Insomnia, High School, Tea Time and CM

This post was written a couple of weeks ago but sat in the draft pile. I'm revisiting it today and posting it. 

I can go weeks without posting and then bam! three posts in a row. Yep, that is what I do. Sometimes, when I have insomnia. Tonight I went to sleep just fine. I woke up half an hour later, heart pounding, sure I forgot to do... something. That's all it took to get me wide awake. Now I want some coffee {that's a no-no at midnight}. And there wasn't anything I'd forgotten to do. It must have been a dream.

So instead I decide to think and hope that will make me tired. Perhaps that's not a wonderful idea for trying to get some sleep because I can think of a lot of things to keep me awake! One thing is high school. Thankfully I'm done with my high school years. Whew! Barely made it out alive! But really, it wasn't that bad. No, I'm thinking of my kiddos. One has just over a year left of high school and the other is just beginning high school. It's got me thinking. 

Have I done enough? Will I do enough the second time around? What is enough? Why do I need to do enough? Ack! I know {think?} the kids have it worse than I do but sometimes I'm {figuratively} chewing my nails with the stress. Each of the question at the start of this paragraph really and truly depend on what they want to do with their lives after high school. One didn't want to go to college, at least not right away; now she's not so sure. The other doesn't want to go to college but wants to join the Marines. For now. 

In either of those cases, I need to make sure that I turn out responsible, communicative, reliable little adults. Ack! again. How much of that really comes from a high school 'education'? Doesn't that really come from living life in reality? {Oh, and I don't really consider public schools 'reality'. How often will you find a job or any situation outside of K-12 when you are stuck in a room with everyone pretty much the same age? Really.}

Tea time? Ah, speaking still of high school, I've decided to add in Tea Time to our Friday morning routine. We do Round Table {perhaps you've read my posts about it} each morning and we all love to have some warm tea {with some yummy 'biscuits'}, so I figured we could combine it with artist study. I think I'll need to find some more teas on our next shopping trip. Do you have any favorites? The kids both really like peppermint; it goes very fast here.  

{Side note: we have started our tea time routine. It's on Friday's and we do whatever comes to the table. This week we will be reading aloud from Eragon. *affiliate link}

And still with high school: CM. Charlotte Mason. Let's see if I can say this right. I am enamored with the CM method; infatuated with it. But I'm having a time of getting it 'right'. In the younger years it seemed like it was easier in a sense but in high school I feel like I'm not doing enough, yet I know I'm not supposed to be doing too much. My dd is almost and adult {yikes, that's a sobering thought!}; she needs to have these skills under her belt by now. I've put forth the question to those on the AO forum, which you can read here {you may have to register to see it?} to get an idea of how others of high schoolers deal with this. So far there are two detailed answers in the thread; both very good and encouraging answers. {Since then, I think there have been a couple more replies.}

I wrote a post on Saturday that talks about how our high school days are coming along. Good and not so good. 

I've been reading about CM for a few years now, mostly from blogs like Amy's, Michelle's, Barb's, and of course, AO. Just yesterday while looking at Willow Tree Community School's website, I found a link to Charlotte Mason in the Bluegrass. It's a great website! 

Of course, all of that to say: I still don't have it figured out. My dd doesn't want to go to college- still. And I'm okay with that. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. 

Wrapping Up the Week & How School's Going 02/02-02/08/14

I wonder if I should start this with "I have so many other things that still need to be done!" But here it is, Saturday already and really, the week is getting wrapped up. Tomorrow is the start of next week. There's a few bits of what we did in our week on page 4 of The Weekly Barden but not much. {And that reminds me, I need to update the WB page here on the blog--done!}

*This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure/Policies.

Sunday, we had church and the luncheon that followed. We missed the Sunday school portion but at the moment I can't recall why. The lunch was soup and salad. The morning service was about the "Going" of the Gospel. There were four points: 1) Suffering of the Gospel, 2) Speaking of the Gospel, 3) Seriousness of the Gospel, 4) Service of the Gospel. Our pastor {and probably many other pastors as well} likes to use alliterations. It helps us remember the points, too. The afternoon question/answer was "When something goes wrong, how do we know when it is God testing, or opposition of the devil?" Simply stated, we don't know. But there were some points made that we need to think about while we are going through the difficult time- regardless of the direction the hardship has come from. Some points: God protects, while the devil seeks to destroy; God limits {He only gives us what He knows we can handle}, but the devil does not stop; the hardship is there to alert us; to direct us; to shape us; and to unite us. When all else fails, stick to what you know is 'true'- God is truth. Regardless of the direction it originates from, look to God to get you through it.

Monday I did a silly thing. I attempted to figure out taxes first thing. Well, Mondays are notorious for being bad anyway, so why not!? I finally got our federal e-filed but the state isn't ready {the state isn't ready; not that I'm not ready}. Also, we have RITA that have to be dealt with but I was so frazzled by the time I got the others 'done' that I set them aside until another time. I have to actually call someone to get help. So, with my mindset all out of whack, school for the kids was uh, not as structured. I *know* they did some school {keep tellin' myself that...} but I don't think we had Round table or prayers. I also had an assignment that I didn't get finished on Sunday that was to be turned in. Nothing like putting things off until the last minute, and then finding out you didn't quite do it right in the first place. Turned in the assignment late and with missing information. Earned me a "B". Hopefully lesson learned...

Tuesday, all day I thought about the Science Debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham. It was at 7pm EST. We got through just over 1/2 of it before calling it a night. I still haven't watched the rest of it. I wrote about it on page 1 of The WB. But before that, our day went quite well. We had Round table- which we seem to be getting the hang of it. We have it wrapping up about an hour after we start. We sang some good hymns this week, too! 

Wednesday we had quite a bit of snow. What's new? It is winter, after all. we shouldn't be surprised. Well, we aren't but are amazed at how many locals are. We didn't make it to prayer meeting or the kids to teen discipleship because the snow didn't get completely shoveled until quite late. My car doesn't play drive well in the snow. No worries that Fox may have missed Young Marines because they cancelled again, due to weather. We {dh and I} are wondering if it is worth continuing on with the program. It is a great program but I must be honest and say that the platoon is not ideal. I feel for those who volunteer with the bunch of kids in that platoon! And you know that bad associations, well, they corrupt. Fox doesn't need that. So we are praying and thinking about where to go from here. In terms of school- another good day, I think lol. 

Thursday- aha! I know what I forgot to include on The WB's weekly wrap-up: our eye appointment in the morning. We had a very short Round table because the appointment was at 11:00 am. All went well with the appointment, with only one of us 'needing' new lenses. Technically, both Lee and I could have gotten new frames and lenses but I didn't want to spend any money unnecessarily so only she got new lenses. After we had the appointment, we walked around the mall {the eye doctor is in the mall} and then went a recently opened candy store near our house. I bought a few bits of candy for the kids and I {and a bit to share with dh}. Lee asked if they were hiring but they are not yet. 

Friday we had tea-time. Well, let me back up some. The day started well with Round table and then lunch, since that's the routine. After lunch we would head to the mall {a different mall than where the eye doctor is lol} for the kids' Microsoft Movie Maker class but it was cancelled for this week. So, we got done with Round table and the kids played Wii Sports together. That's their 'PE' class a lot of the time, when they can't ride bikes. I decided that Friday would work best because that is the day the kids have the least intensive subjects on their schedule. They planned it that way. Guess they like to relax a little at the end of the week; what a concept *wink*. Over at the AO forum, there is a February Tea-Time 'challenge' that we are participating. It isn't a competition or anything and the only 'challenge' is to have tea-time once a week. Here is what I shared with the AO group about our tea-time: 

It was very nice. I wanted to make sure it was relaxed so I didn't 'require' anything much. We listened to a Vivaldi playlist on Youtube (per dd's request) as we talked about this term's art. We are finally finishing up Manet. We also dug out last term's art and talked about them. I made sweet biscuits- which is just regular biscuits that I normally make but *with* the sugar that the recipe calls for that I never add in, and cinnamon; I also used a smaller sized round to make them more like cookies lol- and we had 3 choices for tea. The kids had to have the set-up all just so. My ds asked to make the treat for next week's tea time.

Oh, and another thing: they reflected on how 'good' they have life. My dd must have really enjoyed it because she smiled a lot through the whole thing and kept bringing up good memories, that had nothing to do with tea lol. 

I'm going to share a link to my friend Silvia's post about her tea-time. We didn't take any pictures of ours and her's just looks so relaxing.
After tea-time it was just about time to get 'back to work' on school stuff, but it set a nice calm and pleasant atmosphere on the rest of the day.

Saturday started right- with coffee :) I made dh breakfast of two fried eggs, fresh coffee and not-from-concentrate orange juice {it has to be not-from-concentrate lol}. That the way we start our Saturdays. Lee got in some driving with dh, who is so very patient and good at teaching driving skills. Fox slept in, quite late. I don't wake him because it's the only day he is allowed to sleep in. Chores have been done by all who have chores {that does include myself} and now it is time to do what we want. Well, I have some studying to do for a quiz I must take by tomorrow. 

And now that I pretty much broke down our week for the post, I'll share some details of school-stuffs. I mentioned that we'd sung some good hymns this week and I just happened to remember to jot down their numbers from our hymnal. I don't usually remember. The title of the hymnal we are using is The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration*, published by Word Music (*affiliate link). Hymns #116 "Take the Name of Jesus with You", #470 "Footsteps of Jesus", #543 "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder", #512 "My Savior's Love", #514 "In My Heart There Rings a Melody", #515 "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart", #355 "Trusting Jesus", #495 "Heaven Came Down", #409 "I Know Whom I Have Believed".

We have taken out the presidents and states/capitols from Round table for now {have I mentioned this already?}. They are focusing more on their memorization/recitation of The Declaration of Independence and The Gettysburg Address. Memory verses are going well in the sense that they've memorized quite a few. We have been using the "100 verses in 2013" that we started in, well, 2013, and we're not even 1/2 way through them all. I'd rather they have the reason and meaning of the verse down than have all 100 or more memorized for simple recitation. 

Our ASL is slow going. We're using LifePrint {still} but because we aren't really that focused, we are only on lesson 5. Fortunately, the kids also have a once a month ASL club where they get some more practice. In other 'foreign language' areas we have our FL Memory Box- much like the Memory Verse Box system from SCM {I'm sure I've linked to it many times}, we have some foreign language phrases behind the tabs. Right now we just have a few from German but I have some Spanish waiting to be introduced. I wanted to put Russian in there also but eh, I don't know enough. Lee is doing really well in her Latin. Fox is not as enthusiastic about his *chosen* language of German. I would love to buy a program such as the Learnables for him for that but... would he put in more effort than he does now?

In other areas, we are working on writing. Narrations really. The requirement of 1/2 page has been in effect for at least this whole school year but I've noticed that ds especially thinks because his writing is so small that he is only required to do a 1/3 of a page. I had to change it to specific minimum number of lines. Dd on the other hand has wide ruled notebook paper that she uses for written narrations. And the notebook is 9.5" x6". She seems to think one page on that is sufficient. Perhaps I'll get really nit-picky and say how many words are required. I am not beyond going to that extreme if the need be. However, I do think they are getting the point that I find their narrations too short, in length and content.

Along with the area of writing is Ohio Study. Since it is required in our state, I've made it more of an independent project for the kids. They had to do this last year as well so they know what is expected. They will be required to submit a 'research' paper, a Power Point presentation and give a speech {that's just presenting all their findings} on their chosen topic. It keeps getting left off the schedule some how so it's not coming along very well. We're using Writers Inc* to work on this. (*affiliate link) Fox chose something along the lines of automobile crashes in Ohio (?) and Lee chose the Civil War in Ohio. Those aren't their exact words but me trying to recall from memory. Fox may have to change his; he cannot find enough information. 

We are far behind in our Chemistry, sadly. We have 3 books that I want to get through this year. We are almost 1/2 way through one, 1/3 another, and haven't even opened the last one. We also were to be using the Crash Course Chemistry videos {because I like the way they are put together, they are fun to watch and just to add to the whole subject} but we've made it through only 5 of the 40+. I'd much rather rely on the books and our labs. Speaking of labs. Let's see how many we've done this year: 5. 

Math is...math. It's going so-so with both. I think that Geometry is getting to Lee but Fox is starting to get his -nomials and factoring. 

The other areas are all going well. Well, perhaps our nature study, composer study and artist study aren't 'wonderful'. There's always room for improvement, but we do get them in each week. 

I'd love to share what I'm reading, or working on, or any of the 'usual' areas of a Weekly Wrap-up but I'm not really. I 'work' on being there for the kids during school hours, work on my own school when I am not on their school, do housework, occasionally check on the AO forum and Facebook {which I am avoiding since I saw two terrible news stories shared within a short time of each other that have traumatized me- seriously}. My reading pile is a constant and my work is always the same. 

Life is good where I am and I'm so glad this is the life I have. And with that, I'm done with this really long post!

Book Review: Christian Guides to the Classics, The Scarlet Letter {Crossway}

Christian Guides to the Classics, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter by Leland Ryken
ISBN: 978-1-4335-2608-4
Paperback, 80 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Retail: $5.99
Age/Grade: high school and up

About the study guide (from Crossway):
We’ve all heard about the classics and assume they’re great. Some of us have even read them on our own. But for those of us who remain a bit intimidated or simply want to get more out of our reading, Crossway’s Christian Guides to the Classics are here to help.

In these short guidebooks, popular professor, author, and literary expert Leland Ryken takes you through some of the greatest literature in history while answering your questions along the way.
Each book:

• Includes an introduction to the author and work
• Explains the cultural context
• Incorporates published criticism
• Contains discussion questions at the end of each unit of the text
• Defines key literary terms
• Lists resources for further study
• Evaluates the classic text from a Christian worldview

This guide opens up the signature book of American literature, Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and unpacks its universal themes of sin, guilt, and redemption.

Read an excerpt (and/or buy the book) here: http://www.crossway.org/books/hawthornes-ithe-scarlet-letteri-tpb/


About the author (from Crossway):
Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) served as professor of English at Wheaton College for over 43 years. He has authored or edited over three dozen books, including The Word of God in English and The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society and served as literary stylist for the English Standard Version Bible.

My thoughts:

Simply: small book, good stuff. The original work is over 200 pages, this study guide is under 80 pages. The guides starts with a ‘the book at a glance’, which I found to be helpful since I’d not read the original work. I had some misconceptions that had held me back from reading this particular book. Right away from the study guide, we understand that the book is really about "concealment of sin and the guilt it produces. It is also about consciousness of sin and guilt." The book actually picks after the adulterous act has been committed, so we know but don't have to go through that. 

Each chapter of the book has its own place in the guide, with a plot summary, commentary and for reflection and discussion sections. In the margins are comments from other critics (‘critic’ doesn’t mean ‘all bad’). Another feature is at the beginning titled “The Author and His Faith” that discusses Hawthorne’s own beliefs, those of the time-period as well as the ones portrayed in the book. 

I found this study guide to be helpful for myself and would like to find more of Ryken’s Christian Guides. There are at least three more at this time {Amazon affiliate link}: Homer's The Odyssey, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Shakespeare's MacBeth. Dicken's Great Expectations and Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress are coming Spring 2014. I'm undecided at the moment if I will use this {or Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter at all} in our homeschool but think it's a good resource to have in case we do.

***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed study guide for free from Crossway for the purpose of this review. All opinions stated are my own. No compensation was given. This post does include affiliate links. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Curriculum Review: British Literature by James P. Stobaugh {New Leaf Publishing}

British Literature Pack, Student Text and Teacher Text, by James Stobaugh
ISBN: 9780890516737
Available individually in paperback (464 pages) or digital (mobi or epub)
Publisher: Master Books/New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc.
Retail: $38.99 for the set (see website for current pricing)

1 year Curriculum
10^th - 12^th Grade
1 Credit

About this curriculum (from New Leaf Publishing):

From reformers and rogues to poets and playwrights, a study of British literature will take you through some of the most popular works ever written. Using easy to find public domain works (we tell you where to look) and helpful selections included, this is one of three literature courses easy to enjoy and easy on your budget!

“A well-crafted presentation of whole-book or whole-work selections from the major genres of classic literature (prose, poetry, and drama), each course has 34 chapters representing 34 weeks of study, with an overview of narrative background material on the writers, their historical settings, and worldview.

The rich curriculum’s content is infused with critical thinking skills, and an easy-to-use teacher’s guide outlines student objectives with each chapter, providing the answers to the assignments and weekly exercises. The final lesson of the week includes both the exam, covering insights on the week’s chapter, as well as essays developed through the course of that week’s study, chosen by the educator and student to personalize the coursework for the individual learner. (from product description at NLPG)”

About the author- James P. Stobaugh:

Dr. James Stobaugh was a Merrill Fellow at Harvard and holds degrees from Vanderbilt and Rutgers universities, and Princeton and Gordon-Conwell seminaries. An experienced teacher, he is a recognized leader in homeschooling and has published numerous books for students and teachers. He and his wife Karen have homeschooled their four children since 1985.

See a sample of the British Literature.

What’s included in the Student Text:

• Each chapter has five lessons with daily concept-building exercises, warm-up questions, and guided readings
• Suggested reading schedules and daily calendar
• Directs students to think critically about philosophy and trends in culture, and articulate their views through writing

The beginning of the book has a portion directing students how to use the textbook. It covers “How this course has been developed”, “Throughout this book you will find the following” (–which is pretty much the same as I listed above under What’s included…), “Earn a bonus credit!” (–this tells that by covering information and assignments in a corresponding History Connections textbook, also written by Stobaugh published by Master Books, extra credit can be earned), “What the student will need each day” (-here it lists the basics of pencil/pen and paper or computer and a prayer journal but the last one I didn’t see at all where this was necessary during the book), “Increasing your vocabulary”, and “About the Author”.

Included at the end of the table of contents is a list of readings that will need to be acquired to complete the book. Many of the books from the earlier years can be found free online (Project Gutenberg, The Online Books Page, Bartleby, and sometimes Google Books). This is helpful so that the student is aware of what’s coming and doesn’t have to rely solely on the teacher for this information.

The book is broken down into seven time-frames, each with 2-8 chapters dealing with that time period. 3

1. The Anglo-Saxon Age (Parts 1-2)
2. The Middle Ages (Parts 1-2)
3. Elizabethan Age (Parts 1-4)
4. The Seventeenth Century (Parts 1-5)
5. The Eighteenth Century (Parts 1-7)
6. The Nineteenth Century (Parts 1-8)
7. and The Twentieth Century (Parts 1-6)

Within those time periods the book does indeed include a variety of literary works.

What’s included in the Teacher’s Text

First, the teacher text is a copy of the student text except it also has answers where the student text only has questions. It also has in the “Using Your Teacher Guide” section “Grading Record Options” with a chart for three options, which it explains briefly. At the end of the book it also has Chapter Tests which are all essays.

In both books are corresponding chapters in the History Connections books by Stobaugh at the bottom of the chapter’s first page. They also have a little blurb about “Reading Ahead” that includes the work they should read before going on to the first lesson in the chapter. Each lesson has assignments such as reading, “warm-up”, “Concept Builder”, and essays –writing, rewriting and final draft.

The book suggests that each lesson should take 45-60 minutes. Well, for the writing portion I can see it taking that long but some of the assignments, such as the “Concept Builders” only take a few minutes at most. The reading and writing is what takes the most time in this course. It is reading and writing intensive.

What we thought of the course

We used only a portion of this course because it was near the end of our school year. I had high hopes it would be a good addition to help us with our literature study. But I’m not overly convinced it was really what we needed. We did not do the essay writings but did do some of the warm-up and concept builder exercises, as well as the readings for the portions we used.

The main reason I felt this wasn’t that great of an addition for us personally is because we simply don’t have the base knowledge of literature to tackle this type of course. And without that knowledge there are parts that will not make sense because it doesn’t explain it, even in the Teacher’s Text. For instance, we jumped in at the Nineteen Century, with Pride and Prejudice. One of the Concept Builders talks about ‘themes’ of the story. We did not understand the themes of the book. I used the Teacher’s Text but it did not explain well it’s answers.  It just confused and frustrated us. We did not find a greater appreciation for the literature after completing the portions of the textbook.

Now that doesn’t mean that this won’t be a great fit for someone else. There may be others who understand the fine points and details, the underlying meanings and themes, of literature and this would most likely work well for them. If you don’t, it will require more effort than it states in the book(s). The Student Text says that this is an independent course, for the most part, with discussion and grading to be handled by the teacher. But in our case that wasn’t how it turned out.

***Disclaimer: I received the above set from NLPG for free to review. All opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was given. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Review: The Crossmaker, Easter Story & Art Lessons {SEE THE LIGHT}

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

I was approached by Pat Holt of See the Light to do a review because my kids are interested in art. We had a look at the Bible Stories projects and we chose The Crossmaker Bible Story. The DVD includes the following (from the website):

THE CROSSMAKER (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. (16 minutes)
SEE THE LIGHT chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann draws her stunning interpretation of the Easter story.

Art Lessons:
GLORY! See The Light artist Heidi Shorts teaches on the art of Creative Lettering. (28 minutes)
HIS 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 lesson using chalk pastels. Plus, create your own black light reveal!
(32 minutes)
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. (25 minutes)

Bonus Features*:
REVEL in the 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 Gloria Kohlmann’s commentary as you watch the Easter scene being created.
MEET the See The Light team.

*We only watched HEAR. I watched MEET by myself. 

I had reviewed a few of the DVD art lessons from See the Light in 2011 and really enjoyed them so I was very pleased to be able to review this as well. Here is what we did and what we thought about it.

First, we watched the story of the Crossmaker and the art lesson on Creative Lettering. I had intended to use this as an art lesson during school but it didn’t work out that way! The kids (and I) loved the art lessons so much that we wanted to do them whenever the whim hit us. We started with the Creative Lettering –after the school day was over –because we didn’t have the extreme colored pencils and we thought that it was important –which it adds to the art but isn’t imperative- but we wanted to do something. Even my ‘art-o-phobic’ son (he enjoys art but lacks confidence)! You can see a portion of what we did for our Creative Lettering in my post here. (Feel free to just skip down to the bottom of that post, that’s where the image is.)

CREATIVE LETTERING LESSON
Materials Needed

• A #2 pencil
• Good white or gray kneaded eraser
• A pencil sharpener
• White or light colored 8-1/2” x 11” or 9” x 12” paper
• A 12” ruler
• A box of colored pencils
• Crayola EXTREME colored pencils*
• A black light*

Next, we watched artist Gloria Kohlmann’s Easter scene being created (a bonus feature). That inspired us to search out chalk pastels in more earnest. We watched it twice- it’s wonderful. We would absolutely love to be able to create a scene as she does. Finally we watched the last art lesson: “Three Crosses on a Hill” with Jim Pence.

After finally finding some chalk pastels we decided to try “He is Not Here! He is Risen!” with Pat Knepley. Possibly Fox’s most favorite part of this: breaking the chalk! We didn’t draw an angel on our picture because we don’t have fluorescent chalks and did not want to mess up our picture. I really loved how as we watched the video together and applied what we learned, our pictures all came out different. I will note that we used construction paper because that’s really all we had. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that as a wonderful option; the chalk doesn’t ‘stick’ well and the paper is too …fragile. Here are our final projects:

CHALK PASTEL LESSON
Materials Needed

• A #2 pencil
• Good white or gray kneaded eraser
• Medium tone 9” x 12” paper
• 12 chalk pastels
• Fluorescent pastels*
• A black light*
• Baby wipes
• A box of tissues
• Paper towels
• An old shirt"

We plan on doing the last art lesson, “Three Crosses on a Hill”, tomorrow. But we do not have black permanent markers. We plan on using either crayons or colored pencils. Both are water repellent –at least we hope –and should work okay with the project. I hope to come back and update with images of that art lesson soon. We even purchased the extreme colored pencils for this! (I certainly hope we get more use out of them than just this- that goes for the chalk pastels as well!)

MIXED MEDIA LESSON
Materials Needed

• A #2 pencil
• 2 jugs of water (1 for clean water, 1 for dirty water)
• Paper towels
• Watercolor paper
• A round brush
• A craft foam brush

• Permanent markers
  (1 fine point, 1 broad point)
• A pair of scissors
• A set of 16 watercolors
• Crayola EXTREME fluorescent crayon (lemon glacier)*
• A black light*

*These items available at www.seethelightshine.com/store/materials. Also, they aren’t necessary to complete the lessons, they add to them though!

We really, really enjoyed this DVD. I will mention that we do not listen to contemporary Christian music and since we know the plan of salvation, we didn’t watch that portion of the DVD. This is for any age group, young or …old *wink*. We did like the story of the Crossmaker but my kids are teenagers and they had questions such as, “Would there really have been a ‘crossmaker’, a carpenter, to make Jesus’s cross?” And when Pat Knepley read the story of “He is Risen” in Matthew, they were quick to get their Bibles out to compare. I enjoyed that it made them question, not the Bible, but the interpretation of it. We enjoyed discussing the art we were making as well as the story behind it.

Having this DVD to review did a few things for us; for me. First, it reminded me of See the Light. My ds, who I mentioned earlier is self-conscious of his art, yet wants to do more art- not just looking at it. We’ve been slowly working through another program that is helping him with the pencil drawing and realism aspect. I like See the Light because it has such a range of techniques that it shares and teaches.

Another thing See the Light did was to remind me that all art originates with God. This particular DVD is about one of the Bible stories (Jesus’s Resurrection), but in the Creative Lettering, Heidi Shorts talks about how wonderful God is (I’m not recalling her exact words but I know that it made me think of all the beauty that God has created –art is just one!).

The final thing it did was to get them excited to do art. Not that art is a dreaded thing in our family but it’s just so-so. I’m a drawing artist, with pencil. I have somewhat ventured into colored pencils within the past year but I’m still primarily drawing. And realistic drawing. These lessons have stretched me to let go of the ‘perfection’ mentality; creating art is something that glorifies God, no matter what it looks like. It’s the attitude and heart that counts.

Anyway, long story short (or not so short?)- we really liked this and I’m seriously considering purchasing some of the Art Projects from See the Light, as well as other Bible Stories (the kids want to see what other words are done with Creative Lettering). Both my kids really enjoyed this.

You can purchase a Bible Stories DVD from See the Light for $14.99 individually or as a 5-DVD set for $74.99 that includes:

1. The Crossmaker- Easter Story
2. Shipwrecked- Apostle Paul Story
3. God’s Runaway- Jonah Story
4. The Gift of Love- Christmas Story
5. God’s Special Surprise- Moses Story

See the Light also offers Art Class (Year 1, The Fundamentals, 36 lessons) and Art Projects (Year 2, The Next Level, 9 DVDs). See their website for current prices and specials.

You can read more about See the Light (who they are and why the do what they do), see who’s who at See the Light, follow along with their blog, facebook and twitter.

Be watching also because I have a giveaway for this coming very, very soon!

***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed DVD from See the Light in exchange for this review. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions are my own or those of my family. See Disclosure/Policies.***

The Girl Can SEW

Oh, not this girl but rather “the” girl. Lee. I’m talking about Lee.

She needed a skirt –long and not clingy. It wasn’t really a tremendous need but it’s nice to have especially now that it’s cold and so dry. Anyway. We She looked for a simple pattern that she could do –mostly by herself, since I don’t know really how to sew (I can).

Here is the pattern she chose (D):

And the fabric (a cotton blend with metallic accents):

And yes, she made the skirt almost entirely on her own. I did help some and was there for support when she needed it. Here is the final product (she was moving- notice the hair lol):

She did quite well and we are both proud of the result.

I’ve since been thinking about the sizing on the patterns. It seems to me that they are not in correspondence to clothing you buy premade. The size she choose to use for this pattern was 8; she doesn’t even wear a size 6 in clothes! The skirt is nice and loose but fits quite well. How is that a size 8?

Now, can I mark that off for school?

Book Review: Tangled Ashes {Handlebar} –Spoilers-

A long while ago I was sent a book by the title of Tangled Ashes by Michele Phoenix. I intended to read it as soon as I got it but time just got away from me. I let my dd (16 yo) read it first. A word of caution: there is adult subject matter in this book. But I will say that I felt Phoenix covers it well; it’s not generally graphic or more detailed than it needs to be.

Before choosing to review this book I did read its description and thought it would be an interesting read.

Title: Tangled Ashes
Author: Michele Phoenix
Format: Paperback, 372 pages (for Kindle)
ISBN: 9781414368405
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
Retail: 12.99
Genre: Fiction/General (historical fiction)

From the back of the book:

After invading Lamorlaye, France, Nazi officials don’t hesitate to take over the beautiful Meunier manor as their headquarters, hiring two young Frenchwomen, Marie and Elise, who clean and launder to help supplement their families’ meager incomes. But the girls begin to grow suspicious when medical equipment arrives, followed by an influx of pregnant women. As the Nazis’ plan for the manor become clear, the girls must decide where their loyalties truly lie.

More than fifty years later…

Architect Marshall Becker arrives in Lamorlaye to begin the massive renovation of a Renaissance-era castle. The project that was meant to provide escape for Becker instead becomes a gripping glimpse into the human drama that unfolded during the Nazi occupation and seems to live on in midnight disturbances and bizarre acts of vandalism.

Becker explores the castle’s shadowy history as he seeks to cope with the demons from his past. Only Jade, the feisty nanny of the owner’s children, is willing to stand up to him. But Becker soon discovers that every one of the chateau’s inhabitants seems to have something to hide and something to protect –and something worth fighting for.
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From that description one can get a fairly good idea of what the book is about. It starts out in the past but quickly comes to the present. At first I wasn’t sure how it would tie together but reading along for a short time, I could see how it did connect. I was not ready for the twists and turns though.

SPOILERS coming!

This book is bittersweet. The young women from the town of Lamorlaye of the past are so naïve (one much more so than the other) and taken in so quickly to the Nazis’ ‘world’ at the castle. Elise is captivated by one of the Nazi soldiers and it does prove fatal. Before she dies, however, she is admitted to the Meunier manor as a resident –to produce an Aryan child for the Fuhrer. The girls are only 16 and 17. Elise dies while giving birth to a baby girl. Marie lives but she leads such a troubled short life afterwards.

Moving onto the present: Becker. What a tragic man! He has had some terrible things happen in his past that has made him into a harsh, rude, skeptical and selfish person. His harshness is intimidating to those in the story –and infuriating to me and the characters in the book! We learn about 1/2 way (?) why he is such a torn up man. But still –I don’t think the past is a justifier for his actions and behavior throughout the story. He is also an alcoholic.

The new owner is a rich family and honestly, they don’t have much to ‘hide’ as the description portrays but they do have lots to protect. They have twin 6 year olds and another baby on the way. They also have a caring nanny, Jade.

Now Jade is ‘fiesty’ and has sparkling eyes that immediately catches Becker’s attention. He is determined to shun all emotional contact with others –especially women –so nothing happens between Becker and Jade in that sense. I think he does come to be very fond of her, bordering on love. She might also have feelings for him but she keeps them locked away because she has a secret that we learn later on. She has breast cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Becker can’t understand why Jade takes care of children for rich people when she is an extremely smart woman who could do so much more. What I find interesting is he is quick to judge her and her choices but when someone makes mention of his choices (the alcohol and the temper and mistreatment of people) he can’t take it. Much like some people in real life, eh?

Oh! I almost forgot to mention JoJo and Therese. JoJo is a man who has been on the castle property for as long as anyone can remember and is allowed to continue living in his shack off to the side. Therese is an interior decorator hired by the owners to help with the renovation. I think this is the biggest twist of all. I didn’t figure it out until it was fairly spelled out for me. I won’t spoil this for you

Overall, I liked the book. I didn’t enjoy the subject mater other than the fact that it is based on history. The castle at Lamorlaye really was a Lebensborn for the Germans (Fount of Life). I know enough of WWII to know that it was horrific what took place when the Germans occupied a place. This book only captures a portion of that horror –and for that I’m grateful. Phoenix could have been so much more graphic but she either chose not to or just wasn’t able.

Phoenix’s writing is well done but there is repetition of phrases throughout the book that caught my eye too often. Some times it is a phrase that one of the character uses and in those instances, I think that is fine. We all have a word or phrase that we are ‘fond’ of and use often.

As for the ending –it is so bittersweet. My dd says she didn’t like the book because “no one got better.” I liked the book because it could have been reality. It isn’t a fairy tale with a happy ending and a royal wedding (happily ever after). The more I think about how I felt about the book, I come to the conclusion that I did like the book. I am looking forward to learning more about her next book.

You can visit this website to see the castle that is the setting for Tangled Ashes. http://michelephoenix.com/novels-and-books/tangled-ashes/photo-album/ Or you can visit Behind the Story, at the same website for how Phoenix came up with this novel.

***Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Handlebar in exchange for an honest review. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Vocal Coach Singer {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

Singing is a wonderful ability that we have. Many feel that they cannot hold a tune but still enjoy singing. I’d figure into that category! Both of my kids can hold a tune though and I thought this program would be good to fine ‘tune’ (haha) their talents –and hopefully help me get a tune! Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew I’ve been privileged to receive Vocal Coach for review.

Chris and Carole have been teaching singing for over 40 years.  In addition to their wonderful products, they offer private vocal coaching and vocal seminars.  They are passionate about teaching people to sing. (from Schoolhouse Review Crew post)

What we received:

10 zipped files for download (MP3s) (retail $99.99) that include the same program that is included when you purchase the physical product (retail $119.99):

Vocal Coach Singer Includes:

7 Training CDs:

Getting Started
Complete Breathing
Complete Warm-Up
Complete Tone
Complete Expanding Your Range
Complete Diction
Complete Performance

4 Workout CDs:

Daily Workout High Voice 1 & 2
Daily Workout Medium/Low Voice 1 & 2

Plus these great educational tools:

Guidebook – Full-size Instructional Guidebook to Ensure Success
Printable Lead Sheets – each exercise in our course, plus track lists
Personal Singer's Journal (Getting Started Journal & Workout Journal) to Track Your Progress
Vocal Coach Song Evaluation – Evaluation form to enable you to make more intelligent song selections

Technical support for MP3s:  LIMITED SUPPORT

It can be downloaded and transferred to a portable device like an IPod to be used on the go. I did not get this to download onto any of my own personal devices but not due to any fault of the downloads I was sent –chalk it up to faulty software and technologically challenged user.  ‘Vocal Coach Singer’ is intended to be used with older students and adults.

The order that is recommended to go through this program is:

• Posture
• Breathing
• Tone
• Warm Ups
• Rhythm
• Diction
• Dynamics
• Vocal Health

Here are a couple snapshots of the pdfs included in this.

Song Evaluation:

Work-out Journal:

My thoughts of the program:

It’s difficult for me to say that I would recommend this or not but this is in no way due to the program itself –I did not get to use it as fully as I’d hoped in the review period. Because I could not get it to download to a player, or mobile device, I found it difficult troublesome to go through the cds after each ‘lesson’. It just wasn’t as easy or convenient for me to get them running. I just mention this because you could be in the same boat!

As for the content of this program –it would appear to be a very well done and laid out program. I’ve never had any instruction in singing besides high school choir. My kids both were in a class at a homeschool co-op where they did get some instruction on singing. But this is more in-depth. It covers much more than simply going through the notes (do-re-me-etc. –my apologies if I wrote that wrong). It goes through why they suggest doing what they suggest (such as the posture and exercise lessons).

When I listened through the lessons, I did find the voice of Chris and Carole to be nice and not grating on my nerves. Sometimes the dialogue does seem rehearsed but it wasn’t too bad. I like the journal for each time going through a lesson with the program –it helps to give immediate feedback as to how we feel and think about what we are doing.

I do plan to get this into our week more because from the little that it was used, it is a good program. I like that it is Christian focused as well as homeschool friendly. They also have free resources on their websites.

If you have more questions that I’m sure I didn’t answer, you can check out the FAQs. Vocal Coach also offers programs for younger ages –some of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given Teaching Kids to Sing. Chris and Carole also offer personal singing lessons. 

You can read more reviews of this and the other program by checking the post at the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Click on the image below to get to the post.

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Contact Vocal Coach:

Website: http://www.vocalcoach.com

Email: contact@vocalcoach.com (general questions, schedule lessons)

customerservice@rede-commerce.com (questions, comments regarding an order or product)

Contact on the website: http://vocalcoach.com/contact/

Phone:  615-280-0554 (9am-4pm CST)

Blog: http://blog.vocalcoach.com/

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***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed item free from Vocal Coach via the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Duo Window Reading Rulers: Crossbow Education {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

The Eye Level Reading Ruler is a colored overlay text highlighter…Discreet and portable, the reading ruler is made of a combination of opaque and transparent plastic that both underlines the text and highlights it in a coloured tint. Simply read the text through either of the tinted plastic strips of your selected color, and track down the page: broad strip for paragraphs; narrow strip for single lines.

Crossbow Education are specialists in teaching aids for children with Dyslexia and Visual Stress.
~Educational Supplier of the Year 2012 award winner~

Product: Eye Level Reading Rulers: Pack of 10 (also available in packs of 5 for $9.45 {add shipping})
“These have two windows, one is 1/2” (11 mm) wide and one is 1 1/4” (30 mm) wide: the narrow window will take one line of big text and two of small text, and can be trimmed if helpful.”
Retail: $16.95 (add Library Mail postage- that’s cheap!) –check website for most current pricing
Age: Any
Colors Available:

I’m reading a book, doesn’t matter if it is a good book or just a so-so book, but I’m reading and my eyes keep skipping around. The words dance from place to place! Squeeze my eyes shut, rub them a few times, pull the page closer; nothing helps. Sigh, start over. I do not have a learning disability (that I’m aware of) but I have had a difficult time with focus and retention while reading in the past few years. Perhaps it’s my age, ahem, or just poor eyesight (time to get new glasses!), but whatever the reason, I’m struggling.

Has that happened to you? Do you or your child have a difficult time with focusing on the words on the page or struggle with reading in general? Crossbow might just be able to help!

Perhaps if you or your child have been diagnosed or live with dyslexia, visual stress (Meares-Irlen syndrome), ADHD, autism, or other special needs or reading struggles, you might have heard of the technique of color ‘coding’ pages and/or passages to help read them easier –thus retaining information better. I first became aware of this in college when I took a class with my mother-in-law, who had a terrible time with our math assignments. She is a very smart lady but for whatever reason this math class was very difficult for her. One of the strategies she employed was color coded paper for her assignments. I cannot say that she aced the class (I don’t recall her final grade but she did pass –oh, I did too, by the way) but it may have helped her to focus more and be able to work out her math problems. Perhaps I should have used the technique –I barely passed! But, I digress.

Crossbow Education has been focusing on providing tools for children and adults who struggle with dyslexia and special needs. Their reading rulers have been used in UK schools and they feel if more people knew about these, they could benefit more children and adults. I’m thinking that I agree.

I used the rulers for anything and everything I was reading. Here’s a {nifty} collage I made of them when reading magazines.

As soon as we received the rulers, the kids and I chose our color. Of course we used all of them at one point or another to see which we preferred. It’s amazing the difference these overlays have on the page! Yellow is for me. Definitely. And that isn’t just because yellow happens to be my favorite color. Purely coincidental {probably}; yellow works the best while I am reading.

Helpful aspects:

• Reduces glare
• Improves focus
• Assists tracking
• Isolates single line of text OR paragraphs

I can also use these for reading medias other than paper: computer, Kindle and Kindle Fire. But I admit that it doesn’t work that well on the Kindle Fire; it causes the screen to be less clear, which somewhat defeats the purpose of the ruler. You’ll notice that yellow is the dominant color on the following photos.

In my opinion, these worked the best with books and paper (not the magazine type paper)–the third image down is printer paper with a reading schedule printed on it:

Everyone is different, of course, and a color that worked for myself or my kids may not work with you or your child. Crossbow suggests purchasing the 10 pack, trying each color to see which is best suited and then purchasing however many are needed of the color that works best. In the paper that came with the rulers it says:

“If you have a mixed pack of colors, test read with all the colors, choose the one you feel most comfortable with, and use it to read…[C]hoose the one that is clearest. Don’t worry that you seem to like on color one day and change the next day. Varying lighting conditions make a difference.”

Remember how I mentioned I used these with my computer and other reading devices? Crossbow has a free 30 day trial of their downloadable Virtual Color Overlay*. Other products* offered by Crossbow include:

• Visual Stress
  • Covered Overlays (large, covers the entire page)
  • Single Window Reading Rulers (available in packs of 5, 10 and 30)
  • Assessment Pack
  • Virtual Reading Rulers and Colored Overlays (to limit glare from computer)
• Sand Timers
• Spelling
• Math
• Phonics
• Language Arts

Bottom line:

I found that using the rulers helped tremendously when I was reading. Especially it helped reading challenging works; it kept me more focused line by line. Before I used to have to reread the paragraph a few times and put a piece of paper over both the preceding text and the following text, fairly boxing in my specific text. With these rulers it’s almost like the text before and after are not even there!

Yes! I recommend these to other people who are struggling, for whatever reason, with reading. At least give them a try. You could purchase a pack of 5 to test them out. They are less than $2 a ruler (about $2.66 with shipping). The company has a satisfaction guarantee on their products.

It was a pleasant surprise that I could use them with my computer and other reading devices. It worked very well on both the computer and Kindle. It is a little awkward to use on the computer because I had to hold it up to the screen; tired arms if there was a lot of reading! But I do quite a bit of computer reading and thought it worth the little arm strain to alleviate a little eye/reading strain.

My kids used these as well but there wasn’t really a noticeable change in how they read or perceived their reading. Both are strong readers in the first place. I thought it might help my daughter because she also has some of the same issue of ‘wandering’ eyes or ‘bouncing’ letters. They said they didn’t really feel a difference but they thought they were neat anyway. They make a good bookmark also.

They are made out of a durable plastic that held up well under my 13 year old boy’s use, so you can draw your own conclusions on that. I will mention that they scratch, I won’t say ‘easily’ but it can happen. Say you want to, for some reason, put it between the rings of your three-ring binder (why? well, why do boys do half of what they do? Hmmm?). It will scratch it. Take note.

*I have not used any other products by Crossbow Education; I reviewed the Duo Window Reading Rulers only.

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Read other reviews by Schoolhouse Review Crew members- click the image below.

Learn more about who makes up Crossbow Education.
Contact: (at the website)
 http://www.crossboweducation.us/contacts?phpMyAdmin=W0BZ2zPXwVfRQQOtu-mIVvETeP0
Mailing Address:
Crossbow Education Corp.
P.O. Box 1977, Davidson, NC 28036
Phone: 704-987-1501
Website: http://www.crossboweducation.us

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***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed items free from Crossbow Education via the Schoolhouse Review Crew. No other compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own or those of my family. I only recommend products that I feel would truly be of benefit to others based on my own experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***