5 Days of Teaching Creatively pre-view and GIVE-AWAY!

Hey Blogger Buddies! I'm going to be participating in an awesome blog hop this coming week titled,

5 Days of Teaching Creatively

5 days FULL up of all things Educational- I can't wait- ed nerd that I am. And if you are ed or kid minded at all, you're gonna love it too! It won't just be me blogging either- there's a slew of us that have been scheming, planning, writing and waiting for this hop and it's almost here! WOOT! So stop back every day next week to check out not only my ideas on how to execute educational anarchy with panache, but to get linked up to a host of other extraordinary educators, too!

I know you're going to be challenged and find awesome ideas all week long . Here's what you can loook forward to:

 

 But before we begin I wanted to let you know about the amazing, fantastic, super-duper give-away that goes along with....

 

 

I'm joining in with Marcy @Ben and Me and Sam @Sam's Noggin to bring you this awesome giveaway during the 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop, hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew! The Blog Hop won't begin until Monday, but we are starting the fun early by giving you the opportunity to win incredible bundles of books and homeschool resources!

There will be a total of 3 winners chosen -- one GRAND prize, a 1st RUNNER-UP and a 2nd RUNNER-UP! The contest will begin at 12am on March 9 and end at 12am on March 17.  Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter, but read the contest rules, found at the bottom of the widget, first."

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive ALL of the following -- a $525 value!

Geography Matters -- Profiles from History Package ($50 value) Looking for a way to help your students connect with history? The Profiles from Historyseries is dedicated to telling the stories of people, whose lives are worth remembering. Whether they made a discovery, led heroically in a war, created a masterpiece through music, or art, used a pen to change the world, or impacted humanity with their bravery—they made a difference. We can learn so much by looking at those who came before us. Be ready to change your mind about history, with Profiles from History, Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine --  1-year membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a new Print Issue of The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, and a Homeschooling with Heart Tote Bag ($90 value)

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online classroom and has more than 2 dozen expert teachers who cover 25 different subjects presented via teaching videos, ongoing lesson plans, worksheets, lapbooks & unit studies, writing prompts and other assignments to choose from, students can additionally interact personally with the teachers by asking them questions and gaining feedback.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Passport Geography set, consisting of the Combos (K - 12) for United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany ($50 value) 
Taking an in-depth look at world geography with the new Passport Geography™(PPG) series by Amanda Bennett. These one-week studies use a cross-curricular approach (covering geography, history, science, etc.) to take students on virtual journeys around the globe. Each study is interactive, including daily lessons for both elementary grades and Jr/Sr High grades, with no prep required.

Shining Dawn Books -- Early Spring Bundle ($21 value)

Early spring is known for its wonderfully rainy weather, leading to lots of beautiful fungi. It’s also the season when animals busily go about their regular activities after the relative quietness of winter. This bundle will help you to explore each of these exciting aspects of the spring season in-depth.

A+ Tutorsoft -- 1-yr subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($150 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Complete Digital Holiday book ($34 value)

A complement to any lifestyle of learning, this book is different from the Five in a Row manuals. It doesn’t give a specific book to study for each holiday, rather it is a treasury of traditions, memories and ideas for making your own! Each unit also includes calendar pages, blank pages for recording your own memories, and combinations of traditions and recipes, book and movie suggestions, quotes, decorating ideas, and more! 

Knowledge Quest -- Wonders of Old Timeline Book ($25 value)

Wonders of Old is divided into four historical time periods: ancient, medieval, new world and modern. Significant dates are listed at the conclusion of each section as a helpful reference. This hardcover book measures 9x12 and is printed on extra thick 70# paper for durability.

In the Hands of a Child -- 1-Year Super Membership ($75 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

Frontier 2000 -- No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned Me a Master's Degree by Age Sixteen by Alexandra Swann and Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years As a Homeschooling Mother by Joyce Swann ($20 value)
No Regrets: The engaging story of Swann's experiences growing up as a Southern Baptist homeschooled child from New Mexico earning her education at a highly accelerated pace. At the age of fifteen she became the youngest student ever to graduate from Brigham Young University in its 111 year history.

Looking Backward: From 1975-2000, Joyce Swann homeschooled each of her ten children from the first grade through master's degrees by the age of sixteen. In this book, she discusses the methods she used to teach as well as the obstacles that threatened her success.

____________________________________________

The 1st RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $225 value!

Geography Matters -- Cultural Geography Package ($50 value) Have you ever thought that geography was a boring subject? Then you've never used these books! Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. and Eat Your Way Around the World are a taste buds-on approach to geography. Each state or country has its unique geographical features and agricultural products. These influence both the ingredients that go into a recipe and the way food is prepared. Why stop with only your taste-buds? Let's involve all the senses by adding Geography Through Art! This hand-son approach will supplement any study of geography, history, or social studies. Geography Through Art is sure to make a lasting addition to your home or school library. You'll find yourself reaching for this indispensable guide again and again to delight and engage students in learning about geography through the culture and art of peoples around the world.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value)

Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Set of Five Audio Files from Steve Lambert ($20 value)

We all need some inspiration from time to time! Steve and Jane Lambert have been encouraging homeschoolers on their journey since 1994. These Five in a Row audio files have been recorded at major state homeschooling conventions around the United States and Canada and have been chosen because we believe you’ll enjoy it for its wisdom, humor and encouragement shared by Steve. Including: Where do I Begin?, I Can't Teach All the Grades at Once, Making Your Children into World Changers, On Becoming Great Teachers, and High School and Beyond.

In the Hands of a Child -- 6-Month Super Membership ($55 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

____________________________________________

The 2nd RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $190 value!

Geography Matters -- Adventures of Munford Package ($35 value) Although he's just two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, Munford is all adventure. He can be rain, snow, sleet, or steam. He has traveled the world in search of excitement. Throughout history, he has been present at some of the most important and world-changing events. Fun and educational, Munford will inspire your children to learn more about many of history's greatest moments. These readers make a great addition to your learning experience in areas such as history, geography, and science. This book series is written on an elementary reading level, but provides plenty of read-aloud entertainment for the entire family!

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value) Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Volume 4 Digital Unit of Winner's Choice ($9 value)

Five in a Row was created by Jane Claire Lambert, a successful homeschool teacher with more than 17 years of experience. To use Five in a Row, just pick one of the 70 books used in Five in a Row, locate the corresponding lesson plan in your teacher’s guide, read the story aloud each day during the week and use Jane’s suggestions and lesson plans to lead your children on a wonderful learning adventure. It’s that simple! Each unit covers Social Studies, Geography, Language Arts, Applied Math, Science and Art in a way that causes children to fall in love with learning.

In the Hands of a Child -- 2-Month Super Membership ($45 value)
Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
• Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss. 

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Spring vs. Homeschool

*1*

We spent part of the week sans computer as it took a vacation at the computer doc's. The initial problem has been solved but it's now more temperamental and glitchy than ever. And the printer has decided that is has no wish to serve our happy home and has called off our mutually beneficial relationship by consuming vast quantities of expensive cartridges with no delivery of printed page. To the dump with you! (which in computer speak is the equivalent of, "Off with your head!"). I say this cavalierly, with no actual true emotion behind it. One dead printer helps me nada.

*2*

Home School

The Triumvirate of Math: Saxon, Perplexors and Quarter Mile. Perplexors are getting a bit too perplexing for me and twice we've had to call in Feeche or Dr. Dh to help deduce the solution. We've also taken a short break from Saxon Alg 1/2 to delve into Math Made Easy 3 and get a really good grip on decimals, percentages and fractions. Lone Star continues to show up weekly.
The kids also added more keyboarding (for some reason the program they went through last summer didn't keep- thankfully, Schoolhouse Teacher just added a course!) and a Computer Programming course. 3 cheers!
Memoria Press Geography and Famous Men of Rome is almost done and I'll mourn it when it's over. More, MP, more! I love their ordered, sequential, comprehensive, classical everything.

Tons of science- Apologia General, Tiner, pre-physics at TC and GC Physics and Your Life -even Flower loves listening in! (with more to come - Supercharged Science- woohoo!)

Horatius at the Bridge is still being memorized. Making inch by inch progress rather than great strides but both of them asked to do it this week rather than my pushing and tugging.

Our list of on-line work grows- 4-5 programs per kid, which  necessitates some creative juggling, even with more than one computer available. Yes, we teach diplomacy and negotiation in our humble homeschool. No guarantees of its stickyness upon emancipation.

*3*

 Read Loose Diamonds by Amy Ephron this week- Amy is just as a brilliant a writer as her sister Nora was. I'll be doing a longer review of the book as I have several thoughts about the series of essays that take place on both coasts. (Hey, I've lived on both coasts, too!) The fact that her parents were writers and all 4 of their daughters were successful writers intrigues me- family systems and all of that, you know.

*4*

Speaking of which, I have the test book ordered (no small charge, that!) and will commence studying for the National exam. A job would help, given the regs of the state I live in, but I'm starting studying nevertheless. Back to bleary-eyed living.

*5*

Feeche and I are taking turns reading The Phantom Tollbooth outloud. Oddly, I've never read it before. It's nonsensical and silly, which is not a genre I normally enjoy, but it's such a brilliant study in trope, word play and double entendre that I'm hooked.

*6*

We watched Florence Nightingale, staring Jaclyn Smith this week. A lovely, challenging rendition of a woman who believed that a calling was more important than a life-style. Great message about a women's worth and over-coming prejudice. All the same, Flower was rooting for first one man, than another. She and Cub really wanted her to get married in the end.

 

*7*

There are changes in the air and while it's  vague and undefined we are all a bit eager for it to take form and substance. I'm in spring mode and ready to pack up stuff, give it away and clean house. The air is fresh and humid, signalling spring, as it's about the only time the word "humid" can be applied to the prairie. And soon the lilacs will bloom. Woot!

This week's reviews: Artistic Pursuits
And don't forget to stop by tomorrow for Share It Saturday!

Artistic Pursuits- TOS Review

Artistic Pursuits, THE Curriculum for Creativity, has been around the homeschool block since for over a decade. Because we do a lot of art in our little corner of the world, including my teaching it for co-op, I was eager to see what the revised edition of Artistic Pursuits High School had to offer. While Artistic Pursuits offers curriculum for pre-school through High School, we reviewed the High School 9-12, newly revised workbook. The cost is $47. 95 and you'll need to plan on purchasing any art supplies you don't have on hand.

 

The manual is comb-bound, which means it lays flat, which is a bonus if your student is using the book as a reference while they are creating art. It is a 92 page workbook that covers 16 units with full color illustrations, art reproductions and excellent graphics. Each unit is divided in to 4 lessons that includes:

 

1) Building a visual vocabulary- for instance, space, line, texture, shape, form, value, composition, etc.

2) Art Apprecitation and Art History- the topic of the unit is discussed using the work of a master artist

3) Techniques- students apply the techniques using materials and tools to create an original work of art.

4) Application- Students do a final project incorporating the new techniques using a variety of references.

 

 

You can purchase an Art Supply Kit from Artistic Pursuits, but you might be surprised at how much of the materials you have on hand. There is a handy, "Getting Started Page" that lists the art supplies you'll need by semester, a Scheduling section, a page on "What Students Want to Know", the lessons, a grading rubric, a bibliography and a section on "course credits."

from the lesson on texture

The program is designed to be used as 2 classes of 2 hours per week, for a full high school credit, if desired.

from the lesson on perspective

Like I've said, we've done, and do, a lot of art in our homeschool world. We have the advantage of having lessons from a professional artist and art teacher (we LOVE YOU, Mz. Z!) along with 2 friends who are artists extraordinaire in their own right (we love you both, Ana and Jannell!), along with moi (closet arteest and art/craft supply fanatic). While the kids have access to art, and artists, they are always eager for more. So we were really looking forward to this curriculum.

from the lesson on space

Pros imho:
I love the lay-out. It is professional, clean and organized.
I love the start of each lesson with vocabulary- I only wish that there had been a glossary included.
I loved the art appreciation lessons- terrific! and the pictures included were crisp and lovely.  I wish they would expand this to it's own separate book and then make one for each history cycle!

Cons, imho:
My 12th grader had done most of the assignments in the book- some of them multiple times already. He was really bummed when the book arrived, he'd spent some time perusing it and discovered that there probably wasn't much new included for him. That being said, he did disappear with the book on his own a few times, honed some techniques and read all of the art appreciation/history sections.
At times it seemed like the lessons were rather disjoint. In other words the assignment didn't always fit with the lesson. This left us a bit baffled because the rest of the program boasted such excellent organization.

Overall,  there is a lot packed into this very accessible and exceptionally affordable program. If you are not motivated, or don't have access to a good quality art program, Artistic Pursuits is the place to start. An excellent program for co-ops and classroom teachers as well- simple, affordable, accessible.

Content- very good
Organization - very good
Presentation - excellent

We used the 3rd edition High School book 1., appropriate for art experienced older elementary students (Flower, 5th grade, did several of the lessons) through high school. The Book cost $47.95. - See more at Artistic Pursuits 

Check out what the rest of the Crew thinks about Artistic Pursuits!

 

My 2 Sons

Favorite Bro Game

"Attack and torture."

Anthropomorphizing Code

I've noticed a trend in the media; books and movies. And I find it interesting and disturbing. It's the anthropomorphizing of code. It really hit me hard, at the end of Tron, when the cute, computer chick became human. Seamless transition from dots and dashes to real, live breathing human. I don't want my kids reading books that romanticize on-line "people," or possibilities that are virtual(y) non-existent.

I love technology but I also think it's a dangerous game to play believing that codes can love, provide relationship, respond, are real.
 

The End of the Dead of Winter Weekly Report

*1*

*2*

School this week was busy. We are doing several reviews at once: The Art of Deductive Reasoning, Adventus Piano, Programming, Lapbooks, Lone Star, along with our regularly scheduled programming. Full and busy, but good. Our little blue 5 x7 cards are our navigators.
Reviews this week included Target the Question, Abraham's Journey and College Common Sense.

We are doing more and more on-line school again. Rosetta Stone, Target the Question with Lone Star, Keyboarding with Schoolhouse Teachers (yea!), computer programming, piano. Our one lone Internet connected computer is our work horse. As a veteran homeschooler I am thrilled with the variety and # of choices we have available!

*3*

Steve Martin

Reading Born Standing Up by comedienne extraordinaire Steve ROTFLOL Martin- he's as funny in print as performing on SNL or parrying back and forth with a Muppet. I had to read this after learning that the title for the book So Good They Can't Ignore You can from Steve. His path to success is an interesting combination of a lot of things.

*4*

 14 years ago today my Mom died.

And it seems like forever ago.

The days are long, the years are short grows ever more profound.

 

*5*

Finished The Ramsey Scallop last night by Francis Temple (the author of The Bedouin's Gazelle). This is the 3rd time I've read this book out loud and I love it each time. From the author: "The story began to take form in northern Spain, along pilgrim trails, was fed by histories, stories, letters by the testimony of a 14th century shepherd, by the thoughts of today's pilgrims. Concerns echo across years- clean water, good talk, risks welcomed, the search fora  peaceful heart. Traveling in Eleanor's shoes, I found out how strongly the tradition of pilgrimage continues." A beautiful Medieval rendering of journey, redemption and love.

*6*

We had a great time in film class this a.m. We've decided on a story, assigned parts and are developing videography skills. Today small groups assembled and did interviews of the cast, both as the actor, and as the character. Great ad-libbing. We just have to figure out sound.

 

*7*

From the "about me" over at Stop Her She's Knitting;  

"Let this be the rallying cry for all women over 50:

You can have my gray hair when you can pry it from my cold dead fingers.

As Felton wrote, in a review of Steve Martin, "This isn't comedy; it's campfire recreation for the bent at heart. It's a laugh-a- long for loonies...."

 

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for Share It Saturday with tons of link-ups and great ideas! See you then!

 

Lone Star Learning - TOS Review

It's review week here at Golden Grasses and you are going to LOVE this one (I did ; )!

Introducing Target the Question  (from $59.00) from our new friends at Lone Star Learning.

 

Target the Question is an on-line interactive math program that is challenging, fun and provides real world examples of math application. It is a unique bulletin board product which presents the student with a weeks worth of  problems to solve based on an initial story problem. The student must eliminate extraneous information and effectively use problem solving strategies in order to solve each day's problem; often the problems rely on information the student has already solved earlier in the week. The student checks their answer each day by simply clicking the link.

 

My cell phone photography doesn't do justice to the great graphics but hopefully it will give you an idea of how it's set up. The program is accessible with a user name and password using an effective white board presentation; simple and sophisticated all at once. Each weeks' story problem is presented on the main screen. After reading the initial problem the student clicks on the question of the day. They can highlight information, check their solutions, work the problem on the white board and go back to the main menu.

We chose 7th grade Target the Question for Cub (7th grade) to work through, though you can choose grades 1 -7. Many of the problems were challenging for him and he really had to work hard to solve the problems. It's real world application, with all of the nuances and difficulties associated with story problems. That being said, how much do I love this program? Veddy, veddy much.

We've used various on-line programs from elementary to the graduate level and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Lone Star falls into the excellent category. The site is well designed, colorful without being busy, challenging without being overwhelming, easy to use (3 cheers!) and techno-savvy. Because it's digital and sophisticated it can hold the attention of even a non-mathy student such as my son. While Cub  might have dreaded the difficulty of the math being presented, he never dreaded turning on Target the Question.

 You'll want to spend some time checking out the other fantastic products at  Lone Star Learning. They have definitely made my "A" list of homeschoool curriculum companies! (p.s.- these great products would be a terrific supplement for any classroom teacher or after schooler as well!).

Content- excellent
Organization -excellent
Presentation - excellent

For more great reviews of this product, check out