Wordless Wednesday

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Homeschool Spanish Academy: High School Program ~ a TOS review

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I have an awesome Spanish program to tell you about today called Homeschool Spanish Academy (HSA). Madison excelled last year using this program so I was so excited to be able to give the High School Program a try with Marie. Originally I planned for Marie to use another program that she has used in the past to fulfill her Spanish requirement, but she loves HSA so much we are sticking with it.

Homeschool Spanish Academy  was founded in 2010 by Ron Fortin. As an online Spanish Academy  it offers  interactive lessons between native Central America instructors and students from all parts of the world. HSA has programs for elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults. For this review we had the opportunity to review the high school program that offers 7 weeks of live video Skype sessions.

To set up your first class you first need to make sure your computer is good to go. For that Ron or his assistance will guide you through the process of checking the compatibility requirements for the program and your computer. Here is what you need:

Internet ~ requires a Ping  less than 100ms, Download Speeds greater than 1.0MBps, and Upload Speeds greater than 0.5 MBps. *this may sound foreign but these are the speeds that work best for the programs video capabilities.

Webcam ~ optional, but highly recommended.

Headset ~ of good quality, necessary to communicate with teacher. (especially if you have younger sisters who thinks everybody is their Grandma Face Timing on the computer :-))

A Skype Account

This time around, our computer passed inspection first time up so Marie was up and running in no time at all.

Once your computer speed is checked and cleared for operation you log in and schedule your class(es) within the HSA website. It is as easy as picking your instructor and then selecting a time frame. All classes are scheduled in the Eastern time zone so just be careful you do not schedule something too early for you. Now you are all set for class. A friendly reminder is sent to you the day before your class so that you can make sure you are ready.

Do not worry if you accidentally forget about your scheduled class, the friendly technicians will call you if the Professor can not reach you by Skype to see if you are having computer troubles. While I would not make a habit of missing your classes it is nice to know that they care enough to give you the benefit of the doubt and call you up to see if there is trouble on your end.

I am a creature of habit so we chose             Professora Nora for our teacher and she was just as wonderful with Marie as she was last year with Madision!!! Marie was not too sure of what to think of the program at first, but quickly grew to love it. In the past she has done very well in Spanish so I knew this would suit her as well. I speak Spanish, well the basics and enough to survive if needed, as I took Spanish 3 years in high school and 2 years in College. What I was missing from Marie’s Spanish learning was the opportunity for conversational Spanish with a real person. I do not know anyone in our area who is native to the language so this fits the bill for us perfectly.

The first day was just the basics as Professora Nora was trying to see what exactly Marie knows. She was quite surprised to find she knows a whole lot and quickly moved her on to some harder review material. Now, don’t get me wrong, Marie has used another popular foreign language program in the past, but in my opinion HSA has them beat hands down! The one on one work is amazing and I can see Marie’s confidence growing with each weekly lesson.

Professora Nora would email us Marie’s homework assignment in the afternoon after her class. It contains mostly review work of what was taught earlier that day in the lesson for reinforcement. Once Marie completed the assignment, I would scan it into a PDF file and attach it to assignment document folder within the student portal. Since we scheduled all of Marie’s classes on Friday’s I made it so that her homework assignment was due by the 3PM on Wednesday evenings, giving myself plenty of time to get it scanned and turned into the portal for grading.

The Spanish classes at the high school level are offered in Levels 1 – 3 with sub levels of A & B. You can be sure your child is getting the best instruction because the courses are aligned with the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) and The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) guidelines. For example, Level 1A, is equivalent to taking one semester of Spanish in a public learning institution based on the objectives set forth by the ACTFL. Students who complete Level 1A will receive 0.5 credits towards their Spanish 1 fulfillment needs. For a full credit of Spanish 1 to be earned the student must also complete Spanish 1B.

Now I am sure you are thinking that a program like this sounds too good to be true and it is probably not affordable. Nope! Pricing is pretty reasonable for the one on one instruction you get. Check out the table below for pricing.

I love, love, LOVE everything about this Spanish program! So much so that I decided early on that we will drop the program Marie was using and order another semester of classes (7) when she has finished with our Crew classes to complete her final foreign language requirements for graduation. The cost of this program is more than the other program, but I am sold on the quality of material that Marie is learning and receiving. If you are looking for a conversational Spanish program in which you will actually be able to learn to speak the language with a Native speaker, then this program is for you. I will sing praises of HSA to anyone who asks!

Be sure to check out what my Crewmates had to say about Homeschool Spanish Academy by clicking on the banner below.

 

Company ~ Homeschool Spanish Academy

Product ~ High School Program

Price ~ $99.99 half semester, see above for more pricing options

Ages ~ 15 – 19 years old

Platform  ~ Windows or MAC, uses Skype

 

 

 

 

Happy 4th Birthday McKenzie

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McKenzie had a great day and we had a great time celebrating her. The highlight of the day was opening her Peppa Pig and Dora the Explorer backpack. I will share more of her day later this week.

Wordless Wednesday

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Doorpost: Beauty in the Heart ~ a TOS review

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We have truly been blessed with how many Bible programs and or studies this year. This time I want to share with you an inductive Bible study from Doorposts called Beauty in the Heart.

Beauty in the Heart is a study of Godly beauty for young women written by Pam Forster to help you answer the following questions:

What does the Bible say about beauty? What attitudes does God value in a young woman’s heart? What actions are characteristic in the life of a truly beautiful woman? What attitudes and actions detract from, or even render disgusting, a woman’s physical beauty? ~website

While going through this study guide you and your daughter will discover the answers to these questions and more in God’s Word. With ten in-depth studies you and your daughter will focus on Godly women such as Ruth and Esther as well as what the Bible truly says about discretion and modesty.

1. Beauty in Submission (a study of 1 Peter)
2. Beauty in the Heart (a study of 1 Peter 3:3-4)
3. Beauty in Trusting God (study of Sarah)
4. Beauty in Humility (study of Esther)
5. Beauty in Modesty (study of 1 Timothy 2:9-10)
6. Beauty in Serving (topical study)
7. Beauty without Discretion (study of Proverbs 11:22)
8. Beauty in Crisis (study of 1 Samuel 25)
9. Beauty in the Gates (study of Ruth)
10. Beauty in Review

Designed for young girls aged 10 and up and also useful for ladies Bible groups. Young men who want to learn about godly beauty can also use this book as there are alternate question included for young men.

Beauty in the Heart includes 86 days of study plans. It also includes 49 bonus suggested studies, to take you through a whole year. Each study uses a different study technique and contains daily assignments that take between 5-20 minutes to complete each day. Learn the fundamentals of several different Bible study methods while using this book by learning how to:

• Use a concordance
• Study a specific topic in the Bible
• Perform a character study
• Use marginal study notes
• Study a verse, passage, or entire chapter or book of the Bible
• Find the original word used in a passage and how it is used in other passages
• Use free Bible study tools on computers and mobile devices

For just $14.00 you can have a physical copy of this book to go through with your daughter. I will say that this is an intensive Bible study that I quickly realized that it was too much for Mikayla, so I focused this study with Marie (16) & Madison (12). Marie took off with the program and was able to get through the lessons while Madison struggled a bit with the amount of writing required. For this review we have skipped around the chapters touching on the subjects I felt led to study deeply with the girls. We have had many interesting discussions especially in Chapter, Beauty in Modesty.

We wholeheartedly recommend it as a quality Bible study program and we will be continuing using this study throughout our school year as I think it is important for the girls to get the right information straight from the source. Check it out for yourself to see if it will work for your family.

Do you have boys in your family? Doorposts also has an inductive study just for them called Because You Are Strong. Be sure to check out what my Crewmates thought of Beauty in the Heart and the book for boys by clicking on the link below.

Company ~ Doorposts

Product ~ Beauty in the Heart

Price ~ $14.00

Ages ~ 10 and up

 

In the Hands of a Child: It’s All Matter ~ a TOS review

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Every once in a while it always fun to break off and do some fun hands on type of learning. Since my girls both love hands-on projects and science, it was a perfect fit for us to be selected to review In the Hands of a Child lapbook It's All Matter.

In the Hands of a Child is the premier lapbooking company started back in 2002 by two homeschooling mothers, Kimm Bellotto and Niki McNeil. Today with the help of their 3rd partner, Katie, they each bring unique qualities and talents to the business under one goal -- to provide quality lapbooking materials for all educators. Whether you are a home educator or a classroom teacher, they are striving to put quality materials in the hands of children to get them laughing and learning together. From preschool to High School there desire is to assist all educators of children in all ages and skill levels with the use of just one type of product, a lapbook.

We were lucky enough to receive the It’s All Matter ($10.) Lapbook for this review. Geared towards the middle school crowd, 5th-8th graders this high-interest curriculum will help you know everything you could possibly want to know about matter. With easy to follow directions you will receive:

• 5 day planning guide
• reading list pertaining to the subject
• vocabulary words
• 16 hands-on activities
• 12 page research guide
• answer keys
• complete instructions for assembly of the lapbook

I was able to use this product with Madison over the last few weeks. She’s into science and this lapbook just fueled her more to keep gaining knowledge. The lapbook was laid out nicely and it was very easy to give her the instructions and turn her loose. Since finishing this lapbook she has discovered the whole section of Astronomy lapbooks on the site. She is really into Astronomy right now we plan on purchasing more of the lapbooks for her to complete over the course of this school year. With the price as low as it is, how could I not!

We definitely recommend you checking out the over 450 lapbook products available from In the Hands of a Child. There is definitely something for everyone on this site to dive into. Be sure to check out what my fellow Crewmates thought of the many different lapbooks reviewed by clicking the banner below.

Company ~ In the Hands of a Child

Product ~ It's All Matter

Price ~ $10.00, currently on sale for $5.00

Ages ~ 5th-8th graders