Our Review of Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 from ARTistic Pursuits Inc.

I remember taking Art History in college and even though it was something I didn't really want to take, I'm glad I did. As I progress with teaching my own children, I want to ensure they have an introduction to artists as they proceed through each grade. My favorite time period was the Italian Renaissance so when I had a chance to review Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. , I couldn't wait to get started.  ARTistic Pursuits Inc. offers a series called K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 which provides a complete art curriculum across a variety of ages and grades. For our review, I made sure I studied the book, which provided a host of artists that shaped our views of art, to ensure we had all the necessary supplies. I also wanted to see how the lesson's history matched my memory from many years ago when I was in college. I wasn't disappointed either as the book, although more concise compared to a year at college, it covered some of the main artists and techniques. 

The book provides twelve lessons and the six video lessons. First, I'm going to cover the video lessons and what we thought of them:

• They were our favorite part of the curriculum. They did such a great job starting out each video with a scene first and then they moved on to the lesson. The only drawback I would give is the music was a bit too loud. Other than that, we give the video lessons an A+! They were charming and captivating. 
• The video lessons were just the right length. They were not boring nor did they cover too much material. 
• The tips and tricks were done in a speed slow enough to allow us to grasp each tip and suggestion. They also repeated the key parts to each lesson to ensure the child(ren) retained the pointers.
• The video lessons were projects that were not too difficult and were fun to try.

The ARTistic Pursuits book is nice and colorful and has a smooth cover which allows for easy paint removal if one should happen to have it too close to the budding artists. I found the book very helpful and engaging and will list out the details:

• The comprehensive Contents page allowed for an easy reference point to see which artist was going to be covered, the major works of art to be featured along with instructions.
• Another page provided all the materials needed for every project contained within the book and the video lessons.
• The section on Teaching Simply explained how the curriculum was designed to "activate thought and creativity throughout every part of the lessons." The video lessons are used to teach each new art medium. It's a simple to use curriculum that will provide a thorough art education in my opinion.
• Each lesson included questions for the student such as Lesson 15 in the painting A Game of Chess by Sofinisba in 1555: The table tilts towards us. What does that help us to see? Not only is history taught but they also learn about watercolors, fresco, scratch art and oil pastels.
• The reproduction of the artwork is beautiful too!

This curriculum was a hit in our house! Everyone started to paint and we had so much fun!

Photo capturing one of the lessons from the video lessons.

Overall, the curriculum is done really well and I love how comprehensive it was. The different grade levels offered provides me a resource to turn to as my children advance in their lessons. The ARTistic Pursuits Inc. book was an asset to the curriculum and together with the video lessons, it was perfect. Our review really reflects what ARTistic Pursuits Inc. states:

Even the youngest student is creating art that is personal. Art is far more than imitation; it is a language that allows the doers, our children, to speak for themselves and to express their own ideas and interests through pictures.

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Check out what others on the Crew thought about ARTistic Pursuits Inc. and the various curriculum from the K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 series:

Sign Up to See Movies Before they Hit Theaters

I've been a part of iScreeningRoom for several months now and have witnessed some really cool movies coming out before they even hit the theaters. It's completely free and all they ask is you complete a survey afterwards. Forbes magazine calls iScreeningRoom, "a revolutionary online test screening platform." Now you can sign up for FREE and be a part of feature films before they hit the theater!  Just click the link below.

SIGN UP TO WATCH MOVIES FREE

How Genealogy is a Good Elective Study in Homeschool Curriculums

I've been interested in genealogy for more years than I can recall. It started with my dad and perhaps his interest started with his dad probably in the 1960s and 1970s or even earlier. My mom is from England and I've only started really researching her family as it was a very small one and more difficult to trace. However, my dad's side is huge and very difficult keeping it all straight. When I find out cool facts, I share it with my children and encourage them to get interested because it's part of history. Since tracing some family members serving in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and II, among many others, it provides them a bit more interest knowing that they had a family member serve. 

Another unique feature is allowing them to learn about key events over time like the Great Depression where they can see who was alive and learn more about the events that shaped that time period. It also provides them with additional knowledge on how to research online. They have been enjoying the things I teach them and seeing how the family lines work as well as how DNA works within the family trees. Of course, DNA opens a huge door into another segment of education that will be forthcoming. 

There are many resources online that can spark an educational opportunity with the different genealogy sites. Today as I was looking at hints on Ancestry.com, I found someone's research clearly showing the lineage to not only George Washington but one of the kings of England. Granted many cousins down the line and multiple X times removed but yet again, an educational opportunity and needless to say, they thought it was pretty cool!  We also have a not so famous person in our family who was the attorney general of Louisiana in the early 1700's and was later executed for treason when the Spanish took over. In addition to that family member, a couple even marched with George Rogers Clark in capturing Fort Sackville from the British in Vincennes, Indiana.

Even though it may not be easy to hunt down the family tree, it's a fun exercise and a great way to grow an interest in history, teach online research abilities and learn more about one's family.

Singapore Math Inc.'s Dimensions Math PK-5: Level 3A Review

Math is not a fun subject for my daughter and she prefers to have physical books which is why I was very happy to review Singapore Math Inc.'s Dimensions Math PK-5. Singapore Math has a great reputation based on the various things I've read about their programs which was another reason I was excited to try it out. The set we received was the 3A level Textbook, Workbook and Teacher's Guide. The program is detailed and starts out with the basics and repeats concepts to ensure the child is retaining what they are learning which I think is an excellent way to drill in concepts and information. There is even a resource page help with the Dimensions Math program.

My daughter started out a little reluctant but after we began utilizing it, she decided that she didn't loath it like other programs and she didn't give me a difficult time working through the lessons. The lessons are not long and complicated which she likes. I also like that I can utilize the Teacher's Guide and then I can let her go off on her own to complete the assignments. Here is two pages from the Dimensions Math Textbook 3A:

One thing she noted was how repetitive the lessons can be which I explained that the method is based on the pedogogy and methodology of math education in Singapore which has many components but one specifically is through Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract development, students view the same concepts over time with increasing level of abstraction. I really like this method as I think it's the best way to teach students as it ensures they understood a concept or ability to answer a problem. Singapore Math Inc. does a wonderful job in helping the teacher/parent understand the program.

The Dimensions Math Teacher's Guide 3A is spiral bound which I love, love, love! I like to be able to turn pages over without having to try to crease the pages or have to have a weight to keep my place. It is broken down as follows:

• Contents - indexed by chapters, lessons and page number. There is a brief description of the lesson as well as the number for each lesson.
• Dimensions Math Curriculum provides how the program works and a little history behind it.
• Dimensions Math Program Materials provides all the requirements to teach the curriculum from the textbook, workbook, teacher's guide to tests and online resources such as Blackline Masters (used for various hands-on tasks), videos, activities and more. See photo below where we had a roll the dice activity and the winner was the one who came closest to 8,000 without going over.
• Guide on how to use the Teacher's Guide which really helps to read prior to starting working with your children. I also like that each lesson is designated to take one day but it's flexible to allow one to utilize it across more than one day. Another bonus is that the textbooks are designed to last multiple years.
• Dimensions Math Scope & Sequence which outlines every level and each chapter.
• Chapter work begins for the student(s) and it's broken into segments that include: overview, notes, materials needed, chapter opener and how to teach the chapters. Each chapter's page is color coded so it's easy to find the color of the chapter you want.
• Answers are provided for the textbook and workbook exercises. The answers to the Dimensions Math 3A Textbook are contained with the corresponding lesson within the Teacher's Guide and the answers to the Dimensions Math 3A Workbook follows the instructional in the Teacher's Guide for that chapter.

The website resources are quite nice as well. From the Dimensions Math PK-5 site, there is a wealth of resources as follows:

• Series Overview
• Sample Pages
• Scope & Sequence
• Standard Alignments
• Questions?
• Blackline Masters
• Lesson Materials
• Letters Home
• Videos
• eBooks
• Press
• Contact
• Shop

We did like Dimensions Math PK-5 by Singapore Math Inc. and we're fortunate to be able to review the 3A level.

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Take a look at what others on the Crew thought about Singapore Math Inc. as well as different grade levels by clicking on the image below:

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Book 3 & 4 from WorthyKids, an Imprint of Hachette Book Group, Review

I'm really excited to be able to share our review on the two books from the The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Once we received the two books in the series, we immediately liked what we started to read so I ordered the first two for my grandchildren. I had my two children read one book each to provide a good perspective from two ages of readers. My almost 16 year old read The Great Escape (Book #3) and my 11 year old read Journey to Jericho (Book #4). 

The Great Escape (Book #3)

This book centered around siblings Peter, Mary and their dog named Hank. Occasionally Great Uncle Solomon has appearances too. As the siblings stumble upon ancient scrolls, they get transported to ancient Egypt during the time of Exodus. They experience the pyramids, the palace and the Great Sphinx as well as the mighty plagues and the Great Magician.

The black and white illustrations are basic but at some parts of the story but very detailed where they need to be. Not having color illustrations did not detract from the book and provided just enough to spark the imagination.

One of the features my daughter liked were the journal entries such as this one that Peter wrote:

Day 4
Pharaoh was sick of the frogs. He told Moses he would let the Israelite slaves go if Moses would ask God to take the frogs away. Moses prayed, and all the frogs died. Now there are piles of dead frogs everywhere. Then Pharaoh changed his mind and didn't let the slaves go free. You can't trust the Pharaoh. 

My daughter also thought it was really easy to understand and enjoyed how it correlated to the Bible. She thought it was a cute story since it gave an idea of what it might've been like to venture back in time and she said she liked how they introduced the characters, and how they were able to be part of the story. She also liked how in the back of the books, they provide the passages from the Bible where the reader can read more about the people, places and events from the book.

Journey to Jericho (Book #4)

This book centered around the same adventurous siblings Peter, Mary and their dog named Hank and their Great Uncle Solomon. My other daughter read this book and I decided to interview her based on her thoughts on the book:

Who is your favorite character?  
Mary because she is smart.

What did you like about the story?
I liked how the author told stories from the Bible. It made me want to read the Bible.

What was your favorite scene?
The climax of the story. Satan came and then Michael, the angel, arrived and saved the day. I also liked how the passages were recommended in the back so I could read more in the Bible.

Overall, both enjoyed the books and we liked them so much that we purchased books 1 and 2. They are easy to read, entertaining and educational from a Biblical standpoint. We would definitely recommend the series.


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After reading our reviews, check out what others on the Crew also thought of the books:

Our Learning Experience Reviewing IXL Learning's IXL Online Program

If you are a homeschooler or a parent wanting to supplement your child's learning opportunities, you are like me and like to keep options open for a program that your child(ren) will love. In the past, I have searched and often times, worksheets from IXL Learning would pop up but it wasn't until I was provided the opportunity to review the IXL annual membership from IXL Learning that I found how helpful it is. One of the things I didn't know was IXL Learning products are utilized in classrooms as well as homes in more than 190 countries around the world. The technology based learning and the long track record of success since 1998 sold me on why I wanted to try this with two of my children. IXL starts with pre-K skills all the way to adult level if one needs help for instance in Math where topics include Calculus and Geometry. Core topics include math, language arts, science, social studies as well as Spanish. 

I found getting started was very easy and as a parent, I enrolled my students and then started with the Diagnostic Arena so I could be sure that they began at the right level. The screenshot below is from my youngest and it provides her assessment as well as recommended skills to help her improve in the areas she's deficient in. It also provides the option to print out the diagnostic summary. 

Some of the other features include Usage so I can track her progress, Trouble Spots to help me guide her in how to help her, Scores provides more details into the individual assessment areas, access to the Questions and a Progress summary as shown below:

Another feature I like is the ease in accessing both my children's progress, results and more with a drop down feature:

To help keep the enthusiasm going, there are even certificates as we know children like to be rewarded!

Both my girls have spent a lot of time working through the various topics and have enjoyed some areas more than others. Math was not a favorite but my middle one enjoyed Science and learned a bit about photosynthesis.

One of both of their favorite topics was Social Studies and we spent a bit more time in this area due to the vast amount of topics that interested both of them. Here is just a sampling of the many many categories under Social Studies:

• Prehistory
• Ancient Egypt and Kush
• World Religions
• The America's: Geography
• Government
• The Constitution
• Banking and Finance

There are many more available and with a year's subscription, we will have plenty to work through. A quick way to see what each skill entails is to hover the mouse over each category and it will display a preview such as this:

That was a summary of the program and how we interacted with the many features. It's a very intuitive and easy program to allow your students to work by themselves or in the case of my girls, I needed to work along side of them to keep them encouraged as they are not good at solo online learning programs. It can even be taken on the go with mobile apps!  I really enjoyed the program and the many topics so I will continue to push them forward with using it as I think it's a great way to supplement their education.

There are three packages available:

1. $9.95 a month for single subjects;
2. $15.95 for combo package of Math and Language Arts; or
3. $19.95 for core subjects that include Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

My youngest enjoyed especially the topic of Roman Numerals as apparently, I neglected to teach her that! They both liked how easy it was to move around the different topics and grade levels. Being able to see where they were deficient also provided a good source to turn to when needed to practice more. They could return to where they left off and next to each topic was a number in parenthesis of how many were answered correctly. I liked the versatility that the program allows the child to jump around if they prefer. Overall, with over 7,500 topics and hundreds of awards, we would recommend IXL from IXL Learning. 

Also, find IXL Learning on Social Media:  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube

Check out what others on the Crew thought too:

Join in the Adventure by Heirloom Audio For the Temple Audio Review

To some, past events are boring or irrelevant or some might even feel that we have too much history to even bother diving deep into some of the past. One of the resources I like to turn to in order to change up my homeschool routine is through the stories by George Alfred Henty also better known to many as G.A. Henty. He was an English novelist and war correspondent and is known for his historical stories. Historical fiction novels are some of my favorites and although they are fictional, it still induces an interest in history. We were thrilled to be offered a chance to review For the Temple from Heirloom Audio. The two CD set and instant MP3 download audio theatre presentation is unique as it allowed us to use our imagination and provided many points that really captivated my daughter as we listened to it on a road trip. We really enjoy Biblical based stories and having the chance to listen to the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem.

We had started listening to the first audio at home but when they knew we were going on a road trip, they requested we take it on the road with us. My middle daughter spent some time getting familiar with the audio set and reading the material contained in the set before we left. The CDs contain two and a half hours of great story time with actors such as Brian Blessed from Star Wars, Tarzan and King Lear as well as Chris Larkin from Master and Commander and others that really round out this ancient drama. The stage is set with the main character, John, who lives on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. From the forces of Romes to other factions, John will have to decide who and what he will fight for.

Heirloom Audio also provides a study guide to accompany the audio presentation. It is designed for parents with younger children to help them explain and guide them through the story and lessons. It's also great for older children as it provides written assignments. The way it works, is the study guide has sets of questions that covers approximately four to eight minutes of the audio. Each set has three basic components:

1. Listening Well is great to ensure the child understands what he or she heard as well as tests the retention aspect of what they just heard. 
2. Thinking Further challenges them to think a bit deeper and has them utilizing their thoughts and imagination more. Some of the challenge questions might include the task of researching for answers.
3. Defining Words is great for introducing new words not only from a spelling asset but also to build their vocabularies. My dad was a stickler about learning words and he would have loved this.

I'm going to utilize the set that matches A Mighty Armada from the study guide to provide a more in-depth look into how the study guide works with the audio presentation. The top section contains the three sets of questions of Listening Well, Thinking Further and Defining Words. I like how thorough the sets of questions are such as "How does Josephus reply?" or "What plan does John suggest?" It not only ensures the child listened to the audio but also understood what they just heard. This was a favorite of my daughters as she likes to compete against her old sister and beat her to the answers. The assignment outside of our road trip included looking up the Defining Words and writing them out. The final section on this page of the study guide included more about Gideon's Army and contained a beautiful illustration along with more questions to encourage further thought.

In between listening to the story, I utilized the study guide to reinforce what they heard. I also had an image of the vocabulary words I had my daughter look up and write down but my photo was left behind as I'm finishing this review on my road trip. Although the trip lasted a little over five hours, the complete audio set allowed them educational entertainment. 

"It's really neat that they use sound effects to go along with the story instead of just people talking," Jamie (my middle child)

They were fascinated with the story line and the use of different actors to present the fullest opportunity to let their imagination take over. My youngest was just asking me questions about Jewish history so this was perfect timing. As John continue to endure the events of the time during the Roman occupation and all the unrest, he meets Josephus and joins his Jewish forces in Galilee. The adventures of battle are realistic and I feel better than a movie since the listener can decide the appearances of each character. John survives and returns home to continue fighting the Romans. His tenacity and loyalty continue in making him a formidable character among the Jewish people. It's a truly captivating story and a great opportunity to introduce or reinforce children to people from the Bible if they are not already familiar with them. Overall, we loved Heirloom Audio's For the Temple.

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Don't forget to click below to see what others thought about For the Temple:

Bison at Kankakee Sands, Indiana

Less than a year ago, we drove by the Kankakee Sands Nature Conservancy in Morocco, Indiana with no luck of viewing these majestic beauties. Bison, like many other areas in the country, used to roam plentiful across the Indiana prairies. This all changed with the encroachment of man, agriculture and industry. It's reported that in 1824, a traveler came across a bison near the current preserve's location and killed it. By 1830, they were all gone. Since 1996, the Nature Conservancy has been purchasing acres and restoring the prairie lands to their customary habitat. In 2016, a herd of around 23 were introduced to the prairie along with viewing areas off of Highway 41 for anyone to see.

Not only are there bison to see but it's also a birder and wildflower enthusiast's paradise as the website explains. I'll admit when I drove by, I wanted only to see the bison so my limited scope of interest and of time, prevented me from exploring. It now has 8,000 acres of wetlands and prairies and is one of the largest east of the Mississippi. There is also a sign depicting a place called Beaver Lake which would have surrounded the area except in the late 1800s, it was drained. One of the largest lakes in Indiana, seven miles long and five miles wide, it provided food, furs and shelter to the then Native Americans and later food and furs for the early settlers. It took over 20 years to drain it and it was eventually turned over to farm land.

My photo didn't turn out very well compliments of the snow storm we drove into:

After taking in the bison or walking the trails, drive a bit further to Kentland and view an ancient meteor crater that was discovered in 1880.

Can Students Learn More Effectively from Print Textbooks?

So many parents and schools are turning to eLearning as it's convenient especially with the trend towards eLearning days with various schools. It sounds good from the ease of being able to provide less books to carry and the fun notion of everything electronic but is it really a better alternative. Ignoring the entire cost aspect and the breaking the screen fear that probably many parents have, there has been a debate on the potential harm devices can do to children. There are stories about how Steve Jobs never let his children use the devices at young ages and then there is the concern of new types of ergo injuries from the use of fingers, wrists and arms to posture problems. There seems to be a host of potential con's associated with devices and the newer growing concern is the effectiveness of reading and retention. 

A new study authored by Patricia A. Alexander and Lauren M. Singer, conducted a review of the literature since 1992, found that students were in fact, able to better comprehend information in print for texts longer than a page in length. They attribute it to perhaps to the disruption factor of having to scroll to the next page which to me, makes sense. They furthered the hypothesis by conducting three studies to explore college level students' ability to comprehend information on print versus screen. Overall, the students preferred to read on a screen and read faster but the research questions asked of them showed their comprehension was higher with the printed medium.

I've also read in other literature that students who write their notes from lectures versus typing them into a laptop tend to retain the information better as well. It seems that perhaps the school systems have jumped in too fast to embrace technology at a time when it appears students are already struggling making the grade. Perhaps we, as a society, should relook at all the eLearning options out there and return to the old school methods? As devil's advocate, maybe the researchers aren't looking at it the right way and the comprehension could be achieved if a better mode of learning went hand in hand with the eLearning options.  For myself, I utilize a mixture with my children relative to some online courses, some via documentaries and others in the form of print material. 

Connecting Family History with Homeschooling

I've been interested in my family's history for as long as I can remember and I attribute that to my father. His father and other members of the family traced the genealogy of our family back when it was a bit harder than today. They actually had to travel and visit libraries, churches and governmental facilities and graveyards to garner some additional knowledge. The old fashioned pen and paper was instrumental in reaching out to others around the world in hopes of finding someone with a mutual interest and information that would unlock some doors. I still have a couple of the letters that my paternal grandfather sent seeking out members of my family and I have numerous photographs and handwritten documentation outlining the family tree. 

Thanks to technology, it's so much easier with online databases and sites such as Ancestry.com. I started out making my tree as a GED file and then gravitated towards Ancestry due to the flexibility of finding others. I not only stopped at ordering the service for my DNA but I added one for my mom. I find it all so fascinating. The two biggest issues I have with Ancestry is the cost and if you don't maintain a subscription, you lose the access to key documents you previously saved unless you saved them on your hard drive. Ultimately, I love using it and I have expanded to using many others mostly due to the DNA factor and trying to find other family members. My mom was an only child and after she left England for America, she lost contact with her cousins and grandparents. I have tried to find them with no luck. However, I have found so many interesting facts that I have been able to utilize many components with my children in the name of learning.

As most families, we have so many different lines that it's hard to keep track of who came from where. I have focused some of my research at times to utilize them as learning points. For instance, my mother's grandfather served in World War 1 for England. I was able to use resources such as maps of England and the various locations he served in the war. I was able to utilize history to further their knowledge about WW1. I was able to find out he was injured not once or twice but three times by gun fire. If that wasn't enough, he lost a 12 year old child while convalescing. These events help to provide a captivating edge to learning while personalizing them and providing a desire to learn more for them. By showing them the family line, they became interested in genealogy and wanted to learn more. 

On my father's side, we have a small tree that comes from France and one member of that family (a distant cousin) ended up becoming a prominent member of history in North America. Again, I was able to utilize history and geography to add a bit of excitement to what could have been boring subjects. I think my next project will be to create some worksheets to further enhance their knowledge of the family, the countries, the events and the time periods.

Have you ever incorporated your family history into a homeschool lesson?