objects while highlighting children that age's most favorite thing, Mommy!

The storybooks and workbooks we received were all digital and I do think the system would work so much easier if they came already printed and bound.  I believe that option will be available eventually.  If so, I would opt for that!  Overall, it is a neat way to incorporate learning into a simple story time with all kinds of different options that reinforce a positive learning environment.

Stay Up To Date with PandaParents: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PandaParentsABC/    @PandaParentsABC
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The choice to homeschool certainly comes with challenges.  Here in Oklahoma, it is end of the school year time with numerous programs and ceremonies.  So even simple things down to scheduling, we are on a different planet. We won't be finishing some grade related work until at least September.  Just being different than the status quo can be uncomfortable.  However, the video below is a good example of what is good and valuable about being 'different' in some ways.  It was a beautiful morning and everyone just wanted to be outside so we learned in the morning sun! 

Baseball in the Morning

While I honestly I have no inkling about what this kid is going to do when he grows up, I do not hope or expect he will play professional sports.  However, he loves to play.  And I love that he loves it.  Ever since it has warmed up, he wants to be outside hitting balls.  There is something so pure about morning light and the clink of a bat and ball.  I have a lot of regrets and worries, but being able to give him space and opportunity to do this is a good good thing.

Reading Kingdom: An Online Reading Program Review

When I began my master's program about 15 years ago, I remember being exposed to the heated debate surrounding the most effective teaching method in reading.  Some championed phonics, others were devoted to whole-language approaches.  At the time, I really didn't understand why a combination of many methods wasn't a major part of the discussion.  Now that miss Z is learning to read, I can confirm that both her and her brother learn very differently.  J instinctively understood phonics and readily picked up on various rules.  Miss Z has struggled a little more with phonics and needed more interaction than just reading on a page.   This latest review from Reading Kingdom  has given me a deeper appreciation for their differing needs in developing reading skills.

Reading Kingdom is an online subscription K-3 Reading Program that was developed by Dr. Marion Blank, a literacy expert.  Instead of just focusing on phonics or whole-language methods, Reading Kingdom incorporates 6 skills (Sequencing, Motor Skills, Sounds, Meaning, Grammar, & Comprehension) to provide a full reading and writing education.  It also provides an extensive reporting feature that keeps you up to date with each student's progress.  One of the things that sets Reading Kingdom apart is it's focus on meaning and real world exposure to reading through immersion rather than grouping words together simply based on sound or category.  In this way, the program works to incorporate elements of writing in with the reading sometimes far sooner than other methods.

Our Experience

Both of the kids used this product and had a tough time at first with it solely because it relies heavily on typing and computer skills, something they had some but not a lot of experience with.  In the beginning the students take a placement test and because of their lacking keyboard skills, they were both placed at level 1.  I knew going in that the use of the keyboard was involved but perhaps in my rush to dive in I didn't pay attention to how much of a factor it was.  One thing I learned was that you can change the settings on how long of a reaction time is allowed for answers.  My kids might know the right answers but took too long to find it on the keyboard.  Once we sorted that out and the kids got more used to using the keyboard in this way, things went a lot smoother.  Plus, they both have improved their typing skills tremendously!

Each lesson focuses on one word and requires the student to repeatedly interact with it in different ways.  For my older reader, the repetition got old and wasn't always super engaging to him, though he didn't complain about it.  For my beginning reader, though, the repetition seemed to be just what she needed.  Overall, both kids enjoyed working through this program and benefited from it's reality based lessons.  

If you are looking for a traditional online reading program, this might not be for you.  If traditional methods don't seem to be working for your student, I absolutely recommend giving Reading Kingdom a try.  This research-based program at its core seems to be looking for your child's gaps in order to fill them in.  Some of the Crew members also reviewed their ASD Reading Program designed for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Consider reading some of their reviews if this applies to your family. 

Reading Kingdom on Social Media: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/readingkingdom
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/readingkingdom 
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/readingkingdom/

Balance is present in every good thing.  Even in the seasons we experience the ebb and flow of creation.  The dullness of winter has been glossed over by the explosion of spring buds.  The labor of sewing and reaping is cooled by the mildness of autumn.  

This journey of life is such a winding road that circles around and back again, which sometimes seems fruitless and wearisome.  But it may not be until your last circle back that you realize what it was all for.

The Poison of "I Can't"

There is a difference between what we are capable of and what we are comfortable with.  Sometimes the result is one and the same, but sometimes not.  There are a lot of choices I have made in my life where others have said or certainly thought, I would/could never do something like that.

I teach beginning piano and often prefer it to more advanced students.  Many musical people don't have the patience.  To me, I'm more confident with beginners so I feel like I do a better job.  If you can teach advanced students, you are certainly capable of teaching beginners, but perhaps not comfortable doing so.

My children were all born at home.  Especially, 8 years ago when I was pregnant with J many people said or thought (and later said) that there was no way they could ever do that.  Of course there are high risk pregnancies that most certainly couldn't do that, but I'm referring to normal, low-risk births.  Hospitals have always truly stressed me out in every sense of the word.  Being able to relax and birth a child without unnecessary intervention was a great blessing, not to mention I'm pretty sure the Race Car wouldn't have made it anyway!  I know many births would have been blessed by and certainly capable of a home birth, but because of any number of personal preferences they would never be comfortable with a home birth.

Same goes for a lot of things like cooking at home more than you go out, homeschooling, planting a garden, maintaining better health, etc.  The reason I even bring this up is because of how significant our language is on our personal thinking.  My children have a bad habit of complaining that they can't do something when what they really mean is that they don't want to or they don't want to continue working hard enough in order to said thing.  Adults are often very similar.  And the trouble is that start to believe the things we say and take our personal choice out of the equation.

Take the birth example.  Because of my fears, I might say that I could never have a baby in the hospital.  The truth is that I'm capable, but not comfortable with the idea.  If there was a danger to me or the baby, of course I would go to the hospital and, despite my discomfort, successfully have that baby there!  If you have a heart attack and the doctor says to start moving and quit eating out, those that say they could never cook for myself, just might find a way.

For my kids' sake and for my own, I have had to take inventory of the things I say and be more honest about my choices.  See, it is easy to feel like a victim of your circumstances.  I've struggled with this all my life.  Suddenly we're blaming everything under the sun because life is hard and we don't want to admit where our choices really rest.   I am a year out from giving birth and I have only lost about 5 pounds.  A couple of pregnancies ago I would be mad and giving up all the time because it was hard.

The reality of 2017-2018 is that I am choosing to prioritize the education of my children, the health of my marriage, and the health and security of a baby ALONG WITH my recovery and weight-loss.  That is my choice.  Perhaps if I sent my kids to public school and daycare, shirked a lot of my responsibilities around the house or chose not to breastfeed, I could be a lot further along in my weight-loss.  And that is just fact.  But those are also things that are very important to me so I'm trying to balance them and bring myself along albeit a little slower than I'd like.  It's not too hard, it's just focusing on what is most important.  Plus, the scale isn't the only indicator of improvement.  My clothes are fitting better.  My endurance is improving.  The brain fog is lifting most days.  I'm very blessed and thankful.  6 years younger me would not have been so understanding.

We all have our limits, our priorities.  The trouble is we aren't always good at verbalizing them honestly.  Perhaps we're trying to be polite by saying we can't when we really mean we won't or don't want to for specific reasons.  And I'm not suggesting that it's good to go around being rude about other people's life choices!  Still, a little bit of honesty can go a long way in making sure you are okay with the way you're prioritizing your life.  Don't believe the rampant lies of "I can't." Believe it or not, I won't or don't want to are a lot more freeing and healthy.

Planet 316 Story Bible and App: A WorthyKids/Ideals Review

With everything in our modern culture that works against our kids and their relationship with God, it is encouraging to find companies and products that are striving to work together to build our faith  in God with modern day inventions.  Planet 316 and WorthyKids/Ideals are doing that very thing with their Planet 316 Story Bible and the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App so we were excited to get to review it!

We were given the Planet 316 Story Bible that has over 100 stories from both the Old and New Testaments written in a child-friendly, read-to-me format.  There is a complete Table of Contents at the beginning that is helpful for jumping to a story.  There is a People, Places and Things in the Bible Index at the back that is a great perk for young readers finding their way through the Bible.  The illustrations are bright and colorful with a lot of fun mixed in.  The innovative part of this product is the free downloadable app that comes with it.  For every story, the app reveals the images in an augmented reality that pops off the screen and, when clicked on, the characters speak often with other sound effects.  It is a neat combination of technology and finding ways to connect with the Biblical stories better.  The kids are always excited to use technology and immersing themselves in scripture at the same time is a win-win, for sure!

The Planet 316 Story Bible App is available in the Google Play store and the Apple App Store, though we had some trouble at first getting the sound to work on our iPad mini.  It requires a device with a camera and we finally determined that it works best on newer hardware like smart phones or newer model tablets.  In some cases, just making sure your device has had the latest update will suffice.

The other thing we encountered was the logistics of holding the device over the book in order to get the app to work properly while holding the book open (since it was a new book, some pages wouldn't stay open on its own).  To activate the images, the device has to be a certain distance (not too close) from the page.  It is easiest as a two person job where one holds the book open and the other works the device.  As long as they took turns appropriately, it worked fine.  If I was using this with just one (small) child it would most likely require my continual involvement.

The Planet 316 Story Bible and App is a fun, innovative way to interact with the Bible.  Modern advancements are a part of our way of life these days, no matter the side effects they sometimes bring.  With this new technology and their mission to spread God's Word through it, it's even more exciting to wonder what Planet 316 and WorthyKids/Ideals will think of next!

Keep Up with Planet 316 on Social Media: 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Planet316/
• Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/planet_316      Tag:   @planet_316    

Check out what other families thought of this product:

A+ Interactive Math by A+ TutorSoft Inc.: An Online Math Program Review

No matter how much the world expects learners to follow a simple step by step journey through learning, life and learning can be complicated and messy.  Sometimes things click and sometimes they don't.  We love homeschooling for that very reason.  When things don't click, we make adjustments.  A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.)  and their   Adaptive Math Curriculum Online is our latest review and it has been a great tool in making adjustments for concepts that haven't clicked yet or got overlooked.  

A+ Interactive Math's Adaptive Math Curriculum is an online math program for grades 1-6 (including Pre-Algebra) that evaluates students' skill levels and then provides video lessons, interactive question and answers and opportunities to retest on areas that need work.  We received a 1-year subscription for up to 10 students.  The program is completely online and works with both Windows and Mac platforms, as well as mobile devices.  It does rely on Adobe Flash so whatever browser you use must support that in order for it to work.  The curriculum is designed to adapt to the students' needs and functions much like a personal online tutor, providing an individualized plan to cover any and all gaps in learning.  Grading, testing and summary reporting are all included which allows the parent/teacher to keep track with not a lot of work involved.

How We Used It:

When I was pregnant with the Race Car, I was really sick and J did a lot more independent schoolwork during first grade than we had planned for.  In math there was a section about measurements that required my involvement so at the time we just skipped over it to the next section he felt more comfortable being self-guided.  Fast forward to now when he's happily learning multiplication and division, but we never revisited the measurement section.  When he took the placement test, it was no surprise that Measurement was one of the skills he didn't do well on.  So, he started with video lessons and worksheets until he felt confident to try the test.  In this way, we used this program to narrow in on his clear weaknesses until he mastered them.  

What We Liked:

Every video lesson has interactive review questions at the end with immediate feedback on how you did.  When you get an answer wrong, you know it immediately and then it explains what the right answer is.  The process of learning isn't interrupted for grading, but instead carries you through the process.  Whether you get an answer right or wrong, it gives an encouragement of some kind.  As silly as it might seem, it really seemed to appropriately motivate J to be proud of himself or try it again.  Also, the lessons are very succinct and to the point, which we found to be really helpful in J's mastery of the individual skills.  The program is really effective at zeroing in on what's lacking and providing all the tools to fix it!

A+ Interactive Math also offers a Family Math Package that covers 1st grade through Algebra for up to 10 students.  This option makes all content and grades available which is helpful for multiple students at varying grade levels.  Check out some of the other reviews if this sounds more appropriate for your circumstance.

Social Media Links: 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APlusTutorSoft
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/aplustutorsoft   
• Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aplustutorsoft

Hiking: A Bridge to Family Cohesiveness

I have never really thought of myself as the athletic type and exercise never was one of my favorite things to do.  So, to tell my much younger self that I would go hiking regularly with my family years later would have been a funny thing.  Honestly, to think of a hiker or finding trails makes me think of someone in a khaki vest wearing binoculars around their neck with a goofy hat on their head.  In reality, hiking is a wonderful blessing to my family that I can't recommend highly enough. 

It's FREE!  Unless you have to pay to enter the area, like a national park or something, most trails are free and just require finding out beforehand where they are.  When you are raising a family, free activities are a must - especially on a vacation.  We cooked 90% of our meals and limited ourselves to cheaper or free activities, but we still manage to spend more than we would like.  

This particular hike was more strenuous than we had anticipated so we were worn out.  Mr. Butler told us to look how we felt so this is what you get!

It's HEALTHY!  You don't have to like it, but our bodies need exercise and the outdoors to thrive.  Most hiking trails are easy to moderate level terrain and simply requires walking, which most anyone - including my 7 and 4 year old - can do.  Not only is going outside a great mood booster, but all the different types of natural beauty that you can see is so good for the soul.  And you can get some great pictures!  This built-in exercise lifestyle is a gift that will pay dividends toward my children's physical and mental health long after they leave home.

It keeps us TOGETHER!  One of the burdens-turned-blessings of homeschooling is that we are responsible for most aspects of everything.  That means delegating and job-sharing abounds most days, especially since the race car has come along.  Hiking together highlights how we are learning to work together as a family.  From carrying each other's snacks to waiting for the tired one, we can't always just do what we want when we're ready.  For each to be successful, we require support from each other.  We look out for each other and move together.  Relationship building is a huge part of their future and it all begins here.

The process of growing a family that works together is just the same as any organization or community that must grow and learn together.  It takes time and lots of opportunities to live life together rather than isolated.   Need to have a better relationship with someone (or a group of someones), take some hikes together!