A Stable Beginning

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Getting Started with Homeschool Spanish Academy

* links in this post are affiliate links*

I am so excited this year to have both my high school girls, Madison (11^th) and Mikayla (9^th), taking Spanish lessons with Homeschool Spanish Academy {HSA}! We were first introduced to HSA program in the summer of 2012 and have been in love with it since. Our oldest, Marie also took 2 years of Spanish with HSA too before she graduated from our homeschool, so I guess we are veterans to the program.

Homeschool Spanish Academy was founded in 2009 by Ron Fortin. As an online Spanish Academy, the program offers interactive lessons between native Guatemalan speakers/instructors and students. HSA has programs for every age including elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adult learners.

Getting set up to start lessons is a breeze! First you need to decide what type of lessons you need and how many days a week you want to study. Because my girls are looking to earn 1 High School credit, we choose to go with the 60-class option that meets for 50 minutes each session. This program retails for $560.00 and is the ideal program for a two semester, full year long course. If you are looking for a one semester option to earn .5 credit, there is a 30-class option that retails for $377.00 as well as a 15-class option, .25 credit, when you need just a little bit extra study for $212.00. Now, don't get scared by that price tag! You definitely get what you pay for with HSA and the one-on-one tutoring without having to leave your own home is worth every penny!

Once you have completed the sign-up process you are ready to schedule your classes. On the first day of your scheduled class, you will get a reminder email about an hour before your class session. In that email, it will direct you to the new meeting platform on Google Hangouts. If you don’t already have it Google Hangouts downloaded a link to do so is provided for easy reference. Once you have downloaded it just run Google Hangouts on your computer or mobile device with either an iOS or Android OS.

While not mandatory, it’s nice to have a pair of high quality headsets to communicate with the teacher. It really cuts down on little brother and sister noise during class time.

Next week I will go into more depth about how exactly we schedule our lessons out to fit our schedule. So far, we have not had any issues with logging into the new platform for classes or getting our classes scheduled. I personally like to schedule out our whole year right up front so we can keep the same teacher. Once we get our gymnastics and softball schedules we adjust the days and times as needed for our family.

That is one of the many reasons while we love using Homeschool Spanish Academy. Their Spanish courses work around our busy schedule, yet I know my children are getting top notch instruction from native speakers. Something that in my book is priceless!

I hope you’ll join me!

Progeny Press ~ Charlotte's Web E-Guide ~ a TOS review

School’s been in session for a few weeks and we are settling into a nice fall routine. Our family has a fond affection towards good books and I try to fill our bookshelves full of good books as well as check them out from the local library. We like to incorporate literature guides into your homeschool as we find that literature guides help us to dig a bit deeper into the story. They also make reading even more enjoyable when you can add hands-on crafts etc.

picture credit

Have you ever checked out the literature guides from Progeny Press? For this review we received a downloadable interactive PDF copy of the study guide for the lovable novel, Charlotte’s Web E-Guide .

Progeny Press has been a family owned and operated company since 1992. They produce high quality literature guides from a Christian worldview ranging from lower elementary years through high school. They literally have 100+ guides and add 3-6 new titles each year ranging from lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. If you are looking for a literature guide, they have got you covered!

Charlotte’s Web has been enjoyed many times over in our family! It’s a timeless classical story that warms my heart each time we read it. I mean what’s not to love about a loveable pig, named Wilbur! My 5th and 2nd graders, Montana and McKenzie, enjoyed this novel again during the review period. Montana read the book on her own while McKenzie listened to the audio recording. I have read the book to both of them when I read it for my older girls so they are familiar with the story and Mama needed to save her voice for our other read-alouds we are doing.

The Interactive E-Guide is a 55 page downloadable and printable study guide that goes along with the book. It’s called an interactive study guide because you don’t have to print it out. Rather, you can do all of your work directly in the PDF file on the computer. Once the study guide is complete you could then print the whole file and save your students work in a portfolio or binder. The interactive feature is really great if your child is not up to writing that much. I am more of a paper gal, so I choose to print the file bit by bit and store it in Montana’s work binder.

The E-Guide is set up in an easy to follow style. It gives a Synopsis, tells about the author and illustrator, and includes a pre-reading activities section that has helpful information about spiders. I am not a huge spider fan, but I am learning to embrace nature one day at a time. There is also an Overview of the complete story line as well as Post-Reading activities to complete. If your student enjoys this book, additional resources are provided towards the back with other novel suggestions.

Each chapter of the book is broken down in the E-Guide and the student’s knowledge is tested by several different types of learning exercises including:

Vocabulary ~ multi types of exercises including multiple choice, context clues, fill-in-the-blank, and dictionary definitions.

Comprehension questions ~ testing the students’ knowledge of what was read.

Thinking about the story ~ thinking questions and making story connections.

Descriptive writing ~ these fun exercises get kids thinking all the while encouraging writing skills.

Literary devices ~ mood, irony, foreshadowing, and more are presented at grade level.

Digging deeper ~ scripture and life lessons are presented in a Christian worldview.

We enjoyed this literature guide on Charlotte’s Web and have purchased and/or reviewed several guides in the past and will be purchasing more in the future. The new interactive format allows the student to type in the answers directly on their computer screen which is awesome for older students! I also love that there is no limit on copying pages for use within our homeschool. Progeny Press Guides are economically priced from $10.99 to $27.99, the Charlotte’s Web guide sells for $17.99. Be sure to browse the online catalog for individual pricing on all the available guides.

We love adding Progeny Press guides to our Language Arts studies so we were excited to receive the Charlotte’s Web E-Guide this time to review. Our family finds that literature guides make reading even more enjoyable! We give this guide 2 thumbs up and Progeny Press is the first site I look on when searching or a classical literature guide.

So far we have enjoyed these Literature Guides in our homeschool:

Frog and Toad Together

I look forward to adding more literature guides to our collection over the course of the school year!

Be sure to click on the banner below to find out what my CrewMates thought of this review on Charlotte’s Web and the other guides being reviewed, including:

• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain E-Guide (Grades 1-3)

• The Silver Chair E-Guide (Grades 5-7)

• Macbeth E-Guide (Grades 9-12)

Study Guides for Literature {Progeny Press Reviews}

Company ~ Progeny Press

Product ~ Charlotte’s Web E-Guide

Format ~ E-Guide

Price ~ $17.99

Ages ~ 4th-6th grade

Social Media Links:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Youtube ~ Pinterest:

http://astablebeginning.com

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Weekly Check UP ~ week 6

It’s time for another 2 week check-up! We just finished week 6 of our school year and we have finally hit our groove. Everyone has started all the classes we have scheduled for this year too.

Madison and Mikayla both started Spanish with HomeschoolSpanish Academy {affiliate link} this week. Madison also started AP Government and Honors Physics online with Dr. Jay Wile start Wednesday. These online classes are just what she needed this year! She also took the ACT test for the first time this past Saturday.

A few substitutions have been made, nothing major though. I switched McKenzie’s spelling from Sonlight 2 to the spelling program offered from Super Teacher Worksheets.

We just were not having the most success with the Sonlight spelling and I don’t quite think she is ready for Rod & Staff Spelling 3 so we are taking a more relaxed approach. I am going to be writing a review of how we are using the spelling program and more from Super Teacher Worksheets come October so be on the lookout for that.

Last week Montana received an “A” on her math test! It was quite the feat because she does not enjoy math at all. It is the one subject that can change her attitude from good to worse in seconds. She can do the work, but she just does not want too. I am hoping it is just a slump and she pulls out of it soon…until then I will be patient and we will just plug away at the lessons one day at a time.

Pillar of cloud / pillar of fire

Personally, I need to work on my own time management for the next three weeks until our 1^st quarter break. I made the mistake of going into the gym Thursday morning when dropping the girls off for training at 830AM. The thing is I got to talking to my gym mom’s and I ended up not leaving until McKenzie’s practice was over at 11:30AM. I needed that talking time, but it put me behind schedule with the rest of the day. I need to pace myself with my own commitments, sometimes I am just too nice.

God has been blessing me so much these last few weeks in little ways. It is so awesome to see answered prayers literally walk in the door! I have made so many new friendships these last few weeks too, it’s been great.

The next three weeks will fly by I am sure but I am looking forward to our 1^st quarter break. Until next time, be blessed!

Reviews posted:

Apologia LandAnimals of the Sixth Day Lapbook from A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks

Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set

Is There AnythingBetter Than Candy? Box-Tract

http://astablebeginning.com

Friday, September 8, 2017

Edible pillars of clouds and pillars of fire

Do you remember last spring when we did the *Almost* edible 10 plagues study? Well we have come back around to studying Exodus. This week we have been studying about how God led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land.

Like last year, I wanted to try and make the concept memorable to the kids by making it edible. So, I decided to make edible pillars of cloud and pillars of fire.

To whip these up was really quick and easy. I used pretzel rods, cream cheese frosting, marshmallows, and cherry fire fruit roll ups. I love how they turned out!

Mikayla had a double day today so I brought her’s to the gym so she could eat hers because it would have been eaten by a certain little brother if left home until evening.

These were a big hit in our house!

http://astablebeginning.com

Let the Little Children Come: Is There Anything Better Than Candy? ~ a TOS review

Do you want to know why I love the fall? Cooler weather, football, falling leaves, apple season, and pumpkin spice if that’s your thing! As fall approaches and we start to shift our focus to Halloween and Thanksgiving I am excited that share with you the Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Box-Tract from Let the Little Children Come. I am here to tell you, YES, there is something better than candy!

Let the Little Children Come provides tools for child evangelism such as their Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Box-Tract. These little tools are specifically designed for sharing the Good News with kids. Each of their child evangelism tools are more than just simple children’s tracts you may have seen before. Every product is designed to capture and hold the attention of children young and old, all the while not distracting them from the main message; the salvation through Jesus Christ.

Let the Little Children Come Halloween Tract

Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Box-Tract is cute little pumpkin shaped gospel tract that comes in flat packs of 20 tracts for $15.95. If you need more the company does offer bulk discounts. It can easily be assembled by children of all ages. A helpful assembly sheet is provided with detailed directions, but it is a simple as folding and tucking each of the 6 flaps of the pumpkin.

Each of the colorful pumpkin flaps tells of God’s love for you and how He sent his only son, Jesus, to save us. The plan of salvation is written so that even young children can understand God’s love for us. The last pumpkin flap includes a prayer for any child ready to receive Jesus in their heart.

Assembling these were super easy! The first step is to carefully tear out the pieces of the tract. This was really easy because the paper is thick and it is perforated. Next just fold the sides of the pumpkin flaps up and tuck into place and viola, a cute pumpkin with an extra special message inside!

I love that the flaps are so bright and colorful and that they are numbered too so the child knows the order in which to read the flaps. McKenzie has been expressing interest in baptism, so I love how the plan to salvation is laid out right before her eyes to see.

As a family we talked about what we could do to share the gospel of Christ and everyone agreed that these would be the perfect thing to hand out to our friends at the children’s individual sports. We normally don’t get many children coming by our house on Halloween but we are going to set a few of these out in case some children do come along and place a little piece of wrapped candy inside.

We will definitely be ordering more of these sets and handing them out to our gymnastics and cheerleading friends mid-October! And if we decide to participate in our church’s Trunk or Treat night, these will be perfect! What a great way for children to share the gospel!

Be sure to check out how my CrewMates are using these tracts by clicking the banner below!

Is There Anything Better Than Candy? {Let The Little Children Come Reviews}

Company ~ Let the Little Children Come

Product ~ Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Box-Tract

Price ~ $15.95

Ages ~ children, young and old

Social Media Links:

Facebook

http://astablebeginning.com

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Apologia Educational Ministries: Marine Biology, 2nd Edition ~ a TOS review

My girls really crave science. So much so, we study an extra science discipline each year. Honestly, these girls of mine amaze me with the knowledge they have acquired from our favorite science curriculum provider, Apologia Educational Ministries. When I heard that the new book, Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set was up for review I was super excited to check it out!

I am sure you have heard of Apologia Educational Ministries if you are a homeschooler. If you are not, let me tell you a little about them. Apologia is one of those companies that everybody talks about and for good reason too! Apologia publishes K-12 Creation-based science and worldview curriculum for children K-12, inspirational books about homeschooling, and hosts online classes through Apologia Academy.

We received the Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set which includes:

~ the hardcover textbook

~ Student notebook

~ Solutions manual

~ Testing book

~ MP3 Audio Book

Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set

Explore under the sea with this award-winning marine biology course. It received a face lift and now includes more colorful and in-depth information all about the wonders of marine life and their habitats. It is recommended for students in Grade 12 and has a prerequisite of Biology.

Topics covered in the 16 modules include:

Module 1 ~ The Oceans of our Planet

Module 2 ~ Life in the Sea

Module 3 ~ The First Four Kingdoms

Module 4 ~ Marine Invertebrates 1

Module 5 ~ Marine Invertebrates II

Module 6 ~ Marine Vertebrates I

Module 7 ~ Marine Vertebrates II

Module 8 ~ Marine Ecology

Module 9 ~ The Inter-tidal Zone

Module 10 ~ Estuary Communities

Module 11 ~ Coral Reefs

Module 12 ~ Continental Shelf Communities

Module 13 ~ The Epipelagic Zone

Module 14 ~ The Deep Ocean

Module 15 ~ Ocean Resources

Module 16 ~ Effects of Humans on the Sea

Like other science curriculum from Apologia, you should expect to work through each module for about 2 weeks. Plan on devoting 45-60 minutes of every school day to the course.

In our homeschool, we do two science disciplines a year, our main science focus and then an extra discipline that the girls show interest in. Originally, my plan was to have my daughter, Madison (11th grade), take on this course full steam ahead for her extra science course this year.

However, she decided that she wanted a full course dedicated to the study of Meteorology so we improvised our plan. Instead of completing the full course, Madison is studying specific modules that interest her. Since there are 16 modules for 1 credit worth, she is doing five modules, Modules 1, Module 8, Module 9, Module 11, and Module 14, for a .25 credit.

The Student Notebook is a consumable product and is meant to be used by just one student. While Madison did not utilize the Student Notebook, there is plenty of space for your child to take notes, answer the On Your Own questions, record lab experiments, and complete the chapter review before taking the module tests. The notebooking journal provides a handy schedule in the front that has the course completely scheduled out for you. There is also a tracking page for module testing and labs. Plus, your completed notebook at the end of the year also serves as a keepsake to look back on down the road. The only reason Madison didn't use the Student Notebook is because she has her own tried and tested method of science note taking and she prefers to use a quad-ruled graph notebook. To each his own, I say. In our other Apologia studies, my other children have used the Student notebook with great success.
The best feature of the products we received was the MP3 Audio CD. The CD is fantastic I tell you! It contains a complete audio recording of the whole course and is read by Marissa Leinart. Hands-down this was my favorite part! I loved being able to pop the MP3 Audio CD into my computer and let it read the text to me while I worked throughout the day or night. That way I am always a step ahead of Madison in her reading and could ask her informed questions about what she had read. The MP3 Audio CD is perfect for audio learners or students who are not quite fast readers.
This course is a part of Apologia’s Upper level High School course offerings which include: Biology * Chemistry Physics ** Advanced Biology Advanced Chemistry Advanced Physics
*using this year with Mikayla for 9th **using this year with Madison for 11th
We have thoroughly enjoyed our study so far of Marine Biology and look forward to diving a little bit deeper in the weeks to come. Apologia is our go to science curriculum for middle school through high school! I can count on them to help me educate my children with their comprehensive, college preparatory curriculum. Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this new set by clicking the banner below!