Littles Learning Link Up: September 26, 2017

 Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (usually toward the beginning of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my early elementary children (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child(ren).

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

What have we been up to?

Last week wasn't as crazy when it came to reviews. I only had two to post, and I only needed to have the children use our special routine one day. We did make up our school work on Saturday so we wouldn't fall behind. 

We enjoyed more experiments with light.

Comparing how much light is absorbed in white and black plastic left out in the sun:

Remember our spider from last week?

While we were out there, we noticed it had caught lunch:

We scared the spider and it ran up to the porch roof. While we weren't watching, it came back down, grabbed its lunch and took it back up to the roof. For some reason, I found this so amusing.

Another day last week we turned radiant energy into thermal energy:

Technically, Tabitha was the only one who got it to work, making for some upset children.

Harold has been having a blast "playing" with his Unifix cubes. We have also been working on patterns and he works on various subjects with CTCMath, as do the girls.

Our current memory work is memorizing the books of the Bible. Harold has been doing a wonderful job keeping up with his sisters with writing them on his cards and getting them in order.

Personally, I think that is pretty good handwriting for a 5 1/2 year old.

We have also been learning about ancient civilizations that developed after the time of Noah's Ark. We learned a bit about the Sumerians, practiced writing names in Cuneiform and made our own Cuneiform Tablets out of cookie dough.

We also learned about and observed Rosh Hashanah.

We made shofars.

And we had some Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen time, making Honey Cake to go with our dinner.

Then we made some plates for our apples and honey.

Our meal included a round loaf of bread, the honey cake with a ladder on top, a pomegranate, sparkling grape juice, and a shofar on a pile of branches. 

Later we went down to the river to toss in stones.

This week we will be learning about Yom Kippur. 

Let's take a look at that review schedule:

Last week I posted my  reviews for Imagine . . . The Great Flood by Matt Koceich: Adventure-Filled Christian Fiction for Kids with Imagine . . . The Great Flood, and Let's Go Geography: Exploring the World with Let's Go Geography.  This week I will share my reviews of Captain Bayley's Heir from Heirloom Audio Productions, and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls (Books 1 and 2) from Worthy Publishing. In October I will be posting my reviews for Channie's Easy Peasy Cursive workbook that Hannah has been working in, Super Teacher Worksheets, CTCMath, and Brinkman Adventures.

Some things I would like to share with you:

Back to School time is here, plus fall is right around the corner (though it feel like fall already). Seems like the perfect time to share my Apple Fun Round Up.

I will be posting  a new Apple Fun Literature and Craft Round Up soon. If you have any posts that focus on apple books (whether it is a book compilation post or a craft based off a book about apples) I would love to include them in my round up. Please just leave me a comment or contact me via my contact info on my About Me page.

Those autumn leaves are starting to fall down. If you are looking for some ideas that focus on fall leaves, I invite you to check out my Fall Leaves All Around Round Up:

And don't miss this great giveaway:

Enter to win a copy of If You Were Me and Lived in . . . Ancient Greece

(This is one of the books I reviewed by Carole P. Roman. 

It was a duplicate copy that I was given permission to offer as a giveaway)

Giveaway is open to US residents 18 and up

Ends September 30th, 2017

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 15 wonderful posts linked up. I will be picking one randomly selected post to share, plus the top clicked-on post.  

Please, don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's randomly selected post is:

Sara from A Mama's Story shared 6 Life Skills Kids Can Learn Through Gardening.

And here are this week's top clicked on posts.

Nancy from Mimi and the Grands shared Books About Autumn: Lesson Plans for Ages 3-7.

Rodna from Training Children Up For Christ shared Toddler Nature Journals.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on one of my relevant boards, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Monday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

No button currently, and there won't be one until I can figure it out seeing as Photobucket has changed things. Feel free to still share the picture in place of the button. Just link it to my Littles Learning Link Up permalink please.

An InLinkz Link-up

Fun Fiction Friday?- Okay Fine Fun Fiction Tuesday

Fun Fiction Friday
September 26th, 2017

Welcome back to Fun Fiction Friday. Yes, I know it is Tuesday. And I just realized I haven't posted since September 8th. Oops. 

In my Fun Fiction Friday I share the books the older girls and I are reading, and a short review of a Young Adult or Juvenile book I have finished, if applicable. I will also ask the girls to tell me something they would like to share about at least one of the books they are currently reading. 

These are the books I have been reading this past couple of weeks:

As I have mentioned, I was supposed to be starting The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer, but I got hooked on the I Am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore. I haven't been able to put these books down. I just finished the seventh book, United As One Sunday evening. I haven't started Generation One as I am debating if I want to hold off and read The Enchantress Returns first. It seems Generation One is the start of a new series, and I am not sure if I will enjoy it as much. Plus, I won't be able to get my hands on the next book right away, because well, it hasn't been written yet. I got so used to zinging through the previous books. It's going to be hard to wait, especially if I enjoy it as much as the others.

I was able to get ahold of a couple of the Novella compilations in the I Am Number Four series. So, maybe I will move onto these next. Wish my library had more of them. 

I also found this series on display in the library, and was intrigued. I'll be getting to them soon.

I also need to start a book that I was offered a Kindle copy of for review:

The Uncloaked by J. Rodes is the first book in a young adult Christian dystopian trilogy. I have enjoyed other dystopian series in the past, and was intrigued by the fact that this one is a Christian book. Review to come. Soon I h ope. Look for it here on Fun Fiction Friday.

 The children and I have also been reading the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls books (books 1 and 2). That review will be posting this week. And we are reading All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. It is a book that was listed in our My Father's World Creation to the Greeks Teacher Manual. We are learning about the Jewish feasts this year and this book includes several chapters in which the family celebrates the Jewish feasts. It is set in the early 1900's in NYC. 

Tabitha has already read both of the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls books, and she finished The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. One of these days I have got to read this series all the way through. 

 She is now reading The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.

Amelia is trying to make her way through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, while also reading The Imagination Station: Voyage with the Vikings and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: Book One The Beginning.

We finished Imagine . . . The Great Flood by Matt Koceich. I posted my review last week.

I Am Number Four series "review"

There is no way I am going to be able to write a review for each of the books in the I Am Number Four series. I was going to write a review after the first one, but before I knew it, I had finished the second book, The Power of Six, and I couldn't keep the details of each book separated. Let's just say, it is a great science fiction series. It revolves around nine teenagers who were sent to earth as young children, while their planet was being destroyed by the Mogadorians. They all had a cepan who was to watch over them and train them, keeping them alive until they could fight back against these hostile aliens who destroyed their planet and now had their eyes set on Earth. 

Throughout the series we meet all but three of the Garde (the alien teens) as they have been killed before book one started. They have to battle to keep Earth safe from the Mogadorians. 

There is a lot of killing, and some really gory scenes, plus there is a bit of profanity. There are a few books where the f word is used as well, which really bothered me. But no, it is not every page, not even every chapter. If you refuse to read books with profanity, you have been warned. But I will say, the f word was only used occasionally, maybe once or twice in three of the books. 

Oh, and don't miss my giveaway for a copy of the book, If You Were Me and Lived in . . . Ancient Greece by Carole P. Roman.

Open to US residents

Ends 9/30

I'm sharing over at:

Exploring the World With Let's Go Geography {A TOS Review}

We live in a world that is comprised of nearly 200 countries. Though there are many different cultures, beliefs, and languages, we were all created by God and come from the same original ancestors. We are connected, yet separated by so many differences. I think it is so important for children to learn about the world around them, to learn about these different people and realize we are all God's children. Children also need to realize that the world does not revolve around them and their little corner of the globe. That's why I thought it would be fun to try out this fun homeschool geography curriculum called Let's Go Geography from Carol Henderson.

Let's Go Geography offers membership subscriptions which are available for a semester or a full year. Currently Year 1 of what will be a 3-Year program is available.

As you can see in the above screenshot, if you complete this full three year program with your child(ren), you will be learning about over 75 countries, including the different regions of the United States. 

Let's Go Geography is designed to be used by children in kindergarten through fourth grade. So, if your desire is to complete the entire program, you would need to start in kindergarten, first grade, or second grade. That said, I have been using this with all four of my children, and they range in grade from kindergarten through fifth grade. Even Tabitha, our fifth grader is enjoying this curriculum, so if you didn't get started until your child was in third grade, I could see this program still working out. Another option would always be working through the program at a faster pace than one country per week, which is doable for older children.

As a Homeschool Review Crew member I was given the option of choosing either a semester or a year membership. I chose the full year. This is their best option when it comes to finances, as it costs only $21.99 a year as opposed to $14.99 for each semester. However, it was also the best choice for our family because I planned on skipping around to different countries instead of following the order scheduled. We are allowed to do this, which was quite nice for us, as I used this opportunity to start by reviewing a few countries we learned about last year. In fact, even though we spent a year learning about different countries, we only focused on fourteen countries, all but one of which is included in the full 3-year program of Let's Go Geography. In Year 1, there are only three countries that we already learned about, so we are going to be learning about many new countries this year.  

Let's take a closer look at how this membership works. 

After I created an account and chose which subscription package I wanted, I was given access to my account. From there I was able to click on my "subscriptions" link in order to access my lessons. Additionally, we were given a free Kid's Printable Passport (which we ended up not using) and the bonus Travel Journal Covers which are currently free for those who sign up for membership. Ms. Henderson is actually quite generous, in that anyone could receive the Kid's Printable Passport for free, just by sharing about the Let's Go Geography program. I can access the passport through my "subscriptions" link, but the Travel Journal Covers were given as a downloadable product. 

Here is a sample of the Passport:

And this is one of the four Travel Journal Covers available. 

After I click on my subscription, I come to my home page, from which I have access to all the lessons for Year 1. 

As you can see, the lessons are listed on the left side of the screen. On the right you will find information to help you figure out how to use the curriculum, a download link for continent dividers, internet safety suggestions, and a link to click on if you come across any technical problems. You can also leave a comment at the bottom of the page. 

The next step in accessing the lesson is to click on the lesson name. Clicking on "Year 1, Lesson 3: CANADA" brings me to this page:

From here, I click on the blue link to download the lesson. You want to make sure to actually download the lesson to your computer instead of just using it as it is when it appears on the screen. We have found that we get error messages if we try to get back to the lesson if it isn't downloaded on the computer. Once it is downloaded, you don't even have to log in to your Let's Go Geography account to access that lesson. 

The lessons are completed using the online components and the hands-on activities. In addition to internet access, you will need a printer, printer paper, printer ink, and craft supplies (which are listed in each lesson). You will also need some sort of binder for assembling your Travel Journal. You may also want to obtain books about each country, which we do through our library. 

Now, let's take a closer look at the lessons.

Each lesson file we have downloaded so far has been between 27 and 37 pages long, averaging around 4 MB. Each lesson starts out with a cover page:

Then there is a note from the author with some tips about using the curriculum. After that you will find the Table of Contents. You will find the following chapters in each lesson:

• Are You Ready?
• Chapter 1: Map It!
• Chapter 2: The Flag
• Chapter 3: The Music
• Chapter 4: Let's Explore
• Chapter 5: Create!
• Chapter 6: Printables

Are You Ready gives you some facts about the country.  You will learn what continent it is on, the capital, the largest city, the official language, population, and size. The second page is an itinerary where your child can check off the activities once they have been completed. You will also find a list of materials needed for the craft, plus the call number to use to look up books on the country. Honestly, I never use call numbers, as I look up books using our libraries online search program, so I just search using the name of the country as the subject. However, if I was going to go to the library to search for books, having the call number would be quite helpful. 

Chapter 1: Map It!

On the first page of the Map It! section a link is given to print out the continent map. There are then activities to complete using the map. 

In addition to the continent map, there is usually some additional map work for older students. This might focus specifically on the country, or may look at different features in that region. For example, we looked at the provinces in Canada, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, the Gulf Stream in Norway, and the Arctic Circle in Greenland. 

Chapter 2: The Flag

Basic information is given about the country's flag, usually just the description. There are then 2-3 flags which are outlined in color for the children to fill in and include in either the passport or the "Flags of _________" page. We decided to use this Flags of the Continent page as opposed to the passport.

As we have four children in our family using this curriculum, I did have to print out the flag sheet from the printables section which contains enough flags for a classroom, instead of the flag information sheet. I'm just glad that page is included, as I appreciated not having to print out the flag information more than once. 

Chapter 3: The Music

The next section shares the country's national anthem, translated into English if needed, plus a link to watch a video of the national anthem being performed, usually with some great footage of the country. Of course, this will depend upon what Ms. Henderson was able to find available. The children and I have really enjoyed listening to these different anthems. 

Chapter 4: Let's Explore

This section will share lots of interesting trivia about the country, along with links to videos and occasionally links to read more information about a certain topic. 

Each Let's Explore chapter starts with a "Did you know?" section. Then we'll go "sightseeing." We may look at the landscape, animals, how people live, different celebrations, popular places to visit, and famous features of the area (such as the Northern Lights).  There is information to read, plus links to videos featuring what is being discussed. Then there is usually a link to go to some other site to read more about the country online. Older children then have the option to fill in a notebooking page with some of the information they have learned. At the end of this section there is a "Photo Album" with more pictures from the country. These can be printed and added to the Travel Journal. 

Chapter 5: Create!

Included in this section are two activities. There is a Coloring Page and a Craft. 

Coloring Page:

This section actually shows a small image of the coloring page and explains what it is depicting. In order to print out the page, you need to go to the next chapter. 

Craft:

You will see a picture of the completed craft, plus information as to why this craft is relevant to the country. Occasionally there are also links so you can find out more about the subject of the craft. Instructions are then given on how to make the craft, including the list of materials needed, steps for putting it together, and sometimes a link to see instructions for the original craft. 

Chapter 6: Printables

Here you will find the sheet of flags suitable for classroom or large family use, the notebooking page, the coloring page, and any printables needed to complete the craft.

Each lesson concludes with a farewell from the author, along with an "About the Author" page. 

How we have been using Let's Go Geography:

As I mentioned, we started our studies by reviewing a few countries we previously learned about. The plan was to fit this information for these review countries (Canada, Norway, and China) in two weeks. However, we were discovering that we were learnings some great new information, so I ended up taking a full week for even our review countries. Then we chose to skip back and do one new country per continent. 

We got into a routine that we are still following. 

On Monday, the children and I will gather around the computer and I will pull up the lesson for our new country. While I do the girls' hair, I (or one of the older girls) will read the introductory information about the country, look at the flag, listen to the country's national anthem, and go "sightseeing." Usually, I am finishing their hair around the same time the videos are ending. Sometimes we sit/stand there a bit longer to finish up. That is the extent of our geography lesson for Monday, unless I found a picture book to read that focuses on that country. 

On Tuesday we will review the information while I do the girls' hair. The children will choose their favorite videos to rewatch. We also enjoy finding additional videos on the subject, if available. 

The other days of the week, we may or may not review the information and rewatch the videos while I do the girls' hair. It depends how busy we are. However, if I was able to find books, we will read at least part of one during our storytime. Such as these books for Greenland:

During the week we will find the time to do the map and flag work as a group. 

The children usually work on their coloring pages at the same time that we work on flag and map work. Though there are times that they take them to the YMCA to work on in the Child Watch while daddy and I exercise. 

(This picture shows various coloring pages, one each from each of the children's Travel Journals. 

Top left: Amelia (Canada), top right: Tabitha (Greenland), bottom left: Hannah (Norway), bottom right: Harold (China))

When we were working on Ecuador, the children had the opportunity to color their page while I read a book. The book is called Paco Goes to the Fair: A Story of Far-Away Ecuador by Richard Gill. In the story the Otavalo market is mentioned, along with the lovely patterns made, which went perfectly with the coloring sheet.

We then find time to do the craft, though it may not always be on the week we are learning about that country. The crafts are so creative, we definitely don't want to skip them, sometimes we just get too busy to do them right away.

Here are the crafts that we completed so far. We still need to finish the reindeer that goes with our last country, Finland.

Dragons from China

Viking Ships from Norway

Butterflies from Ecuador

Snowy Owls from Greenland

The older girls also have their notebooking pages to fill out. I have the children tell me what they remember from our lesson and then I write all the information out. The girls are then allowed to choose several items they find most interesting to write down.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of activities to complete in Let's Go Geography. Not only is it hands-on, but it is quite multi-sensory. The videos are great for visual learners, and there is written information that can be read aloud for younger children or auditory learners or read independently for older students. The crafts are wonderful for those children who enjoy tactile work. However, if the parent isn't fond of doing crafts, the author does state that not all of the activities have to be completed. That said, even parents who struggle with crafts should find these crafts simple to complete with their children, seeing as the needed materials are easy to find, the printable parts are included, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow, with pictures included of the different steps. In fact, I've been able to walk away and let my children work almost independently with most of these crafts. 

One thing you do need to be aware of is that there are times when YouTube videos are no longer available, which is the nature of YouTube. What impressed me a great deal however, was the speed in which Ms. Henderson replaced the couple of videos that we had issues with. She updated the curriculum and emailed me to let me know this issues were fixed. So, if you come across a video that is no longer available for whatever reason, don't hesitate to use the contact information included on the third page of each lesson. 

We are loving this curriculum. If you couldn't tell. I do have to say, there is one aspect I wish was a bit different. I would love to see a few different options for the notebooking pages. I think my youngest children could fill this out if there was a dotted line page. And my older daughter prefers to write smaller, so we added lines in between each line on the page. I would prefer to not do this for each country to get to. I mean yes, she could use loose leaf paper or a spiral notebook, but I love the page that coordinates with the curriculum. A page with smaller lines would be a wonderful addition to this program. 

Let's Go Geography is most definitely a program I can recommend. It is a wonderful, hands-on curriculum to introduce elementary aged children many countries in God's amazing world. We have LOVED seeing the various landscapes and animals God has created throughout the world through the pictures and videos. I did want to clarify that this is not a Christian curriculum. It can be used by homeschoolers of any belief system. I just love that it exposes children to the wonders of God's creation. 

You can find Let's Go Geography on Facebook and Pinterest.

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Let's Go Geography.