My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping - Review

Planning and keeping track of your children's work should not be stressful.  Our family received an Annual Membership Plan from My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping in exchange for our honest review.  This has been great so far.  It's good for keeping up with your children's schedule, planning out your school year, creating a way for your children to go in and check to see what they currently need to turn into you, and even creating a high school transcript! I am sure you want to hear ALL about it.  Well, go grab your coffee, your pen, your notebook, and a cup of coffee. 

February Morning Basket

I'm sure you hear the talk about morning baskets all around the homeschool streets!  Well, we have always set aside time in the morning for things we like to do before we start "schooling" sort of like a warm-up.  I just never called it morning basket until now.  We are officially on the morning basket train, well almost official, I still need to find a basket.  I wanted to share with you what we have in our morning basket for the month of February.

Our 9th Grade Year Wrap Up - Homeschool Edition

When I started homeschooling, my oldest daughter was starting her 6th-grade year.  I had no idea what I was doing, and high school wasn't even on my radar.  As the years went by, who am I kidding, as they flew by, I started wondering how was I going to homeschool her through high school.  I started researching and looking into what she would need, transcripts, credits, colleges, etc.  I was so overwhelmed and started to freak out.  I even started to doubt myself.  I remember feeling there is no way I can do this. NO WAY!  My husband encouraged me a lot, and I begin to pray, and then finally I stopped researching.  I remembered that God gave me this child and He knew I was able to do this.  So when her freshman year started, we just jumped in.  You can find what our plans were HERE.   This first year has been a real blessing and we have learned so much, not only academically, but also spiritually, and about each other.  By focusing more on her and not what everyone else suggested was needed for a freshman, I was able to see her strengths and weaknesses and help her overcome obstacles.  This has been one of the most rewarding homeschool years, and it has nothing to do with how smart she is, and she is pretty smart if I may say so myself.
I asked my daughter if she would share how her 9th grade school year went, with you all, and she said yes.  So her is the lovely Mrs. Kae!

Interactive Math Supplement - I Know It - Review

Math, Math, Math where do I begin?  I've said it before, and I will repeat it Math is one of those subjects you will either love or hate, there is no in between.  Math is my favorite subject, and I want to make sure my children enjoy it as well.  One of the ways I try to do that is to be sure to incorporate resources that will assist in making it easier to understand.  Especially, when learning new concepts.  For the past couple of months, my children have been using iKnowIt.com as a supplement to their math curriculum.  I Know It is an online math supplement for children in grades K-5 that our family is reviewing for you all!  We are excited to share our thoughts and opinions with you.

GrammarPlanet - Review

Even as a blogger I am not a grammar queen, who am I kidding I'm not even a grammar princess.  English was my least favorite subject when I was in school but has a homeschool mom I have come to enjoy teaching it.  I want my children to get it, you know really understand it.  Especially, now when we are living in a time when everyone is using abbreviations to communicate and relying on Google to help them with everything.  So for the last couple of months, we have been using GrammarPlanet.  For the most part, my children have gained some solid knowledge on how the English language work.

Reading Eggs - Review

Learning to read is a very important life skill.  You need reading for just about everything in life.  So one of my main goals in homeschooling my children is for them to be strong readers.  I am not just talking about being able to pronounce words and read a book, I want them to comprehend what they are reading.  So, when given the opportunity to review Reading Eggs I didn't have the learning to read with phonics idea in mind I was looking for something to help him with reading comprehension, his grammar, becoming a better speller, etc.  I saw that they offered all of that so I was a happy parent!  For the last month or so we have been working our way through Reading Eggspress online and the corresponding workbook.
My son enjoys Reading Eggs and now with the new workbook, 200 Essential Reading Skills for Third Grade, offered by them, we can really solidify his reading.  I want to share with you, our thoughts and how we used this program in our homeschool.

Persuasive Writing for High School - A Homeschool Curriculum Review

Creating a love for writing for children can be challenging and finding a good writing curriculum can be even more challenging especially for a teen. Did I mention a strong-willed teen? Fortunately, she likes to write, however, she enjoys free writing not so much structured writing.  I was both happy and nervous about reviewing Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric: Practicing the Habits of Great Writers by Silverdale Press LLC. I was happy because she would have a solid writing curriculum that would teach her some writing structure and I was nervous because I didn't want this to change her love for writing in a negative way and because in the past most writing curriculum we tried was very parent-prep intensive. I didn't know what to expect going into this but what I did know was that making sure my high school student learn to write well required me to choose a curriculum that teaches that, so here we are.

Reading with MaxScholar - A Homeschool Curriculum Review

As many of you already know I have been working on helping my youngest daughter improve her overall reading skills.  Recently we tried a program that just wasn't a good fit for her.  So, when the homeschool review crew was offered the opportunity to review MaxScholar I was a bit hesitant because I wanted to complete the previous program that we were using and I didn't want to put too much stress on my daughter by having her do both.  So, I went ahead and jumped ship with the other program and signed up to review MaxScholar.  Our family was able to review a 12-month subscription to the Reading Intervention Programs by MaxScholar.   My daughter that is using this program is my "go with the flow" kind of girl so she did not complain at all when I told her I had a new reading program for her to try out.  So we started right away.  I will be sharing all the good and bad with you about this reading software so go grab your notebook and maybe a cup of coffee or tea and let's get started.

Classical Composition I: Fable - Writing Curriculum Review

When I think of Classical Christian Education I think of Memoria Press.  My youngest son doesn't like writing very much.  I'm not just talking about structured writing I mean he doesn't like writing at all, he would rather talk about it than write it.  We have dabbled in a few different writing curriculums in the past but nothing spiked his interest.  I am familiar with Memoria Press so when given the opportunity to review their Classical Composition I: Fable Set, I decided to give it a try with him.

Summer fun with The Critical Thinking Co.™ || A Homeschool Review

We don't normally take off school in the summer, however, because we have been so busy this year I decided we would take a few weeks off.  We are still working on a few educational things but mostly fun learning.  One of the things we have been working on is The Critical Thinking Co.™.  We have always loved The Critical Thinking Co.™ so I jumped at the opportunity to review Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha.  This has really gotten my kids critical thinking skills going.

Elementary Comprehensive Language Arts Curriculum - Review

Our family was given a one-year subscription to Home School Navigator Reading and Language Arts Curriculum and interactive notebooks from Home School Navigator in exchange a review.  I am not to fund of teaching Language Arts.  Well, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that I am always doubting myself in that area or I feel like I may be missing or leaving something out.  Home School Navigator was designed for the homeschool parent like me in mind.  They provide your children with a life long learning experience.

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC book for toddlers - A Book Review

First of all is it really almost June already?!?  This year is almost halfway over.  Where did the time go?  I hope you are getting your summer book list ready.  Still gathering suggestions for your list?  Well, that's great because today I want to introduce you to a sweet Christian children's book titled, T is for Tree: A Bible ABC from Reformed Free Publishing Association.  I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.   My niece has enjoyed listening to me read it to her as she looks at the pictures but even more so she has enjoyed talking over and trying to read it her self.  LOL

Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Curriculum Review - PandaParents

My two-year-old niece spends the day with our family during the week.  She started showing interest in wanting to learn more and read by the time she started walking.  She would grab books from the bookshelf and say, "Read Kie, puwease."  So I would read to her and work on ABCs, numbers, and colors whenever she was interested.  I had not introduced her to a formal curriculum until now.  We have been working MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS by PandaParents for the past month.  We received this in exchange for our honest review.

What is PandaParents and what does MESSY stand for?

PandaParents is a monthly preschool learning curriculum subscription.  It is recommended for kids 3-6 years old.  Each month comes with a preschool learning storybook, video story, a pdf workbook, and other projects which are included in the workbook.  They cover several different subjects such as Reading, Math, Art, Science, and even foreign language.

MESSY stands for 

Mixed subjects and activities for integrative learning

Engaging activities that challenge minds

Simple 1 2 3 steps: Read, Learn, Create

Smart designs for creative learning

Yeah, a new way to promote preschool STEM and early brain growth.

What we received

We are reviewing an electronic version of this program.  We received three months worth of the program.  

A Jolly Jingle Journey parts 1 and 2

Mommy's Baby

Scotty Skunk Hears a Scary Sound

How we used it

My niece is only 2 years old so  I am not forcing her to sit through complete lessons.  Ideally, the kid would read the book, watch the video story, and work on the workbook pages and crafts.  However, I had my niece listen and watch the video story and then I printed off the worksheets as needed.  

We worked through A Jolly Jingling Journey it came with 2 stories, the video story, and a pdf workbook.  We did not make it all the through the workbook but I did look over all the pages to get an idea of what they covered.

Part 1 introduced the letter J.  Mrs. Kelly taught the kids about the uppercase and lowercase "Jj" they incorporated the English, Spanish, and Chinese languages.

Part 2 was about a little boy named Davy who is on a hunt to find Santa.  This story teaches the letter "J", colors, patterns, the Arctic region, and more.  Working through this workbook your child will learn reading skills, memory skills, numerical order, problem-solving, and so much more.  My niece enjoyed the worksheets more than she did the story.  I think it's because it made her feel like a "big girl"

We did not make it through all three of the stories but I did look through all of them.

Mommy's Baby is a story about a baby, that didn't want to go to sleep so mommy reads a cute little story about a panda names Amanda.  This story introduces shapes, animals, sizes, and different foods.  Working through the workbook your child will learn about emotions, letter recognition, patterns, living and non-living things, reading comprehension, and so much more.

Scotty Skunk Hears a Scary Sound is a story about a skunk trying to find a new home, but everywhere he goes there's a scary sound so he leaves to go find a new home.  The scary sounds are not scary at all they're things like a tractor, lawn mower, a train etc. but for a little skunk, they can be very intimidating.  The storybook taught the letter S, sounds of locomotives, the 4 seasons, the weather and so much more.  Working through this workbook the kids will work on handwriting, matching games, patterns, sorting, reading comprehension, chronological order, and a ton of other things.

My thoughts

This program is a great curriculum for preschool children.  The preschool learning stories are easy to follow and keep the attention of the kid.  It covers a variety of subjects in a fun, interactive way.  It is very parent-led intensive, but  I don't mind that.  I will definitely continue to work through this program with my niece as long as she is interested.  I would recommend this for children 2-6 with a little patience on the parent side for the younger kids.  You can get this awesome preschool learning subscription for as low as $9.95 a month.

I'm sure you would love to read more about what other moms are saying about MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS by PandaParents click the banner below to do so.

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Adaptive Math Curriculum Online from A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.) - Review

We all know that math is one of those subjects that you either love or hate.  There's very rarely an in between when it comes to math.  I happen to be on the love side it has always been my favorite school subject.  The problem is I am not always good at teaching it because I can't always explain how to get the answer to a problem.  I just know the answer.  Yes, I know I am a total math geek.  So, between pulling my kids from public school and changing math curriculums a few (maybe a lot) times trying to find the right fit I knew my kids may have had some learning gaps when it came to math.  I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review Adaptive Math Curriculum Online.   With Adaptive Math Curriculum Online from A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.), we were able to identify and address those learning gaps.

Creation Illustrated Review

Unit Studies are a great way to dig deeper and learn more about a specific topic while still using all subjects.  So basically a unit study combines all your tradition subjects around a particular topic.  They can be as short or long as you want them to be.  I did some research on them when I first started homeschooling and always wanted to try one, but never made the time to create my own.  You have to really plan that out!  Then I heard about Creation Illustrated!  What!  The Unit Study was already put together for me?  Awesome!  Creation Illustrated sent us two of their unit studies as well as gave us access to those magazines that go with those unit studies for us to review.  I was excited to check out this popular method of homeschooling our family focused on Pine Tress Unit Study.

Drive Thru History Adventures Review

History! History! History!  If it were up to my oldest son that is all we would cover in a school day.  He loves history!  Can you imagine how happy I was when I saw that Drive Thru History Adventures was up for review by the Homeschool Review Crew?!?  I was stoked, not for me, but for my son because I knew this would be like opening Christmas gifts all over again for him.  Seriously, he likes history that much.  When we hear the word history we often think of boring reading of events, tons of dates to remember, death,  and old black and white photos.  Right? Well, Drive Thru History is the complete opposite.  It's not your ordinary online history curriculum you get to ride shotgun (in the front seat) with Dave and go on many amazing adventures all while still learning all things history.  Don't worry moms there is still reading, art, worksheets, and discussion questions, but the adventure is definitely still there.  So, if you are looking for a Homeschool Video Curriculum for American History, Bible History, or Ancient History you should definitely check out Drive Thru History Adventures.

2018 Planner Picks

Y'all!!  I CAN NOT believe that tomorrow we will be in 2018!  I mean where did 2017 go?!?!  I wasn't ready, but I have no choice.  So, because I'm trying to get my life together I had to get some planners to help keep me organized, and I'm going to share with you what planners I will be using in 2018 and what I will be using each one for.  Many of you know I'm a wife, homeschool mom, blogger, youtuber, and I love to knit.  I'm also a daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend, cousin, etc. So at times I can have a lot going on at once, and trying to keep track of everything, in my head just doesn't work, I guess I'm just getting old.  I can be on the phone with a friend, and she can tell me that we are invite to a party, by the time I hang up the phone with her I have totally forgotten, so that is the reason why I need planners to help  me keep my life in order.  Plus as most wives can relate, I am the "go to" person for everything!! Babe when do we have to be here, mommy when are we going to so and so party, babe do you remember when we have to go to this, and so on and so on.
So in the previous years I've tried to keep my  planner inventory at a two planners cap.  I had one for homeschool and then one for everything else.  The problem with that, is that having everything scheduled and planned in that one planner became confusing. So if my husband wanted to know when something at church was going on he had to read through a ton of other things, and he likes to just see what he needs and be done.  Therefore, for 2018 I've decided to go with five different planners I know it sounds crazy, because I used to think so myself, but the way I have it mapped out I feel like it's going to work just fine. I will be using a planner for homeschooling, my knitting projects,  my blog and YouTube channel, one for church, and then one for everything else in life like meal plans, doctor appointments, birthdays, etc.

Our 9th Grade Curriculum Choices

High school!  Already!!

It seems like it was just yesterday that I told myself we have plenty of time to prepare for high school no need to rush.  Ha!  High school  came faster than I could imagine!  So, now that we are three months in, and have worked out most of the kinks, I thought I'd share what my daughter is using for 9th grade.  As of now she plans to go to college because she wants to be a veterinarian or midwife (I know two totally different careers).  Therefore, we planned her four year high school outline around that.  If you all would like me to post how we did that, let me know. 

Don't be a Prisoner to your Curriculum

One of things I had to come to realize as a new homeschool mama is that my children or myself should not become captive to our curriculum. What do I mean by that?  Well, there's some wonderful people out there that take the time to put together some amazing curriculum, with everything all nice and planned out for you, they have suggested booklist, suggested activities, I mean they have it all planned out for you, from beginning to end!  That sounds awesome, right?  Yes, it is and it's such a relief knowing that everything is laid out for you, however, you can quickly become stressed and/or overwhelmed.