Peek at Our Week: September 10-14 aka Hurricane Week!

There has been quite a lot of hullabaloo around here! 

Here in central NC, we don't see much more than a tropical storm or two. Then there was Hurricane Fran in 1996. It was stronger, bigger, and faster than it was believed to be when it made landfall and was still a hurricane when it came over our town. Lots of damage, power out for days...definitely a memorable thing! And because of that, whenever there is the threat of a storm people get concerned. 

My husband and I don't feel quite the same way. Having lived in Florida with hurricanes where we prepared like this...

October 2005 - This is me!!! And Rose when she was 2 months old!

And have turns life upside down like this...

October 2005 - Crop Duster's air field with a sugar cane factory in the background.

We weren't too concerned. We know how to prepare and we did. We didn't board up our windows or anything, but we prepared all around the house and made sure we had what supplies we might need if the power was out for a few days. The hurricane from the previous photos left us without power and a boiled water order for 11 days. 

So far, we have not had much more than a nice breeze. We shall see what else will come...

The girls started their science class on Wednesday! My first class teaching English was Monday. It's going to be a great year for all of us! 

Week in Review: September 3-7

 This is the week before I start my job teaching at a learning center for homeschoolers. Sooooo... I've learned from past experience to take things easy. This does not mean no learning! We spent most of the week working with Take Time for Art! We ADORE this art curriculum! Even more wonderful is that it was created by a very dear friend. She used to teach with me at the learning center. They watched some wonderful history videos and then step-by-step art videos. Their projects were fantastic and you will get to see the finished products soon!

One of the art projects was actually more of an engineering project! The girls are trying out their catapult and had a ton of fun launching marshmallows off the front porch! 

We have a dear friend who is coming over every other week to tutor Rose in art! She is attending a local college to be an art teacher and will graduate in December. She is such a blessing to our family and such a sweet, gentle soul! She was also a homeschooler which is really cool for my daughters. She's such an amazing role model for them all! 

What was your week like?

Phonics Museum App from Veritas Press: A TOS Crew Review

  Teaching a child to read can feel like quite a daunting task when you first start out. I remember when Rose (now 12) came to me at 3 years old begging me to teach her how to read. I had no idea where to begin and put her off for a year. I was amazed that both Beth (now 10) and Grace (now 7) asked the same at about the same age. At the time I had no intention of homeschooling and really didn't know what resources were available. It has been exciting for me to see how many new resources have become available in the last 9 years and the Phonics Museum App from Veritas Press is going to be my new go-to recommendation for homeschool moms for phonics! 

Although Grace is already a proficient reader, she is still only 7 and loves apps geared towards her age no matter the content. This was a great phonics review for her and she has enjoyed it so much. The kid-friendly interface was easy for her to use. She really liked the instructional videos with Ms. Biddle. I wasn't sure if she would feel like it was too young for her, but I know she didn't because I never had to request she play with the app, she just daily asked if she could have permission to play her reading app. In addition to that, when she did play I would have to make her end the game or she would have continued indefinitely!  Although this was more of a review for her, she jumped in with glee and excitement as with all of her learning experiences! 

Grace liked choosing the character at the setup of the app. Even though Grace reads well, reviewing phonics in this way has been really good for her. The games encourage her to intentionally think of starting sounds and how they work together. Her sisters, especially Beth, would often sit alongside of her and she loved that. Sometimes Beth jumped in and played as well. One of my favorite aspects was the addition of fine-art paintings in the background!    The Phonics Museum App is visually beautiful. The interface is smooth and attractive. The graphics are sweet and highly detailed, but not overly distracting during the learning process. I also like the music which is not overpowering during the games. I liked that the entire time Grace was engaged she was learning/reviewing her alphabet and sounds. The addition of handwriting takes this app to the next level. Kids are engaged with visual, auditory, and tactile activities.The handwriting was especially beneficial because Grace tends to have the habit of writing strokes in a non-traditional direction. She gets them written down, but not always quickly while printing.  

  This is a quality learning app without advertising or materialism. Its simple and sweet. The only thing I would like to see is maybe more options for what your little kid avatar looks like. Whether you are looking for a full digital reading program, a supplement to your current reading program, or a way to review phonics, take time to check this app out! You can get it on iTunes! Check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Level 3 Set fromGreek 'n' Stuff: A TOS Crew Review

   When your grandfather is a professor who teaches Greek in seminary, it may mean you have a keen interest to know more about biblical languages at a young age. My dad has been teaching Greek for years so it did not surprise me when Rose came home having learned how to spell her name in Greek letters when she was in 2nd grade. She began writing her name this way on everything she created and for her science class as well! While she has had a keen interest in learning Greek, we have not had an opportunity to pursue it yet. She was very excited when our package with Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Level 3 from Greek 'n' Stuff arrived!       I have heard wonderful things about this curriculum and when I mentioned it to my dad he was already familiar with it. I was surprised to learn that my daughter would start in level 3, but this is because the first two levels in the series are for elementary aged students. Since Rose is in 7th grade now, this was the best fit for her.   

 

I love that the first lessons focus on Greek alphabet recognition, writing the letters, and memorizing their pronunciation. The pronunciation CD is quite helpful for beginning students and parents who do not have a base knowledge. While 1 page a day is the intended use, it is strongly encouraged to not move faster than mastery will allow. This was very important for Rose because this was her first formal instruction in biblical Greek. As she filled the practice lines with the Greek letter she was studying, Rose would also pronounce the letter to aid in memorization. This worked well for her and she found learning the alphabet less tedious. For students who have already completed the first two levels or have previously learned the Greek alphabet the beginning lessons would act as review. 

 

Rose completed 1-2 pages a day when she used studied. I really liked that the memorization of the alphabet included visual, tactile, and auditory components. I use this type of method for note memorization while teaching music and I think it is highly valuable. She did feel a little awkward speaking out loud while writing I think, but quickly noted the benefits of learning the letters this way.
I also very much appreciated the handwriting lines given for writing. This provided clear guidelines for how to correctly write the letter. Three lines of writing space were adequate for this activity. 

 

  Each lesson is expected to last about a week, but the first two lessons took her a little longer than I expected. Because she was learning the letters for the first time and it was important to master them fairly well, we took our time. I was excited to see her move into the next lessons where she began mastering specific Greek words. Some of the things I love about these lessons is that there is explanation in the student book for pronunciation and a place to draw a picture. My girl loves art and this is a wonderful component for her and her learning style.   

The teacher's guide is an incredibly helpful tool. My dad is an expert in Greek, but I am not! I have never taken any classes or studied Greek in any way. Still, I feel completely confident in guiding Rose through this course because of the teaching guide. In addition to teaching tips and explanations, it is a full answer key with even the handwriting portions completed! I personally am intrigued for myself and am considering getting my own guide to learn biblical Greek.   

  The last portion which I absolutely love is the inclusion of flash cards and copywork from the Greek New Testament. These are two components which will help ensure mastery of the language. The flash cards are available in the back of the workbook, but may also be purchased separately for convenience. For the copywork you will need your own Greek interlinear Bible, but this is easily obtained whether in a digital format or hard-copy.    We are very pleased with this course and Rose is eager to continue as we will soon begin our traditional school-year. I'm excited for her to learn biblical Greek as a foreign language for her own benefit as she continues to study God's Word on her own. 
Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!