The Lord was so good, y’all, when I was accepted as a participant in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. There were a number of subjects (namely art and science) that I just could not decide which method or curricula I wanted to use. I was sent the K-8 Christan Art Curriculum CD by Diane Shields Spears and I know this was God’s hand in our lives as I really love this program.

I honestly do not like to have to read material on my computer and I prefer it in hand, so it a little awkward at first to try and figure out the curriculum. That is not the case for everyone and I know that many people love having an electrical version. Call me old fashioned. I did figure it out eventually and I really appreciated what I saw. You can buy it in print form, just so you know.

Laid out to be used thematically based on seasons, Dr. Spears has designed a curriculum that strives to teach children art from a Biblical worldview. Art projects are made to coincide with holidays, weather, and whatever else may be going on in any particular month. Each project is geared towards a certain grade level, thus you will not have young kindergarteners or 1st graders trying to paint masterpieces.

You will find in your teacher’s manual a scope and sequence which helped me get a broad overview of what I would be teaching. General rules for presenting lessons are also included as well as a glossary that defines artistic terms. A supply list at the back is given, though it is rather difficult to use as you have to search through each lesson to ascertain which supplies are needed.

Each week is laid out as follows:

• Objectives
• Scripture verse
• Vocabulary
• Motivation and Focus
• List of materials needed for that week
• Activity(ies)

I especially appreciate the focus on Scripture. Your child will learn artistic values and methods through the way God intended. No humanistic garbage is thrown in. I did find that I would add another scripture verse or replace one she included because I thought it would better explain the concept she was trying to convey, but that did not happen often.

My daughter loves the hands-on activities. She especially loved learning about the primary and secondary colors and filling out the color wheel delighted her to no end. My other children were also able to get involved to a degree.

One thing that I just absolutely must rave about is the fact that because each week is based on a theme, children of all ages can be included and you can do this together as a family. Instead of different themes for each different child, which may result in a very harried mother, everyone can focus on a common concept. This simplifies learning and does not make it more burdensome than necessary.

You can view some sample art lessons here (scroll down to almost the middle of the page.) Prices are:

$39.95 for the K-8 teacher’s manual on CD-Rom in PDF (full color pages in PDF booklets)

I could go on and on about this program, but I’ll end for now. If you would like to know more, please email me at mamarussell at gmail dot com .

Visit Spears Art Studio curriculum here.

With Christmas so near, I am sure some of us are scrambling for some gift suggestions. Here is an idea that I think many of my readers will appreciate: books.

Who’s with me?

Books make the best gifts and I must admit that I do not mind receiving them.

Salem Ridge Press is a republishing company founded by Daniel Mills. Begun in 2005, the aim of Salem Ridge Press is this

“Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8).”

If you ask me, this is a pretty good premise to anything having to do with books.

Our family was sent:

I love these books. Each one was written in the 1800′s or early twentieth century. There are no filthy words or compromising situations displayed. This is a great comfort to someone who is trying to keep that type of yucky stuff out of her home.

My oldest absolutely loves the Mary Jane book. She begs me to read it and after I have finished a chapter, I’ll set the book down, and she will bring it back to me and ask me to read more. That rarely happens, folks. The story is told of Mary Jane, a little girl, as she goes about her family life. You’ll find cute stories and mishaps and simplicity that captures the attention of young children.

Glaucia was my personal favorite. It was such an awesome thing to read about the two slaves, Glauca and her brother Laon, who found out that there was a God who loves even them. What a blessing to be reminded of WHO God is and WHAT He does for us! It also presents an accurate portrayal of Rome and Greece as they were in ancient times. I look forward to using this book in school during later years.

I highly recommend this company. These books are definitely one of a kind and not the typical type of reading material you will find on a bookstore or library shelf. If you are looking for something different, go no further than Salem Ridge Press.

What is a “rime?” Many of us could easily give the definition of the word “rhyme” ( identity in sound of some part, esp. the end, of words or lines of verse) but the word “rime” seems foreign. I know that I had never heard of it.

Rimes are virtually the same as rhymes with one exception: while rhymes sound alike, they do not always look alike. Rimes do look alike. Some examples of a rime are Pat, Sat, Cat.

Rimes are the premise for the Rime to Read program, a program for beginning readers, Rime to Read is designed to teach by using “color-coded . . . rimes (word families).” Sold as twenty separate virtual books, the focus is on simple booklets using simple word to teach children to read.

I was blessed by being able to review all the books. Each book is short and sweet and has clickable words you can press with your mouse in order to hear that word. This helps drive home the riming concept to your child.

Here are a few words from the Rime to Read website that will help clarify on how the program really works.

• The program is carefully structured to ensure success for the youngest readers as well as students needing remedial work.

• Each of the twenty books, four per short vowel, highlights a specific rime or word family (e.g., bat, cat, rat). Each rime is color-coded throughout the series with a different color.

• The color-coding of each rime encourages students to use visual similarities and differences to decode,a strategy employed by successful readers.
  
  
• The color-coding also helps students develop phonological awareness by providing cues for sound discrimination and categorization.

As I used this with my oldest daughter I found that the books were short enough to not overwhelm her with too much information. The cute pictures gave her the ability to associate them with the words in a more clear manner. She really, really liked these! She especially enjoyed book #1, “Pat.”

I honestly do not believe that she would be able to use only this to learn to read. She needs more “meat” and I feel that more grammar should be involved. I have printed some of these out to help assist her in learning what she has already learned. However, I think that this might be perfect for my three-year-old when she is ready to learn to read. Different learning styles make this program a must for some families.

The prices for these run from 4 books for $9.99 or 20 books for $44.99. You can either view them from Adobe Reader, or print them out in booklet form. I did have a problem printing these out but I believe that is more operator error than layout. I am sure the more computer savvy of my readers will have no problem with this.

I will be doing many more reviews this week, so stay tuned!