TOS Crew Review: Peterson Directed Handwriting

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I volunteered to review the Peterson Directed Handwriting program. I was given several e-products to use with my children.

Peterson Directed Handwriting is a method and materials for teaching fluent print and cursive handwriting skills. The method calls for movement-based instruction with the goal of achieving fluency in writing.

Students will "develop a recording in the muscle memory" using the following steps:

• illustrate and describe
• write in the air and say
• finger trace and say
• write and say

I spent an hour on the phone with this vendor so that he could explain the concept to me and to help me choose which levels and products were appropriate for my kids. The saying part of the process above is very important. If the child stops "saying" as he writes, then he is relying on the visual cues of handwriting rather than a muscle "imprint".

Just by talking with the vendor I was able to learn how my children should be approaching their paper and it was most helpful to me to learn about my leftie. I7 is our only leftie and though he is a left hander, he approaches writing as a right-hander.

I have both the Cursive and Manuscript programs so use with my older and younger kids. The cost for the program is $29.95 for Cursive Step 4.

This program can help if you have a student struggling to put words on a page. Learning to write fluently will reduce frustration because he will no longer have to wrestle with the mechanics for writing on paper, instead using his time better by concentrating on the content of whatever he is writing.

This is a fantastic tool if you find yourself with a reluctant writer because she is encumbered with the writing itself. I also learned a great deal about working with my left-hander and how to change the pencil grip if you have any kids who hold a pencil improperly.

Each of my kids has a little idiosyncrasies when it comes to handwriting. I think using this method will help even my older kids to be more fluent. The question is, is it worth it to put in that extra ten minutes a day to correct this problem. I'm still on the fence about that, but the vendor says you'll see a difference in about 3 weeks.

It's worth it just to get in on an information session if you have an emerging writer. I'll update you on how the pencil grip and adventures with Mr. Leftie just as soon as I can.

TOS Crew Review: Super Star Speech

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I volunteered to review materials for Super Star Speech. As a mom of a severely apraxic child, we had a lot of speech therapy at our house and I thought it would be great to review some materials designed for use at home with families.

We had a wonderful speech therapist who visited our home 2 times a week for just under 2 years. She was a homeschooler herself and encouraged us to work with I7 on our own and actually that was part of the deal in getting this particular therapist. She was only available twice a week and I7 had to have three days of therapy. We agreed to work with him the third session each week and it worked well for us.

I highly recommend, that if you have a question about your child's speech, that you go for the evaluation through early intervention programs in your area. We had I7 evaluated at 2 yrs old because he had no speech. Turns out he had the expressive language of a 9 month old and even then not all of the sounds a 9 month old would have. His receptive language was well over 3yrs old so sign language worked very well for him. He understood so much and when we gave him a tool to use to communicate with us it was fabulous! Then we worked on getting him to make sounds.

Whether or not you choose to pursue professional speech therapy, early intervention gives you a good starting place. Super Star Speech is another tool you can use to work with your children on improving their speech.

The following products are available:

• Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple (ring bound $22.95, spiral bound $18.95, or less for ebook)
  
• Super Star R & L (spiral bound $18.95 or less for ebook)
  
• Super Star S, Z, & Sh (spiral bound $18.85 or less for ebook)
  
• Super Star Ch, J, Th ($12.95 for ebook at CurrClick)
  
• Super Star Speech Complete Set (ring bound $49.95, spiral bound $38.95)

Each book includes information on general speech therapy and:

• how to make the sound in question and tips for teaching the sound to your child (placement of his tongue in order to make the sound, etc.)
• word lists for the sound
• therapy games and activities- this one is a HUGE benefit. We used to do A LOT of therapy through games and activities.
• and extra practice.

For $5.95 you can purchase the game and picture pack to use with the books you purchase.

This program is wonderful! If you've ever been asked to work with your child on articulation or if you are like me, then your child has been dismissed from formal therapy but still has some articulation issues. These are great tools in helping your child meet his speech goals.

My husband and I played with I7 countless numbers of hours on his speech usually through play, but also through some drill and oral motor exercises. We had an excellent therapist who gave us ideas and helped us along. However, just having extra tools in your back pocket as a parent is empowering!

In addition, if for some reason speech therapy is not available to you then Super Star Speech makes it doable for any family. Or perhaps your 5 year old has a nagging lisp. This product will help you work on proper placement of his tongue so that he can pronounce the S sound correctly.

Great product! I'm looking forward to using it with I7 on some of his lingering R articulation issues. He has come a long way since being diagnosed with severe apraxia! He is fully articulate now having dropped his sign language about 9 months into his intense therapy.

You cannot go wrong with Super Star Speech even if you are just aiming to educate yourself on the therapy process as your child experiences it.

Bravo Deborah! Thanks!

TOS Crew Review: The Great Latin Adventure

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent to keep The Great Latin Adventure Levels 1 and 2 from Classical Legacy Press.

The Great Latin Adventure Level I is designed for beginning students in grades 4-6. It has a friendly style with fun sentences to translate. It has Christian content in the classical pronunciation.

The scope of Level I includes:

• Conjugating first conjugation verbs in the present tense
• decline first declension nouns
• translate lively sentences
• translate from and into Latin
• and more!

In Level 2 students will learn new noun cases and new verb tenses, etc that allow them to do translation of rich sentences. At the end of Level II your student will be able to:

• know hundreds of Latin vocabulary words
• be familiar with many english derivatives

Students will be able to translate sentences with:

• complementary infinitives
• direct and indirect objects
• imperfect and future tense verbs
• prepositions taking the accusative
  case
• the ablative of means—an advanced
  construction
• possessive nouns
• and more!

The cost for The Great Latin Adventure is $30.00 for the teacher's manuals without the binder included and $15.00 for the student booklets unbound. You can pay $7 to $10 more for the binder to be included.

I'm excited to try The Great Latin Adventure! I was given both levels because my kids had already begun Latin prior to this review process. I'm anxious to give it more of a try as our school year begins again and see how the kids like it compared to the current program we use.

The authors of the program are very nice to work with and are very willing to help out with any questions you have. I had not heard of this particular Latin product and I really like what I see so far.

If you've considered studying Latin in your homeschool, I suggest without hesitation that you try The Great Latin Adventure. The translations are fun and the price is fairly nominal compared to other foreign language programs.

TOS Crew Review: Lobster Network

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was asked to take a look at and review LobsterNetwork.com. Anyone can try it, you can sign up for FREE!

LobsterNetwork is an "item networking site".

Anything you can think of sharing with others, you can post on LobsterNetwork- audios, books, tools, videos, video games, etc.

You can lend things, sell things, borrow things, trade things, and give things away using the LobsterNetwork and only with people whom you choose.


You register and begin to make friends so you can browse their stuff.

How LobsterNetwork works:(from their website)

	It's simple.	Create a personal library of your stuff.
	It's easy.	Create friendships with the people you know.
	It's fast.	Browse your friend’s stuff and request to borrow something.
	It's flexible.	Approve or reject any request for your stuff.
	It's controlled.	Decide who sees your stuff. Even create "communities" of friends that only share stuff with each other.
	It's helpful.	It tracks your stuff on loan and automatically reminds your friends when to return your stuff.
	It's secure.	Keep a private inventory of your stuff online for insurance purposes. Include pictures too.
	It's free.	Best of all it's free.

To find out more, you can go to the LobsterNetwork site and take a tour. The concept is interesting. For no fee you can have another way of moving on things you don't need anymore and collecting things you do need. As a person who takes great care to move things out regularly (small space and all that), it's great to have another tool to use that appears to be safe and easy to use.

However, just like I don't use social networking sites like Facebook, I don't have time in my life for "stuff networking". I have some tried and true ways to buy, sell, and give away items that work well, but I can keep LobsterNetwork in mind when that changes.

Scavenger Hunt

As our study of The Salamander Room comes to a close, the kids embarked on a scavenger hunt. This is an activity in the FIAR manual of course and we used the page from the Fold n Learn that goes with the story.

the checklist

I7 shows off his two different colored rocks.

I thought this unit would be a fabulous way to end our school year, but the weather has not cooperated. We had snow at Mother's Day with lots of rainy, cloudy COLD days and days with hot, hot, hot sun and high temperatures. So, we did not get out as much as I would have liked. During great weather day's R9 was doing a lot of play rehearsals.

However, we are calling it good and moving on. We will visit classification and the animal kingdom again for sure and we'll add the next layer.

I have a few more posts to do on this unit and then I'll start posting on our summer plans. Our 2009-2010 school year is over as of Friday. E11 and R9 have IOWA testing Tuesday and Wednesday this week and then we are taking a several week break of it all.

15 Years Ago...

Dan asked me to marry him.
At the school where I taught
In front of 170 6th and 7th graders
On a Friday afternoon just before the start of Memorial Day Weekend,
1995

Thanks for asking Dan.
I love you!

Grill Intervention

It was a pleasant, somewhat sunny Sunday afternoon and friends were planning to join us after church for some lunch and hanging out. My friend and I had discussed on a few occasions the day before what the menu would be and the plan for the get together. At one point she had mentioned rotisserie chicken since we couldn't grill. I explained that we had tons of meat, but we could not grill.

After years of using this old green Sunbeam grill, Dan had decided that it might be time to give it up. The grill is 12 years old. We got it just after buying our first house- back in Virginia. Three years ago now I think, the kids and I bought Dan a whole bunch of things to refurbish it- new burner, new grate, a new cover, some tools for the trade.

But still...it was getting bad. Really bad. The front of the grill was no longer attached to the frame so when the wind was blowing Dan had to hold down the front of the grill with his bbq fork while he grilled with the top up. Plus, you had to open it s-l-o-w-l-y. Sometimes flames would shoot out the back when the wind blew. And lately, he had to do a lot of flipping because there was only one tiny place where any flame would cook.

I'd been bugging him for a while to get a new grill, but no. Every year he says, "I'll wait till the sales in the fall." Then he doesn't get one. However, the last time he cooked a steak, he ran out of gas and hasn't replaced it. He finally said, "I think the grill is done." But that didn't mean he was going to buy a new one! FYI- frugality is a recent trait in my husband likely brought on by four kids and one income...he was not at all like this when we got married. Which begs the question why we didn't start with a super stainless steel model in the first place....come to think of it.

So, back to our get together...when Lisa and I settled the final plans for Sunday she said, "Do you mind if we bring the bbq?" Naturally I said no and considered what cooked, bbq-ed meat she might be bringing so I could have the right sides to go with it.

Turns out she meant "bring the bbq"! So, when they drove into our yard with a cart and a grill in it I started laughing! I knew the cart was coming with them because they've been taking some old tree trunks from us, but when I looked up and saw the grill in the back I knew...we were having a bbq!

So...Matt decided to stage a grill intervention on Dan. Since this was their spare grill (for camping only) and it was taking up precious shed space he would insist on leaving it with us and taking our grill away for good. He offered to take our grill with him...something about an upcoming "metal day" at the local dump.

Dan protests- saying good bye is hard.

He commits to letting it go. Ultimately, Dan remembered that the grill wasn't attached to the base and when they braked, it would fly forward so they turned the top on it's side and about 10 pounds of rust fell to the bottom of the cart. It was bad.

The spare grill- Matt will arrive Sunday after church to retrieve it any time they are going camping. The new grill is a loaner...Dan would only take it knowing he was helping a friend with a storage problem.

He made Matt promise to take his grill to a place where there are wide open fields and lots of grilling going on. Matt sent us this photo of our grill upon arrival at the farm. The caption read:

And here my story ends. My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake,I fancy I am still on the deck gazing through the window at the family that I loved so.

As for Dan...he told me this morning that he plans to catch some grills on sale this fall. Of course.

TOS Crew Review: Ideal Curriculum

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given an electronic copy of a preschool curriculum on transportation from Ideal Curriculum.

Ideal Curriculum focuses on skills for preschoolers. Their programs are designed to make sure your preschooler is ready for academics while balancing the need for play.

The Level 1 Monthly Kits are crafted so that they are fun, easy to use and play based.

From the website:

Our Level 1 monthly kits thoroughly prepare young children for academic learning.

• Each skill area for reading, writing, math, oral language, and science is developed in a sequential, systematic way and tracked by short assessments.
• All activities are based on games, songs, and play so they are appropriate and fun!

We are so convinced that you will LOVE our preschool kits that we are giving you a free trial! Sign up now and get a one-week curriculum for free.

The print version is $55.00 and the downloadable version is $33.00.

I was able to see level 1, month 1 on transportation. Each monthly kit is divided into a math, science, and literature section with the teacher's manuals included. There is a lot of information there on how to teach young children with varying strategies for math, science and reading. The skills build on one another so it's important to do the kits in order.

While I can see a lot of thought was put into this program, I would not be honest if I suggested that everyone buy this up. The fact is I think "programs" for preschoolers are not necessary IF there is a parent playing and engaging the preschooler in many ways. J4, our resident preschooler, is past this first set of skills.

On the other hand, if you are not a person who plays well naturally with your children, then the teacher's guides in the kits will give you some great information on spending time with them and this curriculum might be for you. I will enjoy using things here and there for Kindergarten this coming year for J4.

TOS Crew Review: History of the US Exam Prep

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a copy and asked to review an Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Prep DVD (though I have no high schoolers) for US History. Cerebellum Corporation produces the DVDs to help students prepare for the AP Exam.

It is a 2 disc set totaling 73 minutes. The cost is $14.98 and is currently on sale for $11.24.

Topics Include:

• Manifest Destiny
• Articles of Confederation
• Origins of the Two-Party System
• Jacksonian Democracy
• Slavery and The Civil War
• Jim Crow Laws
• The Progressive Era
• The Great Depression and The New Deal
• WW II
• The Civil Rights Movement & the Vietnam War

Each program includes a digital workbook with video notes, practice questions, and quizzes. There are effective test-taking advice and helpful tips.

This appears to be an interesting way for students to review for the AP exam. Not having high school students preparing to take an exam, I really cannot speak to its effectiveness. However, the price is nominal if you have a student who will be taking the AP US History Exam and you want to provide them with extra study material.

More Field Trip Fun!

Last week while R9 was at her Creative Sew, I took the boys to the science center. It was a fantastic visit. The museum was nearly empty and we had plenty of time to explore. We only had a bit over an hour and the boys and I had a good time.

First stop- building a dam. I7 took care of diverting some water so construction could begin.

Construction is ongoing. All three boys had a hand in the action.

Almost there- this was a great activity for a warm day.

The dam is a little leaky and we discussed the implications...the grooves at the bottom are supposed to allow water to leak in a controlled way.

Impounded water- success!

uh-oh...a structural failure!

Then we moved to "Scope on a Rope". J4 is checking out butterfly wings.

This is a family favorite- the geyser. J4 loves to watch the water come to a boil and shoot out.

There she blows!

This is the backdrop to the geyser on the outdoor science area.

Not a bad way to wait out a sibling's activity! Usually we go to the grocery store. This was much more pleasant for us all.

Stay tuned as tomorrow we will put a maple tree seed under our digital microscope...

Book Reports

During our Salamander Room unit, I decided to have the kids do a book report on a book related somehow to nature/outdoor adventures - you know in the spirit of The Salamander Room. I took the recommendation of Jimmie, a fellow blogger, and decided to use the Weekly Reader - Let's Write a Great Book Report booklet. For under $5, I thought it would be something easy to try with our books.

First we established a calendar for finishing the different steps of the report. The kids took notes on words they didn't know. I7 found a lot more he didn't know the second time he did a chapter as he read to me.

We've been talking about story structure and sequence of events in addition to cause and effect.

Of course we talked about setting and plot. E11 has considered this really easy and it's been a challenge for the younger ones. Still it's good practice in reviewing all these elements and I'm hoping to see a fine product in the end.

As you can see, R9 chose My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. E11 chose On the Far Side of the Mountain also by Jean Craighead George and I7 chose Daniel Boone- Young Hunter and Tracker by Augusta Stevenson (once I convinced him there would be plenty of adventure). They've all enjoyed their own perspective on enjoying the outdoors through their book choices.

I'm looking forward to the final product by the end of this week.

Recent Field Trips

This was a few weeks ago actually- one day when R9 had play practice (play post coming soon I hope). I took the boys to our local science center which is always a good experience. If you have a nearby science museum, I highly recommend the membership option if there is one. Then you can use it to go lots of other places for free.

Of course we visited the animal room which has lots of fun critters and specifically a huge amphibian tank.

The corn snake was unusually active this particular afternoon. I have one shot of I7 face to face with the snake.

The boys enjoyed an earthquake video.

The fault line map...in relief. Fun.

Here you can build a building and try to shore it up with rods and then push the button for a quake to happen to see how you did with constructing your building.

We went there again yesterday so I have more pictures for you. Yesterday was a really good visit. Another reason I like to have the membership is that on a day when you have extra time in town you can stop in for an hour and not feel like you've wasted the fee. The top tier membership gets us free into children's museums as well. I know I've mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again.

What field trips have you taken lately?

Baseball 2010

We have been entirely too busy with baseball over the last four weeks and with only two weeks to go I thought I'd share a few fun shots.

All three boys are playing this year and because of the different leagues they are in and the nights they play, we are at the ball field four nights a week. We were supposed to do some travel games, but most of the Saturday games have been canceled- by the grace of God.

Unfortunately, the season is nearly over and we've missed a lot of games due to snow and rain and general miserableness. It's true. Then most of the other games have been played in 40 degree windy weather which I'm hear to tell you is fine for football, but NOT for baseball!

J4 is playing teeball for the first time. I don't know that he'll be back for more. he's hot and cold with it. They've started batting while being pitched at and he's a hitter. Most of the time.

I7 is playing on the minor leagues after two years at coach pitch. He started teeball at 4yo like J4 has. He's playing catcher here which, as he realized, is not the place for a kid who doesn't like to be aggressive about...catching. Ahem. Also, he had to use his regular mitt since they didn't have a leftie catcher's mitt.

E11 is playing his second season on majors. He's such a good fielder often playing second base and short stop. Here he is this past week in right field.

Reportedly, I7's favorite time of baseball is sitting on the bench. Let that sink in...

E11's batting is really improving. In this game he hit one double and two singles and was completely hosed by the ref on one hit with a bad call. He just needs to work on not hitting the ball down the first base line. One step at a time I guess.

I7 at second base. Let's just say this was not a busy spot that night. Hitters were few and FAR between.

Thankfully, we'll be done with the season in two weeks. Seems quick even though day to day it is NOT at all quick. With games at 6pm, we usually walk down because parking is so bad and that means dinner is early and without Dan. A Total Stink.

So, I'll be glad for some peaceful evenings again, but it's been fun to see the boys enjoy the sport. Well for E11 to enjoy the sport! The other boys not so much.

Tadpoles!

So, we've been doing a lot of work with The Salamander Room for FIAR. I'm taking the time to do a lot of classification and habitat studies. We bought the Frog Hatchery Kit from Home Science Tools.

I know what you are thinking...you all probably just visit the local pond for some homegrown tadpoles. But actually, usually this is inadvisable for several reasons. One is that we want to leave the tadpoles where they belong and the second reason is even stronger- amphibians from local habitats can carry salmonella.

When I taught biology, I was not allowed to have specimens brought in from students or ones that I collected in the classroom. No more box turtles, etc. The risk was too great. So, I just go with that rule of thumb and I purchased the kit.

Depending on the time of year, you'll end up with a Leopard Frog or an African Water Frog. Leopard frogs will eventually need a terrarium rather than an aquarium. However, the water frogs will live under water all of their lives. They are typically safe from salmonella, BUT you cannot release them into your local environment once the tadpoles have grown.

These frogs are ours and by all reports, given proper care, they can live up to ten years!!

They arrived in a small package with 10 tadpoles, some of which had already perished. Seven were alive waiting for spring water- Dan had to bring some home. Our water is chlorinated. Of course I don't know how that really works since most bottled water is tap water from some municipality. In the end, we have FIVE. Five tadpoles growing like CrAzY.

Cleaning the water- replace half of the water and then I used a pipette to siphon out some of the organic matter from the bottom of the tank.

The kids have enjoyed watching them grow and since we have five, we're going to need at least one more of the same container when they grow to frogs. Wow.