Achieving Spanish Fluency {Review}

Middlebury Interactive Languages gave my family free access to High School Spanish II Fluency for grades 9-12 in exchange for this review.

We are always on the lookout for the best way to learn Spanish more fluently as a family, besides moving to Mexico or, my personal favorite option, hiring a Spanish-speaking cook. We frequently are in areas where Spanish is pretty essential. In fact, we participate in Spanish services often enough in our mission travels to necessitate at least a working fluency in the language. You can’t get much beyond lunch with a vocabulary of “taco burrito fajita el pollo loco por favor y gracias.” Ever on the hunt, we gave Middlebury Interactive Languages a try.

Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}
Middlebury Interactive Languages is an online curriculum that uses a multi-faceted, immersion-like approach to teaching the following four languages:

They offer courses developed by experts in linguistics and academia (smart people) for elementary, middle school, and high school, including advanced placement. As I already said, (but maybe you weren’t listening because a bit of fluff flew in your ear), we are using High School Spanish II Fluency. If you would prefer information on one of these other languages or levels, feel free to click on the banner below and you’ll be whisked away to the Homeschool Review Crew’s numerous other reviews on these language courses. I believe the reviews are all written in English, so never fear if you’re still one-lingual…er, monolingual:

Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}
The Middlebury courses teach language and culture by incorporating reading, writing, speaking, and–the toughie for me–listening. This four-faceted approach enhances the learning experience and solidifies the language in the students’ heads…hopefully.

Each level is age-appropriate, with the earlier levels focusing more on vocabulary and growing in complexity as they advance. Makes sense, right? Many levels also have the option of teacher support.

The course we are following is specifically designed to increase communication skills and cultural understanding, as opposed to a strong grammar and usage focus on a scholastic level. This suits us, because of our Spanish exposure in the mission field as opposed to the academic world.

The fluency course involves quite a few real people–they’re only on the screen, so none of them will be coming over and eating your cookies. They are real teens telling you real things at, unfortunately for my ears, real speed.

Because my family has already studied Spanish for over a year, we are ready for level II at a grammatical and vocabulary level, even at a reading and writing level, but where we struggle is with the listening. When I speak Spanish with my kids, I’m not exactly Speedy Gonzalez. Listening to and watching videos of native speakers talking in Spanish is exactly the element our Spanish studies have been missing.

I was tempted to back up and take the second semester of Level I instead, but honestly, we know all that stuff already. What we really need is the hard stuff–comprehending the native speakers. So instead of backing up, we listen to the same videos over and over and over again until we could tell you exactly what Ana likes to do in her spare time and who Cristiano’s cousin is and who likes to play guitar and who likes volleyball. Ask us! We know.

The high school level is definitely challenging, but here’s the good news:
  1. We can do it, and if we can you can.
  2. You do not need to know Spanish (or any language) to use these courses.
  3. If you select the wrong course and aren’t able to keep up, talk to the folks at Middlebury about backing up. It is my understanding that they will help you find where you belong.
  4. The course is self-paced (within a total timeframe), so if you need to watch, for example, Ana’s video 75 times, you may and you can. You can also clear all the answers on your examinations and practice pages and do them again and again and again. That way, you can exercise your weak area and level out your skill set–that’s fancy talk for “get better at Spanish.”

 

Here’s my overall impression of this course:

I’m an old dog. Understanding Spanish speakers is a relatively new trick, something I’ve struggled with since I started studying languages decades ago. In fact, I pretty much bombed my oral French examination when I lived in England–writing: good, reading: fantastic, vocabulary: no problem, listening: fail! (Note to other French students: when the professor asks where you are from in the States and how long you have been studying in England, don’t tell him you like trees and horses and definitely don’t ask him if you can have bread and cheese for breakfast.)

In all my Spanish studies, the part that was seriously lacking was listening. This program is not as good as having an excellent Spanish-speaking cook move into the travel trailer with us, but it takes up a lot less space. In fact, it takes up no space at all. And it offers the one segment of language training that we are missing–listening. At the risk of sounding even more redundant, the repetitive listening has helped get a better feel for the sound of the language…although I wouldn’t cry if there were subtitles and I could cheat. That is the challenge with immersion courses–what on earth are you people telling me to do?!

Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}

I had trouble figuring the course out at first from a technical level, and I don’t like that. The boxes on the left, the big screen on the right–it confused my Olde School Brain. But once I got rolling, I was A-okay. In fact, I like it. I like the gentle approach to useful grammar, the emphasis on listening, and the useable vocabulary. Most everything we’ve heard so far is something we would say in a legitimate conversation.

And here’s the ultimate compliment: we’re continuing with this course beyond the review period. We are going to finish as much of this course as we can in the next year. I doubt we will complete the whole 90 lessons, because we are slooooooow pokes. You, however, are probably a little speedier.

Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}
Three things for my fellow roadschoolers:

Uno: This program teaches fluency. That will be useful to you if you choose a language you need in an area you are traveling. The other programs deal more with academic language learning, and that’s great, too, but if you want to learn the culture and be able to chat over quesadillas, this is great!

Dos: This program takes up no space, because it is completely online.

Tres: This program needs a solid internet connection, which we didn’t have for a chunk of the review period, which is probably part of the reason we didn’t “get it” at first. For the more recent days when the connection is rapido, everything has run smoothly. Still, the amount of time we spend without a speedy connection affects our ability to use the program. Boo.

Do I still recommend it? Yes, I do, at least from what I’ve seen so far in our slow and unsteady approach in the high school fluency course.

Enough from me. Go visit Middlebury in the social realm on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

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Have You Tried Freezer Cooking? {Review}

Please note: MyFreezEasy gave us a free MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership for the purposes of this review. I told them all about our situation and how brutally honest I would have to be, but they gave it to us anyway. They’re either super brave, or they’re super confident about their subscription. Specifically, we are using the Premium Annual Membership. Also, this contains affiliate links (see my note at the bottom about becoming an affiliate after I reviewed the product and loved it).

If you’re a totally normal person, you might prefer to watch the video on the bottom of the FAQ Page or read what other reviewers have to say by clicking on this banner:

MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership {MyFreezEasy}
If, however, you are restrained by dietary issues, budgets tighter than my waistband on Thanksgiving, or a kitchen so small your kids think an apartment is a mansion, you’re in the right place.

First, a brief description:

MyFreezEasy is a menu planning subscription service that offers meal plans designed to be frozen for later.

Was that brief enough for you?

Now, some details:

There are a variety of different meal plan options, as you can see on this self-explanatory graphic below…which I will not explain:

MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership {MyFreezEasy}
Each meal plan gives you two each of five different meals, except, obviously, the 20-meal plan, which doubles it. You can do that math yourself if you don’t believe me. So, if you follow a meal plan exactly, you will end up with, for example, two chicken taco meals, two Italian chicken meals, two whatever-else-is-on-your-plan meals, for a total of 10. Get it?

The premium plan allows you to swap out meals, essentially building your own plan according to your needs. Of course, if you’re like me, and you subscribe to a meal plan because you don’t want to have to build your own plan, the many options above encompass quite a few needs and preferences. And the meal plans themselves offer gluten-free and dairy-free options to further meet your needs.

There are also a number of printables…like these:

MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership {MyFreezEasy}
That includes the following:

  • printable labels with directions on how to prep those beauties you just tucked into your freezer.
  • shopping lists arranged per recipe and per store section.
  • instructions for freezing the meal
  • instructions for making the meal right away (so you can make one and freeze one–you do need to eat on freezer cooking day after all)
  • prep instructions
  • assembly instructions by the recipe or everything at once

There is also a video for each of the meal plans.

Time for our limitations:

We have the following issues which make using a meal plan made by anybody but us difficult at best:

    1. We have a daughter with Crohn’s disease who is on a restricted diet, and no, that doesn’t just mean dairy-free or gluten-free, and no you don’t know what we’re going through just because you’re lactose intolerance or your cat has ulcerative colitis. (Did I just sound off? Sorry.)
    2. We are a family of 10. We eat more food than a family of four. You’re welcome for sharing that obviousness.
    3. We live in a travel trailer and have roughly 250 square feet.
    4. We cook with a single burner and have limited use of ovens and other modern conveniences.
    5. We live on a music missionary’s salary. (Just so you know, music missionaries don’t get a salary–we live off the donations of those who listen to our music and CD purchases.)
    6. Our freezer isn’t much taller than my head.
    7. We don’t really have good printer access.
    8. We don’t have good internet access.
    9. We have an eratic schedule and time constraints.

Want to know how MyFreezeEasy meals measured up?

Let’s tackle each issue one by one.

1. Restricted diet.

See that Clean Eating Plan? We used it. In September, it was great! Hannah can’t eat potatoes, so I cooked those separately, but otherwise we could all eat every meal exactly as written. Those of you who have to cook a variety of foods for a variety of conditions are in tears of joy with me right now, aren’t you?

In October, I was super excited to check out the Clean Eating plan, but alas, the spinach burgers had bread crumbs in–two cups! That ain’t clean eatin’ in our book, so I had to swap that out. Another recipe used taco seasoning and yet another used vinaigrette dressing. Because I don’t have any of those things on hand and can’t easily find them, I have to look up another recipe or (as I do) make something up. I was bummed to have to resort to that again.

That said, it wasn’t a huge deal, since I’m used to it. I still would have so much preferred they used real, clean ingredients instead of blends and bottles. With the premium membership, of course, you can swap out, but I don’t want to do that. I want to open, shop, prep, and cook. Probably not an issue for most of you. So, five stars in September, four in October.

2. Lots of mouths to feed.

The plans are adjustable. Feed as many or as few people as you want. I used the plans as written for four people and simply fed both bags of food to my hordes, with a few extra veggies, taters, or meat pieces.

3. Space.

Prepping really didn’t take up that much space. I had my chopper set up at the table and I worked at the counter in my “red zone.” (My red zone is where I work with raw meat. I set out a red cutting board and everyone knows the cooties will be flying in that space. All raw meat action happens on that cutting board. When I’m finished, I disinfect whatever I used.) It worked great.

What kind of chopper do I use, you ask? This kind:

img_20161002_225642

An eight-year-old with a good knife and an even better attitude. Works for me! If you have a power chopper, it’s probably faster, but less fun.

4. Limited cooking appliances.

We did not cook all the meals exactly as we were instructed. If you’ve been living like us, however, and someone says roast this or grill that or bury this in the ground and unearth it three months later, you are accustomed to adapting. We popped things in the pressure cooker instead of a crock pot or oven and threw everything else in a pot o nthe burner. It worked.

Would it have been better roasted, for example, probably. Was it bad not roasted? Not at all.

5. Budget.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road and why I have never before told you guys to follow an already prescribed meal plan instead of making your own. I buy food that’s on sale and build my menu according to sales and what I already have on hand. Buying the food for the September meal plan was more expensive than my approach. Fact. For October, however, I switched things up a little and substituted meats and other ingredients based on sales. So, whereas the menu called for ground chicken, I found a good deal on ground beef, and whereas another recipe called for chicken breasts, I found manager’s special beef steaks for less. So, I swapped out.

Plus, MyFreezEasy offers three plans based on whatever’s on sale–the chicken, beef, and pork plans. That right there is going to save you a lot of money, since you probably have many or most of the other ingredients in your pantry already–there’s nothing out of the ordinary on these plans, no squid eyeball ink.

MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership {MyFreezEasy}

6. Freezer space.

I told you my freezer isn’t much taller than my head. See:

20161012_095559

Okay, so that picture is from the outside of the freezer. The inside is much, much smaller. I didn’t show you the inside, because I’m embarrassed by the sheer quantity of frozen chocolate in there. Mmmmm…chocolate. (As an aside, this is Hannah’s homemade chocolate–so good! No sugar. Yum!) It also contains frozen veggies and fruit, which takes up pretty much all the space. So, with the chocolate and produce, there isn’t a ton of room for freezer meals.

That is a problem that’s hard to work around. Fortunately, because we used two bags as one meal instead of two, we were able to store some in the freezer and some in the fridge (why does that word have a “d” in it?). We ate the fridge meals first.

Also, lucky us, our refrigerator freezes things during some times of the year, so, like lettuce becomes frozen lettuce sludge in twelve hours. That comes in handy when storing freezer meals in the fridge.

Finally, the meals in the bags take up less space than the ingredients in their separate packaging. If you get on the stick and prep the meals right away, you don’t need room to store all that meat, and that provides more room in the fridge and freezer.

7. Printer

We didn’t print. It still worked fine. Between my Sharpie marker and my sharp memory, it was just fine. (I don’t have a sharp memory. That was a leeeeetle joke. A very leeeetle joke.)

8. Internet access.

Again, this is as sketchy as my memory, so watching the videos was not always possible. Who cares! I did it without the videos. No problem!

9. Time

We are busy. We never know when we’ll be called on to be somewhere that isn’t “home” and how long arriving at our next destination will really take, since Google doesn’t know everything. Still, it took only an hour to bag these meals, and a few minutes to throw them in the pots. No biggie!

Having the shopping list ready made shopping a breeze.

Now the big question:

How was the food?

If you’re not already cooking for your family, they are going to be blown away. If you are, you might find a few meals that will be bumped into family favorites or a regular rotation–it really depends on the family preferences and the meals.

My family enjoyed all the meals (even the lentil stew I accidentally made with unlabeled split-peas, since neither my marker nor my mind were on duty the day I repackaged those). Okay, so my hubby doesn’t eat lentils, but the rest of us were good! There is one from the first month that I will be making again, and we haven’t eaten the second month’s stash yet.

My one gripe:

As you know, my one gripe is the three processed ingredients in the Clean Eating plan. If you have a source for safe processed ingredients, you’re good, but in my experience those are more expensive, so we make them ourselves. Having the single ingredients listed instead of, say, vinaigrette or taco seasoning, would make this gripe vanish like Hannah’s chocolate!

Still, five stars!

You know something–this link right here is an affiliate link to join MyFreezEasy. You know something else–I didn’t hunt down an affiliate link until after I had published this post. In other words, I like it, I want to promote it, so I found an affiliate link for it, not the other way around where people promote it whether they like it or not.

I’m outta here! Happy eats!

 

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Poetry Study and Spiritual Growth with George Herbert

Take note, loyal readers! We were given a copy of Working it Out: Poetry Analysis with George Herbert. from Everyday Education, LLC in exchange for this review.

Other reviewers were given the same, or they reviewed Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting for elementary or remedial learners (or me–my handwriting needs help, so I realized in the grocery store when I couldn’t tell if I needed colostrum or a caboose…so I bought chocolate) and Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers, for high school into college. If you want to see what they have to say, click on the banner below. If you want to hear what I have to say, well, good people, you’re in the right place!

Beautiful Handwriting, Literature and Poetry {Everyday Education, LLC}

Now, I know I said that this is a fair and unbiased review, but I have been a Janice Campbell stalker for a long time. Her sight, Everyday Education, shares her experience as a homeschooler of four boys who have already graduated…so you’re not getting a preschool mom’s views on teaching teens–pet peeve! Her approach is a Charlotte Mason approach, combined with some Jeffersonian education and classical. What that boils down to, for those of you who think I just spoke a foreign 0language, is no busy work and no dumbed-down reading.

I love her perspective and her articles. I think that might taint my perspective just a bit…don’t you? I don’t care! If you care, stuff a cookie in your mouth–that will make you feel better.

This is what she gave us:
Beautiful Handwriting, Literature and Poetry {Everyday Education, LLC}

The idea behind Working it Out: Poetry Analysis with George Herbert is that it is both a spiritual exercise and a lesson in poetry analysis.

Who is this Herbert guy?

Herbert is a British poet and rector from the 17th century. You may have heard him quoted by the likes of C.S. Lewis and Jan Karon, two personal faves of mine. Any friend of Lewis and Karon is a friend of mine! His poetry was published posthumously by a friend. Herbert asked his buddy to read his poems and do something with them if he thought them worthy, but no if they weren’t. What a lesson in humility!

Herbert’s poetry delves deeply into the relationship between God and man, which is where the spiritual growth aspect of this piece comes in. Each poem serves as a launching pad for Biblical discussion and spiritual growth. (When I say “spiritual,” I don’t mean how people mean it today–I mean a relationship and understanding of the true Triune God as presented in Scripture, both Old and New Testament. I’m not getting all New Agey on you.)

What can I do with this book?

The book’s intention is also to help readers understand poetry…and Herbert’s isn’t exactly the easiest to understand, so it’s definitely a study! The methodology you’ll learn to understand it can be applied to any poetry you read…and write, I might add!

The author created a study by breaking each poem down like this:

  • The Big Picture–what the poem is about
  • The Parts of the Picture–breaking it down to look at the stanzas, poetry techniques, and other details
  • The Parts of the Picture Come Together–the flow of the poem, basically. That’s not a good explanation. Basically the overall flow of thought
  • Reflections–questions to get you thinking
  • Scriptures for Further Reflection–self-explanatory

If you study it weekly, it will take you a year to work through the 51 works. I recommend taking a year and a half or two, so poetry is enjoyed and not forced down your children’s throats. MY kids love poetry, but not all are the same.

I also recommend using a few of these pieces as memory and copy work. They would look beautiful printed neatly and framed. I do encourage you, from time to time, to have the children imitate Herbert’s style and write poems of their own on similar topics. You may well be amazed and ignite a spark in your children.

I don’t recommend this as your child’s first exposure to poetry. If, however, your children have enjoyed simpler poetry, this is a most excellent method of taking it to the next level. With a poet in the family (our Hannah), I love how this shows ways you can use poetry to God’s glory, which she strives to do also, by the way.
Roadschoolers, this is a digital download, so you can pop it on to your devices when you have the opportunity. No space, no constant internet access…hooray…unless you’re old school like me and prefer a book in hand, which, sadly, takes up space. I know, my life is full of inner turmoil. Wink wink.

Get to know Janice Campbell a bit better through social media, if that’s how you roll. The links are below:

Remember, you can read what other reviewers have to say about this and her other products through this banner right here:

Beautiful Handwriting, Literature and Poetry {Everyday Education, LLC}

 

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The Serve One Another in Love Cafe

When my children are at each other, I sometimes require them to do something nice for one other: make a bed, fold laundry, share something, do each other’s chores, scratch each other’s backs…gently.

My seeester-in-law-and-in-love, Karen Baye, has taken this to a whole new level. When her four blessings were not treating each other like blessings, she invited them all to lunch at the Serve One Another in Love Café.

The Serve One Another in Love Cafe | TheSimpleHomemaker.com

When they arrived at the café (also known as the kitchen), there was no lunch prepared. Instead they were greeted by a patient mama with these instructions:

Welcome to the Serve One Another in Love Café!

  • Each child must prepare lunch for the child immediately younger than him or her…and the youngest child must feed the dog. (Mama will feed the oldest.)
  • Each chef must prepare something their café patron would truly enjoy. In other words, no anchovies for a fish-hater and no salad for a dedicated carnivore.

The result? A happy family of well-fed children enjoying their time serving one another in love. Sure, one of them had a marshmallow sandwich for lunch, but it was served with a side of love and a big ol’ helping of brotherly affection.

Well played, Sis! Well played, indeed.

How do you encourage your children to serve one another in love?

Photo Credit: Karen and Scott Baye

 

Getting Through Hard Times {Finding Raisins in Your Cookies Instead of Chocolate Chips}

How to Handle the Hard Times (and some chuckles to brighten your day)

Photo Credit (Alterations mine)

Life is amazing and it totally stinks all at the same time. It gives and it robs. It promises and it fails to deliver and sometimes it hands over so much pain we can’t breathe and so much joy we’re bursting. It’s full of summits and valleys, days when your cookies have chocolate chips in them and days when the “chocolate” in your cookies turns out to be raisins.

How do we get through the valleys? How do we handle raisin days when we really need chocolate?

First, a glimpse:

Six weeks ago today, our eighth child was born. He was healthy. Everyone wants a healthy child, but when you’ve had unhealthy children in the past, your gratitude level for a healthy child skyrockets…like rockets…to the sky. We were and still are overjoyed–seriously overjoyed people. There’s joy, and then there’s us–overjoyed.

Five weeks ago I was sitting on the couch nursing my baby and chatting with my grandmother.

Four weeks ago we were standing by my grandmother’s hospital bed as she danced into heaven.

Three weeks ago we buried her.

Two weeks ago Judah and I joined the rest of the family who were already back on tour. Totally wonderful, but I need to go back to kindergarten so I can have a nap.

This past week our daughter with Crohn’s disease had a flare-up, and our son Judah presented blood in his diapers–we’ve been down that road too often.

Six weeks ago–summit. Three weeks ago–valley. Five weeks ago–chocolate chips. This week–raisins.

Here are some of the ways we choke down raisins while waiting for chocolate chips:

IMG_0478

15 Tips for Handling Hard Times

1. Cry. Yes, cry. Science is amazing, don’t you think? By science I mean the incredible body and world designed by God–provider of summits and chocolate chips and sustainer through valleys and raisins. When we cry tears of sadness, the tears streaking mascara down the face contain stress hormones. In other words, by crying your tear ducts are removing stress hormones from the body. Isn’t that amazing?! (Yes, Christy. Yes, it is.) So don’t hold back–bawl your eyes out.

2. Just tackle today. I don’t particularly find the words “today has enough trouble” comforting, but this verse does offer good advice: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” Matthew 6:34. Don’t worry; don’t regret; don’t think about tomorrow without Grandma; don’t think about where Hannah’s flare might take her; just live this moment. You can handle this moment.

3. Rest. According to this State Universityy of New Jersey Pub-Med report summary, “Effects of stress accompanying social disruption and psychological depression, when demonstrated, have been consistently adverse.” Say, wha’?! Because I am an English major, not a science student, I will translate: stress weakens the immune system, and many personalities cannot adapt to the higher stress levels over time. Therefore, you must baby your body a bit (say that ten times fast) to counter the negative health effects of the raisins in your life. Do what you can to incorporate downtime into your day, even if that means jamming to some 80s tunes on the way to the next doctor’s appointment. To quote my doctor, “You. must. rest! Ask. for. help!” (Yeah, he scolds me…but he’s right.)

4. Hug. I’ve learned that hugging random strangers can get you punched, so I don’t do that anymore. Hugging willing huggers, however, is a great stress-release and a mood booster, because it releases endorphins (happy chemicals) into your body. A 20-second hug is ideal, but sometimes that’s awkward…especially when the hugger hears you counting. I prescribed 20-second hugs to all my children, and they count out loud, which serves double duty in teaching the preschooler her basic math skills and easing my homeschool load a bit.

Twenty seconds of hugging releases endorphins into your body and lifts your mood...unless you hug a random stranger who punches your lights out.

5. Don’t listen to the downers. When my daughter has a flare and people tell me Crohn’s horror stories, it doesn’t help. It’s horrible, actually. Total strangers learn about our daughter’s condition and, because they know someone with a similar disease, that somehow opens the mystical door of permission to destroy this mama’s joy. “I know a boy who had Crohn’s–he died.” Oh? Thank you. I haven’t panicked in, like, 17 seconds. I was almost feeling like a normal person. Thank you for removing that possibility for me. “My neighbor’s uncle’s llama’s previous owner’s niece has Crohn’s and was on the same medication as your daughter, but it stopped working and now she can’t get out of bed and her life is miserable.” Whoa, thank you! I was feeling almost optimistic, but you narrowly saved me from the inevitable fate of a positive outlook. Whew. That would have stunk.

There are times when you can listen and empathize and handle the horrors, and there are times when you simply cannot take it. Just say so. Say, “I’m sorry, but I’m really panicked about my daughter’s future right now, and I can’t handle any more bad news.” Some people have no tact and will ignore your request and keep talking about horrors and doom, so give them this WikiHow link: How to Be Tactful–15 Steps (With Pictures). You could even have business cards made up.

6. Pray. ‘Nuf said.

7. Exercise. It releases happy hormones into your body. If you exercise while crying, you are putting happy hormones in while taking sad hormones out. It’s pretty cool, unless you jog into an oncoming school bus because you can’t see through the tears–that right there is why I don’t jog, people, in case I start crying and hurl myself in front of a school bus and scar the passengers for life and leave my children motherless and get the bus driver fired. I don’t jog because I’m concerned for the job stability of bus drivers. Plus there are bears in the best jogging places, and no chocolate.

8. Laugh. When my father-in-law was dying, it felt wrong to laugh. The first time we laughed during his illness, it was a confusing release of pent-up emotion which actually made me cry, and it felt like we were betraying him, but at the same time it felt good to finally laugh again…while crying–I’m emotionally unstable like that. Why are you taking advice from me?

Laughter can help you through the hard times.

9. Distract yourself. I am certainly not one to hide from the realities of a situation, but dwelling on them does nobody any good at all. I know, because I’m a dweller. Turn the dwelling over to God and do something enjoyable–read a book, take a walk, plant a garden, hang out on DreamHorse.com for half an hour, play spider solitaire on your phone, call your bestie and make plans for world domination. Whatever you do, don’t dwell!

10. Embrace normal. Sure, your normal is different in the valleys than on the summits. After all, raisins are kinda squishy while chocolate is smooth and divine. Whatever you can do for yourself and your family that resembles your normal (movie night, family dinners, bed-time routines) will help remind you all that life is still livable.

11.Throw away normal. Ah, woman, you’re nothing if not contradictory and confusing! I know. Sorry. Seriously, though, if you homeschool your kids and you just lost your grandma, forget about math. Sit and read books and hug your kids and build a fire in the fireplace and roast popcorn over it in one of those tin popcorn thingies that clearly states, “Do not use over an open fire,” because having firetrucks parked outside your home is totally not normal and it’s a great distraction.

12. Find an ear. Not your own. Find someone you can talk to. Don’t find a fixer or an accuser. Fixers tell you what you need to do to make everything better; they have their very important place, but it isn’t here and now. Accusers like to tell you how everything is your fault. If only you would have… I’m not sure they have a place, except maybe on Perry Mason or Columbo. Find someone with an empathetic ear who will just let you vent and who will hug you and pray for you right then and there and for that short time will make it all about you and your problem until you have soul-dumped and cried and laughed and eaten chocolate and can get back to living. Talk your emotions out with your spouse as well, and with your children at their levels, since tough times often bring out the worst in a body when families need to really be sticking together.

Finding something to be grateful for.

13. Understand that this is a season. When Hannah was first diagnosed with Crohn’s, I thought our lives would forever be a mass of emotions, confusions, regret, guilt, and anguish as we watched her struggle. It has gotten much, much better. Trust me when I say that you will not always feel this way. Sure, I will always miss Grandma and my daughter will always have Crohn’s, but we adjust…like velcro shoes, and things get better…and then worse again, but that’s where this next point comes in.

14. Keep it in perspective. By perspective I mean eternal perspective. What are today’s troubles compared to the glories of heaven. Also, keep it in worldly perspective. Face it–most of the things we complain about don’t matter. Really, I mean…really! Okay, the chocolate versus raisin thing–that matters, but most of the other stuff–non-issues! The sooner we can accept that, the better. Some things really do matter, like cancer and Crohn’s, but heaven has none of those things, and it is very real for those who trust in Jesus. The sooner we can look at life through heaven’s eyes, the best.

15. Find joy. Find something to be grateful for. There’s always something. Trust me. Better yet, trust God.

What are your best tactics for handling life’s valleys and raisins?

My apologies to anyone who loves raisins. I’m not usually so hard on dried fruit.

 

Apologia Astronomy — Homeschool Science Review

Apologia Educational Ministries gave us Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition in exchange for this review. All opinions are mine, my kids’, and the cat’s…because she had to be the sun when we were demonstrating orbits.

They sent us the following pieces:

    • Student Text
    • Notebooking Journal
    • Jr. Notebooking Journal
    • Audio CD

Apologia: Exploring Creation with Astronomy Review

Apologia in General

Apologia (pronounced ap-ol-og-ee’-ah and spelled ἀπολογία in Greek) means a speech in defense or a well-reasoned reply. Apologia’s series of science books works to prepare children to defend the Creationist viewpoint both Biblically and scientifically. The goal is for them to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks.” (I Peter 3:15) The astronomy book is one of many which carries the children far toward this goal.

Our children have met much resistance in the world to their Creationist views, but they have either been able to respond intelligently, or thoughtfully questioned, contemplated, discussed, and researched, so they would be more prepared the next time around. It is not solely through Apologia texts that they have come to this point, but they are a strong piece in the puzzle.

The Textbook

This is the second time I’ve taught this course to my children. Of all the science classes I’ve taught, this has been my favorite…with the sole exception of following ants and chasing butterflies. Nothing beats butterflies.

This is an immersion course. Your kids will be studying astronomy for a year. They will know far more about astronomy than I did when I was their age–that’s awesome.

We are Charlotte Mason style schoolers. While Astronomy is a textbook, it is not written in a dry manner. It doesn’t read like a Henty novel or Beatrix Potter, but it’s definitely interesting.

I particularly appreciate that each lesson is broken down into short segments, so I “feel” like I’m “doing it right.” (I know that as a homeschooler I can do whatever works best for my family, but it’s nice to be “normal” once in a while instead of always reinventing the wheel, you know? I mean, we roadschool 8 kids in a travel trailer as we tour the country singing and playing guitar–normal doesn’t describe us too often.)

After each short segment there is a narration cue, basically telling the students to explain what they’ve learned. Sometimes my kids will write the narrations, but most often, they just throw it out there and I just listen.

At the end of each lesson you will find bigger activities and some scientific documentation. These are fun, but you don’t have to do them if they become overwhelming. We usually pick one and sometimes all, but sometimes we skip everything and make cookies…shaped like planets or chewed into the phases of the moon, so it’s educational.

The lessons take about two weeks–no need to rush either. It’s broken up into a comfortable pace.

Your children will gain a thorough knowledge of astronomy through this course–I learned a lot! It is not, however, a “memorize the stars and constellations” course. If that interests your family, it’s easy to add in. This course will teach you, not just give you memory work.

When I taught the older set of four girls, we used Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 1st Edition. That was all we used, apart from some supplies we dug up at home. You can successfully teach this course with only the textbook. That’s something I really like about Apologia Educational Ministries; you don’t need all the additional components. The text is enough, which makes it more budget-friendly.

Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition is updated, so you won’t find nine planets in the solar system. (Are you weeping with me? I know, my whole childhood was a delusion!) It’s a little different than I remember the 1st edition, but my brain is still stuck on that Pluto thing, and my 1st edition book is stuck in a storage unit in Nevada with all my other books (outright sobbing now), so I can’t tell you exactly how. I can tell you that the information has been updated (the 1st edition is from 2004). Also, the photographs seem to be better in this version. Overall, it seems more sleek and user-friendly. But…poor Pluto.

Apologia: Exploring Creation with Astronomy Review

Notebook

I have taught some Apologia courses using the notebooks and some without. The first time I taught astronomy, the notebooks didn’t exist. Currently, my 10-year-old son Elijah is using the regular notebook. For him it is excellent. He works very independently and does as much as he possibly can for each lesson before we even study the topic.

The notebook contains copywork, writing space, activities, and some crafts, all at or above around a 4th grade level. It is still definitely useful for 6th or 7th graders, or maybe even an 8th grader who’s studying astronomy with you. My 8th grader is tagging along on the class until she’s ready to jump into her independent Apologia studies, but she opted not to do the notebook–at her level, some of it is busy work. Not so for the younger set. It’s ideal for my son, and helps him focus better than if he were staring at a blank notebook.

The assignments, activities, and suggestions are included in the notebook. There is also a schedule so you can open and go.

Unfortunately, there are a few things mentioned in the notebook that the kids can’t do without purchasing another related set from Apologia which contains supplies for the experiments and activities plus bonus activities. The fact that those bonus activities are listed in the notebook is unnecessary, in my judgmental opinion. Basically my son got to that point and said, “I can’t find this section,” and I said, “That’s for the rich kids.” Okay, that’s not really how it went down, but that is how I feel when there are teasers like that and my 5th out of 8 kids really wants to do the extras and I opt to feed him. Other than that it’s all good.

The astronomy notebook is consumable. While I usually try and figure out a way not to consume a consumable (no, we don’t photocopy), Apologia science notebooks are an exception. The work should be done right in the notebook. It will make an excellent review and keepsake, and is really a nice product. My kids have all kept theirs over the years…somewhere in a storage unit in Nevada.

Apologia: Exploring Creation with Astronomy Review

Junior Notebook

I was pretty excited when Apologia came out with their junior notebooks. They are targeted to kindergarteners through 3rd graders, but I find my kids are ready around 2nd grade. These are very similar to the regular notebooks, but they are less writing intensive, and some of the activities are bumped down to their levels (not dumbed down). There are, for example, coloring pages with Bible verses, as opposed to lined pages asking them to record their thoughts. The activities are either the same or related, so you can teach the course to the entire family, and the kdis can do different pieces of work at their levels.

Again, the activity suggestions in the text are spelled out in the text book and the student is guided along in the notebook, which again is easier than if the child were doing the work in a blank notebook.

We are using this with Rebecca, our 2nd grader. When it’s finished, it will be a nice keepsake of her year in astronomy. She’s keeping up quite well. This, too, is consumable, and I feel it’s even more important at Rebecca’s age to use it as it was intended.

Apologia: Exploring Creation with Astronomy Review

CD

Apologia also sent us the CD of the book. This is excellent if your voice can’t take all the reading that a lifestyle of literature-based homeschooling requires. And it’s read by the author, Jeannie Fulbright. There’s something about a piece when it’s read by it’s author. It has more…life to it, don’t you think?

Here are my thoughts on using the CD. As much as I love it, I don’t use the CD. Why? Because we have about as many discussions as there are stars in the solar system (slight exaggeration) during a single lesson. This is in part due to my pausing to ask or take questions. Often they’ll be discussing something and my reading it would only be redundant. So, since the lessons are nice and short and do not take a toll on my voice, I stick with reading.

Still, I really truly appreciate this option, especially for when I’m not available.

Again, you only need the book to teach this entire course. The rest are just extra perks. Please don’t feel badly if you can’t afford everything. If you can add the notebooks, great! If not, your kids will still benefit tremendously from this program. My first four didn’t have the notebooks or the CD and we loved our year of Apologia astronomy!

Additional thoughts for my fellow roadschoolers:

Space space space. You hear me harping about that all the time! Yes, these books will take up space, and if you do the experiments, that will take up more space. I don’t know if you want planets hanging from your 7-foot ceiling for nine months. If you don’t, pop them after a week. Blame the cat.

The text itself is quite thin–not thin on information, but just, you know, thin. It’s hard cover, so it’s durable. The notebooks are thicker and not as durable. They can take a slight beating, but they’re certainly not made of steel. Also, did I mention they are thick? They are.

As far as CDs go, we toss our cases and keep everything in a joint case, so it’s no biggie here…except we’re out of space. Of course, if you’re roadschooling and your CD player in your vehicle works (unlike ours), this would be perfect!

You know your kids and their put-away talents. You also know your space limitations. Personally, I feel Apologia texts are worth the space and, for this age group at least, the notebooks are worth their weight as well. Before we were offered this review opportunity, we were going to dig up our 1st edition astronomy text when we swung through Nevada this fall–it’s that good.

Social Media Links:

Apologia is very encouraging on social media. I particularly enjoy following Jeannie Fulbright on Instagram.
Facebook:
https://facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/apologiaworld @apologiaworld
Pinterest 
https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/
Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/apologiaworld/

Read what other Schoolhouse Reviewers have to say by clicking here or on the banner below:

Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition Review

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How to Homeschool Preschoolers and Kindergarteners: 18 Tips for Creating a Natural and Joyful Learning Environment

This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you purchase something through one of my links, I receive a portion of the proceeds. It costs you nothing, but it helps us buy schoolbooks, because, believe it or not, kids don’t stay preschoolers and kindergartners forever.

How to Homeschool Preschool and Kindergarten: 18 Tips for Creating a Natural and Joyful Learning Environment

I shared with you my big-mouthed opinion on pushing young children beyond their readiness levels. What you should be asking at this point is “Who are you?! Who are you to be saying this? Do you have a degree in education? Do you have a title?”

Good question. I’m glad you asked.

I do not have a degree in education. For what it’s worth, I have a triple major in English, communication, and communicative arts (whatever that is), but that’s not what qualifies me to write this post..although it does help me properly punctuate this post. What qualifies me is my “experience in the field” of homeschooling little ones–sixteen years of it. For over sixteen years we have been creating a natural, enriching learning environment for our kids, and, yeah, while they’re all a little weird cuz the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, they all have an unquenchable love of learning.

How do we do it?  How do we ensure that our littles are growing in wisdom, knowledge, and a love of learning through their early years?  In other words, how do we “do preschool and kindergarten” at home? I’m glad you asked.

18 Tips for Creating a Natural Learning Environment for Preschoolers and Kindergartners

In random order, because random is fun.

1. Read together daily.

I cannot overestimate the value of sitting together and reading. It doesn’t have to be a formal reading session. Some days it can be as simple as saying “yes” when a little one brings a book or reading a favorite bedtime story every night. Some tips:

  • Become regulars at the library, but not during flu season if you have a book-licker or a nose-picker.
  • Give books as gifts to build up your library within your current budget.
  • Follow along with your finger as you read so they see that words have meaning, and they begin recognizing some of them.
  • Don’t shy away from chapter books or non-fiction. They don’t bite…except for maybe that pop-up shark book.
  • Gradually get rid of the dumbed-down books. Your children are apparently smarter than the people writing the children’s books. Adios, Disney!
  • Repeat your child’s favorite books or poems often to teach memorization skills.
  • Don’t worry if your child can’t sit through a simple picture book or you can’t get past the first page because of all her questions. This is normal! Don’t make “finishing the book” your goal and lose sight of the needs and abilities of the child on your lap.
  • It’s okay to let your reading be the “background noise” as your children play, eat, or take a bath.
  • Don’t be afraid to read straight from the Bible with your littles. It was written for them, too.
  • For a bit more on this topic, read my post entitled Read Aloud to Your Children. It’s about reading aloud to your children…if you didn’t catch that.
2. Cook and bake together.

Children in the kitchen make a big mess and they slow you down, partly because your feet stick to the floor. Still, if you keep them out of the kitchen, they lose out on an excellent opportunity to learn this:

  • cooking skills
  • cooperation
  • following directions
  • safety lessons
  • developing a habit of follow-through and clean-up
  • strong work ethic
  • the joy of caring for and serving others
  • preparation for a future in which, chances are, they will need to eat.
  • basic math lessons. (When you’ve been doubling, tripling, or halving recipes in the kitchen for years, a worksheet full of fractions is a piece of cake! Mmm, cake.)

Keeping them out of the kitchen robs you of this:

  • an element of joy to your work
  • bonding time
  • over-easy eggs and toast, caramel apple pie, homemade bread, and fresh cookies made by (supervised) six- and seven-year-olds.

Bring it on!

How To Create a Natural Learning Environment at Home for Preschoolers and Kindergartners

3. Explore nature together.

This can be as simple as planting a pot of flowers and putting up a birdfeeder on an apartment balcony, or as elaborate as visiting national parks and homesteading. Take walks through parks, get good and dirty in a garden, or lie on your stomachs to stare at a square foot of earth. Follow ants, watch  butterflies, look closely at flowers, be observant with your five senses. Look up discoveries in field guides if the interest is there, but don’t force it. Keep this fun and informal as you wonder together in awe at God’s creation.

Help your littles begin the practice of keeping a simple nature journal–simple! For now, give them a blank notebook (check craft sections or office supplies) and let them “draw” what they see, draw it for them, take pictures, or press flowers and leaves. We sometimes tape treasures into their nature journal and cram it back into the book shelf to press it. (That is not the right way to do it, but it works for us. I use to use a flower press like this one, but…well…now I don’t. Uh, that’s an affiliate link.) We’ve even been known to smear interesting colored mud and dirt on a page or two.

To perk interest in nature when stuck inside, try classic stories like Beatrix Potter’s tales for the youngest set, Parables of Nature by Mrs. A. Gatty, Thomas Burgess’ Bird Book for Children and Animal Book for Children, Rudyard Kipling’s Just-So Stories, and...somebody stop me! (These are affiliate links, although most of them are free.)

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4. Teach your little one to do what you do.

Are you an artist? Teach her to draw or let her explore alongside you as you work. Are you a cook? Get him in the kitchen, even if he’s making stuff up. Are you a grocery list maker? Give her paper and pencil to make her own list. Do you work on the computer? Let him sit on your lap and press “Enter” when you need it, or open a notepad for him to type in. Break the big jobs down into something small that he can do alongside you. This is especially important for parents who may be gone during the day and find themselves busy with projects and “homework” at night.

 5. Answer questions.

I don’t know any child who isn’t full of questions, unless life has drained the God-given curiosity from his soul. When your child has a question, take the time to answer it or look it up together or “figger” it out. Say, “Hmm…I don’t know where that ant is going, but let’s follow it and ‘figger’ it out.” “Figgering” together is a great way to develop a curious mind that takes learning to the next step. By the way, “figgering” doesn’t always have to involve a book. Gravity can be figgered out fairly memorably with an egg and a tall ladder or an upstairs window. Yee haa!

6. Use big words.

When my firstborn was a baby she reached out for a knife. I said “Dangerous!” as I pulled her hand away. Someone scolded, “She’s a baby! She doesn’t know what ‘dangerous’ means.” No, kind Someone, but she will never know what “dangerous” or any other word means if she never hears it. Don’t shy away from the big words. Before you know it, your three-year-old will be lisping, “What an unusual piece of artwork!” or “Actually, I prefer white milk, thank you.”

How To Create a Natural Learning Environment at Home for Preschoolers and Kindergartners

7. Live life together.

Whatever is going on in your life is an opportunity for your child to learn. Are you headed to the dentist? Touch on tooth care and the job of a dentist. Are you counting out money? Let him help. Are you repairing items in the home?  Give your little one a safe tool and ask for help. Chances are you’re not going to find a preschool or a curriculum that includes helping Daddy fix a bicycle. Take him with you to the election booths, the grocery store, church, the bank, the library…everywhere! Feed him, give him a nap, tell him your expectations for behavior, wipe the peanut butter off his chin and bring ‘im with you. Yes, this is harder than going alone, but that’s parenting! Another part of parenting is training your child, so if the reason you don’t take him is because he doesn’t behave, make training a priority at home and away.

8. Hold real conversations.

Discuss big ideas with your little ones.  This sets the groundwork for an open flow of conversation throughout the years.  If you ask for and respectfully listen to your children’s views on a subject, you will encourage the children to begin to think. When I say think, I don’t mean parroting what their friends or the media says. I mean discern, rationalize, come up with fresh ideas…you know, think.

9. Be observant.

Do you see signs and numbers throughout your day? Point them out as early reading lessons. Do you see someone performing a job? Talk about it. Do you see a critter? Discuss its colors, behavior, and habitat. Learning is everywhere if you keep your eyes open.

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10. Develop social skills naturally.

Take your littles to the library, to Grandma’s house, to the voting booth, to Bible study, and anywhere else you go. Don’t waste this opportunity by dumping your child in the nursery as soon as you arrive. Let your kiddos hang out with a mix of people from every generation. This is society; being able to function in society is being socialized.

Teach by example, but also by explanation and practice: “Hey, Kiddo, you’re four now, and it’s time to learn to shake hands like a man.” And then show him and practice. When you’re out, introduce him like a man and let him shake hands. It sets the stage for a teen who will look a person in the eye and say, “Nice to meet you,” rather than grunt at you with earbuds permanently encrusted in his ears. Ugh.

11. Be a learner.

I frequently hear,”I don’t know enough to teach my kids everything they need to know.” Wow, that’s a shocker. Hello! Nobody does! That’s why you teach your kids to teach themselves, and you do this first and foremost by setting the example. Exemplify curiosity. Look things up. Ask questions. Wonder out loud. And do this with your child.

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12. Play.

Play together. I don’t mean Barbies…unless you want to. Play chess, blocks, hopscotch, 20 questions, I spy, dollhouse, cars.

Also, let your child play alone so she can develop self-motivation and a bit of independence.  Fill her life with a small number of excellent toys and puzzles (we love Lauri puzzlesaffiliate link). Aim for quality, not quantity. In fact, keep it simple. Keep it simple! A child in a room full of toys will fill a room full of mess. A child with two cars and a pile of blocks will fill his head with big ideas. So will a child with a pile of dirt and a few sticks. Don’t paralyze their imaginations and make cleaning up an overwhelming agony by filling their lives with too much stuff.

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13. Dabble in foreign language.

If you are fluent in a foreign language, use it…all the time. Most of us aren’t so lucky, but that’s no reason to throw in la toalla. Libraries and used curriculum sales generally have foreign language materials. Some pricier companies, like Rosetta Stone, offer samples that are fun for kids. Online apps, games, and lessons are readily available as well. Incorporate the words you learn into your daily life. Your child won’t become fluent in this manner, but he’ll get a great head-start.

 14. Explore art and music.

However possible, expose your child to the greats and let him copy them. Get a Bach or Tchaikovsky CD from your library or online and listen while your child colors or plays.  (My kids enjoy the Classical Kids collection. Again, sneak it in budget-wise by giving it as gifts for birthdays and Christmas.) Attend local free concerts. Sing patriotic songs, folk music, and hymns with your child, and encourage him to explore a variety of musical instruments that you can pick up at garage sales or as toys, or make your own.

Hunt for books or calendars containing the art of the masters and mention who drew or painted the pictures. Keep a ready stash of art supplies for your children to explore at any time. Replicate the masters, or get a Dover coloring book about an artist of your choice.   It doesn’t have to be structured to be effective.

15. Get rid of the desk notion.

Who needs desks and chalkboards and stations? What’s wrong with the floor? Come on, what’s more fun, sitting on a hard chair with pencil in fist, circling the bigger rectangle and the bigger ball on a worksheet, or lying on your stomach on the floor building a house, and then a bigger house out of blocks with Mama? Do a little over and under talk for some spatial recognition training, and you’ve had school, bonding, and playtime. Add cookies and call it lunch.

How To Create a Natural Learning Environment at Home for Preschoolers and Kindergartners

16. Do a little school.

But didn’t you just say…? Yes, I did. At this young age workbook school is fascinating to some children. Take advantage of that! Here are some items that were well-loved in our home (most of these are affiliate links):

Keep it short and pressure-free, and stop before their interest fades. Remember, your goal is creating a lifelong learning attitude, not finishing a book or impressing Grandma. Sorry, Grandma!

17. Don’t rush!

There will always be a child smarter, faster, or more talented than yours. That’s just life. (Pick yourself up off the floor.) While life does involve competition, don’t let it pressure you into rushing your little one into things he simply can’t do yet. The only thing your speed will accomplish is burn up your kiddo’s tires like an Indie car. Don’t let the expectations of others or yourself drive you to squelch the precious love of learning innate in children.

Education

18. Don’t worry about the gaps!

If you are afraid your preschool-aged child is missing something vital by not following a pre-planned curriculum or being taught by the professionals, just relax.  A young child whose life is rich in experiences, real life learning, and the respect and attention of a loving family will in no way be hindered academically or socially. Yes, your child will miss something. We all have gaps in our learning, including those of us who have been in the system since age two. Instilling in your little one a love of learning, however, will give him the ability and desire to bridge those gaps when necessary, a skill many of today’s adults don’t have. It’s not the job of education to give children all the knowledge they’ll ever need in their lives.  It’s the job of education to give children the skills to gain that knowledge for themselves.

How do you create a natural learning environment for your preschoolers and kindergartners?