Monday, August 31, 2020

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- September 1, 2020


Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

Featured Giveaways



Goodnight Books for Kids US only Ends 9/21


Featured Reviews





If you would  like to follow the  hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily ReviewsShelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife .


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

Friday, August 28, 2020

Throwback Thursday Blog-Style (On Flashback Friday Again) #321: August 28, 2020

Welcome back to... 


Somehow I forgot about Throwback Thursday again this week. So, it's time for Throwback Thursday on Flashback Friday again.

I know, I know, Throwback Thursday seems to be all about sharing pictures from the past, great memories that mean something to you, that you would like to share with others. At least that is how it appears to me. Throwback Thursday wasn't something I was participating in, and then I came up with an idea.

I thought it would be great fun and a help to my blog to share old content, but not just any old content. Each week I will share an old blog post from a previous year, any year, BUT it has to be from the current week (for example, something I've posted around August 28th, from any previous year)  I will go in, edit the post if needed, add a pinnable image if I don't already have one, and share it on Facebook.

Would you like to join in? You do not need to edit your past post in any way, you don't need to create a pinnable image, though it couldn't hurt, in fact it will help your blog traffic to add quality pinnable images to your posts.

Just go into your archives, choose a favorite post from this current week from any previous year, and link it up below. (If you don't have anything from this current week, it is still okay to link up with a post from a previous year around this time. And if you haven't been blogging for a full year, feel free to share any earlier post.)


Please make sure to share from the past as instructed above.  The spirit of Throwback Thursday Blog-Style is to share posts from the past. Please follow the guidelines. I would hate to have to delete your link.
Thank you

I will be pinning posts to my appropriate Pinterest boards and will be randomly selecting a Featured Throwback Thursday post to share next week. Just a note, I will be sharing a picture from your post if you are selected as the featured post, but I will link back to your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. By linking up you are giving me permission to use your picture in the post. 

Here is my Throwback Thursday post

Here is this week's randomly selected
Featured Throwback Thursday post:

Yvie from Homeschool on the Range shared


To participate, link up below. It would be great if you could visit several of the other posts that have linked up. Stop by, comment, and pin images so we can help each other.

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 Throwback Thursday Blog-Style permalink please.



Happy Throwback Thursday!


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

A Look at 3rd Grade Entire School Year Curriculum by Homeschool Easy {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.



If you are looking for an easy-to-use homeschool curriculum that includes all the core subjects, you may just want to take a look at Homeschool Easy. Thanks to the Homeschool Review Crew, I've had the opportunity to review the 3rd Grade Entire School Year Curriculum


Homeschool Easy is a great resource for homeschooling parents. As I mentioned above, it includes all the core subjects. As a parent you will receive a link so you can download the entire year's curriculum. There are nine main files included in this zip file. You then click on each subject's file to bring up the menu for the different topics, either broken down by months or weeks. There is enough material to span the entire school year, 32 weeks or 8 months. 

Here are the core subjects:
  • Book Reading
  • Grammar
  • History
  • Math
  • Reading
  • Science
  • Writing
The other two main files are instructional files:
  • How to Use Homeschool Easy - 3rd Grade
  • 3rd Grade Overview
In addition to these downloadable files, you will need a printer to print out the materials, and internet connection to watch the videos. Of course, normal school supplies will be needed, such as pens, pencils, a binder to store the printouts, etc. And you will also need materials for projects in science and history. 

When it comes to how to use this curriculum, it is quite simple. You print out as much of the materials as you want to at a time for each subject. Personally, I think a week at a time would work well, which is what the creators of Homeschool Easy recommend. Hole-punch the papers and put them in a binder, or binders. For grammar and math, the parent is to demonstrate the concepts before having the child work on the worksheets. There are also video links included for the students to view. For reading there is a weekly word list to read through plus flashcards, in addition to the worksheet activities. For book reading you need to either obtain a copy of the chapter book or see if the book is available at the online library they link to. Whether the parent or the child reads the book is up to the parent to determine, based on the child's reading level. For science and history there are links to videos to watch, in addition to worksheets to fill out and projects to complete. 

Let's take a closer look at each component of the curriculum. 

Book Reading

Each month your child will be reading two chapter books at the rate of one or two chapters a day. There are a variety of books that will be read during the year, some of which I've never heard of, while others are classics. For example, the first month children are reading Bad Kitty School Daze by Nick Bruel, plus Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater. Later in the year they are reading Babe the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald.

There are reading comprehension questions in the form of "What?," "Why," "How?," and "Describe" questions, so children can be looking for details as they read. Each week there are also vocabulary words to define, plus the student is to write a definition. There are about eight words each week, so the student could spread them out by doing a couple a day. 

Reading Comprehension:


Vocabulary:


Grammar:

There are 33 files in the Grammar folder. The first file contains the answers to the questions for every week, plus it includes the links to the video lessons. The 32 weekly files contain daily worksheets on various grammar topics, starting with different kinds of sentences at the beginning of the year, and going through lessons on subjects, predicates, run-on sentences, compound sentences, commas, verbs, contractions, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs. 

When a new concept is taught, there is a box at the top of the page that explains it. Plus, as I mentioned before, there are video links for further instruction. Then the children will work through different kinds of activities such as labeling, adding punctuation, circling correct answers, and writing sentences showing the concept learned.



History:

Children will be focusing on American History and Patriotism. There are eight separate folders for the school year, each one includes 5 files, a guide, which includes the links to the videos, answers to the worksheet questions, and instructions for each week's project. 

The year starts with a month on patriotic symbols, such as the American Flag, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the White House. Then there are lessons on American History that range from Native Americans through the Pilgrims and colonial times, to the Revolutionary War, early America, American inventors, Westward Expansion, the Civil War, the two World Wars and modern history, looking at presidents such as John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter. Children are to watch videos, answer questions, and then do weekly projects on some aspect of what they learned, usually some sort of poster board project or writing project. 




Math:

Math focuses on traditional math and number sense. There are worksheets, manipulatives, and flashcards included in the printable section, plus links to the video lessons. Children work their way through place value, reading & writing numbers, expanded form, and then work on comparing numbers and ordering them before moving into addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They have manipulatives to help them work out the problems. Children will also work on fractions, decimals, and measurement. There is simple geometry with lines, angles, triangles, and polygons. Plus they will work on perimeter, area, and volume. The year ends with learning about charts and time. 

Here are some examples of the worksheets and the manipulatives that go with them.





Reading:

The reading lessons give children phonics-based wordlists each week. The children are to read the words and then read sentences with the words included in them. There are flashcards included for children to practice reading the words, plus children demonstrate that they understand the meaning of the word by circling the correct word that should go into the sentence on the worksheet. There are also crossword puzzles and word finds each week. Finally, the children are to read a couple of passages and answer reading comprehension questions. 

Word List:


Flashcards:


Fill in the Blank/Understanding the meaning of the word


Crossword Puzzle/Spelling


Word Search/Spelling


Science:

As with the history lessons, there are videos for the children to watch on different science topics, and then they are to answer questions on the worksheets. Children will learn about the solar system for three months, then move into lessons on Energy and Light for a month. From there they will focus on Adaptations of different kinds of environments. Then they will look at animals in these environments.

And, as with the history lessons, there are projects to do. Though there aren't always specific details on what they are to do included in the curriculum. They are to get ideas by watching videos. 

Writing:

Each week there are two writing prompts for the children to complete. As there are other opportunities for children to practice their writing throughout the curriculum, I would probably allow Harold to choose one each week to work on. I appreciate that their is a teacher guide included that explains what should be expected of third grade children when completing these writing projects. It is good to know that 6-7 on-topic sentences are sufficient and that they should focus on the grammar they have learned. 

Here are some examples of the word prompts:

Did you enjoy your summer? Why or why not?
If you could change one thing in your room, what would you change? Why?
Pretend that you are a grown adult. You want to buy a house. Describe what you would want in the house. How would this house look?

What are my thoughts?

I love that Homeschool Easy includes all of the core subjects. However, I did realize that parents might come across the problem that a child isn't always right on grade level in the different subjects. That is one of the benefits of homeschooling, children can work at their level. For our family, I'm looking specifically at the math, and wondering if some of it is going to be way too easy for Harold who, while he is going into third grade, has been working on a lot of these topics already. 

Another concern I have is that, even though there is a small amount of work for children to do in each subject each day, if there are multiple children in the family, having to work with each child may get a bit overwhelming. Perhaps this is just a concern for me because I am used to combining my children in our lessons. Due to the fact that the lessons are short, perhaps it won't be a concern for others who are used to using a different level for each child. As I don't have access to the other grade levels, it is hard for me to know how subjects such as science and history will work with multiple children. 

I do love that all a parent has to do is open each week's file and print out the week's printables. Children can work independently a bit when they are watching the videos and answering the questions. And having the answers readily available is a great bonus. I can see the value of this curriculum and how it could simplify a parent's homeschool journey. 

You can find Homeschool Easy on Facebook and Twitter.

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Homeschool Easy. You will find reviews for all five grade levels: 1st-5th grade.

Homeschool Curriculum for Grades 1 to 5 {Homeschool Easy Reviews}

Wordless Wednesday: August 26, 2020 (w/linky) - Even More Callie

I don't take a lot of photos these days. If I do take a photo, more likely than not, it's going to be of Callie or of the kids doing something cute with Callie (unless it is for a review).



I'm not quite understanding how she got up on top of the refrigerator, but Amelia was involved somehow, and then she wanted to take a picture.




Callie just loves this little gray elephant named Peanut. 






Harold thought Callie would like some time on the banister. I had to snap some pictures before telling him to take her down from there.






RAAWWWRR


Looking forward to seeing your Wordless (or not so wordless) Wednesday posts this week.

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 on your Wordless Wednesday post or in a list of Wordless Wednesday linkies. Just link it to my Wordless Wednesday permalink please.


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

Monday, August 24, 2020

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- August 25, 2020


Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

Featured Giveaways

Goodnight Books for Kids US only Ends 9/21


Featured Reviews





If you would  like to follow the  hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily ReviewsShelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife .


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Improving Writing Skills with Structure and Style for Students {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.



One of the subjects I haven't been focusing on very well in our homeschool has been teaching the children to write. Not handwriting, but the mechanics of proper writing. Let me tell you a little secret. This is a subject I am not the greatest in myself, so I am not quite sure how to properly teach the children. So, I was thrilled when we were given the opportunity for the younger children to try out Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level A from the Institute for Excellence in Writing®. This is a company we have come to know and love. The children recognized Mr. Pudewa's voice from when we reviewed Developing Linguistic Skills Through Poetry Memorization several years ago. Plus the older girls had used Phonetic Zoo for their spelling.


IEW®'s Structure and Style® for Students curriculum is available at three different levels. Level A is for children reading at a 3rd-5th grade level, Level B is for children reading at a 6th-8th grade level, and Level C is for children reading at a 9th grade level or higher. Currently only Year 1 is available; however, Year 2 is expected to be released next spring. 


The Structure and Style curriculum for each of the levels is 24 weeks in length. It's composed of both physical and digital components. We received both the Teacher's Manual and the Student Binder in the mail, and we were given access to the online "Forever Streaming" video lessons via an activation code on the instruction card that came in the binder. These lessons are available to us as long as we need them and can be used by multiple children. We are also allowed to photocopy the student materials for use within our family. 

This writing curriculum focuses on the following skills in seven units:
  • Unit 1: Note Making and Outlines
  • Unit 2: Writing From Notes
  • Unit 3: Retelling Narrative Stories
  • Unit 4: Summarizing a Reference
  • Unit 5: Writing From Pictures
  • Unit 6: Summarizing Multiple References
  • Unit 7: Inventive Writing
A Scope and Sequence tells us what reading passage we will be reading in each lesson in the units, the "style" we will be working on, if any (not every lesson has a new style to learn), plus literature suggestions. 


There are daily lessons laid out in a chart that is available in both the teacher manual and the student's sheets. There are even suggestions on how to adapt the schedule for homeschool versus classroom setting and different weekly schedules. Both the videos and the physical portion are necessary for the program. Each week the students will view the lesson with Mr. Pudewa teaching, during which he will tell them to get out specific sheets for that section of the lesson. 

Mr. Pudewa is teaching a group of students in a classroom setting, utilizing both the student sheets and a whiteboard. As viewers we can listen to his and the children's answers and then pause the video and discuss the lesson ourselves. These videos range from around 40 minutes in length to an hour and 15 minutes, with the average being just over an hour in length. The daily breakdown suggestion is to watch the first half of the video and work on the lesson and then watch the second half the next day. At the beginning of this course, the additional days are used for retelling the story from the Key Words Outline; however, the workload then increases, where students are expected to use those days to write their rough draft and then final draft of their story, using the notes they have taken, and making sure to include the style, or dress-up that has been learned. 

The children learn to read through the stories, one sentence at a time, underlining and writing three key words. 


The rules for the key words are explained.


Then we also learn about the different ways we can "dress up" our writing, such as adding -ly adverbs or the problem way to add who/which clauses, using strong verbs, and more.

Then the children are to rewrite the story, using the keyword outline to help them remember the story, and using the different "dress-ups." They are to write a rough draft, which I then edit. Then I rewrite it for them, and have them copy. I don't plan on doing the rewrites throughout the course; however, the children weren't used to having to skip lines, and they wanted to start a new line for every sentence, so I want to make sure they get used to how they should be writing by copying mine for a while.





There are also worksheet type pages as we work through the curriculum.


I appreciate that the Teacher Manual includes and inset of the student page, along with notes for the parent/teacher.


Plus a look at the "Board Notes" to help guide the children after the video is over. 


And can I just say, I absolutely love Mr. Pudewa's humorous style of teaching, and the anecdotes he includes and the fun they are having in the class. For instance, during the story of The Fox and the Stork, he slyly played a game of hangman using an -ly adverb that was quite tricky to figure out. 


We are very much enjoying joining in with this class on their writing journey, learning to look for key words and learning about new dress ups to add to our writing. I love the incremental approach, where we have been learning new styles as we go along, and having to remember to use them in the rewrites. I appreciate that both fiction and nonfiction passages are included. And I love that we are working on vocabulary during the course. I definitely recommend Structure and Style for Students, and plan on using it throughout the coming school year with the children. 

You can find the Institute for Excellence in Writing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Structure and Style for Students. You will find reviews for each of the three levels.

Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level A, B & C {Institute for Excellence in Writing® Reviews}
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