~A New Look~

As you can see we have a new look here at Winecup Christian Homeschool Blog! I didn't plan on it happening, but the designer whose free template I was using, deleted the template I had before. I'll be honest, I miss it and haven't adjusted yet. 

Stay tuned for a report on what we have been up to. I know I haven't done any weekly reports in several weeks, but I plan on getting one up this weekend.

Until then......

High School Prep Genius by College Prep Genius ~ Schoolhouse Review

 

 

I recently received a free copy of High School Prep Genius from College Prep Genius, to review.  High School Prep Genius is a comprehensive book of information for parents and teens about how to "do" high school and prepare for college. It is suggested for grades 7 and up for those who have a goal to attend college.  It covers every thing from planning before high school, writing a transcript to college visits and everything in between.

 

 

HSPG has over 400 pages of information and lots of forms for keeping track of student accomplishments, credits, activities and more.  Because Bear is almost done with 11th grade, we have already covered a lot of the topics in the book and have been keeping records for a few years now. If I were new to homeschooling and hadn't taken any students through high school yet, I would be beyond blessed by the information in this book.  Despite being directed at public school students with only a small section for homeschoolers, there are great nuggets of useful information throughout.

 

I especially like the forms provided and the suggestion/instructions for putting together a "college prep" binder/notebook. I also appreciated the notes for parents at the end of each chapter - "Guide for Parents" and "Parent's Homework."

 

 

 

The book encourages students to have financial independence and money management skills before heading off to college.  Additionally, the need for having a strong support system is emphasized.

 

 

 

I appreciate that it is an easy read, it is organized and tackles all the topics and concerns that parents of high schoolers may have. The timeline is especially valuable.

 

The only thing I didn't like was the Chapter called "Own Your Own Beliefs" - I felt it was out of place and didn't belong in the book. I believe this is a personal topic that should be left up to families to discuss.  To the book's credit, it does encourage having the discussion with your family. If you aren't a family of faith or "religious" then this chapter probably won't bother you.

 

Overall, it is a good deal - the information in exchange for the price is awesome.

 

High School Prep Genius sells for $29.95 and can be purchased at the College Prep Genius website.

To find out what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members thought of High School Prep Genius, click on the banner below.

   

Hands on History 20th Century In America Lapbook~Home School In the Woods - Schoolhouse Review

 

 

 

 

Home School In The Woods is one of my favorite homeschool companies. I freely admit this up front! So when the chance to review the Hands on History Lap-Pak 20th Century In America came up I begged for it!

 

 

   

After I received the download, the first thing I did was print everything out. When we do lapbooks, I like to get all of the printing out of the way up front.

 

 

 

 

Because we aren't quite at the 20th Century yet, what we did was read all the text pages, and then we completely assembled the lapbook.  Some of the text needed further explanation for Noodle, but that was okay. Noodle is on the low end of the suggested grades (3-8) for this lap book, so we couldn't fly through information too fast. We worked on it 3-4 days a week during the review period.  I had Bear read it on his own as a reading assignment.

I used this lap-pak set as a "pre-view" of the 20th Century.  When we actually get to the 20th Century (any week now) we will incorporate all the activities in to our current curriculum and go through the assignments again at a slower pace and more in depth. We didn't even get through the whole thing yet because it is so awesome in scope. Let me assure you that this set isn't at all supplementary, it is a stand alone fabulous study of the 20th Century - I just never leave well enough alone and we usually over kill history.

Noodle really got a kick out of the "slang" vocabulary over the century. He especially giggled over "I'll be a monkey's uncle" and now he knows what a "cup of Joe" is.  He also really enjoyed hearing about the inventions/technological advancements.

This lap pak is jam packed with information from, the global conflicts in the 20th Century, to the Presidents and other famous figures, social movements, disasters, the Depression, science and technology, architecture, literature, music, media, sports and more. There's a total of 22 projects! It is AMAZING!

 

 

The assignments and directions are very detailed in a 13 page document so there is no question about what to do.  I have had lapbooks in the past which were just a bundle of templates and a book list, but included no information on how I was to present everything or in what order.  Home School In The Woods is my dream lapbook company! I only wish there were more of them!

 

Also, a big plus for me was the extensive suggested book list. I was in awe of the many titles that I could fit in with this unit. There were also music suggestions.

 

If you have never tried a lapbook unit before, I suggest starting with one from The Home School In The Woods - you will get all the information and instruction necessary to complete the unit with your children.  There are of course supplies you will need, like paper, tape, glue, crayons, colored pencils and such, but nothing unusual or hard to find.

 

Home School In The Woods mostly has history items, but they also have Fine Arts products as well. They offer timelines, timeline figures, maps, bible, music, history and art lapbooks, Time Travelers CD's (history curriculum) and free unit studies. I think I literally needed a bib the first time I discovered their website. I have used some of their freebies over the years, but I have also purchased timeline figures, the Composers Lapbook, and a couple of Time Traveler CDs.

 

Hands on History Lap-pak 20th Century In America is a PDF zip file download, priced at $21.95. It is suggested for students in Grades 3 - 8. You can also get it on CD for $22.95 plus shipping.

 

To find out what other homeschoolers thought of this product and other products from Home School In The Woods, click on the banner below.

 

     

Homeschooling is Hard

Mr. Mischief

Homeschooling is hard, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.  In the blogosphere we tend to always see and read the good stuff.  Houses always look clean in the background of photos, kids are cheerfully working on cute projects when mom snaps a picture, the blogger mom usually only shares the good stuff of life.  Let's face it, if all we heard was doom and gloom, who would want to read?  That said, a few times a year I like to do "keeping it real" posts because I don't want to give the impression that things are always fabulous here at Winecup Christian Homeschool.

To be honest, some entire weeks are stressful and I can't wait for them to be over.  Some days there are arguing and bickering all day long between siblings or between me and a child.  The togetherness of homeschool that is often a blessing is sometimes a challenge.  There are days I want the yellow bus to roll up to my curb so I can shove a couple of kiddos out the door to be the school's problem. Can you relate?

Then the moment passes and I realize God gave these boys to me and I am responsible for overseeing their character and their education.  I often feel I have failed at both, but then something sweet happens to confirm I am on the right track even if I have derailed a few times.

Homeschooling is hard not only because the relationships are always front and center, but the work that goes in to it is hard.  More than once I have heard anti-homeschoolers comment that people who homeschool do so because they are lazy and don't want to get up and drive kids to school.  Say what?  Sign me up for an easy drop off in the morning! Are those folks for real?  How much easier would life be if I got up in the morning and dropped kids off at a building?  Tons easier. For one, my house would be clean, two I would have more money and three I'd have more "me time."

As a homeschool mom there is emotional stress - often wondering if I have chosen the right books, the right activity, the right path - questioning if I am screwing up my kids by homeschooling them or with my lack of parenting skills.  I mean - I am winging this parenting gig most of the time. My kids are spread out age wise and I have learned some tricks over the years, but let's face it, the world is always changing and each kid is different. What worked on my oldest doesn't work on my youngest. I have to always be on my toes.

Researching curriculum, while fun for me in a sick sort of way, isn't easy.  There are always things out there tempting homeschool moms - curriculum research is a dangerous thing. Lesson planning is time consuming, and for more than one child?? Hello! I mean, good-bye free time. Is there such a thing for a busy homeschool mom?

Homeschooling is hard because it interferes with my domestic skills, which I freely admit, weren't great to begin with. I would love a Better Homes and Gardens/IKEA picture perfect house - but haha- PEOPLE LIVE HERE.  Don't let the picture on my header fool you - that was taken the DAY we finished the schoolroom makeover.  Here is what it looks like most days. See. We live here. We work here. I would love if every day it looked like it looks in the header, but it just doesn't. I don't have the energy to keep that up.

I know, I know, if I spent less time on Facebook, less time blogging, less time watching tv, I could have what I want, right?  Meh.  I like relaxing, I like conversing/chatting with other homeschool moms, and friends I don't get to see anymore that live across the country. I like watching General Hospital and One Life to Live - they have been my other family since 11 years old and I don't want to give them up, so I don't. I know some think it is ridiculous, but it is what I choose for now. Some moms spend their time canning, sewing and gardening - I don't - I like reading, blogging and TV. Even if I didn't read, blog or watch tv - I wouldn't be canning, sewing and gardening - those things just aren't me.  Anyway, I mention these things because the other thing that makes homeschooling hard is pressure from other homeschoolers.  Not intentional pressure, but the kind we bring on ourselves when we log on to the blog "Confessions of a Perfect Homeschooler With Perfect Kids" or "Homeschool Heaven on Paradise Lane" - you know the types. We see what they are doing and we start coming down on ourselves for not "doing enough."

Please, dear readers, when I post our weekly reports - there are often comments about how much we get done - how amazing it is we get so much done.  Recently I have not done any weekly reports because those comments are kind of embarrassing and I feel guilty - because what you don't see on those reports and all the great photos are the bickering, the whining and the tantrums - and then there's the kids acting up too!  Seriously. You don't see that our school day went to 5:30 pm and that I didn't make dinner. You don't see the science experiments we have to start over because Noodle doesn't follow directions the first time. You don't see the time wasted looking for a book that was just there a minute ago.

The homeschool lifestyle is just that, a way of life. It isn't something we do, it is who we are and it touches everything we do.  Would life be easier if I sent the kids to school, went to work and no one was home to mess up the house? Maybe.  In spite of all its challenges and frustrations, I wouldn't have it any other way. Life is short and this time with my babies is more precious to me as the years fly by.  My oldest, Super Duper moved out yesterday - my first born baby. The years went by way too quickly for me. Most of his life was spent in a classroom, away from me for 7 hours a day and I will never get that time back. So, if an experiment has to be started twice or the boys are bickering over lint or rubber bands - I will take it.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Writing With Sharon Watson - Writing Non-Fiction in High School Schoolhouse Review

Years ago Bear used a middle school writing program by Sharon Watson and it was really good, so when I saw the opportunity to review one of her new writing programs for free from Writing with Sharon Watson, I jumped at it.  I gave Bear the choice and he chose The Power In Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School which is actually the sequel to the Jump In writing program he used in 7th grade.

Sharon Watson homeschooled her own children for 18 years and has also taught homeschoolers through workshops.  She is a Christian and all her curriculum reflects her Christian worldview, which I really appreciate as a Christian homeschool mom.

The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction for High School, has over 100 lessons and step by step instructions for writing a variety of non-fiction papers. A thorough course indeed! There are no prerequisites, so if you have an inexperienced writer, this program won't overwhelm them.

The lessons/instructions are directed to your student - so you can be involved as little or as much as you need to be. If your high schooler easily works independently, then this is a perfect writing curriculum.

Bear is in eleventh grade, so for the most part he works independently and I just oversee and correct his work.  Writing Non-Fiction for High School addresses the student directly so there is no need to "present the lesson" - the student just opens the book and goes. That said, there is a teacher book with great information you can pass on to the student who struggles with writing. It includes rubrics and tops for grading your student's writing.  There are also short daily writing assignments that are optional. Another great feature in the Teacher Guide are the pages on "How to Get an A Paper" - I let Bear look at it so he could see exactly what was expected of an "A" paper.

Some of the papers your student will write are persuasion, letters of condolence, biography, compare and contrast, literary analysis, personal narrative and more- for a total of 23 writing assignments.

For strong or frequent writers the initial lessons will be a breeze, for less accomplished writers, the initial lessons will be a necessary foundation to continue through the program. Chapters 1 and 2 cover thinking about topics, planning a paper, the structure of an essay, first drafts and more. Chapters 3 and on consist of the actual writing assignments.

On average it took Bear about 20-30 minutes to complete an assignment. Once he breezed through Chapters 1 and 2 he moved on to Part 2: Chapter 3 - Persuasion. He wrote a paper about why schools should focus more on science literacy. The persuasion theme carried him all the way through Chapter 3 which was all about proofreading his papers. Chapter 9 deviated from the persuasion theme to discuss the SAT Essay, which I was really glad to see because Bear will be taking the SAT this calendar year, for the first time.

A feature that both Bear and I liked was the suggested writing schedule and the checklist. There was some humor throughout that we got a chuckle out of too.  Bear disliked when topics were assigned - he preferred to choose his own topics. For example, he struggled with the assignment to write a persuasive essay about why children shouldn't watch horror movies.  HE likes scary movies.

There was an entire section on Logical Appeal which reviewed many of the fallacies he learned in his logic class last school year, so that was a nice refresher for him.

Bottom line, it is a though program. I like that it is from a christian worldview, step by step and easy to follow. Bear liked the tools provided to strengthen his writing skills.

You can purchase The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction for High School student book for $39.98.  I believe this is a great value and I would be happy to pay that price for such a thorough program. The Teacher Guide is $14.98.

To see what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members thought of Writing With Sharon Watson, click on the banner below.

   

Using Tapestry of Grace With Younger Students

I see a lot of posts on homeschool forums and FB pages about how Tapestry of Grace (affiliate link) is best for older kids and "not necessary" or "too much" for the Lower Grammar stage.  I totally disagree! I think it is FABULOUS for the Lower Grammar stage and I shudder to think how boring my homeschool would be without it.




What TOG has for Lower Grammar students:

~Great book choices
~Valuable Student Activity Pages
~Relevant Geography activities
~Relevant Projects to reinforce concepts learned
~Vocabulary
~Importance of Famous People
~Biblical Worldview

I saw someone write on a forum that TOG was a "reading list" for LG.  What? I have to ask if the writer was paying attention when she had TOG or if she ever had it!

I know some people don't like that TOG doesn't provide a "schedule," but for me that is part of the beauty of TOG. I don't feel trapped by a schedule that makes me check off boxes and there might be boxes I don't want to check off. You know what I mean?  I like that Tapestry of Grace is a menu to choose from.  Like the massive menu at Cheesecake Factory, TOG has something for everyone, every learning style and every age.  Sometimes I can get a weekly theme done in two days because I pick one or two things, other weeks we stretch to two or three weeks because we want to do more.  For the person who "must" stay on a 36 week schedule, I suppose that poses a problem, but for a year round flexible homeschooler like myself, it is a dream curriculum that allows me that flexibility.

~Planning the Typical LG Week~

I choose the history reading books. I decide if we are going to do the suggested read aloud or an alternative. I use a pink highlighter for my LG picks.  I make notes all over the pages about what other things I want to read or add in (like additional books, movies etc). I also write down the call numbers for books my library has.

A great feature for LG is the vocabulary list and the famous people list. Sometimes we just talk about who the people were. Often there is a book on the book list about one or more of them, and if there isn't I sometimes find a book on them.  Other times we do Notebook Pages on one or two of them.

The vocabulary at the beginning of each TOG year are geography words.  There is a great book called A to Z Geography that goes perfectly with these lists.

One component of TOG is Writing Aids - writing assignments and instruction.  The LG assignments are great and gentle introductions to grammar and writing.  We use Rod and Staff which is pretty rigorous, so by comparison, Writing Aids is totally doable for LG.

 

 

 

The Fine Arts activities are great fun for LG students who like hands on work.  The geography is simple - sometimes I have my LG use the student map and fill it in - other times I have him trace the work on the Teacher Map.  It just depends.  I pick my battles and TOG allows me that flexibility.

 

 

The student activity pages for literature are usually great too - sometimes I let Noodle narrate the answers and I write them - other times he fills out the pages.

 

 

Each week there is a "General Information" page that I highlight important points of discussion that are appropriate for my LG student.

I also take time to highlight things on the Teaching Objectives pages so I don't forget to go over anything.

 

 

My response to those who think it is "too much" - I encourage you to look at the big picture.  I much prefer the TOG way to separate curricula and workbooks for each thing.  It is definitely more exciting than a textbook in my opinion. 

I really value the teacher notes because sometimes there is important information there that I want to share with my student. 

Okay - to sum it up more simply, here's how the typical TOG LG schedule breaks down for us:

-Monday we read the readers and start/continue with our read aloud. The read aloud is DAILY. I introduce the vocabulary words by asking him if he knows what they are. I put a little check by the words he doesn't know and we review them throughout the week, verbally.  I do the same thing with the famous people list. We also start the writing assignment if it is a week long assignment. I share highlighted information from the "General Information" page and if he comments or has questions we spend time discussing.
-Tuesday we review vocabulary and famous people again, verbally. The vocabulary and famous people discussion can happen anywhere, the car, while I am doing dishes, while walking the dog etc.  We then do the literature book that has the corresponding SAP.  We work on the writing assignment.
-Wednesday we do the geography assignment and review the vocabulary and famous people again, verbally.
-Thursday we do the Fine Arts activities, sometimes it is cooking, a salt dough map, making a poster etc. Again, we review the vocabulary and famous people verbally. Also, if there is a cumulative project going on we do it this day or Friday.
-Friday we do Notebooking pages on one or more of the famous people (the NB page isn't a TOG thing). He fills this out on his own with the information he remembers from our discussions throughout the week. Also, I give him a verbal "vocabulary quiz."  There are "Evaluations" available from TOG and sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't.  Again, I have that freedom to decide. We also finish the writing assignment.

That's it. We cover history reading, geography, writing, art and sometimes more.  Even though the TOG pages/notes look so overwhelming, it really is simple.  It looks like a lot because it is information and pages for ALL the grade levels.  My advice is to print out only the stuff you are going to use and let the rest be. When you start digging in to the rest you will become overwhelmed and feel like you can't do it.

Because we love history here - I will often add in extras like history pockets or cooking. We also use Veritas Press self paced history because Noodle loves it and it fits nicely most weeks with our TOG theme.  That is overkill for some, but it works for us. You don't have to do that. You can use TOG and get a very full lesson each week without adding extras.

Science Fair 2013 - 3rd Grade - Rocks and Minerals

This year we participated in a science fair with a group that wasn't our usual group.  Our homeschool group decided not to do one this year, but then I heard about another group putting one together so we participated in their fair.

Noodle had to pick a topic that coordinated with our science studies this year. I told him he could pick an astronomy or an earth science topic. He went with Rocks and Minerals and decided to grow crystals. We had a mishap with the experiment! It got left outside in the rain and was ruined! Another homeschooler came to our rescue and directed me to a project that would grow crystals in a 24 hour period. 

 

He learned about the different types of rocks - Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic. He learned how they are formed and he learned to identify different kinds and match them to what type. I ordered some rock kits from Home Science Tools and a Rock and Gem Dig from Smithsonian. He learned about how rocks and minerals are used in many aspects of everyday life.  He also learned how to grow crystals of course.

 

Sorting rocks.

Identifying rocks.

Digging and chipping away the rock and gem block from Smithsonian. 11 Gems were inside!

 

Crystal Experiment 1

Before the rain melted them they were off to a nice start!

 

Crystal Experiment 2

 

Working on the project board.

 

Here is the handsome boy with his project!

 

 

We had several illnesses and a generally busy schedule so we didn't get to invest the time we usually do in the science projects. I didn't even print out his presentation text until the day before, so he had very little time to practice. Instead of freaking out about it, I just let it go. I had a few moments of cringing when he was talking to the judges, but oh well, it is what it is. One of the three judges gave him some low scores but the other two loved him and his project and made some very sweet comments. I realized that we didn't focus enough on the process of the scientific method so we are going to work on that!

 

One thing that is important to me when doing projects, is that the project reflects that the child does the work.  Every year when I see all the pretty boards and fancy letters, and type written stuff I always start to second guess myself and think, "I should just make it pretty for him." Maybe one day he will get creative on his own and ASK for the letters or fancy doodads for his project board. He did ask to type something this year, but I shot him down because we just didn't have the time for him to hunt and peck the letters. Hahaha! Needless to say, Typing has been added to our Electives list for the upcoming school year.

 

Noodle's Crystal Man.

 

This fair was the first science fair this group put on so they decided they wouldn't do prizes and places - instead everyone received a beautiful participation certificate and their score sheets from the judges.  All the projects were wonderful and the kids all did a great job. It was a new, fun experience, and much less stressful for me to have the competitive aspect removed.

 

Noodle with his certificate.

 

 

Past Years Science Fair Projects

 

Tornado Alley 2011

 

Guinea Pigs 2011

 

Volcanoes 2010