"Coolest Bag Ever" Giveaway Winner

We have a winner!  I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Coolest Bag Ever is:
Joel & Kristin Spencer!

Thank you all for participating!

Janet

Facebook 50/50 ~ Jewelry Giveaway!

Winner chooses Scripture and colors!

Everything Beautiful Facebook (that's me!) is doing a giveaway!

50/50

When EB Facebook gets 50 likes (page likes not photo likes), I will give away

a necklace, earrings, and bracelet set worth $50!

Rules:

Like Everything Beautiful Facebook page
Share about the giveaway with your friends
Have your friends like EB Facebook
When 50 page likes is reached, your name will go into a drawing for the jewelry set!

Prize:

Jewelry Set worth $50

You choose the Scripture and bead colors

USA only, winner must be at least 18 years old

Coolest Bag Ever Giveaway ~ OPMOD P.A.C. Limited Edition Versipack

Alright moms, dads, hikers, bikers, and people who just want a cool bag-ers, this bag is it! Optics Planet has given me the coolest bag ever to give away.  It's called the "OPMOD P.A.C. Limited Edition Versipack."  Now that's a mouthful for most of us!

Retail Value: $39.99

This bag is made for people who need to carry emergency gear (are diapers emergency gear?) such as a first aid kit, flashlights, hiking gear, binoculars, ipads, ipods, headphones, cameras, pencils/pens/paper, etc, for those going to the city, the shooting range, hunting, or even for kids going on a field trip for their homeschool!


Features (from Optics Planet):

• Plenty of space - 7 compartments total.
• Tough PVC Material
• Rear concealed Carry Pocket (Holster not included)
• Velcro Patches to accommodate Hook and Loop accessories
• PALS Webbing on Front, Sides and Bottom to add anything you need to get the job done.
• Breathable Mesh Backing for comfort
• Removable and Adjustable Carry Strap with Shoulder Pad
• Available in Black or OD Green
• OPMOD Limited Lifetime Warranty

How do I see this bag being used? By:

• Cops...I mean... police officers or swat team members who need a pre-packed emergency bag to keep in their squad car
• Those who need to carry uhhh emergency items
• People who hike and want to look super cool
• Dads who want a diaper bag that isn't girly (did I really say that?)
• Guys (like my husband) who desperately NEED a man-bag but refuse to carry one 
• Guys (like my boys) who like to play air-soft out in the woods and need to carry bb's and clips
• Girls (like me) who go on field trips with her homeschooled teen boys and sometimes they have to carry the bag.  They won't be embarrassed by this one!

I can see this bag being purchased by:

• Grandmas who need to find a cool birthday gift for their grandsons and are tired of buying them video games.
• Moms and wives who are looking for great Father's Day gifts for the men in their lives.
• Men, of course, who need a bag or pack for all of the things I listed in the second paragraph!
• Photographers
• Preppers
• Hunters, hikers, police, and military
• Last but not least, people who are planning on fighting zombies.

By now, I'm sure you thought of all of the ways you could use the "OPMOD P.A.C. Limited Edition Versipack."  Sign up below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Photo credit: Optics Planet
I was given a Versipack to review and to giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Smokey Mountain Learning Adventures by Analisa L. Smith - Guest Post

Smoky Mountain Learning Adventures

Analisa L. Smith

As a young child, I spent more time in the mountains when away from home than perhaps any other place. As an adult, the mountains are our home away from home. The mountains have offered us ethereal beauty and educational opportunities that abound for our homeschooling efforts. Following are some of the activities and locations that our family has enjoyed in the Smoky Mountains and used in our homeschooling adventures.

Nature Viewing and Photo Tours

The Great Smoky Mountains is famous for its spectacular display of fall foliage, with its deep colors of yellow, orange, burnt brown, and crimson. Take in the view from October until mid November while enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, rafting, horseback riding, or scenic car rides. Be on the lookout for trees such as birch, maple, cherry, hobblebush, beech, and lush evergreens. These are great places to allow the children to make tree rubbings and learn to differentiate bark types.

Photo tours are often an unexplored learning aspect of the Smoky Mountains. One of the most photographed areas is the Cataloochee Valley, where wildlife roams freely. This area is home to many historic buildings, including springhouses and German barns, making it an opportune photography location. Cades Cove is the most visited area of the park and is home to a variety of beautiful wildlife to view, identify, and photograph. Children should be informed beforehand of how to observe wildlife properly so as not to interfere with the animals’ natural habitat.

Monte LeConte is one of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States, offering panoramic views. The highest waterfall in the Smokies can be seen at Ramsey Cascades. Make children aware of slippery footing in these areas, and be sure that you know how to read trail markers. Hiking allows you to see nature firsthand, and many hiking sites can be found by following signs along the roadsides. All hikers should know the hike destination. Allow time for breaks and exploration along the way. Some hike sites have trail guide pamphlets available; these include a map of the area, and they also pinpoint sites for optimal viewing.

Whitewater Rafting

Most of the river rafting in the Smoky Mountains takes place on the Big Pigeon River. The lower section is mild and tame while the upper section is the place to find the whitewater rapids. Raft Outdoor Adventures and USA Raft are two commercial rafting companies. Rafting is easy to find as an activity in most any place throughout the Smokies. You can often save money by booking your rafting trip online. Fees are competitive, and some outposts offer packages that include activities such as horseback riding or zip lining. Rafting does have risks, and waivers may have to be signed.

Hayrides

Hayrides are typically thought of in connection with fall festivals, but in the Smoky Mountains hayrides are offered most of the year. These hayrides offer spectacular viewing of surrounding landscape and nature. Gatlinburg has hayrides that traverse through the downtown streets during the fall months. Cades Cove offers a hayride that travels the entire 11 miles around Cades Cove Loop Road. Occasionally businesses offer wagon or carriage rides.

Festivals

The charm of Smoky Mountain towns is celebrated in their festivals as they share their culture through craft shows, quilting fairs, athletic contests, music, food, art and more. Not just a fall event, festivals can be found in the area from March through December. Some of the more celebrated festivals are the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair, the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, the Pigeon Forge Harvest Festival, and Townsend’s Winter Heritage Festival. For a schedule of upcoming festivals and other events, go to this website: www.allsmokymountainvacations.com/gatlinburg-events.html.

Wildlife

Wildlife can be spotted in the natural surroundings of the Smokies. Bears, elk, deer, turkeys, and foxes are a few of the wildlife species taking up residence there. Rangers advise that when viewing wildlife from a vehicle, drivers need to pull over to the curbside to allow other vehicles to pass.

For a close-up visit with wildlife, there are many good choices in the region. The Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Exotic Petting Zoo allow people to feed and pet animals. The Briarwood Ranch Safari Park, with hundreds of animals from six continents, offers a 4-mile safari by car, as well as wagon rides and a petting zoo. Parrot Mountain is host to the largest eco-tourist bird park in the southeast. Dinosaur Walk Museum exhibits realistic dinosaur replicas up close and personal. The Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo features more than six hundred live animals, many of which made their way to the Smokies from the rainforests of the world. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies hosts displays of more than ten thousand marine animals.

Gem Mining

Gem mining is a Smoky Mountain tradition that children of all ages enjoy. The mountains of western North Carolina and Tennessee have a rich history of gold and gem mining. It is not a clean process, and most people get wet and a little dirty. Minimally, you will end up with dirt under your fingernails.

Mining takes place in salted dirt or natural dirt. Salted dirt is dirt that has been sprinkled with some gems and rocks by the mine owners so that customers, especially children, can experience a gem find from their dirt bag. Natural dirt is just that—dirt that is dug from local mines or elsewhere and that may or may not contain gems. There are numerous gem mines throughout the Smoky Mountain region. These gem mines provide buckets or sack cloths filled with dirt and show you how to screen the dirt for gems—at a price based on bucket or bag sizes and type of dirt. This gem mining process is re-created to reflect the activities associated with the gem mines of the area from the early to middle 1800s. 

Historical Sites

In addition to the Cataloochee Valley with its high mountain peaks, there are the Tuckaleechee Caverns, which are sometimes called the “greatest sight under the Smokies.” The Old Mill & General Store located in Pigeon Forge dates back to the early 1800s and is labeled one of the country’s national treasures. There’s a resident miller who still uses the old mill to grind corn meal today, and there are many other history-related attractions to explore as well. Many historic buildings exist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including cabins, barns, and grist mills.

Museums

Museums abound in the Smoky Mountains. The Mountain Farm Museum is located on the banks of the Oconaluftee River. This outdoor, somewhat “living museum,” has gathered many historical buildings from the region to create the essence of a family farm. The best time to visit the farm museum is during the summer months when there are real livestock there. Volunteers tend the farm and wear period clothing, making the visit and learning experience more authentic.

The Wheels Through Time Museum contains a vintage collection of rare automobiles and motorcycles with unique memorabilia. The Fields of the Wood Bible Park provides a walk up the Ten Commandments Mountain and Prayer Mountain. Carbo’s Police Museum warehouses thousands of police items from around the globe. The Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center offers historical information about the Native Americans. The Elvis Museum, Guinness World Records Museum, and Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum are fun places to visit too. Each museum has its own charm and historical value.

 

Cherokee Reservation

The Cherokee Indians are a federally recognized tribe whose history and culture can be learned and observed throughout many parts of the reservation. The Oconaluftee Indian Village is operated by the Cherokee Historical Association and serves as a stepping-stone back to the 1750s. It is often referred to as a “living” museum because it hosts live reenactments, interactive demonstrations, and hands-on Cherokee arts and crafts classes.

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has many original artifacts that were made and used by the Cherokee Indians, including various forms of art, tools, and weapons. The Mountainside Theatre is home to the Unto these Hills outdoor drama—the second-largest outdoor drama in the U.S. The story portrays a Cherokee Indian who fights and sacrifices himself so that his people may remain in their home: the Smoky Mountains. Original Cherokee arts and crafts may also be viewed in many craft and gift shops found in the town of Cherokee and on the reservation.

Each of the places mentioned in this article has a website that will provide more interesting and essential information—just put your search engine to work!

Conclusion

In my opinion, the Great Smoky Mountains rise above the rest of the land to offer a piece of Heaven here on Earth. True to the name, the smoky fog that covers the Smoky Mountains conceals many of the fantastic learning adventures the mountains hold. The purpose we are called to as homeschoolers compels us to utilize what God has given us as our classroom. The Smoky Mountains await you and your family in your next homeschooling adventure.

Analisa homeschools her youngest child, who has special needs. Analisa speaks nationwide about learning issues and educating a child with special learning needs and serves colleges, professionals, and special interest groups as a consultant. Her spare time is spent with the Lord, family, and in the Carolina and Florida outdoors. More information may be found at her website: www.abledlearning.com.

Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps atwww.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices.

Homeschooler Cafe:

Photo credit

Messianic Prophecy for Kids by Brynn Padrick - Book Review

Don't let the title of this book fool you!  Messianic prophecy may be a deep subject to some, but Brynn Padrick makes it all so easily understood as she guides us... I mean the kids... through the Hebrew Scriptures to show God's truth about the Messiah (Jesus).

Brynn Padrick, the author of Messianic Prophecy for Kids, gives us a gimps into her world where she raises sheep and weaves on a loom.  Mrs. Padrick is the mother of three grown children and loves teach children of the Messiah and to weave.

Brynn has two naughty sheep of whom she tells us about in her book.  That happens to be my favorite part!  She uses her sheep, complete with pics and humor, to tell us about the Messiah in the book of Isaiah.

Messianic Prophecy for Kids is just that... for kids.  It is written in such a way that most 9-15 year olds will understand it perfectly. But this book isn't just for reading, it includes a little bit of math, fill in the blanks, places to draw, Scripture memorizing, plenty of questions, and of course underlining with beautiful colors or "threads."

My opinion:
Great book!  I love how she wrote it in a conversation like style. Homeschool moms will enjoy going through this book with their children as it covers a multitude of ways to learn and a strong emphasis on Scripture.  I like that she uses the New American Standard Version and conveniently has the Scriptures right there in the book.

I believe the kids will love the sheep as well, and see the Messiah (Jesus) very clearly in the Hebrew Scriptures.  They may even take up a new hobby as Brynn Padrick shows them how to weave on a loom!


Purchase Messianic Prophecy for Kids $13
Messianic Prophecy for Kids on Amazon $12.95

The World Race ~ Mission Trip ~ Will You Go?

As I watch the video about the Word Race, I hear the words, "Here am I. Send me." from Isaiah 6:8.

Do you want more?
What is life about anyway?
Isn't the whole Facebook scene getting old?
Is it possible that God has more out there for you than this?

Check out the Word Race

It's a GOD sized adventure!








Even if...

Even if you don't plan on going to the World Race Mission Trip and spending 11 months living out of a backpack, healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead, you can STILL be inspired.

BE...

Be inspired!  Watch these videos about the different trips and be inspired to change the world....

YOUR WORLD.

The one that you live in...

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

YOUR CITY

Serve the Lord in YOUR church and help to set some captives free.  (Did you know that there are people in bondage in every church?)

FREEDOM

Freely you have received.... freely give.

Watch here:
World Mission ~ Trip for young adults

High School Writing - Homeschool Writing - College Bound

I was searching for some good writing programs / eBooks / workbooks / instructions for our boys and came across these great resources.

High School Writing :  CAHSEE Writing Program - PDF

Script Writing Workbook High School : for aspiring film makers / writers / plays - PDF

ACT Essay Workbooks for Christian Students - PDF

Writing for the SAT : for high school students desiring to take the SAT - PDF

Novel writing for high school  : A guide / workbook for high school students desiring to write a novel - PDF

How to write for the SAT : A guide / workbook for high school students - PDF

How to analyze words in writings : Workbook for high school writing program - PDF

Literary response : Workbook for literature high school - PDF





Extra Stuff:

You can go to college - (Workbook & Questions) Guide for high school students thinking about college - PDF

Guide for the college bound high school student



photo credit: athena. via photopin cc

Giveaway: $75 for a FREE pair of glasses

WIN

$75 for a FREE pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses for anyone in your family or a friend!  

Sign up at my other blog:

www.homeward4.blogspot.com

Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms & Update

I wrote the original article (featured below) several years ago. As I searched through my blog this morning, I stumbled upon it. I chuckle as I read through it.

I want to write an update for you homeschooling mamas with little ones.  It can be a struggle but there IS light at the end of the tunnle!

 UPDATE: My boys are almost 14 and 16 now and reading and multiplication is far behind them.  I'd like to say "that is the least of my worries" but to be honest, I don't have any worries!  Amen!

Espresso is 16 and has turned out to be a wonderful young man.  He just built his first computer from parts that he and my dad bought.  He worked for the money and purchased parts as he went along (over a period of more than a year).  He even used his birthday money and other holiday moneys.  That's right, he didn't blow his money on ANYTHING!  Talk about driven and having a goal in mind.  (...mom smiles...)

Double Espresso is almost 14 now.  Reading is no longer an issue as he is reading many books on his own and he loves it! We are so proud of him as his maturity level and his Spiritual life rises.  His desire for the things of God are inspiring and we can see how God has big plans for him as he matures into an adult.





All of this to "show and tell," there IS HOPE!  Homeschooling parent, I want to encourage you.  You ARE doing the right thing.  All of your hard work, prayers, and time will pay off and probably already has even if you are not aware of it. Blessings abound!  Easier days are ahead.

I'd love to encourage you! Leave me a comment or send me an email.  :) Janet ♥

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

 

At one point Espresso had trouble reading well. I started to sweat it and get worried. My husband and other homeschoolers encouraged me to just hang in there. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and hang in there he'll catch on; AND he did!!

About 2 years later Double Espresso wasn't grasping multiplication. After hanging in there with Espresso, I knew that eventually, Double Espresso would catch on. Sure enough, it was like a light switch was flipped and he caught on.

Sometimes, it is a matter of maturity. Sometimes it is a matter of learning styles. Sometimes it is a matter of giftedness. You may even want to take a break for a little while. Eventually, something will click and your child will "get it".

If your child is having trouble in a certain area, maybe we can help give you a fresh perspective!

Homeschooling High School - It's not as hard as you imagined

When our boys were younger, I said that I would send them to school when they got to the 6th grade.  I figured that I could teach them their colors, basic math, and how to read and then ship them off for the hard stuff.  Little did I know, God had other plans.
We started our homeschool journey off by doing school at home with little desks and a little area for "school."  I purchased a wonderful boxed curriculum and tried to follow the ideals to the best of my ability.  As years passed, I discovered that there were other really great homeschooling ideas out there!  Before I knew it, I was picking from here and there and putting our curriculum together myself.  By then, I knew my kids and I knew what would best suite them.  That is known as the eclectic style.
As the kids got past the 6th grade, I realized that I was not going to be sending them to school.  Some fear did try to enter but I knew that God had called me to homeschool and He would bless us for it.  
Over time, I have also come to realize that most kids are bent a certain way and will learn best if their education is going in that particular direction.  What brought me to this realization is, I started learning a lot!  How come I didn't learn a lot in school?  Because I don't learn best out of a textbook.  As I have grown, I found out that I learn well in many other ways such as through video and research.  
If I have a specific way of learning and have certain subjects that I love, love, love, then my kids are probably the same way!  Sure enough, as time has gone on, I have found their niche and have aloud them to discover these things for themselves.  
Homeschooling high school isn't as scary as it sounds.  It's not as hard as some make it out to be.   My advise: loosen up!  

• Find ways that your child will learn and do that! 
• Find topics that they are interested in and give them complete freedom.  You will be pleasantly surprised.
• Have a full day (or more!) that they can focus solely on that subject and learn in the way that suites them best.  Is that frightening?  Sure!  
• PRAY!  Ask God to guide your young adult (you do realize that from 13 on they are young adults right?) into the areas that will guide them for the rest of their lives.

Train up a child in the way HE should go and when HE is old he will not depart from it.   Proverbs 22:6
More info: Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Train - Initiate, and so, educate.

The way he should go - Or, according to the tenor of his way, i. e., the path especially belonging to, especially fitted for, the individual's character. The proverb enjoins the closest possible study of each child's temperament and the adaptation of "his way of life" to that.

Free Music Software for the Techie Homeschool

Free Music Software 

By Andy Harris (Guest Post)

This month we look over a number of wonderful free tools for creating and enjoying music. Quite a bit of excellent free software is available.

Audio Mixing With Audacity

The most straightforward class of audio tools involves recording and manipulating sounds. Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net) is a marvelous tool for this job. Use it with a microphone to record music or speech, import audio in wav, mp3, or ogg formats, and manipulate the sound waves directly. Once you have recorded or imported a sound, you can tweak it in hundreds of ways: add digital effects play it backwards, cut out parts you don’t need, and much more.

Audacity is a multi-track editor, which means you can record several different audio samples and place them in layers for interaction. For example, my father was once responsible for creating the sound effects for a community performance of Henry V. He and I spent a wonderful afternoon gathering battle sounds for the Agincourt scene, building a marvelous multi-layer sound effect with horses and swords. (They always cast Dad as a king who dies in the first scene so he can run the sound effects for the rest of the play.)

I also frequently use Audacity in my daughter’s dance ministry, to shorten songs for performance purposes or to pre-fade a song at the spot she needs. Audacity is perfect for mixing sounds, editing audio files, and converting files to other formats. I use it for virtually all the sound effects in my game development.

Tracking With SunVox

If you really want to create digital music in a powerful way, you might want to look into SunVox (www.warmplace.ru/soft/sunvox). It is a fascinating example of what musicians call a “tracker.” Essentially, it allows you to create audio samples by specifying a specific wave or importing a sound file. Each sample can be used as the foundation of an instrument that can be used to play any note on the scale. You can then put together a measure’s worth of notes to make patterns, and you can combine patterns to make complete songs.

The process can be confusing at first, but if you look at examples and view some of the many excellent videos on YouTube, you’ll find yourself making incredible music soon. This tool allows you to create any electronic sound you wish, as well as import any other sounds, add drum tracks, and make complex and incredible music. There can be a steep learning curve, but once you understand the interface, you’ll find it to be absolutely incredible. Versions of SunVox are available for nearly every platform. The Computer versions (Windows, Linux, and Mac) are entirely free, but the mobile versions (IOS and Android) cost about $5.00 each. Use a free version first to find out if you like it. If you decide to purchase a mobile version, you’ll find that the flexible interface works very well as a mobile music studio, especially on a tablet with a bit more screen real estate.

Midi Editing With Aria Maestosa

The MIDI audio format is under-appreciated by technical folks. While MIDI files generally sound pretty bad on computers, that’s because it isn’t really a file format at all. MIDI is really a language for describing music. MIDI sounds pretty bad on most computers because most computers have very limited sound cards. When played back on more sophisticated instruments, MIDI can sound really wonderful.

MIDI does not record music. Instead, it is a form of musical notation. MIDI tools are really interesting because they allow you to look at the actual musical notation of a piece at a very detailed level. For example, I loaded up a MIDI recording of the Second Movement of Beethoven’s second symphony into a MIDI editor. I was able to see the entire score as I listened, and I could even look at the score for each individual instrument. (I was a bassoon player, so I absolutely love the woodwind trio toward the middle of this piece.)

You can also modify music, changing instruments around (What would Beethoven’s 7th have sounded like with bagpipes playing the viola part?) by modifying volumes, muting and isolating various instruments. I truly wish I could have had access to this kind of music analysis tool when I was a serious classical musician. You can find a MIDI file of nearly any classical piece you can imagine with a quick Google search. Try www.musedata.org as a starting place for some high-quality, open-source classical music. Of course, you can also compose music with a high-end MIDI editor, whether you use a mouse, the computer keyboard, or (preferably) plug in a high-end musical instrument into the computer.

I’m a big fan of Aria Maestosa (ariamaestosa.sourceforge.net/index.html). It is available free for all main operating systems. It has the ability to view and edit MIDI files in a number of ways, including the raw computer notation, as well as sheet music, piano roll, and guitar tab views. It can be a very interesting way to study music, especially if you’re comfortable reading musical notation.

Music Animation Machine

While on the classical bent, this is not exactly software (www.youtube.com/user/smalin), but one of the most impressive YouTube channels I have ever seen. If you can look past all the pop trash on YouTube, every once in a while you can find something really grand.

Stephen Malinowski is a musician and computer programmer (it’s remarkable how often those two skills coincide). He has written a number of programs that allow him to visualize classical music. On YouTube, he has produced a huge number of videos that show these remarkable visualizations. They are not only beautiful but also are instructive. If you look at an orchestral piece, for example, you will see a line representing each instrument in the orchestra. Malinowski has also released the software for producing these videos for free, so you can experiment with your own music (stephenmalinowski.com).

These tools should give you a lot of fun composing music on your computer. Don’t forget to use your headphones!

Blessings!

Andy Harris is a homeschool dad, father of four great kids, and husband to the greatest homeschool teacher ever. He has taught all ages of students, from kindergarten to university level. Andy is the author of a number of well-known books, including HTML/XHTML/CSS: All in One for Dummies, Game Programming—The L Line, PHP6/MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner, and Beginning

Flash Game Programming for Dummies. For more information about his books, to

see where he is speaking next, or to just say hi, please stop by his website:

www.aharrisbooks.net

Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the November 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the family education magazine. Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps at www.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices.

Have your children learned cursive? Updated Review ~ Penmanship

My original review is below.  I wanted to update you on this wonderful resource.  At our house, we have boys.  They haven't been the kind of boys that LIKE to write in cursive.  After I got Presidential Penmanship to review for the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I decided to keep going with it.  It has actually been exactly 3 years since I wrote the original review and my boys are still working at it!

This is how we use it, I print up some presidential quotes, 3 whole punch them, and put them in a binder.  A couple of times a week my boys (16 and 13) pull out their worksheets and practice their italics, printing, and or cursive.  You would think by now they would be expert hand writers.  Well, not so much... but they don't mind doing it and they do see the progress.  

I STILL give this educational product a huge thumbs up!  4 stars!

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

In the year 2010, it is up for debate whether or not we should teach our children proper penmanship.  In this age of technology, computers have taken over some lives. I am one of those old fashioned kind of gals that thinks it is important for even young boys to learn at least a little about good penmanship.  I always tell my boys, how are you going to read your wife's love letters if you can't read cursive?  (Ok, at 10 and 13, they probably don't care!) 

I received Presidential Penmanship (Italic Style) from Zeezok Publishing to review as part of The Old Schoolhouse CREW.  Please don't base your opinion on the title and look of this CD.  When it first came in the mail, I was less than impressed.  It looks old fashioned and the title makes it sound boring.  Once I opened it up and saw all of the wonderful, character building quotes, I quickly formed a different opinion!

This is a complete handwriting practice CD from 1st grade up through senior high.  It is FULL of quotes from past presidents like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and also has plenty of Bible verses.

"Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones. ~ Theodore Roosevelt"

In the years that I have taught the boys handwriting, my belief is that if they are writing, it should count for more than just cursive.  I've always had them write Bible verses so this CD comes in handy.  All of the work is done for me through senior high!

This CD sells for $39.99.  We will get a lot of use out of it over the next 5-7 years!

I am not paid to review products.  All opinions are mine.

Free online art classes - Older kids, teens, and adults

Art is a subject that is often neglected or totally avoided in homeschools, especially once coloring books have been put away.

If your child or teen shows any interest in art, I will encourage you to explore some of the free online art lesson links that I have provided.

Even in this age of technology, art is still necessary.  Commercials, graphics, signs, logos... all take an artist to make them come about.  My son (16) is totally into motion graphics and adding special effects to videos, and even that takes an art mind.

Here are some helpful links for free art lessons, videos, and tutorials.

The Virtual Instructor ~ Free online art lessons
Acrylic Painting
Composition
Watercolor Painting
Creating a Focal Point
Drawing

Art Factory ~ Free online art lessons
Art Lessons
Design Lessons

Paint Basket ~ Free online art lessons videos

How to Draw and Paint Videos


photo credit: Kalexanderson via photopin cc

Kitchen Science

My son LOVES kitchen science!

Here are 2 great resources:

I was reading blogs today and I came upon Miazagora's Homeschool Minutes.  She had a post about a  piza box solar oven.

That peaked my interest so I visited the Kitchen Pantry Scientist.  She has some wonderfully easy science projects on her website.  These projects are great for all ages to do together.

Free eBooks ~ G A Henty ~ Wonderful Resource!

I am including links to free eBooks which, if desired, can be combined with free audio books!  Believe it or not, these stories that are on audio are read quite nicely and are not boring at all.  What a perfect way for boys to get some living history!

About G. A. Henty from eBooks Library:

"Henty's stories almost always revolve around a fictional boy hero during interesting periods of history. His heroes are diligent, courageous, intelligent and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril. His histories, particularly battle accounts, have been recognized by historian scholars for their accuracy. In fact, the only criticism Henty faced by the liberals of his day was that his heroes were "too Christian." There is nothing dry in Mr. Henty's stories and thus he removes the drudgery and laborious task often associated with the study of history."

Project Gutenberg Titles by G. A. Henty (Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902)

Free audio books ~ Titles by G. A. Henty

This is what a 15 year old homeschooled student has to say about G A Henty: Design Your Homeschool