A Stable Beginning

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Wordless Wednesday ~ Jump!

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Learn to read in 4 weeks with Learning Dynamics ~ a TOS review

We are entering our 12th year of homeschooling and I am down to my last child to teach how to read! It’s bittersweet, really. What if I told you that You can teach your child to read in just 4 weeks? With the help of the children’s reading program from Learning Dynamics Reading Program from Learning Dynamics your child can be reading.

Learning Dynamics is a multi-sensory, phonics-based reading program that helps children develop language and comprehension skills through a variety of activities including sequencing, rhyming, classification, same/different, and opposites. The founder of this program found that while many children are taught their letters and sounds early on, they struggle to actually read in elementary school. Learning Dynamics was created to bridge the gap and to help get children reading, confidently in just 4 weeks.

We received the entire Learning Dynamics Reading Program that is geared for children as young as preschool. In just 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week the program teaches reading through:
~ phonics methodology ~ structure through fun games, songs, and lessons ~ multi-sensory lessons

The entire program comes packed in a tiny box that packs a big punch. Packed neatly inside the yellow and blue box you will find the:

~ Lesson Manual: is a spiral covered soft covered book packed with all the lessons you need to get your child reading. The Lesson Manual contains easy to follow scripted lessons plans on one single page so you will have just what to say.

~ Student Workbook: the worksheets for the students are found inside this spiral covered soft book. Also in the single page format. The illustrations are sized just right for younger children. My son enjoyed coloring his pages.

~ Music CD: with over 30 songs including the alphabet son this is a great compliment to the program as a whole. The alphabet song is not the traditional song, but still it is fun once you hear it a few times.

~ Flashcards: each letter has flashcards that connect the story characters to the lessons. These are printed on a sturdy cardstock material.

~ Reward cards: letter characters are found on these smaller reward flashcards. These come on a heavy cardstock material and help connect the letter sound and character to the lesson as well.

~ and over 50 reader books!: readers for 4 levels of reading fun.

Using this reading program with Micah, my 5 year old has been an adventure. He has been eager to learn to read like his older sisters so this program arrived just at the right time for us. He knows all his letters by sight and sounds so jumping into the program was easy for him.

We typically worked 3 days a week but sometimes we would complete more than one lesson but he wanted to do more. Can he read? Yes! Micah is able to sound out a few words on his own. We have not gotten into the long vowel sounds and have just been focusing on the short vowels with the CVC words.

I really like this program! The scripted lessons help me feel confident in knowing that I am hitting all the important parts of the lesson. The entire program is comprehensive and easy to implement in our home. I do wish it was a little bit more hands on in terms of activities etc. But I may be a little biased because that is typically how I teach my children to read.

If you do find that it is not a good fit for your family, the company is confident in their program offering a 30-day money back guarantee! However, once you get a copy and start using it yourself I don’t think you will need to take advantage of the money back guarantee. I feel this program is golden and we will continue to utilize it as we head into Micah’s official Kindergarten year. But don’t just take my word for it! Check out what my CrewMates think of this children’s reading program by clicking the banner below!

Learning Dynamics Reading Program {Learning Dynamics Reviews}

Company ~ Learning Dynamics

Product ~ Learning Dynamics Reading Program

Format ~ box set

Ages ~ pre-K and up

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Friday, June 28, 2019

Matific Galaxy~ a TOS review

Happy Friday friends! We are in full swing of our summer learning and today I am excited to share with you an online math resource that my youngest daughter, McKenzie, has been enjoying. It’s called Matific Galaxy and it is an online math resource that provides fun activities for learning and practicing math skills such as counting, ordering, addition, and subtraction. Let me tell you more about it!

At the elementary level I love to have several fun game options to help my kids learn concepts. We received a one-year subscription to the online program that features math games for students in K-6th grade for use with just one child.

I picked McKenzie, my rising 4th grader, because the program is something she can use on her tablet or phone while waiting at the gym in between her trainings.

Matific Galaxy is an award-winning site that features hundreds of math games in a fun environment without the stress that naturally comes along for some children (and parents too) with math. Through game based activities your child will learn a variety of topics in the 4th grade level including:

Getting started learning is as simple as setting up the account and jumping in. You can also access the program through the app, which is what we did. Everyone begins at level one for the grade level they choose to begin with. Each level has its own specific characters for that level. As the child progresses through the ten different worlds they earn trophies and medals for answering correctly. A parent dashboard is provided as well so that you can easily track progress and see what skills your child may be struggling with.

Using this online math resource with McKenzie three days a week has been a great addition to her summer learning. I really like that the program is portable because she is spending more time at the gym this year. With this program she can easily learn on her downtime. The fact that it is fun and engaging and she keeps playing after her 20 minute required time is a testament to the program as a whole.

Grow Your Math Skills with Matific Galaxy {Matific Galaxy Reviews}

I look forward to continuing to use this program the rest of the summer and as we head into our new school year and fall semester. But don’t just take my word for it! Check out what 49 of my CrewMates think of this fun online math resource with educational math games for elementary school students. It gets two thumbs up from us.

Company ~ Matific Galaxy

Product ~ Matific Galaxy 

Format ~ online or on the app

Price ~ Single grade $19.99 or Full range K-6th for $39.99

Ages ~ K-6th graders

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Wordless Wednesday

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Friday, June 21, 2019

Jump In, 2nd edition ~ a TOS review

Writing is a top priority here at A Stable Beginning. We have tried many writing programs over our 10+ years of homeschooling. Some that have worked and some that did not quite fit the bill. We feel that writing is a skill that grows with you through daily use so I was delighted to try out another great program, Jump In, 2nd edition, when it was offered for review. Writing with Sharon Watson makes teaching homeschool composition easy with Jump In, 2nd Edition.

Sharon Watson is a former homeschool mom who only quit homeschooling because she ran out of children of her own to teach. She began her company Writing With Sharon Watson after sitting in a friend’s kitchen chatting it up with Dr. Jay Wile {Yes, the Dr. Wile, how cool is that!} about how many mothers were outsourcing, i.e.driving their children here and there and everywhere, for writing and composition lessons. At the suggestion of Dr. Wile she wrote up her first middle school course, Jump In, and the rest is history.

With the Jump In program your student will learn:

~ the nine types of essays

~ a research report

~ story writing

~ poetry

In the 98 daily instructional lessons your student will practice everything from writing topic sentences, a thesis statement, citations, and other essential building blocks of composing a well crafted paper. The tone of the student guide is written to the student in a friendly way too.

Jump In, 2nd Edition {Writing with Sharon Watson Reviews}

I used this program primarily with Montana my rising 7th grader over the course of the review period. Since we received a digital copy I only printed the the pages Montana needed each week and kept the Teacher Guide open on my computer for easy reference.

The lessons were easy enough for Montana to work independently after I had given instruction. She typically worked with the lesson for 25-30 minutes, 3 days a week. To follow up the lesson, we would discuss any hiccups or concerns she had during our daily meeting time and then make corrections before moving on in the lesson.

I personally think Jump In, 2nd edition is a keeper! It is a thorough program and you can be sure that your child will be able to write and convey what they mean on written paper. The price is nice too for all that you receive with this program. Economically priced at just $40.00 for the Student book and $10.00 for the teacher’s guide, this combo is sure to fit into everyone's budget. I highly recommend that you check this out if you are looking for a strong writing curriculum for your high schoolers. It's easy on the pocketbook and it gets the job done! I think this book could easily be used by any student, whether a homeschoolers or not.

Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this curriculum by clicking the banner below.

Company ~ Writing with Sharon Watson

Product ~ Jump In, 2nd edition

Format ~ We received a Digital copy

Price ~ $40 student guide, $10 teacher guide

Ages ~ middle school

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Friday, June 14, 2019

Grade 7 Lightning Literature Set from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources ~ a TOS review

It's that time of the year again when homeschooling Moms and Dads are thinking and planning new curriculum purchases for the upcoming school year. You may have just ended your last school year, but I am knee deep into the planning stages as we start back up in early August.

I have loved using the Lightning Literature curriculum with my older daughters in the past for our summer studies, so I was super excited to have the opportunity to have Montana, my rising 7th grader, work with the Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources.

If you have been reading this blog for long you know that we are a book loving family. During our time off for summer break I like the girls to complete some type of summer reading project to keep their knowledge going. Hewitt Homeschooling fits the bill for what I was looking for; a literature curriculum that uses classic books and poems to teach writing skills and literacy analysis. I was thrilled to be offered the Lightning Literature and Composition: Grade 7 Student's Guide, Grade 7 Student's Workbook, and Grade 7 Teacher's Guide to use with Montana.

Hewitt Homeschooling has been around for many years in the homeschooling circle. The company firmly believes that reading great literature and then writing about it goes hand in hand in preparing students for college-level reading and writing. There goal is to serve parents with students from kindergarten through high school with an emphasis on combining excellent academics with character development, by instilling a strong work ethic, and to develop a spirit of community service within the next generation.

We have had the opportunity to use the Seventh grade set for the last six weeks. This set includes a student guide, a teacher guide, and a consumable student workbook. Lightning Lit exposes your child to several different genres of short stories and books and helps your child dig a little deeper into the context. Your child will also practice several writing techniques that are presented in a variety of methods and exercises.

This set covers the following stories and books in this order:

“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling from Stories & Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Various poems from Stories & Poems . . .

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” a short story by Stephen Crane from Stories & Poems . . .

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Various poems from Stories & Poems . . .

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

These books are available in a package with Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children and in a pack without Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children. For this review we were to supply our own books to complete the work. We are blessed to have many overflowing bookshelves and a library that fills in most of the time when we don’t have a specific book. That was the case with the story of Rikki~Tikki~Tavi. Our library had a copy of the story for Montana to read to complete the beginning exercises in the curriculum.

The Teacher’s Guide contains complete answers to everything in the student workbook as well as discussion questions to check for comprehension. It also includes a helpful planning schedule for 36 weeks of learning. The schedule is split into two semesters so you don’t have to. The Teacher’s Guide retails for $25.00.

The student guide breaks each literature piece or short story down into manageable sections including: an introduction to what is being read while you read a vocabulary list comprehension questions literary lesson a variety of mini-lessons writing exercises The vocabulary list could take the place of your separate spelling list as it contains words needed to know. I had Montana complete her comprehension questions in her literature notebook. The Student Guide also retails for $25.00.

The Student Workbook is a consumable workbook and retails for $25.00. Your child will complete grammar exercises, analyze parts of the book or short story, complete crossword puzzles and complete short writing exercises. To keep from being so repetitive, Lightening Lit varies the activities for each book/short story.

I should note that even though this course is listed for seventh graders, a sixth grader who is a strong reader and likes writing may also be able to do well with this course as well as a eight grader who needs a little more instruction on the foundations of composition.

Since I was using this as a summer enrichment for Montana, I scheduled her work through the exercises three times a week. I will say that even though Montana is a strong reader she was challenged by this program quite a bit. She breezed through Rikki~Tikki~Tavi reading and exercises, but really had to think and take her time with some of the questions to complete the exercises for Tom Sawyer. I like that the program challenged her because that is exactly what she needs right now.

Overall, I am completely pleased with this set! Even though it challenges Montana she is excited to get through the next six weeks of lessons on Tom Sawyer and move into reading Alice Adventure’s in Wonderland. I wholeheartedly recommend the Grade 7 Lightning Lit set to anyone looking for a thorough all encompassing Literature program. Check them out for sure!

Lightning Literature, My First Reports, State History Notebook & Joy of Discovery {Hewitt Homeschooling Resources Reviews}

And be sure to check out what my fellow CrewMates thought of this program and the other products offered from Hewitt Homeschooling by clicking on the banner below.

Elementary:

Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set

Grade 2 Lightning Lit Set

Grade 3 Lightning Lit Set

Grade 4 Lightning Lit Set

My First Report: Solar System, Grades 1-4

Chronicles of __ State History Notebook, Grades 3-8

Joy of Discovery w Learning Objectives

Junior High:

Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set

Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set

High School: