5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop

Ok friends, here is the scoop. Remember when I hinted earlier in the week that we would be joining a blog hop next week? Well, there is not just a giveaway prize, there are THREE huge giveaway prizes!!! How's that for a 'Spring Break?!'

I've been busy writing. There are 5 days with 5 different topics I think you'll enjoy. You can read our thoughts, as well as about 40 other home schooling bloggers' thoughts on topics like "Delight Directed Teaching" and "Homeschooling in a Crisis." If you look at the banner over on the right side of the blog you can see all five topics. Some bloggers will be sharing on all 5 topics, some just a couple of them. All in all I think it's going to be AWESOME! Seriously, look at those prize packs listed below!!!

So make yourself a reminder, and set aside some time each day to learn and be refreshed. At the bottom of each of our posts, you'll find the links to the other particpating bloggers for that topic. I look forward to learning about some great blogs and gathering ideas for our family as well! See you on Monday!

Carol :)

I'm joining in with Marcy @Ben and Me and Sam @Sam's Noggin to bring you this awesome giveaway during the 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop, hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew! The Blog Hop won't begin until Monday, but we are starting the fun early by giving you the opportunity to win incredible bundles of books and homeschool resources!

There will be a total of 3 winners chosen -- one GRAND prize, a 1st RUNNER-UP and a 2nd RUNNER-UP! The contest will begin at 12am on March 9 and end at 12am on March 17.  Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter, but read the contest rules, found at the bottom of the widget, first. 

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive ALL of the following -- a $525 value!

Geography Matters -- Profiles from History Package ($50 value) Looking for a way to help your students connect with history? The Profiles from Historyseries is dedicated to telling the stories of people, whose lives are worth remembering. Whether they made a discovery, led heroically in a war, created a masterpiece through music, or art, used a pen to change the world, or impacted humanity with their bravery—they made a difference. We can learn so much by looking at those who came before us. Be ready to change your mind about history, with Profiles from History, Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine --  1-year membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a new Print Issue of The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, and a Homeschooling with Heart Tote Bag ($90 value)

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online classroom and has more than 2 dozen expert teachers who cover 25 different subjects presented via teaching videos, ongoing lesson plans, worksheets, lapbooks & unit studies, writing prompts and other assignments to choose from, students can additionally interact personally with the teachers by asking them questions and gaining feedback.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Passport Geography set, consisting of the Combos (K - 12) for United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany ($50 value) 
Taking an in-depth look at world geography with the new Passport Geography™(PPG) series by Amanda Bennett. These one-week studies use a cross-curricular approach (covering geography, history, science, etc.) to take students on virtual journeys around the globe. Each study is interactive, including daily lessons for both elementary grades and Jr/Sr High grades, with no prep required.

Shining Dawn Books -- Early Spring Bundle ($21 value)

Early spring is known for its wonderfully rainy weather, leading to lots of beautiful fungi. It’s also the season when animals busily go about their regular activities after the relative quietness of winter. This bundle will help you to explore each of these exciting aspects of the spring season in-depth.

A+ Tutorsoft -- 1-yr subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($150 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Complete Digital Holiday book ($34 value)

A complement to any lifestyle of learning, this book is different from the Five in a Row manuals. It doesn’t give a specific book to study for each holiday, rather it is a treasury of traditions, memories and ideas for making your own! Each unit also includes calendar pages, blank pages for recording your own memories, and combinations of traditions and recipes, book and movie suggestions, quotes, decorating ideas, and more! 

Knowledge Quest -- Wonders of Old Timeline Book ($25 value)

Wonders of Old is divided into four historical time periods: ancient, medieval, new world and modern. Significant dates are listed at the conclusion of each section as a helpful reference. This hardcover book measures 9x12 and is printed on extra thick 70# paper for durability.

In the Hands of a Child -- 1-Year Super Membership ($75 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

Frontier 2000 -- No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned Me a Master's Degree by Age Sixteen by Alexandra Swann and Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years As a Homeschooling Mother by Joyce Swann ($20 value)
No Regrets: The engaging story of Swann's experiences growing up as a Southern Baptist homeschooled child from New Mexico earning her education at a highly accelerated pace. At the age of fifteen she became the youngest student ever to graduate from Brigham Young University in its 111 year history.

Looking Backward: From 1975-2000, Joyce Swann homeschooled each of her ten children from the first grade through master's degrees by the age of sixteen. In this book, she discusses the methods she used to teach as well as the obstacles that threatened her success.

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The 1st RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $225 value!

Geography Matters -- Cultural Geography Package ($50 value) Have you ever thought that geography was a boring subject? Then you've never used these books! Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. and Eat Your Way Around the World are a taste buds-on approach to geography. Each state or country has its unique geographical features and agricultural products. These influence both the ingredients that go into a recipe and the way food is prepared. Why stop with only your taste-buds? Let's involve all the senses by adding Geography Through Art! This hand-son approach will supplement any study of geography, history, or social studies. Geography Through Art is sure to make a lasting addition to your home or school library. You'll find yourself reaching for this indispensable guide again and again to delight and engage students in learning about geography through the culture and art of peoples around the world.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value)

Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Set of Five Audio Files from Steve Lambert ($20 value)

We all need some inspiration from time to time! Steve and Jane Lambert have been encouraging homeschoolers on their journey since 1994. These Five in a Row audio files have been recorded at major state homeschooling conventions around the United States and Canada and have been chosen because we believe you’ll enjoy it for its wisdom, humor and encouragement shared by Steve. Including: Where do I Begin?, I Can't Teach All the Grades at Once, Making Your Children into World Changers, On Becoming Great Teachers, and High School and Beyond.

In the Hands of a Child -- 6-Month Super Membership ($55 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

____________________________________________

The 2nd RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $190 value!

Geography Matters -- Adventures of Munford Package ($35 value) Although he's just two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, Munford is all adventure. He can be rain, snow, sleet, or steam. He has traveled the world in search of excitement. Throughout history, he has been present at some of the most important and world-changing events. Fun and educational, Munford will inspire your children to learn more about many of history's greatest moments. These readers make a great addition to your learning experience in areas such as history, geography, and science. This book series is written on an elementary reading level, but provides plenty of read-aloud entertainment for the entire family!

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value) Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Volume 4 Digital Unit of Winner's Choice ($9 value)

Five in a Row was created by Jane Claire Lambert, a successful homeschool teacher with more than 17 years of experience. To use Five in a Row, just pick one of the 70 books used in Five in a Row, locate the corresponding lesson plan in your teacher’s guide, read the story aloud each day during the week and use Jane’s suggestions and lesson plans to lead your children on a wonderful learning adventure. It’s that simple! Each unit covers Social Studies, Geography, Language Arts, Applied Math, Science and Art in a way that causes children to fall in love with learning.

In the Hands of a Child -- 2-Month Super Membership ($45 value)
Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
• Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss. 

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Thankful Thursdays- 3/7/13 - Art, and blog hops

Today I am thankful for a Dad who instilled in me a love of art. We just reviewed an art curriculum for Emily, and loved it. You can read the review on ARTistic Pursuits here.

Today's other thankful thing is blog hops. Next week we will be joining our first blog hop. Although I've read through other people's blog hops before, I've never participated until now. 

So life is... a little busy. 5 days, 5 great topics, lots of links to other great blogs. Oh yeah, and some AWESOME prizes. Keep tuned in later this week for the intro, and then please join us all next week for the hop.

We're excited! Are you?

Thankfulness, it's what I need.

Artistic Pursuits- High School (9-12) Book One

My Dad was an artist, I grew up around art. Drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, these were all a part of my education. We spent a lot of time at the Art Museum too. Ever since we have had children, I have wanted to pass on that love of beautiful art to them. When they were little, it was easy. Provide the supplies, and help them when they asked. Work on something of your own and hope to see imagination pour forth. This worked quite well for us for many years. A couple years ago I taught a small art class in my home for our girls and a friend's child. While that went well, the scheduling of the art class made me feel like the spontinaity of the art making process was stifled.

Enter ARTisitic Pursuits.

ARTistic Pursuits is a multi-level curriculum that provides both instruction and encouragement for either home schoolers OR independent study. If your child's school has cut out Art Class due to budget troubles, this can be your reasonably-priced alternative. The curriculum options begin with Pre-school and go all the way through High School. 

Some of my friends say they're not very art-minded. Never fear, there are books for your 'littles' that can guide you through a whole year's worth of art projects! (Click the link at the bottom of this review to see what other Crew members thought about the younger levels, and the other High School book.)

We reviewed the "High School 9-12 Book One, the Elements of Art and Composition" title for this review. Emily LOVES it! This gem of a book includes 16 Units, with 4 lessons in each unit. Unlike traditional art textbooks, this one combines the technique training with Art Appreciation lessons that feature European art, and short artist biographies of well-known artists like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Renoir. 

I like this curriculum for several reasons, first, it is independent study. So even though I would love to get out my sketch book and join Emily every time she draws...I don't have to. I can go make dinner or check her math assignments. Secondly, I really value the art appreciation sections. While growing up in public school gave me lots of time for art projects, the only art appreciation I received before my college  Art History class was when our parents took us to various art museums or fairs. (For those of you who don't consider yourselves art-minded, this may be a harder concept to grasp- but it is SO valuable!) Thirdly- I know the recommended art supplies are what SHOULD be used at this stage. If you don't have access (or the inclination) to shop at your local art/ craft supply store, ARTistic Pursuits has put together kits that go with each level. Being a part-time artist myself, we already had many of the needed supplies, so I just purchased the items Emily would need that we didn't already have (or that I didn't want to share-LOL!)

Fourth, and possibly most important for a quality art curriculum, each Unit only focuses on ONE skill to master. I believe the reason so many people are turned off of art is because someone is trying to teach them multiple skills in the same lesson and they get overwhelmed. That does NOT happen with ARTistic Pursuits. Each Unit has 4 lessons, which can be repeated until the student is comfortable with the new skill/ technique. Unit One covers 'Space,' Unit Two: 'Line,' Unit Three: 'Texture.' This continues all the way through Unit 16's focus on 'Clothing the Figure.' (No worries, there aren't lessons on drawing naked people---this one just focuses on HOW the clothes fit, drape, and conform to the people you're drawing!)

Just in the time we've had this curriculum (about 5 weeks,) I have noticed a marked improvement in Emily's drawing skills. She has always enjoyed drawing, but now she is adding techniques that take her drawings from cartoonish or child-like to mature and full. I was really impressed with her recent drawing of one of our chairs. If my dad were still alive, he would have loved it too!

This new Third Edition of the High School Book One currently retails for $47.95. How much you need to spend on the art supplies will vary depending on what you have on hand. The lessons can be divided into two semesters, focusing on pencil drawing first semester, and charcoal drawing second. To get started you need a drawing pad, various drawing pencils, and a couple erasers. You will need to purchase the rest of the supplies after a few units. Overall, you should be able to secure the needed supplies for between $40 and $70 dollars depending on the prices where you live. So about $100 total for the book and supplies for TWO semesters worth of High School level art. That is a whole lot cheaper than private art lessons, or group lessons at our local art museum! In the back of the book there is a guide to help you know how to list the course on your child's transcript. Since this is a non-consumable book (you draw on drawing paper, not in the book) you can use it over and over again with all of your children.

So how did we actually use this in our house??? Like this: Emily took the book and suplies and ran! LOL! She was fascinated by the way the lessons were laid out, and would often (like almost every time she drew something) bring her sketch book to show me what she had done. Her best friend turned 16 and had a "Mad Hatter" themed party during the review period. Emily drew her some pictures from "Alice in Wonderland" using her newly-aquired skills and them we framed them simply in some old frames we had purchased a few years back at an auction. After 5 weeks, Emily is almost done with Unit 3. She is waiting for the recent snow to melt because she said "it's too hard to draw a landscape with snow!" 

The assignment for each lesson is printed in red, so there is no confusion about what the student should be doing. There were several lessons where Emily chose to do the assignment more than once. Some, because she wanted to do a better job than her first attempt. Others, because she enjoyed the assignment.

I would whole-heartedly recommend ARTistic Pursuits for your family. Even though I could be teaching Emily every technique myself, this curriculum makes it much easier for her to learn them herself, only needing to come to me with questions, or for additional advice about how to use the techniques. If you are not art-minded, this will take the stress off of you AND provide a wonderful art class experience for your child.

Some people view Art as an elective, something to choose to do if you want to. We view Art as a necessity, an expression of the beauty we see in the world God created. Artsitic Pursuits will help you view Art as fun- a necessary elective!

Lone Star Learning- Greek and Latin Roots

 Do you teach children who excel when they have visual clues? Then we may have found just what you are looking for! Lone Star Learning has a plethora of great resources available in their "Get the Picture" vocabulary cards. These cards each give a visual clue to the meaning of the vocabulary word. Many different sets are available for Kindergarten age up through Middle School. Whether you are a public, private, or home school teacher, have one student, or 200, you can probably find a set to help you teach. 







We received the set of Greek and Latin word roots. This set contains 60 cards (5 1/2" x 8 1/2") of 30 roots each of Latin and Greek.  This set currently retails for $39.99 and is suggested for ages 3rd-8th grades. The cards have a plastic-type coating on the front, allowing them to stand up to multiple uses and still look good. If you're wanting them to hang around your classroom, or house, or you have designs to use them with lots of students, Lone Star Learning sells a set of vinyl pockets for an additional $12.99. The Greek roots have a border of green, the Latin have a purple border. This was easy for our girls to differentiate because the Latin book we have been using this year is purple, and well, green=Greek (doesn't it? LOL!)

Because we have been studying Latin for this school year, we knew some of the Latin roots already, but not all. So we used these cards as a review tool. We took them with us to our Classical Conversations Challenge A group and I had the students look at the picture and guess the meaning. Some were easy, as we had already covered them, some took a little more work. Then we brought the cards home and placed them around the house. 

The girls wanted to place ALL 60 cards, but I think I limited them to the 25 that were easiest to find a match for. (By this time they had been through the set several times, so they were working on reinforcement, not first time learning.) The set comes with an additional card that lists all the meanings and gives an English word or two that is derived from the root. 

In our family, we used the root cards to help us think of all the words we could that used that root. For some roots we only thought of a few, but on others, like 'poly' we came up with quite a few...polygon, polynomial, and polynucleotides. Our girls are in 7th and 9th grade, so our vocab words are a little bigger than yours may be. Might I suggest you consider investing in a set yourself if you have a High School aged student, as they do wonders for helping them decode those standardized testing vocab words!

For a classroom or Co-op teacher, these are invaluable. For a home educator, it might be a special treat, or something you plan ahead for. Other sets were reviewed by Crew members as well. If you click on the link below, it will take you to the other reviews. One I think many of you will be interested in is the "Science Vocabulary Pictures" set.

My final thoughts? Plan ahead. If you have a student who needs the unusual or visual clue, these are phenominal. If your student just gets easily bored, there are many games and activities you can do with these cards to change up your routine. You can see all of the Get the Picture cards at Lone Star's website: http://store.lonestarlearning.com
If your child is still small, look at the Kindergarten cards, they have some great ones!