Winners

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It’s no optical illusion…

…we have some real winners!

Congrats to:

• Lauren (HoboMama) for winning 500 business cards from Digital Room
• Linda for winning a Modular Science Center from Guidecraft
• Lauren (HoboMama) AGAIN! for winning Once Upon a Baby Brother by Sarah Sullivan

Thanks to all for entering, and to the sponsors of each giveaway!

Homeschool Thoughts

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Esmé's Mom here...

Yesterday was my first day "back home" in three weeks - I've either been working or traveling or visiting relatives the entire time.

And it felt less like a "return to normal" than a quick gasp for breath before diving under again today.  My inbox is as big as it's ever been, and I'm scared to open Google Reader.

But I wanted to say hi and mention a couple of things on the homeschool topic...

First - I'm now a complete convert for summer breaks!  I've been all for year-round homeschool, but there is just so much going on during these long daylight hours that trying to keep to a school schedule is a bit ridiculous.

So...  I've got lots of stuff lined up to do with Esmé as time allows, but I'm not going to stress over not getting it done or try to keep to any schedule for now.  It's all about enjoying the moments and going with the flow.  With some planned cloudwatching and picnics thrown in.

And...  I'm kinda looking forward to fall, when we can settle back down and start working towards some specific goals.  I'm a checklist gal, after all!  (My joy comes from the planning, it seems.)

Actually - I do have a few goals for the summer:  working on pencil-holds, and developing the discipline to finish an assignment.

I've been lax in the pencil-hold department - since I'm not sure exactly when the physical coordination allows for proper tripod pencil-hold.  But since Esmé IS writing, we're going to give Rocks in My Dryer's method a shot.

And as far as assignments go - we've resorted to extortion and bribery, but we ARE getting simple worksheets and tasks completed!  Esmé's MO is to demonstrate that she CAN do the work, and then quit or do it wrong because she's "tired" or "it's too hard."

(If you have a concern about expecting 3yos to complete worksheets, stay tuned.  I've got the same concern that I am working through - and have a post in mind called "The Discipline of Learning... or the Learning of Discipline."  Yep, we got all the answers here - not!)

The second thing (yeah, that was just one thing so far...):

I've been thoroughly inspired by the Christian homeschool conference we went to this weekend - a first for me.  I've learned a lot, and hopefully will share more as we go along, but here is one of the most practical pieces of advice I got.  It was from a session about choosing curriculum - and if you haven't already guessed, curriculum choices energize and exhaust me concurrently.

It was simple:  make your curriculum choice based on the outcome you desire.  The first step is to decide what you want your child to become.

(I want my child to grow in an attitude of service to Christ and others, and to be equipped with the tools to serve.)

Why wasn't that advice obvious to me already?

Because that attitude thing isn't my main purpose for homeschooling.

I believe Christian values and attitudes are effectively taught in the home, regardless of whether a child attends school or homeschools, and traditional schools can actually be a great place to practice the Christian values and attitudes learned at home.

So my homeschooling choice is primarily for academic purposes.  Personally, I think traditional school held me back academically, so I want a program that will challenge Esmé, interest her, and allow her to move as quickly as she desires.

And that's what I've been looking for in a curriculum.

The chance to spend more time on Christian values and attitudes?  That's a side benefit.  Not something I expect a canned curriculum to provide, but something I need to personally spend lots of energy and focus on myself.

I've been fascinated to hear why others are choosing a homeschool route, and I appreciated this prompt to think through exactly why we're homeschooling when looking at all the possible types of homeschooling (er... home education?) and specific curriculums.

Having defined it, I not only am narrowing down my own choices, I also feel a little more confident in discussing my choices with others who are evangelizing their own choices.  It's easier for me to acknowledge that what's right for someone else might not be right for me, and vice versa.

Here's to making the best choice possible for each of our kids, and the flexibility to change as circumstances change!

Hey!

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Just wanted to pop in and say hi!  I’ve been having way too much fun visiting cousins for the past two weeks – first a family reunion in Portland with 2 graduations, then cousins and more to visit here in town, and just now a couple of days at the beach house with lots of cousins!

We’re back home for a day to shake sand off and catch up on work and laundry before heading up to Portland for a homeschool convention (and visit with the cousins) on Friday…

Now, back to Strawberry Shortcake while Mom unpacks the suitcases and packs them again!  Maybe we’ll get through the photos, maybe not.

Review: Whales Download N Go

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“Whales can fly.  Whales live in the water.  Whales eat penguins – lots and lots of penguins.  But not penguins that live in the house.  Whales splash in water and eat penguins.  When I saw one at the beach, it would spout water on me, and I would be wet.”

So began our unit study on whales!  That, in a whale-shell, is what I could tell you at the beginning.

Now I know ever so much more.  I know most whales eat teeny tiny itty bitty things like plankton and krill.  And fish, of course.  And I know the difference between toothed and Faline (baleen, okay, okay!) whales.

So, let’s give you a rundown on some of the things we did.  Then Mom’s got a review of the Download N Go Whale Tales study at the end.  And you can check out a Download N GO interview here.

Let’s start with books, shall we?

• Free Willy – all the movies, even the new one…
• Baby Beluga music CD by Raffi
• Humphrey: The Lost Whale by Wendy Tokuda and Richard Hall.  A true and entertaining story.
• Giant of the Sea: A Story of a Sperm Whale by Courtney Granet Raff.  A whale story.
• Jonah and the Whale by Geoffrey Patterson.  Not quite the biblical story, but it tied well with our theme.
• Whale by David Lucas. A fun, silly story.
• Sitka Rose by Shelley Gill.  A fun legendary Alaskan tale which includes a ride on a whale.  One of my favorites.
• Big Blue Whale: Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies.  A simple blue whale fact book.
• Across the Big Blue Sea by Jakki Wood.  A simple ocean life picture book.
• Do Whales Have Belly Buttons? by Melvin and Gilda Berger.  A book to thumb through for whale facts.
• The Wild Whale Watch by Joanna Cole – The Magic School Bus book.  Chapter book we read during meals and bath times.

The week was also full of online videos, activity pages, and fact finding.

We did a lapbook, of course…  Here are a few photos:

On the cover page, we put together a poem, Mom and I.  I told her words that started with certain letters, and she put them all together:

• Wagons circle;
• Helicopters whirl;
• Apples crunch.
• Loud as whales,
• Esmé’s elephant trumpets.

In the middle of the lapbook is a Jonah whale, pictures of different kinds of whales, a wheel of different oceans of the world, some facts on mammals and killer whales, and vocabulary cards.  Mom put most of it together.  On the back cover is a world map listing oceans of the world.  Did you know there is a Southern Ocean?  Mom didn’t…

In addition to the lapbook stuff, there were other activity sheets.  Like where I had to draw me and a whale.  I’m the one lying down in the sand, by the way.  And the squiggles are a spout from another whale.


There was a Jonah sequencing and pasting sheet.


And a food pyramid pasting sheet – after we talked about what whales and humans eat.

Lots more fact sheets, but we’ll stop there.

As far as activities go, we started out reviewing Creation and how whales were made.  Mom glued velcro on the back of some clipart to use on the felt board.

Then we acted out the Jonah story with more clip art that Mom happened to have on hand…

…followed by a ride in the stormy sea in my cardboard box boat!
 

I learned how to play Go Fish for the first time – with Jonah cards!


We studied the ocean.  First we made ocean pie – cream cheese filling with 1/5 strawberries on top, the rest blueberries to represent the ratio of land to ocean…

And I got to clean up afterwards!  Washing dishes is quite important.

I got out my boogie board!


Then we made soap using ocean molds.


After they got hard, I played with them – a lot.


Mom and I made a fish mobile together.  I hung the fish up all over, rather than just on the mobile hanger.


I drew a dot whale – literally!


And did some whale coloring sheets.


Of course, I had to play I was a whale…  Here I am in my flukes.
 

We did whale fingerpaintings.


And Mom folded an origami whale, then I drew the eyes and mouth on it.


I put together a whale/letter puzzle…


So that’s it in a whale-shell.  Now, for the review:

What Mom Liked:  I’ve been a big proponent of using the internet in education, and this unit fits perfectly!  While it does have some stand-alone stuff included, it also brings together book, music, and internet resources.  Lots of little video clips, links to fact sites, and links to activities round out the study.  Kind of exactly what I would put together myself if I were making up a unit study.

The study is geared towards multiple ages (grades K-4), so it would be great for a multi-grade classroom.  Some of the questions and activities are aimed towards the younger folk, while older kids would find other activities more challenging.

Overall, we both learned a great deal!  I loved having so much available in one “little” package.

What Mom Didn’t Like:  BIG lesson learned – do NOT attempt to do everything or follow every trail in this study, or you will NEVER get through it!  We are on a big time whale break at the moment while Esmé and I recover after 3 weeks of whales.  This is a one-week lesson.  And we only skimmed through Days 4 & 5…

I mentioned previously that this would be a good fit for a multi-grade setting.  While Esmé is doing some K work and parts of the study were a good fit, I found myself doing a lot of the work and then sharing the facts with her.  If I were to do this again, I would just cut out the stuff beyond her level…

So, I absolutely love this series and will definitely be checking more units out.  However, we’ll take a less strenuous approach next time to avoid burnout!
If you’re looking for a fun study for your kids, check out Download N Go to see the variety of titles they have available.  We’ll be doing the Davy Crockett one soon, and the Pizza Party looks like great fun!

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity for organizing the review download of this product. 

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Just in case this post isn’t long enough already, let me add the official Download N Go tour information for you:

About Download N Go™

Download N Go™ studies are the next generation of exciting learning products, where unit studies merge with lapbooks in a fun and easy to use curriculum product. Written by Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse, Download N Go has a growing following!


Seattle, WA - 5/25/2010 -  Download N Go™ studies are daily lessons and lapbook instructions woven together with eye-pleasing pages and interactivity based on exciting themes-ready for immediate use.
There are no expensive resources required; these units are complete and very affordable.
Download N Go™ studies are a new kind of learning experience! Exactly what will you find in each weekly study?
· Lapbooking activities.
As the student works through the week, he/she is creating a lapbook-a finished capsule of learning.
· Daily lessons.
Each study is one week in length, having five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day. Simple to use, step by step, but complete in content!
· Eye-pleasing pages of integrated, reusable studies.
Studies include history, geography, reading, science, spelling, vocabulary, writing, art, and more in reusable units, printable as needed-use them for your first child now, your second child in two years, and your third in six! Nothing is consumed.
· Resource list for optional further study.
These studies each have a great list of books that you can use to enrich your learning, but they are not required. This study is complete on its own. If desired, find books easily at your local library using the title and ISBN information for suggested optional resources.
· Interactivity built in with hyperlinks embedded right in the study.
All the research and preparation have been done! Enjoy a variety of multimedia selections, such as video clips and animations, plus educational and craft sites. You'd spend all week searching if you had to find all these great links yourself!
· Exciting themes.
Units are theme-based and full of exciting discoveries and motivation to develop lifelong learners. Your students will look forward to the next day's investigation! Designed to allow you to work them into your schedule (holidays are planned a few weeks ahead), plan to do them a few weeks after receiving them, or a few months-it's up to you!
· Ready to download for immediate use.
Download instantly! A few inexpensive materials are needed for the lapbook, consisting of basic art and school supplies you probably already have on hand such as a simple file folder, a glue stick, safety scissors, brass brads, and crayons or markers. That's it-simple, effective, and what a way to learn! The learning process is on GO from that point on-let the fun begin!

Are you planning for fall? Consider these options ...

• Studying animals? Check out the animals in Expedition Australia, Dolphin Days, and Whale Tales.
• Add hands-on history fun with Amelia Earhart, Davy Crockett, and Ben Franklin.
• Travel farther in geography with Expedition Mexico, Expedition China, Expedition Ireland, and Expedition Australia!
• There are many more possibilities!

Whether your schooling approach is unit studies, textbook, relaxed, or a mix of different styles, enriching your child's learning is easy with Download N Go™. Print your copy of the handy checklist and start adding learning, fun, and adventure today!

Remember, the more units your purchase, the bigger the savings.
The Pick Your Own Four bundle is a good deal.
The 19-week option is a better deal. But the most savings are enjoyed when you purchase the 38-week option!

Expand your family's homeschool horizons--add Download N Go™ to your homeschool! All the research is done for you; just dig right in and start learning!

Giveaway: Business Cards

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Summer was here for a few days!  Then it went away again.  But maybe it’ll come back in time for the county fair?

One of my favorite things to do at fairs and exhibit shows is drop business cards into all the fish bowls or buckets or whatever the gift drawing entries are being collected in.  One year I won three very cool exhibitor gifts in one show!

Yes, I am very good at using up business cards.  Inserting them in all the magazines at the laundromat or doctor’s office, passing them out at Halloween along with the candy, just having them available when someone needs a scrap of notepaper, etc.

Seriously, despite all the technology trends, printed business cards remain the most effective way of distributing important contact information.

Even if you don’t have a business to promote, it’s nice to have an easy way to give your contact info, blog address, family photo, motivational quote, maybe even church info, to people you meet.

So of course, I’m needing a good supply of business cards.  And Digital Room has a variety of options available.  If you don’t already have a design, it’s easy to use their online design templates.
I love the die cut business cards – with rounded corners, leaf, or half-circle cards.  You can stick with a standard size (important for people who collect business cards…) and still have something unique.


And Digital Room is sponsoring a giveaway prize for one of you! 

Giveaway Prize:

• 500 Premium Business Cards   
• 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.75 x 3.5” (slim card)   
• 14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock   
• Full Color Both Sides
• Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above

To Enter:

Just leave a comment on this post telling how you would use these cards.  Make sure I have a way to contact you via email.

If you’re a subscriber or follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Winner will be randomly chosen 6/25.

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Thanks to Digital Room for sponsoring the giveaway and a second set as a Blogger Appreciation prize.

Do you have a blog?  Check out GiveawayBlogs.com for review/giveaway opportunities such as this.

Review/Giveaway: Once Upon a Baby Brother

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Hi! I'm Esmé, and I am three years old!  I've got a cool book to tell you about.  It is OURS!

It is about Lizzie and her baby brother, Marvin.  They are writing together on the same book - see the picture?

Lizzie likes to tell stories.  They make people cry.  They must be very sad.

Lizzie writes a book about her baby brother.  She really loves her baby brother.  He is a superhero!

I would write a book about Mom.  She wouldn't be a superhero, though.  She would be a princess!

I like this book.  What I like most are the pictures.

Title: Once Upon a Baby Brother
Author: Sarah Sullivan
Pictures by:  Tricia Tusa

Genre: Children's book ages 4-8
How to enter: Leave a comment on this post! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry. And you can get a third entry by tweeting or blogging about the giveaway; just leave a comment with the link.

Entry deadline: June 25, 2010

Restrictions: US only 

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Publisher:  Farrar Straus Giroux
Physical Description: 32-page hardcover
List Price: $16.99
ISBN: 978-0374346355
For More Info:  http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com/babybrother.html 

Synopsis:

Lizzie loves to make up stories and tell them to anyone and everyone, even though now that her annoying baby brother, Marvin, has joined the family, no one has time to listen.  She's so full of ideas, it seems like nothing can stop her. And then one day, something does. What’s a star writer to do?

Lizzie finds inspiration where she least expects it in this funny picture book, illustrated with energy and pizzazz by award-winning artist Tricia Tusa.

About the Author:

Sarah Sullivan is the author of Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother (0763621269), illustrated by Paul Meisel.  She lives in West Virginia.

Tricia Tusa’s  illustrations appear in many acclaimed picture books, including the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book In a Blue Room (978-0152059927) by Jim Averbeck.  She lives in New Mexico.

What Mom Liked:  This is a great book for a little girl with lots of imagination who loves to make up stories!  Esmé can definitely relate, though she doesn't have any little brothers who inspire stories of ugly princes and Marvinosauruses and Marvinfish...  It would also be a great book for a child with a smaller sibling, as it highlights the love and value that sibling adds to the family.

I loved the illustrations, just like Esmé!  Comical, full of little details that complement the story...  Soft without being girlie - so this book would work well with both genders.

And I love the Princess Merriweather pencil!  Perfect detail in the story that will appeal to princess-lovers everywhere.  Just an example of the little details in the story that make it easy for kids to relate to. 



What Mom Didn't Like:  Pretty much nothing...  Parts of it (the school settings) were a little old for my own daughter, so I'd stick with the 5-8 age recommendation, but this is definitely a book I'd recommend.

Be sure to comment for a chance to win!


Thanks to JKS Communications and Sarah Sullivan for the review and giveaway copies of this book, and to MamaBuzz for coordinating this blog tour.

Fashion Friday

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Welcome to the latest and greatest in kid fashion!

If you've got some great fashion going on in your house, go post your fashion photos of the week, come back and link up, and then grab your sparking grape juice on ice, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

Let’s talk hair for a moment.  You may have noticed that my hair seems to be in my eyes a whole lot.

It’s not that I don’t like stuff in my hair.  I even commission styles like THIS once in a while…

But not for very long, mind you.  Every time Mom puts my hair up, it stays that way on average about 5 minutes.

Even at my best princessly moments, this is what it looks like:  

But don’t even think of cutting it.  Cuz this here – THIS is my look!  Can’t beat this for sophistication…

So I’ll just wear cowgirl hats on those bad hair days and call it good.

OK, folks, here's where you get to share the catwalk! Link up your favorite fashion shot(s) of the week...

Refresh!

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Esmé’s Mom here…

This week’s Homeschool Village question is “What do you – homeschool mom – do to get refreshed for the next school year?”

School year?  I always intended to do year-round schooling.  Especially at this age – “school” is more to keep my daughter preoccupied from creating chaos than to educate her… :)

But I’m starting to realize that the dynamics DO need to change.  And I AM in need of a break…

So here’s the plan:  I’m going to relax on the planning a bit!

We’ll dig out the games and just play, and read.  I’m not dropping Itty Bitty Bookworm, but it’ll be more a resource than a guideline of what to do each day.

If summer ever arrives in Oregon (we’re still bundled up in blankets listening to the chilling rain over here), we’ll do more outdoorsy stuff.  Outdoor art sounds awesome!  Bubbles, bike rides, gardening, picnics, sandbox play, nature scavenger hunts, walks down to the river…

And I want to develop some sort of camping kit so we can pack up and go at a moment’s notice.  Nothing discourages me from camping as much as the prep time involved. 

Now, we’ve got bins for the obvious gear – sleeping bags, tents, etc.  But I’d love some ideas on the other stuff:

• What would you pre-pack for a preschooler camping entertainment kit?  Things like a magnifying glass, bug jar, chalk, small flashlight/lantern, bubbles, bucket & shovel, drawing pad and colored pencils, journal, go fish card game?
• What are some of your favorite camp recipes?  I want to put together a kitchen kit, but I am honestly short of camp cooking ideas.  My idea of camp food is a box of granola bars, trail mix, and water bottles, which is easy, but gets boring… :)

Here’s to a refreshing summer!  For other ideas, check out the Homeschool Village…

Wordless Wednesday - Caged

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Looking out?  Or looking in?… 
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For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit

• 5 Minutes for Mom
• At Home with Auntie E
• Experimental Mommy
• From Val's Kitchen
• Go Graham Go!
• Happily Blended
• Here and There
• Live and Love...Out Loud
• Look What Mom Found
• The Mommy-Files
• Momspective 
• Mom Knows It All
• What's That Smell?
• WillTaft.com
• Wordless Wednesday
• 7 Clown Circus - Wordful Wednesday