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Earth Matters

November 23, 2008 By Karin Leave a Comment

I am generally impressed with DK Publishers books and Earth Matters: an encyclopedia of ecology does not disappoint.

The book begins with a brief secular history of our planet’s birth and development and discusses the global ecosystems, or “biomes,” such as Desert, Ocean, Tropical Forest, and Grassland.

Ecology is the unifying theme and each section (Polar Regions, Temperate Forests, Deserts, Grasslands, Tropical Forests, Mountains, Freshwater, and Oceans) explores each unique ecosystem and explains how mankind can upset the balance of nature and cause further damage.

Each section is packed with photos, graphs, illustrations and maps as well as interesting facts and statistics.

All is not doom and destruction as the last section, entitled Helping the Earth, explains the various ways we can slow down or even reverse the negative effects on our environment including information on renewable energy, how to use energy well and how you can make a difference, starting today!

My children find the book visually appealing and often request that I read them sections from the book almost daily. An index is included in the back to help you find subjects you are most interested in quickly. As ecology and global warming come to the forefront in our news, I believe it should also become a part of our children’s education. This book is a great beginning resource for that. Some Christian parents may take offense with some of the evolotion references in the beginning of the book, however, we use it as an opportunity to explain to our children that while some people believe in evolution, we as believers believe that God created everything, as is clearly stated in the bible. Others may choose to skip this section altogether.

Earth Matters: an encyclopedia of ecology edited by David de Rothschild (DK Publishers/2008)
Suggested retail $24.99
Available at the DK Publishers website and major booksellers

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 4 months. As someone who never changed a diaper until she had children, Karin is surprised by the fact that she has been changing diapers for the past 5 years straight with no end in sight! As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more– God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her new blogs Mommy Matters and Passport Academy.

Review: Itchy’s Alphabet

October 11, 2008 By Karin Leave a Comment

Following the philosophy of teaching letter sounds before letter names is Itchy’s Alphabet from ABB Creations.

Meet Itchy. Itchy is a colorful fuzzy Inchworm who helps children learn the short /i/ sound and also the namesake of this multi-sensory systematic program that teaches letter formations and their sounds. This program utilizes unique pictures in the shape of each letter to give children a cue to remember both the sound and shape of the letter simultaneously.

Current research indicates that systematic phonic instruction is necessary for successful reading (National Reading Panel findings). The program emphasizes letter sounds (not names) and lower case letters (not upper case).

The homeschool Starter set includes: Alphabet book, game cards, sticker set, alphabet songs cd, blackline masters 2 and 5, and a teaching guide. Also available is an interactive games CD that gives children a 3 fun formats in which to practice the skills they have learned in addition to other useful components (letter match, initial sounds, memory game). The software even allows parents to select which letters the games utilize so that you can customize it to each student and the skills they need to focus on or, for beginners, the letters they have learned for review.

The alphabet book features a triangle stand that allows you to stand the book up and flip the pages forward, back to front. Each letter of the alphabet is shown as an illustration (/a is an apple on a branch) with a corresponding letter transparency in black.

The black and white Teachers Guide is 36 pages. Here you will find concise clear instructions that give you the lesson objective, read aloud suggestions, introduction of the letter, Follow up activities, Read aloud activities, and words to read and spell.

The sticker set includes a chart for students to indicate which letter sounds they have mastered. Included in the set are two sets of the alphabet stickers A-Z and one chart which you may choose to copy for a 2nd child.

Alphabet Game cards are included to assist with reinforcing the letter sounds in a fun way. Seven games are described but you could easily use the cards to recreate your favorite card games or make up a few of your own. The purple cards show the standard letters and the yellow cards show the illustrated letter.

Blackline masters are included to teach letter formation, although I found some of the illustrations incorporating arrows in set 5 to be confusing though this may be because my children are already used to another separate handwriting program. That said, you are welcome to instruct your child in the letter formation in any manner that works for you (although it is advisable to follow the order given as each letter builds upon the last) and the blackline masters in Set 2 have worksheets for each letter (upper and lower case) that includes an illustrated picture of the letter and words to the alphabet song to trigger memory.

The alphabet song CD separates each letter of the alphabet so you can play them individually (as separate “songs”) as is outlined in the teacher’s guide. Each tune is catchy and easy to follow along to. My 3-year old daughter was immediately hooked and INSISTED that we listen to the entire CD several times, no waiting for the next lesson for her! All of the words to the alphabet song are provided, complete with illustrations of the letters. While I was initially disappointed that the alphabet song did NOT include the letter sounds, Brenda, the creator, kindly explained to me the reason was that the majority of people tend to be stronger visual learners and children are very concrete, hand-on learners. The skills we are asking them to learn with letters and their sounds are abstract and auditory. This can create learning gaps for many children. Itchy’s Alphabet uses the visual concrete picture cue to create the link with the auditory/abstract sound/letter through its shape. With the songs the goal was to further emphasize the picture cue, through the auditory channel. It is the picture cue, in the shape of the letter, that is the key to the success of the program, so it is important that the children know that cue well, and the song brings in another modality to reinforce that. In Brenda’s experience the words for the corresponding objects (“C is a cookie with a bite out of it”) gave the children the correct sound and it didn’t need to be included within the sound itself. Plus, as Brenda so wisely points out, it is really best for the parents to teach/practice the sound directly with the child so that they can ensure the child is saying the sound correctly.

The homeschool starter set retails for $79.98 and includes activities that are truly geared for individual as well as small group instruction.

This program may not come in a flashy binder and packaging (which no doubt helps keep it affordable) but it should not be overlooked. Each of the components are child friendly and even the most nervous parent will not be overwhelmed with the instructions for implementing this highly effective phonics and writing program.

Visit the website for more information where your child can also play an online game, listen to an audio sample of the program’s Song CD and to read teaching tips to aid you in your phonics instruction.

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 4 months. As someone who never changed a diaper until she had children, Karin is surprised by the fact that she has been changing diapers for the past 5 years straight with no end in sight! As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more– God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her new blogs Mommy Matters and Passport Academy.

Bilingual Books Review

October 11, 2008 By Karin Leave a Comment
While looking for books that I could incorporate into our daily read aloud time I came across Raven Tree Press, an independent publisher of bilingual picture books. The books are everything you would look for in a picture book, beautifully illustrated with entertaining storyline and the clever use of bilingual learning (English/Spanish) in four formats:
Full Text
The entire story is printed in English and then Spanish.Embedded Text
The story is presented primarily in English with Spanish sprinkled throughout the book to reinforce learning. Vocabulary words are also available at the end of the book.

Concept
For children just learning a concept (music or math) the book is presented in English with the concept presented in Spanish.

Wordless
A bilingual poem sets the tone for the wordless picture book. The illustrations are descriptive and invite the child to tell the story in their own words or invite discussion between parent and child on each page.

Counting Coconuts by Contando Cocos
Is a clever concept book about counting. In the story Monkey is hungry, but first he must count his coconuts in the fastest way possible. But what is the fastest way possible? All the rain forest animals cannot agree and suggest various counting methods to monkey as he learns to count by sets. Which is the fastest way? Read and see.

Ocean Whisper by Dennis Rockhill
Is a wordless picture book similar to Flotsom. It begins with a poem entitled, “Ocean Whisper” or “Susurro del oceano.” In this story a boy’s fish bowl and whale poster transform his bedroom into an ocean wonderland. Travel along as he goes on wondrous adventures through incredible aquatic vistas with beautiful ocean creatures. Young children will enjoy “reading” this book on their own.

Paco and the Giant Chile Plant by Keith Polette
Similar to the traditional Jack and the beanstalk, Paco and his mother have no money and so they must sell their cow. Along the way Paco ends up with a Giant Magical Chile Plant that he of course climbs. Once he meets the horrible Giant the story takes a unique twist. Presented in the embedded text format the book introduces and reviews 32 spanish words which are also highlighted in red within the story and listed at the back of the book with translation.

Isabel and the Hungry Coyote by Keith Polette
Similar to the story of Little Red Riding Hood, Isabel wears a caperuza roja and is off to see her abuella when she is stopped by Senor Coyote who only has intentions to eat her. After he goes to Isabel’s abuella’s casa the story takes on its own twists and turns with Isabel saving the day thanks to the tamales muy fante that leaves the Coyote’s boca burning.

Parent Tips are available on the Raventree Press website to assist you in including bilingual learning into your read alouds.

For more titles available from Raven Tree Press, please visit their website www.RavenTreePress.com

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 4 months. As someone who never changed a diaper until she had children, Karin is surprised by the fact that she has been changing diapers for the past 5 years straight with no end in sight! As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more– God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her new blogs Mommy Matters and Passport Academy.

How Do I Do It?

September 9, 2008 By Suzanne 16 Comments

I’ve been asked before how I homeschool with a toddler (or 2!) in the house.

Just to update you, I have 4 little ones:

TheOldest, a boy turning 7 in September, and will be starting 2nd grade; TheMiddlest, a boy who turned 5 in April, will be starting Kindergarten, ThePrincess, the only girl – who turned 3 in April and is officially preschooling now; and TheBaby~est, turned one in March and is absolutely determined to thwart any plans for learning that I have.

I can’t tell you the best way to do it. I can’t tell you how everybody else does it. I can only tell you how I’ve managed to do it.

A lot of screaming.

Oh, stop, I’m just kidding.

It actually has a lot to do with timing. And since I’ve embraced the chaos and quit trying to fit a bunch of little unpredictable people into my perfectly planned schedule it goes even better. Plus, it helps that I adjusted my expectations.

A few of the most important points around here:

Bring the baby along for the ride. When our youngest was an infant, I either “wore” him, held him, nursed him, or laid him beside us while we worked.

Accept that seasons change. And you had better too!

Now that the baby is 16 months and climbing onto every surface of the house, we only do “table time” when he goes down for a nap.

I gave up my precious school nook.

I know, let’s all have a collective moment of silence… I tried so hard to save my school room. I even moved it into one of the bedrooms, thinking that maybe I could close the door and keep little hands from destroying everything, but then it just turned into this:


So I gave it up, with the consolation that maybe someday all of my children will be old enough to not destroy everything in sight.

Keep it in reach. We keep all of our pencils, crayons, and other supplies in a moveable basket on the kitchen counter – where the older ones can reach it anytime, but the baby is out of it. All of our current work also on the kitchen counter. However, I keep all of my teacher resource books safe in a closet, blocked by a couch. I wish I were kidding.

Make “learning never stops” your motto. It’s the truth, and with very little “table time”, I better make the most of “real life learning.”

Occupy those little hands. I keep buckets that are themed for my preschooler. I pull out age-appropriate puzzles, magnetic dress-up dolls, blocks, and lace-up cards. I guide her on as many projects as I can manage while also working with the older boys, and then turn her loose to color and write (read: scribble) as much as she wants.

Discover delight-driven learning. Otherwise known as fly by the seat of your pants learning around here! Don’t get me wrong, I do dream of curriculum, of opening a box with new books, and shiny extras just waiting for our eager minds. But, with all the ages, money restrictions, hand-me-downs I’ve been so blessed to acquire, and realizing that my kiddos really are still so young, I’ll be holding off a while longer.

Let go of the fantasy idea of teaching children and embrace the reality. For instance, read-alouds. Oh, my beloved read-alouds. So rarely this:


Much more often if you were a fly on our wall you wouldn’t even recognize it as reading. My girl feels the need to interrupt with constant commentary. Constant. My toddler sees it as the perfect time to run off, do acrobatics off the furniture, attack the dog… My middlest boy is SO not interested in reading. So you can find him, coloring, or more often, doing flips around the room while I attempt to read. And with every interruption, my oldest, who loves to be read to, complains to everyone who is within range that he wants to hear the story. One chapter in Junie B. Jones takes no less than 45 minutes. And that’s after finding the book that one of the younger ones inevitably carries off somewhere.

Which leads me right into my next point: Patience. Oh, elusive patience. Oh, much needed, much lacking patience. All I can say on this one, is practice makes perfect. Learn forgiveness of yourself. And, well, I’m open to all the suggestions/prayers you can give!

Be an opportunist. When everyone is still – jump on it – “Let’s read!” When everyone is climbing the walls – “Project time!” When the baby’s sleepy – “Everybody to the table!”

Include the toddler in the “fun” stuff. Such as when we were studying American History and veered off into a Native American unit. The day we all dressed up as indians, of course the baby had to get in on the no-shirt, lipstick-as-war-paint fun!


The moral to my homeschooling with *2 under 2* story?

Do what works. Until it doesn’t work anymore. And then try something else.

And please tell me how you homeschool with a toddler in the house. I need some more things in my magic bag for when this doesn’t work anymore!

Suzanne is wife to one and mama to four. The little ones are 2 boys ages 6 and 5, a girl who’s 3, and a baby boy who’s not knee-high to a grasshopper yet. She eclecticly unschools with lapbooks the Charlotte Mason way. In other words, she doesn’t have the slightest clue what she’s doing, but does it anyway. She lives in a world where there are few absolutes. The dishes don’t stay cleaned, the laundry doesn’t stay put away, the children don’t remember what she told them yesterday. But in their chaotic lives they have found joy. And they’d love to share that with you. So, come on over, kick a path through the toys, have a seat on the couch and grab a cup of strong coffee. Just be ready to hone your skills of “interrupted conversation”! And be sure to stop by her personal b
log at The Joyful Chaos.

Brain Quest

September 6, 2008 By Karin 3 Comments

I confess that I’ve always seen the Brain Quest displays around—but I never knew what they were and truthfully, didn’t spend a whole lot of time trying to figure it out. Then one day I happened upon them at my beloved Costco. Upon closer examination I thought it might be something to throw in the diaper bag to help me entertain the kids when we were doing the dreaded waiting somewhere. I reasoned that it would be a novelty item that would be sure to hold their attention for 10-15 minutes tops. Oh, how wrong I was.

What it is:

Brain Quest is a game where everybody wins, no matter the grade, age or subject. In each Brain Quest box you get two decks of cards, joined by a grommet in the bottom corner. The questions are on one side of the card, and the answers are on the next card. Children can play alone or in groups.

What it does:
Depending on the deck you choose and grade level, each Brain Quest deck has 300-1100 questions and answers to test children on their knowledge based on curriculum standards.

Why it’s fun:

There is something about the way the deck fits in your hand and you slide the cards that is appealing. The questions are fun and the illustrations are lovely. If you have multiple age kids its nice to have a “game” that EVERYONE can play equally and succeed. Since it’s an educational game they are learning while having fun—-which promotes a love for learning!
Available on their website you will find:

Categories include:
General Curriculum
Early Childhood Education
Math & Reading
Brain Quest for the Car
Brain Quest America
Brain Quest Hispanic America
Brain Quest Black History
Brain Quest Presidents

Brain Quest is now a favorite during our Family Fun Time. My children (3-5) beg for “one more card” so they are enjoying it. While it’s not a curriculum, the cards usually compliment our curriculum by requiring them to use skills they they are either learning or have mastered—in a fun way. If you are looking for something educational and fun, try Brain Quest.

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 4 months. As someone who never changed a diaper until she had children, Karin is surprised by the fact that she has been changing diapers for the past 5 years straight with no end in sight! As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more– God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her new blogs Mommy Matters and Passport Academy.

Ahoy, Matey!

September 4, 2008 By Suzanne 4 Comments
Coming September 19th ~ International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Are you ready for Talk Like A Pirate Day? Do you know what Talk Like A Pirate Day is? And why on earth should you care?

All very good questions! I have 2 boys that are all things pirate. And a girl that loves her some mermaids. So, out to sea we went. And we discovered a day tucked into September that sounded like fun.

It all started innocently enough with a little playing dress-up. And then came a few pirate questions, such as “Were pirates really real, Mama?” As I began looking up the answers for them, I came across this site: The Original Talk Like A Pirate Day Site, now, take note, most of the content on this site is not what you want your young’n's readin’. But they do have a “Stuff For Junior Pirates” section that’s pretty clean and even has some curriculum ideas. I researched it, took what I wanted, left what I didn’t.

I went to Enchanted Learning and printed off a pirate map for each of my kiddos.
For our art project we wadded it up in balls and then smoothed it back out. Then we used our brown watercolor paints very sloppily on the map to make it look “authentic.” The children were off on a treasure hunt!

I printed off 3 more maps that I cut apart and drew a quick picture of where I had hidden each clue (for example Pocket 1 held a picture of their bed where they found a second envelope that held a picture of the couch, where they found a third envelope, and so on… that would lead them to the next clue until they landed at the “X”. I rolled the pictures into scrolls and stuck them into numbered pockets. They were to take their maps and follow the path according to the item listed and the number on their map until they found the buried treasure – some pirate stickers and gummy candy shaped like pirate stuff!

Next we learned this kid-friendly song - which they sang all week long!

A Children’s Pirate Shanty
by Mark “Cap’n Slappy” Summers
(can be sung to the tune of Monty Python’s “I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK” -
or make up your own!)
Chorus
I’m a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late – till half past three!
And that’s a peg below me knee!

Yo Ho, my friends I have a tale
of treasure, plunder, sea and sail
my story’s bigger than a whale
it gets so deep, ye’ll have to bail.

Chorus
I’m a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late – till half past three!
And that’s a peg below me knee!
I like to fish, I like to fight
I like to stay up half the night
When I say “starboard” ye go right!
Me ma, she says, “Ye look a fright!”

Chorus
I’m a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late – till half past three!
And that’s a peg below me knee!

I’ve got no hand but that’s me hook!
I pillage stuff but I’m no crook.
Me booty’s in this chest I took.
They’ll write about me in a book!

Chorus
I’m a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late – till half past three!
And that’s a peg below me knee!
And that’s all there is to this
song.

I hope it hasn’t been too long.
A pirate’s life might just be wrong
So grow up nice and big and strong!

Chorus
I’m a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late – till half past three!
And that’s a peg below me knee!

We learned sea-farin’ terms, the parts of a ship, why mermaids are associated with pirates, what old poison bottles and “Jolly Rogers” have in common, and why pirates aren’t as cool as we make them out to be. And maybe, most importantly of all, we learned that silliness is a great way to learn a few things!

Suzanne is wife to one and mama to four. The little ones are 2 boys ages 6 and 5, a girl who’s 3, and a baby boy who’s not knee-high to a grasshopper yet. She eclecticly unschools with lapbooks the Charlotte Mason way. In other words, she doesn’t have the slightest clue what she’s doing, but does it anyway. She lives in a world where there are few absolutes. The dishes don’t stay cleaned, the laundry doesn’t stay put away, the children don’t remember what she told them yesterday. But in their chaotic lives they have found joy. And they’d love to share that with you. So, come on over, kick a path through the toys, have a seat on the couch and grab a cup of strong coffee. Just be ready to hone your skills of “interrupted conversation”! And be sure to stop by her personal blog at The Joyful Chaos.

REVIEW: Taro Gomi Art Books

August 21, 2008 By Karin Leave a Comment

Japanese illustrator Taro Gomi’s series entitled: Doodles:A really Giant coloring book, Scribbles: a Really Giant Coloring Book, Squiggles: A Really Giant Coloring Book, and Doodle all year invite children of all ages to not only color his signature playful yet simple illustrations, but allows them to imagine, draw and create their own art within these wonderfully thick books. The Doodles, Scribbles, and Squiggles series each contain nearly 400 pages, while the aptly named Doodle all year, contains exactly 365 pages.

These books should not be mistaken for mere coloring books, they are so much more, and upon completion your budding artist will have a wonderful collection of work—-in a book! What parent wouldn’t prefer this to random drawings strewn about the house? But the real excitement behind these books is the fact that they are truly engaging, creative and FUN!

Testing these books with my children I was immediately struck by how excited they were about the book. They could tell this wasn’t the regular run of the mill coloring book that they would usually haphazardly color before abandoning in search of another more fulfilling activity. Of course the book’s size immediately grasped their attention, almost reverently they flipped through the book asking me to read the words at the top of each page.

I presented my three year old daughter with Squiggles: A Really Giant Coloring book. The book is divided into several sections. On the first page was a little girl under the heading “Let’s design T-shirts!” with the prompt to “draw something that breathes fire.” Other sections included “An Adventure” where your child is encouraged to draw characters that create a wordless story while they literally travel through various pages and terrains. Other sections included: “Ocean Voyage, “clothes & costumes”, “time to eat”, “morning, noon & night,” “vacation,”, “Shopping”, “feelings,” “lots of bouquets,” and my daughter’s personal favorites: “my friends,” “clothes & costumes,” and hats. In “Clothes & Costumes” each character’s middle section is left blank allowing the child to complete the illustration. Because Taro Gomi’s style is so simple, and almost childlike, it is not intimidating to young artists and they quickly busy themselves completing the illustrations to create their own.

One five year old son received, Scribbles: A Really Giant Coloring.

This book has a different layout from Doodles and a wider variety of activities rather than a large grouping of themes. The book opens with a prompt to fill a tree with leaves, give a man a moustache, give a man hair, draw zig zags, color hats, complete illustrations to give the children and people clothes, draw a bridge, draw flowers, draw summer clouds, etc. The activities in this truly GIANT book would be too numerous to mention, however, I did want to mention that although creative prompts are given on nearly every page, the illustrations truly lend themselves to their own interpretation and a child that is not yet reading could easily complete the pages without assistance.

My other five year old son selected, Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring Book. This book follows the same layout as Scribbles and opens with a prompt to “Fill these trees with fruit”, “Help build this wall by adding bricks”, and “attach something heavy” (to the end of a crane). From the start this book had my son’s attention! Once again, the activities are too numerous to mention, however a sampling of some of the fun pages contained in this book include: completing two robots engaged in a battle, filling glasses with your favorite ice cream, creating an animal with impressive horns, drawing funny faces, design a flag for a country of rabbits and another for a country of mice, draw the good ideas each person has, feed the crocodiles, feed the dinosaurs, make a cartoon by writing funny sayings in the speech bubbles, draw spiders webs, circle sums that add to ten, complete a word search, make up a story for a 10-page book, and to draw an animal or object that could be responsible for the given noise (such as Pow, and tok tok tok).

Doodle All Year, is 4 seasons of drawing, coloring, imagining and doodling fun! Its more manageable size makes it easy for you to keep in your car or backpack. Although the illustrations are still in black and follow Taro Gomi’s signature style, this book has a more whimsical feel, since the illustrations appear as if they were scribbled in black crayon, it’s a nice touch to an already fun and imaginative book.

Taro Gomi has obviously thought of everything in creating this series of “coloring books”. Each book even contains a fold out flap to help you mark your page, which my children think is “super cool.” Of the 4 books in the series, only Doodles appears to be geared towards slightly older children, but any child would be thrilled to receive any one of these creative books which will provide literally hours of creative fun. Whether you use these books as part of your art time in your homeschool, to have on hand for impromptu fun, or to give as a gift, you will not be disappointed.

A complete listing of books by Taro Gomi are available on the Chronicle Kids Website.

All of the books mentioned in the series are available at ChronicleKids.com
, or your local bookseller. Retail: $16.95- $19.95 each. Shop at chroniclekids.com by August 26, 2008 and receive 20% off your purchase and free shipping by using Promo Code: BACKTOSCHOOL

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 4 months. As someone who never changed a diaper until she had children, Karin is surprised by the fact that she has been changing diapers for the past 5 years straight with no end in sight! As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more– God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her new blog Mommy Matters.

Tidy Ho

August 2, 2008 By Guest 2 Comments


I enjoy tidy. A place for everything and everything in its place. But I relish clean. The unparalleled splendor of glistening toilets and spit-shined counters (well, maybe not spit-shined) nearly makes me weep. Unfortunately, since time is short, tidy trumps clean more than I care to admit. But I have learned to “Look to the dirt!”
During school one day, our study of geology prompted a field trip. “Come, children. Follow me!” I bellowed.
Turning on my heel, I led my little classroom to the bathroom. Dotting the counter and reaching heavenward were dozens of crusted peaks. Days of drooly dripping created a vast array of fluoride-rich stalagmites representing the slow and steady build-up of minerals.
“Measure the peaks and create a bar graph depicting size and relative age of each,” I ordered. Rulers and pencils began flying.
“Who can tell me how long it has been since this counter was last cleaned?” I asked. Hands shot up.
“A day,” said Britton.
“A week,” said Soraya.
“A year!” said Brooks, smirking.
“Not funny,” I said.

Using probability, and a bit of common sense,
we settled on three months.

Another day, lessons on carbon dating and our aging earth took us to the kitchen. “Alright children, pick a corner of the room, find a food, and determine its age and original identity.”

They bounced to their task like super balls and busily scavenged for cereal, gummies, and other sucrose-rich foods petrifying on our oak floors.
“Hey, Mom, check this out!” Grayson yelled. I bent down beside him. The specimen was greenish-brownish with delicate gray fuzz. “Hmmm, looks like we need a biopsy. Get the pizza scissors and salad tongs,” I said.
Grime has enriched our children’s education and their futures. Their precocious identification of numerous spores and fungi found in the diaper bag, and their use of forensics to identify gangrenous leftovers in the fridge, has piqued the interest of several Ivy League schools. My husband and I are thrilled.
To compensate for clean, I have found endless applications for grunge in home schooling. But I am just making due. Deep down…in the nitty-gritty of my heart…I want clean.
It is easy to live with tidy. Tidy is neat. Tidy is nice. Tidy is tidy. The truth is, tidy is only an illusion of clean; a distortion of truth. When we sweep dirt under a mat, we’re being tidy. When we sweep dirt into remote corners of our hearts, we’re being tidy. When we refuse to listen to God’s Word to remove grime in our hearts, we’re making due. When we don’t believe God will ever give us the “white glove test,” we’re living a delusion.
God is in the cleaning business. He sent Jesus, not to tidy up, but to clean up—by dying for all our sins and unrighteousness. How’s your life? Is it clean or just tidy?

“He is faithful and just…to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”1 John 1:9

Pam Angell and her husband have been married for 20 years. They have 7 children ages 3-13. Pam loves to write and often tries to squeeze it in between “home school field trips to the bathroom” whenever possible. She is the Women’s Ministry Director at her church and does occasional speaking and teaching to women’s groups as well. One of her literary heroines is Erma Bombeck!

Critical Thinking – NOT Magical Thinking

March 17, 2008 By Cheryl 3 Comments

When I first started homeschooling five years ago, I picked up a book called The Well Trained Mind - a guide to giving your child a classical education at home. This book set the foundation for my homeschool approach and gave me a solid plan to start out on this homeschooling adventure. Since then I have moved away slightly from the classical methods outlined in this book and have now become somewhat eclectic in my homeschool approach.

Filed away in the recess of my mind though was some information I gleamed from the book about teaching our children to think critically once they reach a certain age. Since my oldest daughter is now eleven I’ve been keeping a keen eye out for signs that she may be ready to start thinking on a more critical level. According to most classical models, this logic stage can happen between the ages 10 and 13. This is not a post so much about The Well Trained Mind, nor is it a post about the classical model of teaching. It is a post however, about the importance of instructing our children in the skill of being able to think logically – through deduction and reasoning. We refer to this as critical thinking. It is a skill that is not taught in most schools, and it is a skill that is absolutely foundational in order to support an argument or belief system.

Over the last year I’ve been drawn to certain kinds of books for my own reading. Books like It Couldn’t Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards, and more recently – The Lie Evolution by Ken Ham. I am acutely aware of God’s prompting and leading in the very foundational topic of creation vs. evolution. How we view the world in many subjects of education, stems from one’s core belief system. However, this is not a post about arguing creation vs. evolution, it’s about the importance of instructing our children in the skill of critical thinking. Without this skill, one often ends up in a heated, pointed, emotional argument with weak supports, or even worse, ends up avoiding important discussions all together.

Critical thinking helps us look outside the box, so to speak. It teaches us to explore both sides of an argument, and can be defined as thinking that: consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense.

Magical thinking, on the other hand, can be loosely defined as: non-scientific causal reasoning. Magical thinking can occur when one simply does not understand possible causes, but can also occur in response to situations that are largely random or chaotic, as well as in situations that one has little or no control over, especially those one is emotionally invested in.

How many people do you know of in the latter category? Additionally, how many people do you know who eagerly throw their opinions around (some quite influentially) without any skill to be able to back up those very same opinions? Can you see how important it is to teach our children to think critically?

Isaiah 1:17-18 says:
17 Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. 18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD.

Yes, let us reason together – teach your children to reason. Isn’t that The Heart of the Matter?

Solids, Liquids, and Gases

February 8, 2008 By AmyStults Leave a Comment

“The more I study science the more I believe in God,” ~Albert Einstein

Solids, Liquids, and Gases

Everything within God’s great creation is made of molecules. His first action in His divine plan of human creation was to give us a home. A nice solid planet. He filled our planet with this glorious liquid called water, and surrounded it with a clean and clear gas called oxygen. He is brilliant, isn’t He? Everything was planned out perfectly. How anyone can look at the intricacies of creation and deny the existence of God Almighty bewilders me.

Regardless of the type of molecule, matter exists as either a solid, liquid, or gas. Yes, for this article, I am ignoring plasma, as young children have a hard time understanding its characteristics. Energy (like heat) causes these molecules to move faster and further apart. Very slow moving, compact molecules create a solid; while faster molecules flow more freely and take the shape of a liquid; and lastly, the really hyper molecules become gases.

Ready for some experiments to teach your kids about the 3 states of matter?

Water makes up 3/4 of the Earth’s surface and 2/3 of a human body. Although it is the most common thing on Earth, its properties are so unusual, making it oh so valuable. Water is the only known substance that can exist on Earth in all 3 phases of matter. These first two unbelievably simple experiments very effectively demonstrate the substance as ice, water, and vapor.

Ice Cubes in a Pan
Place a few ice cubes in a frying pan. Heat up the pan and allow them to melt into water. Watch as the water is vaporized.

Balloons
Get 3 balloons. Fill with water and place in the freezer over night, fill one with regular water, and the last with air. Let the child play with all 3 and guess which form is in each balloon.

He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.

Psalm 135:7

The Bible talks about three different heavens. The Earth’s atmosphere, outer space, and the heaven where God resides. We know much about the first and second heavens. We know that our atmosphere is made of breathable gases while outer space is not. Many children have a hard time understand air simply because they cannot see it. Try this experiment to show them that air really does take up space.

Dry Cotton Ball

  • Fill up a container of water
  • Tape a cotton ball onto the inside bottom of a clear plastic cup. Do not place the tape over the cotton ball, either use double sided tape or roll up a piece and place it under the cotton ball.
  • Holding it upside down, submerge the cup all the way down into the water. Make sure you do not tilt the cup.
  • The child will assume that the cotton ball has gotten wet and will be amazed when they feel that it is still completely dry. Explain that the cup is filled with air. So there was no room for water to enter the cup.

Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.

Isaiah 42:5

Rock Candy
What you need:

  • Hot water
  • A clean paper clip
  • 2 cups sugar
  • Thread or string
  • A heat-resistant glass
  • Magnifying glass
  • A spoon
  • Food coloring (optional)

What to do:

  • Half-fill the glass with very hot water. Add food coloring if you desire. Slowly mix as much sugar as possible in the water. The sugar will dissolve. Keep adding sugar until you have a thick syrup.
  • Hang a paper clip from a piece of thread or string and suspend it in the glass. Make sure the paper clip doesn’t touch the bottom.
  • Leave the cup where it won’t be disturbed and cover it to keep dust out.
  • After a week or so, crystals will begin forming around the paper clip and string. Use a magnifying glass to examine the crystals’ shapes.

When sugar dissolves in hot water, it breaks up into pieces so small that you can no longer see them. As the sugar water cools and the water evaporates, the sugar re-concentrates out and forms crystals.

Are you impatient? Try these almost instant crystals
Simply create a super saturated solution of baking soda and water. Pour the solution into a jar. Set a twisted pipe cleaner down into the jar. Place in a sunny window and within 30 minutes you will see “crystals” growing on the pipe cleaner.

Online Games for Kids
Science Materials Changing State
Solids, Liquids, and Gases
States of Matter
More Solids, Liquids and Gases
Solids and Liquids Activities

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
What you need:

  • Gallon ziplock bags (use a thick freezer bag)
  • Quart ziplock freezer bags (use a thick freezer bag)
  • Chocolate or strawberry milk
  • Rock salt
  • Ice

What to do:

  • In the quart bag put about 1 cup of milk. Zip it tight.
  • In the gallon bag put some rock salt and ice, about 1 cup of each.
  • Put quart bag into the gallon bag with the salt and ice. Zip tight.
  • Let the kids knead or roll the bag and really work the milk. Within 20 minutes or so the milk turns into ice cream.

Want to really enjoy the ice cream? Read on…

Chocolate Bowls
Blow up a small balloon. Don’t make it too big or you’ll end up with a enormous bowl. Dip the balloon halfway into melted chocolate, turn it upside down and place in the freezer for an hour or so. Carefully poke a hole in the balloon to sloooowly release the air. Carefully peel the balloon away from the chocolate. Fill your new bowl with ice cream. Or be responsible and fill with fresh fruit.

Root Beer Floats
I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a book called Cooking and Science from Castle Heights Press. One of the experiments included in this book is how to use root beer floats to demonstrate the phases of matter. Please feel free to download the experiment and worksheets HERE.

Alka Seltzer
Plop, plop, fizz fizz! Yeah, you might need this one after the homemade ice cream, chocolate bowls, and root beer floats! It begins as a solid tablet, bubbles as it lets off gas, and ends as part of the liquid.

…I saved my favorite for last. Please people, if you have never made this crazy concoction, go and do it now. Well, after you finish the rest of the magazine articles, of course!

Oobleck
Mix 1 cup of corn starch with 1.5 cups of water and some food coloring for effect.
Oobleck is fascinating because it isn’t quite sure what it wants to be. Scientists have labeled it a Non-Newtonian fluid. Watch these amazing videos:

Oobleck Non Newtonian Video
Oobleck
Amazing Oobleck

Amy is a Classical homeschooling mom to a five-year-old Superhero. In her column “Through the Microscope”, she writes about the beauty of science and finding God’s handprint through the miracle of everyday elements and processes. Be sure to visit her blog at Milk and Cookies.

Please visit my sponsor – Castle Heights Press!
They are generously offering a 10% discount for ALL PRODUCTS to our readers until March 8th. Use the code HMB81.

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