Exploring U.S. Symbols with Homeschool Complete {A TOS Review}

As regular readers of my blog know, hands-on learning is extremely important to me. Unfortunately, as the children have gotten older, we haven't been able to fit as much hands-on learning into our days as I would like, which means my youngest son Harold has not had the same benefits that his sisters did. This is why I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review one of the Unit Studies (K-6) from Homeschool Complete. Harold was so excited when we were given his first choice of studies to review: U.S. Symbols. 

The Complete Unit Study: U.S. Symbols by Debra Arbuthnot is available as either a digital download or a physical copy. There is an additional two dollar charge for the physical copy. I appreciated that I was able to receive a physical copy for this review, so I didn't have to use my own ink. The unit study of just over 25 sheets arrived unbound in a plastic, sealed bag inside a large envelope. I chose to use a two-pocket folder with prongs to keep the unit study organized. I tend to purchase a lot of these folders at the beginning of the school year, because I really like them. 

I glued the full-color cover sheet to the front of the folder. . .

. . . and stored the remainder of the sheets inside.

I kept the current day's lesson in the left pocket and the rest of the lesson pages and worksheets in the right pocket. The informational sheets, such as the introduction, teaching procedure, skills list, materials list , calendar page, hundred chart/number line page, and literature list, were attached to the middle with the prongs. After each lesson was complete I added those pages to the middle section. 

In addition to the unit study pages, there were some materials that we needed to supply to complete this unit study. Most of these materials are normal school supplies, such as pencils, crayons, scissors, paper clips, and paper. Even the supplies that weren't traditional school supplies are easy to find, and probably in most homes, such as plastic drinking straws, yarn, and bean bags. There are also some simple food supplies needed. 

You will also need to find some books to go along with the study. Fortunately we have a great library system. Even if our local library doesn't have a book, there is a good chance one of the other libraries in the system will have it. We can put it on hold through interlibrary loan and get it in a reasonable amount of time. The five scheduled books in the study were all available for us, as were six of the eight recommended, additional literature selections. 

Let's take a closer look at the unit study.

In the informational pages you will find a Skills List which lists the seven different subjects (Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Fine Arts, Physical Fitness, adn Character Development/Bible) along with all the skills learned under each subject.

The Materials List lists out the weekly materials needed plus the materials needed for each of the four lessons. 

There is a themed blank calendar which is decorated with an American flag, fireworks and stars. Harold filled in the dates and added a sticker each day we had lessons. 

The Hundred Chart and Timeline are both on one page. Then there were Spelling Squares and blank Square Tiles that I cut out and stored in envelopes, which I also tucked into the pocket of the folder. 

Each lesson had 4-5 lesson pages, and 3-4 worksheet pages. The lesson pages start out with a list of the skills learned plus the material needed for that lesson. Each day you are supposed to go through the established daily routine, which includes reciting three pledges (American Flag, Christian Flag, and Bible), plus doing calendar, weather, address, and a daily journal. Instructions for this routine are given the first day while on subsequent days it just states to continue the routine activities. Step-by-step scripted instructions are given for the remainder of the lesson. Both questions and answers are listed in the lessons too. It also tells you when a worksheet section is to be completed. Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science are worked on in each lesson. The other subjects are just worked on once or twice. There is a patriotic craft for art in lesson one, a gross motor activity for physical education in lesson two, music in lesson three, and physical education again in lesson four. 

How did we use this Unit Study?

This U.S. Symbols Complete Unit Study is meant to be a week-long study, but I spread it out to take 2 1/2 weeks. I mainly used this with Harold during our one-on-one "mommy time" which is only half an hour a few times a week. We did the calendar routine and lesson activities during this time, but part of our normal routine (with his older sisters) is to recite the pledges and say our memory verses. Since I started home preschool with my oldest homeschooled daughter Tabitha, we have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Pledge to the Bible. We just added in the Pledge to the Christian flag, and I pulled up a image of it on the computer. In addition to our normal memory verses from our core curriculum, we added in the verse that went with this study, the verse found on the Liberty Bell: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

I just worked down the lessons, sometimes taking them out of order to fit something in during the time I had, leaving a longer activity for the next day. There was a nice combination of worksheet work and hands-on work. 

For Language Arts we worked on spelling words with the letters "ew," alphabetizing, compound words, syllables, suffixes and root words, synonyms, contractions, and conjunctions. Each lesson's worksheet began with words to read and break into syllables. These words were taken out of the reading selection which focused on the U.S. Symbol of the day. Next Harold needed to answer questions about the passage. I had him dictate the answers to me as he is not a fan of doing too much writing. The Language Arts worksheet concluded with practice of the topics discussed in the lesson.

In Math we worked on addition facts, fractions, lines of symmetry, dividing groups, finding the area, and rounding to the nearest ten.

The Social Studies was learning about the symbols, reciting the pledges, plus working on learning our address.

Science is included through talking about the weather during the routine time and talking about the effects of the sun, rain, and wind on copper. 

Here is a closer look at Lesson 1.

In Lesson 1 Harold got to play with the Spelling Squares, which are just letter or letter combinations printed onto paper, which I cut out. We spelled different words with "ew."

The next day we took our lesson to the dentist office and he wrote down his spelling words on index cards while I dictated them to him. Then he alphabetized the words.

He learned to look at the second and even third letter of words to make sure they were alphabetized correctly.

Math is equally hands-on. We used the index cards I took with me, and he worked on folding it in half. Then he worked on the worksheet.

Due to the dentist appointment, Lesson 1 was stretched into a third day.  We had to make sure all the language arts material was finished, plus we got to make a Star Mobile.

Here are a few more of his favorite activities from this unit study.

Breaking a graham cracker into quarters to feed his dinosaurs. Sadly, this brand of graham cracker did not have decent lines to break the halves into quarters. The dinos didn't mind though.

Alphabetizing the letters game

Fraction Race game

Reading the different books I found at the library to go with each symbol.

Making playdough to use to learn more about fractions.

Oh, and attempting to make a sculpture of the Statue of Liberty. Our playdough was a little too moist; she kept "melting."

United States Symbols Tic-Tac-Toe

I even included the girls by having them pick at least one book about each symbol to read. They even had to write a report about the Liberty Bell. And we read our chapter book as a family read aloud. I also had them write the memory verse and decorate it.

As you can see, we had a blast with this unit study. Harold really enjoyed learning about the different U.S. Symbols. We learned about the Liberty Bell, the American Flag, the Bald Eagle, and the Statue of Liberty. 

We enjoyed all the aspects of the study, from the readings and the worksheets, to the hands-on activities and the book selections. Though I will admit, I had imagined that all the subjects would be a bit more integrated with the topic. Beyond the social studies, art, some of the language arts and the final physical education game of tic-tac-toe, the other subjects could fit with a unit study of any topic. 

That said, it is a great unit study. It is well-rounded and includes all subjects. According to the website this study is recommended for children in first through third grade. Though it only says "Grade 2" on the cover sheet.  Harold is in first grade, and he was able to do most of the activities. As I mentioned above, I did do the writing for him for answering the questions, and I didn't have him do the journal writing.  I would say that the recommended grade levels are just right, though, you may find your younger student may need a bit more help. 

I would definitely recommend the U.S. Symbols Unit Study from Homeschool Complete. 

You can find Homeschool Complete on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

I also have a special deal for my readers. You can receive 10% off your order from now through March 31st, 2019. Just use the code: CREW2019.

Isn't that an awesome deal?!?

The unit study we reviewed is just one of 16 that Homeschool Complete offers. Plus, they offer complete curriculum for kindergarten through fourth grade. Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of the unit studies or complete curriculum that had the privilege of reviewing. 

Drawing Closer to God with a Devotional for Young Women {A TOS Review}

At the beginning of the year I started on a journey of reading through the Bible in three years in an attempt to get into the Word of God more consistently. It was also my desire to have my older girls, Tabitha and Amelia join me, so they could get into the routine at an earlier age than I did. This is definitely a habit I want to instill in the children. Unfortunately, even though we are only reading a chapter a day, they still fell behind and weren't able to catch up. I realized this expectation was still a bit much for them at 10 and 11 years old. However, I still want them to have a desire to wake up each morning and start their day with God. So, when I had the opportunity to review the devotional titled Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women from Zondervan, I decided to have Tabitha give it a try. 

This lovely 384 -page, hardcover devotional is designed for young ladies from the ages of 13 to 18. Even though Tabitha is only 11 1/2, I thought it would be suitable for her, and I was glad she agreed to give it a shot.   

After a short, one-page introduction, the author, Lindsay A. Franklin, shares 365 daily devotions which are also no longer than one page in length. Each day's reading begins with a short Bible passage from the NIV Bible. These passages range from one to three verses in length. This is then followed by a short, two to three paragraph devotional reading which focuses on topics that young ladies will find relevant in today's world. Each page concludes with four blank lines which are meant to be used for journaling or a short prayer to reflect on the day's reading. 

Here's a look at a couple of the pages.

The devotions begin by letting the reader know she is very much important in God's plan. Even though the Bible is inundated by stories of men, there are many women who are also important, women whose stories can inspire us, teach us, and show just how much we are valued, or beloved. After several days of looking at Song of Songs, Genesis, and then Proverbs where the reader takes a quick look at what an ideal (or nobel, or virtuous, or excellent) woman should look like, the reader will make her way through the Bible from Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers in the Pentateuch, into the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, and Esther, before heading to the New Testament. At the end of the year, Tabitha will have read the stories of approximately sixty women from the Bible. 

As the reader goes through this devotional, she will find herself focusing on the story of one Biblical woman or girl at a time, sometimes for several days. The author focuses on one to three verses at a time, digging into the story and pulling out details that are made relevant to the reader. Sometimes there will be a day in the midst of a story where related Scripture is looked at, such as looking at verses from Micah when reading about Miriam, or looking at significant verses from Matthew, Hebrews, and James when learning about Rahab while in the book of Judges.

Let's look at a couple of the women that Tabitha and I have read about.

When looking at Eve, young ladies will be reminded that they are not defined by their mistakes because God sees beyond them and cares for them. From the story of Abigail, which is focused on for two weeks, young ladies are reminded that they should turn their anger over to God, not seek revenge, pursue peace, fill their lives with relationships with those who love God, but have room for those who we can share God with as well, and celebrate the good things that happen in life, along with quite a few other lessons. 

And that is just two examples of the women that are focused on in this devotional. Young ladies will also read about Noah's wife, Sarah, Hagar, Miriam, Ruth, Bathsheba, Tamar, the Queen of Sheba, Jezebel, the Shunamite woman, Mary the mother of Jesus, the Samaritan woman, Martha, Eunice, and so many more.  Each of these women's stories has something to teach young women.

Parents should be aware that  because of the wide age range this devotional is designed for, they may deem some material inappropriate for their child.  For instance, three weeks are spent on the story of David and his many missteps. This includes the stories of Bathsheba, and the mention of the difference of sex in marriage and outside of marriage, and the story of Tamar who was raped by her half-brother. In light of this, I would definitely say that this devotional is not appropriate for younger girls. It deals quite frankly with such topics in a way that is biblically sound, but still not needed for younger children to know. 

That said, this is a wonderful devotional for a teenage young lady, and even older women. I know I have gotten some interesting tidbits out of these stories, and the author has a way of making these stories relevant to our day and age, even talking in language that young women can relate to.

Tabitha has been reading this devotional by herself in the morning, and sometimes, if she is in a rush, she will also reread that days' reading before going to bed at night. She has been enjoying learning about different women in the Bible and how the characteristics apply to everyday life.

I have also been reading some of the devotional. Mostly so I could be able to write an informative review. However, I am getting quite a bit out of this book, and think I will continue reading daily. I started reading toward the middle of the book, as that is where my personal daily readings have been, in the book of 1 Samuel. That was how I happened to notice all this detail about the women in David's life.

I love the simple beauty of the devotional, and how it is so feminine with soft pinks and floral designs. I also appreciate that the devotions are not dated, but numbered, so a young lady can start at any time of the year. And if a day is missed here or there, it isn't going to throw her off track. 

I definitely recommend this devotional for the young ladies in your life. This would be a lovely gift for Christmas, to start the new year with these devotions, or even on someone's birthday or other special occasion. Personally, I would definitely wait at least until the teen years. I know I am debating if I really want Tabitha to continue into some of the details of these stories mentioned above. 

You can find Zondervan on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates have to say about Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women.

Learning to Play Guitar with Guitar 360 Method {A TOS Review}

As Tabitha has gotten older, we have really seen how she is gifted in the "artistic" department. Her skills in drawing/painting are developing amazingly, as are her musical abilities. I was approached by a friend at church a few years ago, who recommended that Tabitha should join in with Worship Team. Tabitha, and now Amelia, are regulars on the schedule to join in with other singers on alternating weeks. When it comes to musical instruments, Tabitha has been trying to teach herself to play the recorder and the piano (though that is a bit tricky with an old, untuned piano). She'd been approached about learning the guitar, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we haven't been able to make it work. So, when the opportunity arose for us to review the Semester 1 Bundle from Guitar 360 Method, we jumped at the chance.

Don't miss the money-saving offer at the bottom of the review!

The Semester 1 Bundle includes the 13-week Semester 1 course, plus 5 weeks of Absolute Beginner bonus content. This bonus content includes 3 weeks of a Guitar Course for Beginners plus 2 bonus songs. This Absolute Beginner course was where we needed to start. 

Guitar 360 Method is not a subscription course, instead, it is a course we were given instant access to, one that Tabitha  can work through at her own pace as it does not expire. I love that she will be learning music theory, and how music works, not just learning how to play specific songs. Eventually, according to the informational video on the site, Tabitha should be able to create her own music as well. 

Another benefit of this program is that other family members can take these guitar lessons as well. My husband has had some experience with playing guitar in the past, but it h as been quite a while, so he was starting in the beginner's section as well. Unfortunately, with his work schedule, he hasn't gotten through as much of the course as he would have liked to by now. I'll share his thoughts on the course later on in the review.

First, let me talk a bit about the Absolute Beginner content, then I'll share a bit about the Semester 1 course.

When we log into the site we are directed to the courses that are in our "library."

To get to the Guitar Course for Beginners we click on the orange "View Product" button in the "Start Playing Your Guitar!" course. This brings us to where we see a list of the lessons for the three weeks.

Here's a look at Week 1 (Weeks 2 and 3 are directly below this section).

This screenshot shows all the lessons in Week 1, along with the practices. The orange check marks appear after she has watched the video. If she stops mid-lesson, an orange progress bar will appear instead. She can go back and watch any of the lessons as many times as she wants. One of the wonderful features of this course is the short, focused lessons, which both my husband and I greatly appreciate. In fact, the hubby stated, " If we are struggling with a certain concept, we can get back  and rewatch relatively quickly instead of trying to find it during a longer lesson.  The instructor mentions this benefit early on, and I agree with him."

These lessons consist of online video lessons by the course's creator/teacher, Krisz Simonfalvi. It is like Mr. Simonfalvi is speaking directly to the viewer.

As you can see, the Beginner Course begins at. . . well . . . at the beginning. He starts with a "Welcome!" video explaining how the course is organized. He also talks about the song the student is working toward playing in the beginner course and how each of the fundamentals being taught will relate to it. While I mentioned above that Tabitha will be learning music theory with Guitar 360 Method, Mr. Simonfalvi explains that the beginner course doesn't include any as he wants the student to learn to "connect" to the guitar first.

The course then moves into the lessons. Each lesson for these three weeks is between two to seven minutes in length, and the practices are around two to two and a half minutes each. I appreciate that he explains the parts of the guitar, along with the proper way for the student to place their left hand and hold the pick to play efficiently. 

It's so important for people to learn the proper way from the get-go instead of having to unlearn improper form. As my husband mentioned, "As someone who has played around on the guitar off and on for several years, but never ultra-seriously, I will say that I've learned a few things.  Placement of the left (fingering) thumb was something I hadn't put a lot of thought into but, after watching, and experimenting, I can see that Krisz's method is ideal and, with practice, will help immensely.Also, I was holding the pick wrong which may have led to me abandoning it years ago.  I m still in need of more practice to change that and get comfortable with it."

The first time the student actually plays the guitar is to do the 4-finger warm-up exercise which helps get a feel for the dimensions of the guitar. I will say, Tabitha isn't a huge fan of practicing this as it is uncomfortable for her. However, I have insisted she needs to practice it every day. 

Mr. Simonfalvi has three different levels for the student to practice the 4-finger warm up along with him. The first one has the student practicing at 50 beats per minute with 3-4 count breaks, the second has 76 beats per minute with 3-4 count breaks, and the final level has 108 beats per minute with no breaks. I admit, I didn't realize Tabitha hadn't been practicing with the actual lesson, so I have told her from now on to practice with the video, first perfecting the timing with Level 1 before moving to the harder speeds. I'm hoping this will help her to be more comfortable.

Here she is practicing her 4-finger warm-up exercise.

In Week 2 the student starts to learn how to play chords. Mr. Simonfalvi explains how to read a chord diagram and shows the student how to play the first chord, troubleshooting for incorrect sounding strings, teaches the student different strumming patterns, and then teaches a second chord. Again there are three different levels of practice to complete the week.

Here she is practicing her chords.

Tabitha even draws out the diagrams so she can practice without having to be on the computer.

Mr. Simonfalvi does also provide PDF downloads of these chord diagrams that we could print out. However, I didn't realize that at first, and Tabitha likes having the chords on one page so she can see them all at once. In fact, I think it would be awesome if Mr. Simonfalvi could find a way to create PDF downloads with the chords for each song all on one sheet.

Week 3 introduces more chords, talks about pickups and multiplying chords, and introduces the parts of the song. In the three practices of this week's lessons the teacher allows the student to work on different parts of the song, starting with the chorus at a slower pace with breaks, then adding the remainder of the song and removing the breaks, and finally playing the entire song on tempo.

Tabitha has been spending her music time practicing these chords and learning to switch between them. She is still struggling with this skill, so she hasn't actually been able to play the song. She has been improving with practice, but I can completely understand her struggle, as I have small hands/fingers, and it is tricky for me to comfortably reach the strings with proper form. She is hoping, with practice, she will be able to play this song, plus the two bonus songs, and be able to move into the actual Semester 1 lessons. 

Speaking of the Semester 1 course, I would like to share a bit about it now, even though we haven't had a chance to start it. 

From the main library we get to the Semester 1 course by clicking on the "View Product" button on the Semester 1 image. From there we see the lesson list by week, just like in the Beginner Course. However, there are slight differences. 

The Semester 1 course is a lot more in-depth than the Beginner course, which is to be expected. Each week has a Goal, which is highlighted in green. 

Weekly Goals:

1. Foundations for the Versatile Rhythm Guitar
2. Navigating Notes on the Neck
3. Understanding Scales
4. Rhythm Guitar Dynamics and Textures
5. Extending Our Lead Range and Options
6. Understanding Chords
7. How Chords Fit Together in Any Key
8. Extending Our Rhythm Guitar Range and Options
9. More Keys for More Options
10. Further Expanding Our Range for Soloing
11. Rounding Things Out
12. Final Rhythm Guitar Practice Week (available soon)
13. Final Lead Guitar Practice Week (available soon)

Then there are the video lessons, most of which appear to be longer in length than the lessons in the Beginner course, and go into more detail. For instance, he teaches alternate left hand fingering methods for some chords, and explains the difference. 

After these video lessons, most weeks still have at least one practice session. Additionally there are Ear Training lessons starting in week 3 and occasional Quizzes starting in week 6. 

From what we can tell from watching the first couple of lessons, and looking through the schedule, with all the new chords and variations of chords and other details that are going to be taught, Tabitha will most likely be taking longer for each weekly section. As my husband says, "There's a lot for the beginner to digest each week, especially if the child is at the younger end of the recommended age range. Encourage them to keep going at their own pace."

And that is one of the huge benefits of this course. A student is able to go at their own pace. That might mean the student is zinging ahead, breezing through the lessons, or it could mean they are taking two maybe three weeks to go through one "week's" worth of material.

Mr. Simonfalvi is a great teacher, explaining each step as he goes, and connecting all the little bits of knowledge with each other. He calls this "non-linear, Cyclical Pedagogy" and though I have never heard the term before, I can definitely see the wisdom of this method. Another thing that makes him a great teacher, is that he is easily reachable, even in this online course. If you have any questions or comments, you can leave them in the comment section under each lesson. I had a concern and did just that. I was quite pleased to see I received a very helpful reply in less than 24 hours. So, not only are you getting wonderful music lessons, it's almost as if they are one-on-one with an in-person teacher.

The Beginner's Course has been wonderful, though I admit even I am a bit overwhelmed when looking ahead at what is coming in Semester 1. As of now there are now three of our family members using this course. Tabitha is working on her first song, my husband has used the beginner course to refresh his memory and learn proper form, along with skipping a bit ahead to see what he can work on. And I decided to try my hand at learning guitar and am starting to practice the first chord. We'll all be going at our own pace, and that's perfect.

Here's what Tabitha has to say about the Guitar 360 Method course.

"I think it's a great way to learn the guitar and it's really fun. I knew nothing about how to play the guitar and now I'm practicing playing a song."

I also love that she has learned enough to try to teach her brother how to play as well. Though the guitar is a wee bit too big for him.

She even drew a picture of a guitar to help him learn.

You can find Guitar 360 Method on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you like the sound of Guitar 360 Method, I would like to encourage you to try out the free beginner's course. Additionally, I have a wonderful, money-saving deal for you. Mr. Simonfalvi is being quite generous. He is offering homeschool families a 20% off coupon to my readers.

All you need to do is use the following coupon code at checkout:

HOMESCHOOL20 

The regular price is $149, which includes the 3-week Beginners' Course, Semester 1 (13 weeks long), and the 2 Bonus Song mini-courses. With the Coupon Code, their investment will be only $119.20 for 10+ hours of video content!

Don't forget to click the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Guitar 360 Method. While we started with the Beginner content and haven't gotten any further, there are many families who either started with the Semester 1 course, or have been able to move fast enough to get into it.