Monthly Archives: January 2010

Mathscore.com Review

Posted on by
1

Photobucket

I love review and practice drills, especially for mathematics. At least with Sally, this is a very efficient way to reinforce what she has already learned and build up new facts. So far simple homemade flash cards have done the job. I am thrilled when she gets to do things out of the ordinary.

I was able to try out Mathscore.com to review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I enjoyed reviewing this product and will share why after I tell you just what is mathscore.com.

What is it?

A mathematics practice online program that seeks to build up skills in students through “adaptive math practice.”

Who is it for?

Students in grades 1-Algebra 1

How much will it cost me?

Home service prices are as follows – $9.95/monthly for first student + $5/monthly for 2nd student, and $3.95/monthly per any students after that.

What is covered?

A lot. You can see a sample topics listing at their homepage, but to give you a taste of what is covered:

  • Fast addition
  • Fast subtraction
  • Patterns
  • Division
  • Multiplication
  • Weight conversion
  • and more

Sally used these in place of drill cards during this review. The activities started with ensuring that she knew how to type in the correct numbers on the computer’s keyboard. From there it moved on to various topics. I liked the fact that she was using to learn a computer while she was shoring up what she already knew from her mathematics textbook. It also gave her something a little bit different than regular flash cards. Each practice session is timed so she was encouraged to work at a brisk pace instead of dawdling. Each topic comes with worksheets, mini lesson, and sample questions. I liked the sample questions because it gave Sally an idea of what types of questions she would need to answer.

I did see it mentioned on the site that this could be used as a full mathematics curriculum. I suppose I must be missing something but I do not see how this can be the case. I looked very thoroughly through the provided parent’s panel and the student’s area and couldn’t see any more than just drills. I did only review Grade 1 level so perhaps the higher levels offer more that would be considered a full curriculum.

It also seemed to me that this program was based to “teach to the test;” the facts drilled were designed to raise test scores. Since we are not teaching for any particular test scores I feel that the scope could have been broader in the particular math facts that were reviewed. If you were living in a state that required homeschoolers to participate in state testing then this might be perfect.

One thing I appreciated was the fact that there is a preview option so that you can “try before you buy.” There is also a short intro video that will help explain the purpose for this program. Also, they have available for free math worksheet generators which I appreciated. Make sure to check those out.

I hope you found this review helpful. Why not head on over to mathscore.com and see if this is something you could use in your home?

Friday Links

Posted on by
Reply

Photobucket

  • Heather from The Mac Rak has posted an awesome listing of five great Valentine’s Day crafts to do with your children. These are perfect for “beautifying” your home. What better opportunity to discuss the immense love of God to your children as you work on these?
  • Need some inspiration for your homeschool room? Look no further than Ideas From My School Room 2nd Edition by Brenda at The Tie that Binds Us. (Shhh. . .  don’t tell anyone, but I secretly want to be this lady when I grow up!)
  • I am so going to try this Egg Roll Recipe from Liz at Hoosier Homemade. I love egg rolls but I have always been a little intimidated at the thought of making them. If you try these out let me know how they turned out.
  • Okay, so we know that true happiness comes from a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, but still, I wouldn’t mind one of these Coca-Cola Happiness Machines in my house. Does it change diapers and do laundry too? (Link goes to a video)
  • I apologize for another recipe link but I was really hungry this week. Use homemade refried beans and this Mexican Pizza would make a perfect, simple, and easy lunch for you and the kidlets. Yum!

Photo credits: getwired

Christian Keyboarding Review

Posted on by
2

Photobucket

As we all know, learning to type is important. Very few people can get away without having to use a computer these days. This skill also needs to be passed down to our little ones. The world gets more and more tech savvy as time goes on. Question is, what is out there to help a parent (homeschooling or not) in teaching this necessary part of our world? Thankfully, Leanne Beitel has created Keyboarding for the Christian School to help you in this endeavor.

There are two versions of this “learn to type” curriculum: one for elementary level and one for grades six and up. I used the elementary version with Sally. Let me share a bit more information about this product with you and then I will tell you what I thought!

Nitty-gritty

  • These products are in eBook format
  • $15.95 for the grade 6 and up students’ version and $12.95 for the elementary version
  • Many other products available that will help you learn basic computer skills.
  • Elementary version is 87 pages long, with  lessons 32 lessons. Grade 6 and up version contains 107 pages with 43 lessons
  • Covered are how to correctly and efficiently type letters, use the shift key, numbers, symbols, and more

A little background, taken straight from Mrs. Beitel’s “about page”:

“HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN KEYBOARDING: As Leanne was teaching in the private school arena; she noticed a need for Christian material for the computer courses since the only ones were Glencoe, Century 21, and Mavis Beacon software.  Through a diligent search; there was no suitable curriculum which demonstrated proper touch-typing methods, offered MLA and APA report formatting, and had Biblical-based references and material for students to copy.  Thus, Christian Keyboarding was formed combining the elements needed to satisfy state education requirements and Biblical references for the private school requirements.”

Photobucket

Now. What did I think?

I thought this was a wonderful typing program! This is one thing that I could find no fault with. First off, the program is simplistic in two important ways. There is very little teacher prep. And the lessons are short and descriptive enough without being overwhelming for my 1st grader.

Before the lessons begin, an introduction is given as well as a “touch typing technique” list. The list gives directions on the best way to sit so that your typing is efficient. I found this especially helpful for my beginning typist because her natural inclination is to hunch over the board and this ends up placing stress on her small frame.

The practice sentences are made of Biblical concepts. I especially appreciate this because this is killing two birds with one stone. Not only are my children learning to type but they are also being reinforced in values that I want them to learn. For example, one practice sentence is “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Now. Some of this was a little over the head of my 1st grader – such as enumerated lists. I just skipped those parts and focused on what she needed at this point in her life.

This program gets my two thumbs up. I highly recommend it and I encourage you to check out the Christian Keyboarding site. She has a number of good deals for these two keyboarding programs as well as other computer skills curricula she offers.

*****************************************************

Disclosure: I received this product to review as part of the TOS’ Homeschool Crew. I did not receive any monetary compensation in return. This review is my unadulterated opinion.

Parenting Young Children Survey

Posted on by
Reply

Photobucket

As I work on various series regarding parenting young children I thought I would ask you some questions. Each family struggles with different things when raising children. Our personal dynamics and individual personalities lend to an assortment of issues and problems. What my family struggles with may be a non-issue for yours, and vice versa.

I realize I have already request you to fill out two surveys in the past couple of months. Asking for you to do one more may seem silly. I am striving to make this site the best it can be, however, and to do this I need to know exactly what you want to know about.

I appreciate your help!

Parenting Young Children Survey found here

Photo credit: freeparking

Homeschool Freebies – Nature Study

Posted on by
3

Photobucket

Have you heard of Homeschool Freebie of the Day? If you have not you are missing out on one of the best resources out there. Every week day this website offers one freebie to download. These great e-products vary from textbook-style academics to childrens’ books to homemaking how-to’s. I have downloaded so much from this site I have a separate zip-drive dedicated just for it!

The folks at Homeschool Freebie of the Day have offered something this week that I thought was too good not to share with the folks who visit here. This week they are offering The Big Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. This handbook is h.u.g.e. (so much so that they had to split it up into six parts). The main topics are:

  • Introduction & Teacher’s Guide
  • Bird and Fish Study
  • Reptiles, Amphibians, and Mammals
  • Insects and Invertebrates
  • Trees and Plant Life
  • Earth, Water, and Sky

I will mention that one of my pet peeves - classifying humans as mammals – is the mindset of this author. So keeps this in the back of your mind if it bothers you as much as it does me.

Generally you only have 24 hours to download each book however the Erskine family is graciously keeping all six parts up to download till Sunday.

Hope someone somewhere finds this helpful!

Tropical Traditions – Pastry Flour and Giveaway!

Posted on by
10

Photobucket

One thing I have not gotten used to since switching from store-bought flour to grinding my own wheat is the heaviness and density. Freshly milled wheat flour is better for you by providing nutrients that your body needs. Yet making pastries and biscuits and pie crusts out of it is near impossible.

After a lot of research early last year I learned that my best bet – outside of buying store flour – was to purchase soft white winter wheat and use that instead of my usual wheat. I am not crazy about purchasing things that I can’t find right on my store shelves unless I have tried it first. So, after Tropical Traditions kindly offered to send me a 5 lbs bag of their Organic Soft White Winter Wheat Whole Grain to review I ecstatically said “yes!”

The first thing I noticed was that the soft white wheat berries ground faster in my Nutrimill then the hard white wheat berries. Score one, in my book! (As much as I loved using freshly ground flour, I hate hearing a jet turbine going for 10+ minutes in my laundry room)

The big test came when I actually tried the flour in a recipe that I desired lightness and flakiness: biscuits. Making biscuits with normal hard wheat was always a flop. I hate with a passion biscuits that double as paper weights. So I simply had stopped making them.

But people, I love biscuits.

And I am also wondering how many more times in this post I will write the word “biscuit.”

Anywho.

I was very pleased with the way the biscuits (see, I typed it again!) using Tropical Tradition’s Organic Soft White Wheat turned out. They were much, much lighter and flakier and very delicious. Besides being much darker than store-bought white flour they tasted very similar to the biscuits I love.

Here is the part where I sigh continuously, ring my hands, and hang my head in shame: I used ALL of the flour for biscuits. I loved them so much I used every last Soft White Wheat Berry for them and didn’t try my hand at seeing how good they were in a pastry crust. They were that good, folks.

Yes, Tropical Traditions will be getting an order from me soon ordering their pastry flour. Because a girl needs her biscuits. And if I have enough self-control I might just get a decent pie crust out of it, too.

*****************************************

Be sure to visit Tropical Traditions at their main site as well as see for yourself how to get some of that wonderful pastry flour.

******************************************************************

Now how about a giveaway? Yay! If you would like an entry to win your OWN 5 lbs bag of Tropical Traditions’s Organic Soft White Wheat then all you need to do is leave a comment! Yep, that is it. There are other ways to get extra entries so keep reading. (And please note, this is NOT for Flour. This bag contains actual wheat berries that you will need a grain mill to grind.)

For extra entries (make sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry. I cannot stress this enough.)

Tweet this post/giveaway once with my Twitter handle – @WisdomBegun – in the tweet. Tweet this only once; daily tweets do not earn you extra entries. Also, make sure to include the link to your tweet in your extra entry comment.

Subscribe to my blog’s feed via RSS.

Add this giveaway to your Facebook page. Please include link in your entry.

Join the Wisdom Begun site via the Google Friend Connect (you should see the box in the sidebar).

Become a fan of  the Wisdom Begun Page on Facebook.

And last but not least, follow this blog on Networked Blogs. You will see the Networked Blog area as you scroll down on my sidebar.

Thanks!

Giveaway ends January 29, 2010, at 11:59 PM. Giveaway is only open to residents of the contiguous 48 US states, sorry.

Raising Children: Hard Work Ahead

Posted on by
11

Photobucket

“. . .I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” -2 Timothy 1:5

Timothy was a young man whom Paul considered his “true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). He spent a lot of time with Paul and Paul had a lot of trust in him. The above scripture notes that Timothy had “genuine faith.” This genuine faith was a heritage, a legacy of sorts passed down to him from his grandmother and mother. This faith started with them and passed on to become godly seed.

Christian parents have a huge responsibility. We are charged with teaching our children the ways of God and discipling and disciplining them effectively to that end. “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7 We are to show our children how to live, think, act, and worship.

We do this by first modeling the Christian walk in our own daily lives. The way we respond to our children, to others, and to our circumstances speaks volumes to the next generation. Their eyes watch constantly, wanting to see what Mom does next. Beginning at a young age, they will emulate everything we do. They put on our shoes and prance around the house. Seeing us in the kitchen they will grab a bowl and spoon and pretend to stir a culinary concoction.

They want to be like us.

The precedent for our childrens’ lives starts with the parents.

Let’s move on by examining what discipling and discipline are.

By definition, to disciple is:

1. To teach; to train, or bring up.

To Discipline is to:

1. To instruct or educate; to inform the mind; to prepare by instructing in correct principles and habits; as, to discipline youth for a profession, or for future usefulness.

2. To instruct and govern; to teach rules and practice, and accustom to order and subordination; as, to discipline troops or an army.

3. To correct; to chastise; to punish.

4. To execute the laws of the church on offenders, with a view to bring them to repentance and reformation of life.

5. To advance and prepare by instruction.

Photobucket

Discipling and discipline are never easy. It means getting down in the dirt, mud on our faces, tiring, exhausting, heart-rending combat for our children’s souls. We are down in the trenches with our children, showing them the way, step-by-step.

The way of modern parenting is that we expect kids to figure it out on their own. We send our children out to the world with a great education in academics but little to no foundation in the ways of our God. Our children earn their degrees and get wonderful jobs because they have been pushed and molded and shaped in knowledge of God’s world. Yet they do not know how to obey and worship the Creator.

I urge you, when your children are young, to begin a close relationship with them. Take every opportunity to talk to them of God and His ways and who He is. Show them and model for them how to respond appropriately to circumstances and to other people. Guide them like a shepherd and keep them close. Discipline them when they do wrong and then train them in how they should act the next time. God nurtures and trains and disciplines us. He does not expect us to learn these things on our own but teaches us constantly. In the same way we need to teach our children.

This year, while it is still a new year, I urge you to prayerfully consider if you are truly discipling your children the way He would have you. If not, hold a meeting with your husband on what steps need to be taken in order to train them up as Deuteronomy 6 tells us to. If your husband is not a Christian or is disinterested in this process this does not mean that you should lose heart. Timothy’s father and grandfather are not mentioned but his mother and grandmother are. One parent can make all the difference.

Our children are God’s gifts to us. Let’s make sure we do all we can to raise them up to bring glory to Him.

Today Teri Lynne has written another post for this Fresh Year, Fresh Start parenting week. Entitled Discipline: Making Disciples of Our Children she shares practicle ways of disciplining our children to become disciples for Him. Also, be sure to visit Kristi’s blog so that you can see a daily recap of each day’s posts and a link-up on Fridays that you can participate in.

Photo credit: sundstrom

Protect Yourself: Haiti Relief Scams

Posted on by
Reply

By now I am sure you have heard the horrific news of the earthquake in Haiti. The images, sounds, and video coming from this disaster have caused me to gather my precious children onto my lap and give extra hugs and kisses all around. I cannot even begin to wonder at the emotions and intense heartache caused by something like this.

I pray I never have to know.

Overwhelmingly, donations are pouring in to help those who have experienced this event. Many are reaching out with their pocketbooks because that is all they can do. While this is very good and I commend you if you have donated in any way I do want to remind you to be careful of where your donation money goes.

  • Charity Navigator is the “nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities.” It is a helpful site to ensure that the person who is asking for your donation is really doing what they say they will do. You will see on the right hand side of the page you click to a list of charities providing relief for Haiti as well as their respective ratings. Also invaluable are the tips that will help keep you away from those who might want to dupe you!
  • If you scroll down this CNN page you will find another list of organizations providing aid and in what areas they are assisting.
  • Also, Compassion International is giving relief in the form of aid to Compassion families in Haiti. Compassion is a reputable charity that seeks to “meet the physical and spiritual needs of children in Jesus’ name.” You can read updates and donate as you feel led.

Tired Mom

Posted on by
13

Photobucket

I am currently writing this post while my eyes droop from weariness. The baby did not nap at all today and neither did Dory. Things spilled, meals had to be made, and attitudes needed adjusting. My body aches from the exercise video I did this morning and all the thoughts swimming in my head threaten to incapacitate my mental status.

I am tired.

My husband took one look at me during meal-time tonight and urged me to seek some solitude and respite in our bedroom after dinner. While sounds of my family clearing up dinner and my husband joking with the children reached my ears, I dug into God’s word. Hunger for something that will touch my soul and share the comfort only He can give caused me to turn to the back of my Bible to search for the word “weary.” The day of motherhood had all but spent me and I needed encouraging.

Galatians 6:9 was my first stop. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Let us not grow weary? Surely Paul was jesting. This life is full of illness and physical stress. We are mere mortals. And yes. We do grow weary. It is beyond us to not grow weary.

Confused by this verse I turned to Mr. Webster’s 1828 dictionary. I looked up the definitions for “weary.” At first glance I read: “Having the strength much exhausted by toil or violent exertion; tired; fatigued.” That did not ease my confusion because again, we are physical human beings who will become tired and fatigued. I moved on. Ah. And that definition hit the nail right on the head:

“Having the patience exhausted, or the mind yielding to discouragement.”

Oh my. Can I just say this now and get it out of the way?

I have botched this part of the Christian life big time. I have allowed the stress that comes from being mom and wife and stay-at-home-mom exhaust my patience. I have yielded to discouragement and have become angry at times. My children have seen happy, content, purposeful and patient mom. They have also seen momzilla. My hope has strayed from dependence on my heavenly Father’s strength to trying to buckle up my circumstances with my own strength.

Inevitably I fail under the weight of that which I cannot bare. The laundry and dishes and home school and cooking and cleaning and crying and fighting overwhelm me to the point of not only physical exhaustion but exhaustion of all patience. And I know I am not the only one who follows this road at times. I know you do, too.

Friends, what can we do instead? The best thing I can do is point you to the cross. Make sure your days are spent in pleasing our Savior. Then “do the next thing” and obey what He has set for you to do! Only then will you find that yes, yes this life is exhausting, but He will reward you for not losing heart. Obey Him, follow the commands set before you, and press on.

Believe me. It is so worth it.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 12:1-2

Photo credit: gozdeo