A Christian Introductory Video Science Course

Disclosure: We received access to the Science Shepherd videos for Introductory Science level B, as well as the student workbook and teacher’s guide in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thanks for listening!

As luck and life would have it, we finished our science curriculum and, being on the road, did not have access to our schoolbooks that were in storage. We were offered an opportunity to review Introductory Science by Science Shepherd, which would satisfy a year’s worth of science study. I said in my head, “Naaaah. I like what we use.” Then my pocketbook said, “True, but that’s in storage several states away, and y’ain’t got the moolah to buy something you already have.” My pocketbook is very practical and annoying. I half-heartedly checked it out before agreeing.

After watching the free lesson, I was sold, so here we are. My head is happy. My pocketbook is happy. My science students are happy. And Marissa just made cookies, so Daddy is happy.

Science Shepherd Review

Faith First

One of the things I loved about our in-storage curriculum was that it was faith-based and taught science from a young-earth Creationist perspective, showing how science can and does support Creation, because the Creator is the first and greatest scientist. My kids also study evolution, but I wanted a curriculum that didn’t leave the faith-based side of it entirely to us. I don’t want to always be on the hunt for resources.

I was delighted that Science Shepherd is Creation-based as well! Your students will learn creation, geology, biology, astronomy, oceanography, and meteorology from a Biblical perspective. Cool beans, that! (FYI, as you progress in your Creation-science studies over the years, you will find that this perspective makes solid sense and isn’t just a bunch of bunk from a cult of fairy-tale-believing voodoo weirdos.)

Family First

I have eight children, as you know, and am a freelance writer, as you know, and travel the country full time for our Christian music mission, as you know, so I like to chill out with my man and pretend I don’t have time to spend prepping multiple lessons. Call me lazy.

Science Shepherd is pretty much a plug-and-play program. There isn’t really any parent prep necessary on a daily basis. You should get involved to some degree, especially if you participate in the additional activities, but it is not going to monopolize your time. Thank you, Science Shepherd!

How it Works

This is how the program works and how we used it:

  1. Watch a video each day. They are short–super short. It’s really hard to fall asleep during one of them because they’re so short, and believe me, I can fall asleep through anything! We all watched them together, but it isn’t necessary.
  2. Do a worksheet. These are short and simple, but they do review some important concepts. We did the first two weeks together aloud instead of as assignments, because it was all Creation review for us. After that, however, review over!
  3. Enjoy the midweek activity. This, of course, is optional, because you’re homeschoolers, so if it’s stressing you out, pretend the enrichment activity doesn’t exist. Homeschooler prerogative!

It’s really easy as pie–easier even–yet full of solid information. If you need to, say, hike the Grand Canyon for a couple days one week, the sessions are short enough that you can combine them with other days. We did that many times. Shhh. Don’t tell.

Additional Thoughts from My Kids

My seventh grader thought it was too easy. While I don’t recommend her for the target audience (and neither does the publisher, since this is for 9- to 11-year-olds), if science studies have been weak prior to this, or if your studies have been extremely specific, like only studying astronomy and botany, for example, this will be a nice overview which a seventh-grader could run through quickly.

My first grader thought the speaker could be more animated. The speaker says what needs to be said with no fluff, filler, or distraction. You decide if that’s a plus or a minus based on your family. Personally, I think that if he added foofoo comments about cookies and pie and posted random images, why, he’d be no less distracting than this blog! It’s a straightforward presentation–a little more animation from the speaker wouldn’t hurt, but it isn’t necessary. Maybe a tap dance? Just a little one.

My fourth grader is doing great with this program. He learns much better with screens–woe is me–and his easily distracted self thrives on the short lessons with no games and gizmos. This is ideal for him. He is the main student anyway, and is the one in the suggested age group and the one with the workbook. Imagine that.

A Little Bit More About Our Experience

The program is designed to have a workbook for each student–my other students were just tagalongs. The seven-year-old will continue to tag along, but the 13-year-old is out. Just for information’s sake, we also have a four-year-old who is tagging along with the study, and she will do…well…whatever she wants. Ha!

We added Chris Driesbach’s Creation song “God Made It All” from his kids CD Feed Your Faith. Christ is a fellow traveling Christian musician, and his song fit perfectly and helped the kids memorize and reinforce what they learned the first two weeks of Science Shepherd. Chris doesn’t have a song for the subsequent weeks, so you’ll have to figure out your own memory tricks…or just do the worksheets.

This is not an in-depth science course. It touches on many aspects of science and is an introductory course as the name suggests. You will not be going super deep into any one topic. It is an excellent overview. We have gaps in our science education (who doesn’t) because we study some topics in depth–this is great for filling in those gaps, and we skim over areas where we are already strong.

Thoughts for Large Families

We enjoy working on subjects together, and this worked great for that. Of course each child needs a workbook, so there’s that. Also, budget-wise, I am not a fan of membership sites, since you can’t pass a membership down to the next child. I prefer DVDs or books. Take this as you will.

Additional Thoughts for My Fellow Roadschoolers

The benefit to no DVDs or books is it totally fits on our total lack of shelf space! Woo hoo!

It does, unfortunately, require an internet connection, which may or may not be the same albatross to you as it is to us. In talking to many of you on the road, it’s a hit-or-miss issue with many of you. Because you can be flexible, it shouldn’t be too big a deal.

Personally, I think the solid Scriptural perspective, the short, flexible lessons, and the depth of the topics make this worth the shelf space for the student books and teacher guide. Short lessons, after all, leave lots of time for exploring the world outside the screen and page. That’s my favorite science lesson. Grin.

Connect with Science Shepherd here:

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Read what other homeschoolers have to say here:

Science Shepherd Review

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Astronomy, Mythology, and Stargazing on the Road

Note: Memoria Press sent us their Book of Astronomy Set (including one Student Guide and the Teacher Guide) in exchange for a fair and honest review. The government isn’t happy with my site if I don’t disclose that bit of info. Now we’re all friends again. We also bought D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths with our own money to go along with our study of astronomy. The government doesn’t care about that, but I thought you might.

When we began homeschooling back when our now 19-year-old Hannah was a small fry, we were classical schoolers. That lasted, like, 5 minutes before we learned we were really more the Charlotte Mason type, which lasted several years before we hit the road and became the do-whatever-it-takes-to-not-look-like-a-bunch-of-dumb-hicks-living-in-a-travel-trailer type. We still say we’re Charlotte Mason schoolers, because it sounds better. Point being…

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Classical approach to education. I believe it is effective and it is modeled in Scripture. It also overlaps beautifully with Charlotte Mason, and everything overlaps with the do-whatever-it-takes approach.

Memoria Press is a great classical publisher. Our Latin curriculum is from them, and I, for one, think it’s a hoot! (I know you’re not supposed to have that much fun in Latin, but I can’t help it.) We also reviewed a literature curriculum from them–loved it and are still using it! And now this!

Last things first…

Before I get into the this, that, and the other about The Book of Astronomy, I’m going to go a little backward and give you my final thoughts first.

After this review period has ended, we will continue using this curriculum. That is the ultimate compliment. We will make space for it in our 240 square-foot travel trailer and cart it through the 20-some states we’ll be visiting between now and this time next year. After that, we will reuse it with our younger children.

Not much makes the cut around here. The Book of Astronomy set is a keeper.

Why?

We’re huge into Creation. Studying God’s Creation, particularly the heavens, helps our children grasp that God is so grand that he’s ungraspable, which makes the unbelievable more believable. Did that make sense? If God is so big that he made all that, then he’s big enough to change water into wine and move hearts.

Next, it’s simply fascinating.

Also, it’s impressive when your kids can point to the heavens and bowl a few of the doubting relatives over with some intelligible comments–ha ha ha! Okay, that’s not really the reason, but it is true.

Finally, we’ve seen some amazing night views. Amazing! We love to study them.

Logic, Greek Myths and Astronomy Memoria Press Review

Now, let’s hammer out some nuts and bolts.

The teacher’s guide contains the following:

  • the cheat version of the student workbook (answers are filled in)
  • unit tests
  • a final exam
  • blackline masters for overhead transparencies…which makes me laugh considering our situation…but for co-ops, that’s brilliant! Actually, I dunno–do people still have overhead projectors? I’m so non-techy!

The student workbook is consumable. If possible, get one for each of your chicos, since they’ll want to practice drawing their constellations.

The study is broken up into units as follows (let’s switch to square bullets this time; they’re fun):

  • unit 1: introductory basics, summer-fall constellations, summer-fall zodiac (I’m an aquarius. What are you?)
  • unit 2: the winter sky
  • unit 3: the spring sky
  • unit 4: solar system, planets, munchkin planets, and moons covering the planets, dwarf planets, and major moons.

Each unit also includes exercises, with reviews available at the end of the book as well.

A spread from the teacher's manual. The student draws the constellation and labels the first magnitude stars on the left. The right is for copywork and ideally memorization. It's also great discussion.
A spread from the teacher’s manual. The student draws the constellation and labels the first magnitude stars on the left. The right is for copywork and ideally memorization. It’s also great discussion.

Digging Deeper

If you want to tie science into history and literature, snag the D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths, available at Amazon and similar retailers. The astronomy study references the D’Aulaire book since many of the constellations and stars get their names from the ancient Greeks and Romans. We added it to our library. Our first grader reads it for fun.

Memoria also offers a study guide to go along with the D’Aulaire book, if you really want to dig deep! Neither is necessary for your study of astronomy, but if you’re interested and can swing it, dive in!

The Age Issue

This set is appropriate for grades three and up. Ironically, my first grader is the most interested in it and is diligently memorizing and looking for stars and constellations. She was talking to her sister in college about some of the first magnitude stars, and her sister said, “I didn’t know that. I’m impressed!” She’s hard to impress.

Our main students are the 1st, 4th, and 7th graders, but we also have other ages tagging along. As for the upper age limit, I have learned masses of information. Siriusly. That was a little star joke there.

Additional Thoughts for my Fellow Roadschoolers

If you’re a roadschooler, that means you’ve probably boondocked in Utah or stared at the vast stars in the western skies of Nevada. Stargazing out in the boonies is an experience. Period. This program is worth its minimal size and weight for the educational aspect it will add to your night viewing.

Of course, you’ll need a student book for each student, which takes up a little more space, but they’re slim.

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Logic, Greek Myths and Astronomy Memoria Press Review

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A High School Art Course

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. sent us a free copy of their ARTistic Pursuits High School Book One art curriculum in exchange for a fair review by me (the artistically disinclined), 17-year-old Marissa (who is beginning her art business), and our 15- and 13-year-old “twins,” Elisabeth and Emily (both more artistically talented than their mother). All opinions are ours…’kay? ‘Kay.

A Brief Overview of ARTistic Pursuits Inc.’s High School Book One art curriculum:

  • 16 units
  • 1 year
  • 2 lessons per week
  • 1(ish) hour per lesson

Was that brief enough for you?

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Review

A slightly less brief discussion on what each unit entails:

  • Building a Visual Vocabulary: In plain English, the students will learn to “see” the unit’s main focus artistically out in the real world. My artistic daughter Marissa sees the world differently than I (the word girl) do. It’s fascinating to listen to her explain what she sees. It’s an entirely different way of viewing the world. This first lesson in each unit teaches your students to see like an artist…but only one topic at a time, so it’s manageable.
  • Art Appreciation and Art History: Here the student is still observing based on the unit’s topic, but this time they are studying the work of the masters. Ooooo…masters. This is a technique we’ve used in the past with our kids–always effective.
  • Techniques: Time to get busy busy busy. The students learn applied techniques. Fun!
  • Application: This is like the final exam, like the doctoral thesis, like the…well, like the project at the end of the unit.

Each of the four steps above includes an assignment which should take roughly an hour for your student to complete. (You can join in or fold laundry–your choice.)

ARTistic Pursuits--High School Art Curriuclum Review

Thoughts for the artistically inclined:

Marissa explained that the course has quite a few topics that she already knows instinctively, having flown from the womb with innate artistic ability that she did not inherit from the owner of said womb. She said that it offers lessons that fill in some of the gaps, explaining why and how best to do what she inherently does.

Thoughts for the artistically disinclined:

Parents who can’t even draw stick figures, rest easy. You don’t need to know anything (except how to drive so you can get to the store and buy art supplies). The book is written for the student. The time is the student’s. You don’t need to do or know anything.

That said, it’s a whole lot more fun if you do the program with your children.

Regarding the necessary supplies, we had everything on hand. We are an art family, however, so that may not be the norm for everyone. Still, there’s nothing you have to send a rover to Mars for.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc.--High School Art Curriculum Review
{Emily’s study of space was this lighthouse we visited.}

Thoughts for…well…anyone:

A daughter’s opinion: One of my daughters said, “I like that the student samples are not perfect. It makes me feel like, hey, I can do that. I can even do better than that!”

A teaching mama’s opinion: I really like that the program is teaching them to draw realistically. Other programs we’ve tried taught shape and color and lines, and the end result was fun, whimsical, and fake. That’s great, too but I have always wanted to be able to draw, say, a turtle, and have someone say, “Wow! Look at that turtle!” or even just, “It’s a turtle,” instead of “Nice rock. Why’s it green?”

I also like the attention paid to the masters. There’s a reason they’re the masters, and it’s not the whole cutting off the ear thing.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc.--High School Art Curriculum Review
{Emily’s still-life…and also her lunch.}

Thoughts on the timing: My children have found the two-projects a week time frame to be unrealistic for them. I would estimate they spend between two and four hours on each of their drawings. (Now, mind you, I have those children who, at the end of a Sunday school or vacation Bible school session are still there working on their art projects…forever!) They would prefer to spend the week on one assignment instead of two, so they can really work on it without it taking up as much of their time as it does with two sessions per week.

On the other hand, two of Marissa’s art mentors encouraged her to “speed up” the process, and do a little more free sketching with less perfectionism. The two-projects-a-week pace might encourage more decisiveness and less perfectionism with the “twins.”

Elisabeth ran out of time to finish this sketch of her brother.
{Elisabeth ran out of time to finish this sketch of her brother.}

Musings on the approach: This is a different approach to art than some of the other programs we’ve tried. It’s less how-to and more integrative. What does integrative mean, really? In this case, it means you develop certain skills which you then apply to art. You’re not going to walk away from these lessons knowing how to draw a sleeping cat and nothing else. One of my daughters enjoys this; the other just wants the how-to.

If you want realistic drawing lessons with history and analysis tied in, this is a great curriculum. Plus, ARTistic Pursuits Inc. has a line from preschool through high school/adult, so if it works for you, you’re set! I love being set.

Additional thoughts for my fellow roadschoolers:

If you want to do art on the road, you have to be totally committed, because it potentially takes up a lot of space. Space, as you know, is prime real estate in the RVing world. So if you really want your kids to learn to see and draw some of the places you are exploring and people you are meeting (which I highly encourage), and you want to commit to it, take note of this:

The tools you need for this curriculum are not ridiculously extravagant. With the exception of the sketch pad, you could keep everything else in a pencil pouch that you can hook right into a binder or stuff under a pillow–don’t your kids stuff art supplies under their pillows? The sketch pads and the book itself will be your space hogs.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc.--High School Art Curriculum Review
{Emily’s self-portrait of a younger her.}

And of course, the book has lay-flat plastic comb binding, which is ideal for the curriculum. Still, comb binding and trailer living are not friends. Someone inevitably leaves the book on the floor of the van and it gets stepped on or the cat knocks it off the bureau (dresser for those of you born in this century) or it gets crammed unceremoniously into the too-small-for-homeschoolers cupboard–in other words, trailer living is abusive to books. That said, this has held up very well so far.

If you do this program, you have to bite the bullet and buy each artist a sketch pad. This will prevent the attack of the paper monster, because everything will be neatly enclosed in a sketch pad. Ah, neatness–how I love thee!

Do I recommend this program for roadschoolers–absolutely yes, if you are committed to getting the supplies. It can really add to your children’s journals of their travels. It’s worth the space.

ARTistic Pursuits--High School Art Curriculum Review
{Elisabeth’s preliminary sketch of a hike we took in Sonoma, Arizona. When it’s finished, this will be a great reminder of our family fun there!}

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Trailer-Friendly Children’s Paint — Kwik Stix

You know what we received in the mail? This set of Kwik Stix 12 pk from The Pencil Grip, Inc., in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own…and my kids’…and our cat’s.

Yesterday I was taking a nap with my baby. My four-year-old was lying across my feet whailning. Whailning is a combination of wailing and whining. It’s pretty intense, and it’s pretty annoying. I know that as a mother I’m not supposed to say that my child is annoying me, but if whailning doesn’t annoy you, you must parent from a higher level of existence. The issue was bananas, but three seconds before it was something else and three seconds before that it was something entirely different.

I knew it wasn’t really bananas. She needed some direction. So I said to my four-year-old, “Do you want to paint?” and she said, “Yes!” and I said, “Go right ahead,” and I went back to sleep and she painted.

Those of you who have four-year-olds are wondering why (since this is my seventh four-year-old) I don’t have more parenting sense. (Others think I’m negligent for not joining in, but that is a parenting discussion for another day.)

Letting her paint alone–insane! You’re thinking I woke up to the entire travel trailer arrayed in pinks and purples, or the cat painted, or at the very least bowls of water and containers of paint spilled on the tables, cushions, and floor.

Not at all. I woke up to this:

Mess-Free Painting (Perfect for RVers and tired moms!)

Two sisters had been painting together–two sisters aged 7 and 4. Please take note of the mess. Here’s another angle:

Paints even the cat can't mess up!

There is a mess–there are crayons and colored pencils lying around, a couple stacking pegs, a bear face-planted into the table, a little felt vest they sewed, a wadded up tissue or something equally sinister. But there is no paint mess lying around. Even the cat can’t make a mess out of the project, and you know that cat would be redecorating the curtains if she could. Poor disappointed kitty.

(If you have a four-year-old artist and a curious cat and you’re sold on these paint sticks right now, they are available on Amazon (affiliate link).)

What Tuppence the cat is standing on is a set of Kwik Stix. Here’s a better view:

Kwik Stix The Pencil Grip, Inc. Review

They work like paint, only there is no brush, water, or extended drying period. No water! No water!

That’s my favorite part.

The colors are easily contained, easily stored, easily used…while Mama is napping. Hooray!

I really like the look of the projects my children made with the paints.

These are not markers–it’s tempura paint. You can change the look and feel of the picture by layering or adding pressure. While you won’t do a ton of blending due to the rapid dry time, you can do a bit. What takes this up another notch is the younger painters won’t end up with a big page of army brown with a hole in it. That’s the painting we all know and love from childhood, right?

Rebecca (7) likes the soft look, like in this valley scene that she matted and hung on the wall:

Mess-free painting for kids!

Elijah (10) is a little bolder and would rather rush through several projects. The tempura paint dries in only 90 seconds, so he can do that right in his sketchpad without our having to limit him based on available counter space or hanging space for drying. (Remember we live in a travel trailer–all 10 of us and two critters.)

This is his bold creepy clown (clowns creep us out):

Mess-free paint for kids--great for travel and sleepy moms!

Eliana (4) and Elisabeth (15) worked together. Ellie made a request, Elisabeth “Bean” painted it on one side of Ellie’s sketch pad, and Ellie copied her. I’m sure in the higher-trained educator circles, this process has a name, but I just call it Neat and Sweet.

Mess-free kids' paint--try it!

Here are some results of one of their Neat and Sweet sessions:

Mess-free paint and an art lesson idea.

Mess-free paint and how we used it.

Kid-friendly paint--No mess, no spills, just fun!

Notice the green one-legged blobster (blobby monster) showing through the picture on the left. That’s from coloring with marker on the other side. As of yet, we have not had a single incident of the Kwik Stix showing through on the other side. That’s a pretty big deal when you’re 4…or 43.

The Neat and Sweet duo also worked on a horse together. Bean drew the outside shape, and Ellie drew the same shape inside of the original, and so on until they had a horse. Actually, they had a cow, but a little mane-and-forelock action transformed it into the horse of another color you’ve heard tell of.

Trailer-friendly paint supplies for kids.

The kids also painted frames they had cut out of boxes. Wouldn’t that make a great Mother’s Day gift?!

Mess-free paint for kids!

For some reason I have yet to comprehend, every single time the kids use the Kwik Stix, they put them away! Covers on, sticks in the plastic holder, voila! Apparently, Kwik Stix come with a little bit of Mary Poppins magic or the box screams “Put me away!”

Kwik Stix The Pencil Grip, Inc. Review

These would make excellent gifts–end of school parties, birthday parties, Christmas stockings, Easter baskets. They would also be great to stock up on for classrooms, parties, daycares, or summer indoor fun. My kids love them.

You may wonder why the company is called The Pencil Grip, Inc., instead of Best Kids’ Paint Ever, Inc. They produce pencil grips, which are small finger positioners that slip onto pencils. The child or adult who has a really bad unique method of holding a pencil positions the fingers on the Pencil Grip and–bada bing bada boom–the hand is positioned properly. They even have a three-step trainer set.

This is not an issue we are currently struggling with, but we used them in the past for previous children (and me), and they work well.

Here’s where you can go to learn more about Pencil Grips.

Additional thoughts for my fellow roadschoolers:

Art runs deep in this family, as you can see by our second daughter’s art business, so we’ve tried to have ready supplies in the trailer for any time the art bug strikes, and for our Saturday art classes. Unfortunately, the paint wasn’t making the cut–too messy, bulky, time-consuming, space-consuming, and messy–that deserves to be mentioned twice. The kids were restricted to a little watercolor set you find in the craft and school supply aisles at Wal-Mart. Even that made me cringe with the bowl of water/cat combo.You understand if you live on wheels!

This is the solution.

We’re still keeping our watercolor set around so the kids can paint with brushes, but I no longer feel compelled to stock acrylics. What a relief!

Click here to learn what stationary schoolers have to say about Kwik Stix:

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Milton Hershey–More Than Chocolate…If That’s Even Possible!

My family received a copy of Heroes of History- Milton Hershey from YWAM Publishing for review purposes…and for an excuse to eat lots of chocolate–it’s educational, after all! We also received access to a Digital Unit Study Curriculum Guide for the review.

First, a bit about YWAM’s “Heroes” series.

 

YWAM has two heroes series which they’ve developed over the past two decades. They carefully choose the heroes based on the lessons their lives can teach young (and over-the-hill, like me) readers.

 

The Christian Heroes: Then & Now series focuses on Cristian missionaries, such as Nate Saint and David Linvgstone. Your children, like mine, will become fast friends with these heroes of the faith.

 

The Heroes of History series are slightly different. The biographies offer a view of main players in American history, as far back as our old friend Christopher Columbus and as recent as Dr. Ben Carson. I want to share this quote from an email the company sent me, so you can understand how the subjects were selected:

 

We have included key individuals of historical significance and character in this series. Not all were involved in government and not all are remembered for their personal faith. But all of the characters make a contribution to the series as important representatives illustrating the American story and history. In this series you will find: explorers, pioneers, presidents, inventors, doctors, authors, and heroes in time of war.

 

So which hero did we choose? You guessed it–Milton Hershey!

 

Christian Heroes {YWAM Publishing Review}

 

The book we read is entitled Heroes of History–Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate, by Janet and Geoff Benge.

I went into this book in my typical my-life-revolves-around-food manner, wondering what kind of contribution could a man like Hershey make to America that was more important than chocolate? I learned two things:

  1. He made a mean caramel.
  2. He was a man who had to pick himself up over and over and over and do a little groveling and work harder than most modern men (men meaning men, women, and children) are willing to do just to fall on his face again…and today he is a household name.

Sticktoitiveness (stick-to-it-ive-ness) is the word I’m looking for here. He had it…and a technique for super creamy caramels.

We learned quite a bit more, but ultimately it’s the character-building we take with us, and not the dates and facts, isn’t it?

A great read…like the rest of the YWAM books.

How did we use this book?

We read this book individually and came together for discussion, but some of the others we’ve read aloud. We’ve also simply placed YWAM books on a shelf and waited for the magic to happen without any direction from us–that works, too, especially when you find a name that already interests your kids or that they hear relatives talking about, like Ronald Reagan or Bonhoeffer or Thomas Edison or Corrie Ten Boom. So many greats!

The digital curriculum guide includes questions for discussion, as well as activities. Our favorite is the timeline and, uh, buying Hershey chocolate and eating it. That last part wasn’t exactly in the study guide, but we like to enhance our studies a bit. Ahem.

Additional Thoughts for My Fellow Roadschoolers:

If you don’t mind small books taking up shelf space, this is one of the few take-it-along book series we highly recommend! It is worth the space–it really is. Also, since the study guides are available digitally (as well as on CD), you can study this on a more intense level (which means more chocolate if you’re focusing on Milton Hershey) without taking up additional space or adding weight to what is inevitably an already weighed down roadschool.

Of course, you have to deal with download issues on the mishmash of crazy internet connections available on the road. Boo. But hey, there’s always Starbucks and the library! (Or, like us, you can download it and use it for a little while and then your whole computer can die and you have to buy a new computer with the money you were going to use to buy glasses, and then you have to download it twice. Whaa.)

Give it a try! (I don’t get any money for telling you this. It’s just a product I really believe in.)

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Christian Heroes {YWAM Publishing Review}

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Apologia’s Writers in Residence Program

Please know that I was given a free copy of Writers in Residence from Apologia Educational Ministries in exchange for my and my daughters’ fair and unbiased review. All opinions are our own.

I want you to meet Emily. Emily is our vivacious and fun thirteen-year-old. She has never met a writing class she liked, which is okay, because I don’t generally use writing curricula in my roadschool.

Another thing you need to know about Emily is that she doesn’t hold back her feelings.

Imagine her enthusiasm (grin) when I handed her Apologia’s new Writers in Residence program and said, “Here, Emily, is a brand spankin’ new writing program for you to use for two months or until the end of time, whichever comes first.”

Duck and run.

Ha ha. Not really. Emily has been an excellent sport about Writers in Residence, and why not? The program is great!

Apologia: Writers in Residence Review

Here’s what we like about it:

The program includes top notch writing samples from writers you will (or should at least pretend to) recognize. This capitalizes on the excellent tactic of learning through the imitation of quality work…no junk.

Interviews from real Christian authors (not real like me, Emily’s mom, but real like someone that you might know or could at least Google) offer a solid, encouraging nudge with a taste of how-I-got-started reality. This guidance from “real” writers goes further than some of the inane things we parents say, like, “That’s great. Let’s send it to Grandma because our fridge is full,” or “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming,” which is my all-time most annoying thing I say when my kids get stuck on something. Lame, I know.

The program tackles grammar as well as writing. A good writer (and anyone else who learns to talk ever) needs excellent grammar skills. While we don’t study grammar formally in our household in the early years, I’m totally comfortable with my seventh-grader working through a grammar program, if only so she can see over and over and over again that, look at that, my mother was right. (Someone’s on her high grammar horse today!)

The writing aspect touches on several main components of the writing process within the six units of  volume I; volume II is in the works. Click here for more details.

The student portion of the course is contained in a single spiral-bound text that the child can write in. (My kids love writing directly in their workbooks, but I always find consumables to be a drawback. As a single-income music missionary family with eight kids, I usually buy only non-consumable products so they can be passed down. Still, this is a great program, and I do recommend a student book for each student, especially if they don’t like writing. Just bite that bullet if you can.)

I like that the program is conversational and student-directed, so Emily can be pretty self-sufficient. That gives me more time to work on other things, like perfecting my omelet-making skills, which is my current craze.

It is already broken up into a four-day schedule. Emily doesn’t follow it exactly as written, but life is like that. Some days your dad says, “Hey, let’s go hiking in the Grand Canyon,” and your writing class has to wait.

For parents who aren’t comfortable with writing process, the answer key offers all the guidance you need for scoring and evaluating.

Here’s what I like best about it:

Emily likes it. ‘Nuf said.

Additional thoughts for my fellow roadschoolers:

The entire program is encompassed within these two books. (One for us–I’m a writer by trade and training, so I don’t use the answer key.) Naturally, your child will want a pencil, because writing in blood is unwise. Otherwise, that’s it–no internet connection, no binders full of pages that tear out and get caught in the slide, no DVDs the baby uses for speed crawling. (Tell me your RV living is like this, too…please…even if you have to lie just a little bit.)

For the value of this program, the space it takes up is minimal.

On the other hand, spiral binding and I are not friends. When something in our lives is moving from trailer to van to church to trailer to dropped down the steps into the mud to forgot to stow and it launched through the air down a bumpy California road, well, you want the sturdiest book you can find, and that usually means hard cover.

Still, it is ideal for a student workbook, and ours has held up remarkably well, although we’ve only had it for six weeks. Normally after six weeks, the cat has spewed a hairball on it and the binding is compromised and the baby has chewed on the corner (not where the cat spewed) and a page or several are missing. So Apologia gets an extra cookie for that!

Honestly, it’s worth the space it will take up. This is another program we’ll continue to use after the review period has ended.

Go here to read reviews from homeschoolers who fall a little closer to “normal” on the normalcy spectrum than we do:

Apologia: Writers in Residence Review
Crew Disclaimer

Filling in the Learning Gaps for Math {A Review}

As part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, my seven-year-old first-grade daughter Rebecca and I are reviewing two Math Mini-Courses (Time and Money) from A+ Interactive Math. We received free access to two mini-courses for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own…unless they are Rebecca’s, because we don’t always agree…unless it’s about dessert, in which case the answer is always “Yes, please!”

If you’re a homeschool parent who hasn’t been afraid of leaving gaps in your child’s education, you’re the envy of the homeschool community. Of course, we all know that every single education has gaps, and that a truly educated person learns how to fill in those gaps himself as necessary throughout life, but that’s beside the point.

I remember a friend once telling me she was afraid that, if she homeschooled, her kids would be standing at a checkout counter not sure how much money to use to pay for their purchases because Mama had forgotten to teach about making change. Big gap.

That’s where Math Mini-Courses from A+ Interactive Math come in.

A+ Interactive Math offers assessments to identify the gaps in your child’s math education. They then provide 20 separate mini-courses to fill in those gaps. Each course offers affordable access for a full year, although the course should only take two or three months to complete. No more fear of your child not knowing how to make change!

Money Mini-Course

And speaking of making change, the course Rebecca is working through is the Money Mini-Course.

Math Mini-Courses {A+ Interactive Math Review}

Working with a seven-year-old review partner has its challenges. Clarity is sometimes…lacking. Following is the interview I held with her:

Do you like A+ Interactive?

What’s that?

The money course you’re taking on the Behemoth (the family computer).

Oh, yes, I really like it. I get all the answers right all the time except once.

What are you learning?

Nothing. I have no idea what’s going on.

Uhhhhhh…but you get everything right?

Yeah. It’s easy now.

(Five minutes later…)

Mommy, you have three quarters and a penny there, and that’s the same as 76 pennies…just so you know.

How do you know that?

Frog math (A+ Interactive).

Rest assured the child is learning. She proved it when she took all the change out of her tissue box bank, counted it out, added it up, sorted according to value, reorganized in piles totaling a dollar each, tithed, and played store. Not bad for not knowing what’s going on!

Beyond understanding the value of money, there are lessons on budgeting, taxes, commissions, and other topics I wouldn’t have necessarily breached with my seven-year-old, but which she will someday need to know. Pretty nifty, eh? Of course, those lessons are a little harder than the “how many nickles in a dime” conversion lessons.

Fill in Your Child's Math Learning Gaps

What does it take from me?

I have to get her set up and, of course, answer the rare question. Logging on and getting started is a little confusing for her, and the program doesn’t automatically update her results for the report if she doesn’t tell it to. It would be great if getting started with each lesson were a little more automatic.

The lessons themselves only require a small learning curve and then she flies on her own. In fact, the Quick Start Guide reassures, “Relax! You don’t have to teach math or do anything. This program does everything for you.”

It’s true.

Time Mini-Course

The other math mini-course we reviewed is Time.
Math Mini-Courses {A+ Interactive Math Review}

It delves into not only how to tell time in hours, minutes, and seconds, but it discusses days, months, years, and seasons. It also deals with more complex topics, such as converting units of time, adding time, and determining how much time has elapsed. (Maybe I should take this course so I can stop counting on my teeth.)

Summary

The mini courses are great for filling in gaps that perhaps your math curriculum might leave. We won’t be switching from our current math program, but we definitely appreciate the extra support in our weak areas.

The mini-courses are more in-depth than other math programs I’ve seen on these individual topics. Through our current program we learn the topics, but pursue further study through life experience. That’s fine, too–excellent, in fact–but this is faster and more thorough and leaves fewer gaps right from the start. Real life does offer more practical application, though–duh.

Could we have learned about time and money without a program at all. Of course we could, but remember this quote:

“Relax! You don’t have to teach math or do anything. This program does everything for you.”

As long as Becca can read, Becca can do most of this program on her own.

Fill in Your Child's Math Learning Gaps

While I will never say a computer program is a replacement for a parent, I do appreciate the support now and then. That way Rebecca and I can spend our time together using her newfound money skills buying ingredients to make mother-daughter cookies.

Additional thoughts for my fellow roadschoolers:

While you do need an internet connection to run the mini courses, this program is not a huge data hog. They do offer physical options if internet access and data are continual challenges for you, as they are for us.

Since the courses we reviewed are online, they are light as a feather and takes up a feather’s worth of space.

You can print some extras, or you can complete them right on the computer so you don’t have to unearth the printer and find space for yet more papers. That’s what we do.

For more opinions about Math Mini-Courses from A+ Interactive Math, click this lovely box below:

Math Mini-Courses {A+ Interactive Math Review}

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