Homeschooling 
Xtramath.org is a supplement we used alongside Teaching Textbooks and Times Tales this year. I found it to be a simple and effective tool to use in drilling Bradley on his math facts. It's been so easy to implement into our day, I hope I never have to use math flash cards again! The student begins the program by taking a placement test so the computer knows which facts the student already knows and which ones need to be worked on. The program gradually adds new facts while periodically quizzing the child on old ones. Students work on one math operation at a time until mastery is achieved. Students must respond within ...Read More
review
Comprehensive, Interactive, and FUN History Curriculum (Review)
For the 2011-2012 school year we used Veritas Press' online self-paced history course. This is a fun history curriculum. Bradley completed the New Testament, Greece, and Rome course. During the prior year we finished Veritas Press' Old Testament and Ancient Egypt history course, but we used their standard homeschool curriculum which I taught. Bradley loved the Old Testament and Ancient Egypt history, so I wasn't sure I wanted to make a change, but as I stated in "Planning the School Year" I knew I had to make some changes for this year. We decided that despite the extra cost we'd give it a try for this year. History ...Read More
Judges-Kings Bible Curriculum from Veritas Press (Review)
This year I decided I wanted to be more involved in Bradley's homeschooling, so I took on the task of being in charge of his Bible curriculum. I was already overseeing the time of family prayer and Bible reading at night before bedtime, so I thought this would be a good way to continue that and take some of the burden of homeschooling off my wife. The Veritas Press Bible curriculum did not disappoint. What I Liked The Veritas Press card system is very easy for kids to use. Much like their history curriculums, each Bible curriculum from 2nd through 6th grade comes with 32 cards, each detailing a specific event, period, ...Read More
No-Nonsense Spelling Curriculum -The Phonetic Zoo (Review)
One of the more tedious subject in our house has been spelling. It was often accompanied by much unhappiness. Spelling was a drudgery! We decided this school year to give the Institute for Excellence in Writings (IEW) spelling program, The Phonetic Zoo (Level A), a trial run. What's included in the program? When you purchase the starter set of The Phonetic Zoo you will get a number of different components. The program comes with: 5 audio CDs, zoo cards with the lesson's jingle, lesson cards which include the spelling words, jingle, and teachers notes, and a video seminar titled Spelling & the Brain. Each ...Read More
7 Reasons I Like Teaching Textbooks Math Curriculum
Changing math curriculum this year was a difficult decisions for me. I've always been impressed with the comprehensiveness of Saxon Math, and I like the spiral approach for Bradley. I know spiral approach doesn't work well for all students, especially those who struggle to understand mathematical concepts, but for a child like Bradley, who seems to understand math quite easily, it had been a great fit. I had started using Saxon Math K for Bradley in pre-school, and by the 2010-2011 school year he was using Saxon Math 3. The 2010-2011 school year was a challenging one for me! I was pregnant with twins, miserably sick ...Read More
Great Bedtime Stories: The Wingfeather Saga
Enter the world of Aerwiar, a land where the hordes of Gnag the Nameless have overtaken once peaceful lands, all in search of the Lost Jewels of the Shining Isle of Anniera. It is a happy world much like our own...except for the venomous and heavily armed Fangs of Dang who rule land, and except for the forests haunted with Toothy Cows, Horned Hounds, and Gargan Rockroaches, and except for the dreaded Black Carriage that comes from beyond the River Blapp to steal your children in the middle of the night. This is the world of Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga. Recently my seven-year-old and I have been reading through ...Read More
Astronomy Curriculum for Homeschoolers
I wouldn't dare try to tackle the subject of astronomy without a good textbook, so I was very excited when I found Signs & Seasons. As far as curriculums go, nothing I've seen comes close to this. Two enthusiastic thumbs up to Jay Ryan for writing such an excellent resource. This year I've been teaching a Classical Astronomy class in our local homeschool co-op. I've been using both the Signs & Seasons textbook and the accompanying Field Journal. The curriculum is meant for high-school-age students, and after trying it out in a classroom setting, I'm eager to use it with my own kids when they get older. ...Read More
