© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Goldstown Beginnings Series ~ a TOS review
Micah is now a Cub Scout Lion and he just went on his very first overnight camping expedition in October. We just received a new set of books, Jem Strikes Gold and Jem’s Frog Fiasco a few weeks ago that he has been loving me to read-aloud to him during our evening reading time. Every night Micah and I have been reading through the first two books in the Goldtown Beginnings Series published by Kregel Publications.
Kregel Publications was started in 1949 as part of Kregel, Inc. With over 1,000 titles in their catalog they have everything from fiction, ministry, to Christian living. With a mission to develop and distribute trusted, biblical based resources to lead people to Jesus Christ. The newest books are the Goldtown Beginnings Series, from Susan K. Marlow.
The Goldtown Beginnings tells the story of Jem Coulter and his family. The books are set in 1859, Goldtown, California as they pan for gold alongside Cripple Creek. In Jem Strikes Gold, 7-year old Jem Coulter’s Pa is panning for gold while Mama bakes pies.
In the next book, Jem’s Frog Fiasco Jem needs to buy food for his trusty dog, Gold Nugget. In the mist of his tasks to trying to find a way to feed his dog, Jem’s little sister Ellie turns up missing. Can they find her before it’s too late?!
Company ~ Kregel Publications
Product ~ Jem Strikes Gold and Jem's Frog Fiasco
Format ~ paperback
Price ~ $5.99 each
Ages ~ 6-9 years old
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© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Calvert Homeschool Online ~ a TOS review
About six weeks into our new homeschool year I felt as if I were drowning. Things were not going as planned and I felt like we were falling behind each and every day. Like throw me a life vest because I can’t even tread water anymore. That’s about the time that I saw that Calvert Homeschool Online was going to be offered for review. After checking into the program I knew I needed to get on this review to use specifically with Mikayla, my Junior. Calvert Homeschool gave us 6 months of access to their full line of courses for three students.
Calvert Homeschool Online is an online curriculum that offers individual and family plans for grades 3-12. While my focus was for Mikayla, I did have Montana, 7th grade, and McKenzie, 4th grade, sign up for an account as well. I have Mikayla enrolled in Physics, Economics, and Government, while Montana and McKenzie each did grade level science courses.
There are placement tests for those needing help selecting the best fit for courses. Your student is able to work at or below grade level which is a nice feature and the amount of courses to choose from is a great variety.
Getting started was relatively easy once I received my log in information. I simply signed up for an account and then created student accounts for the girls. To get the program running I had to select start and end dates as well as how many days the courses would be used. There are several options for the parent to select as far as how tests and quizzes are handled and how much feedback is supplied to the student.
The parent dashboard is the hub of the program where you can track everything from grades to assignments. You can also conveniently reschedule assignments to another day if needed. Everything you need is at your fingertips to see how your child is progressing.
I have always been curious about Calvert Homeschool since I have heard their name in homeschool circles for years. When they offered their Calvert Homeschool Online program with access to all the courses, I knew I wanted to check it out to help supplement her online studies. Mikayla was my main focus for this review because she was struggling to keep up with her online physics course. I wanted her to see the physics presented in a different way and I am happy to say that the Calvert approach is working for Physics and Government. The ability to have the material read to her as she follows along helps her tremendously. There are several different voices to choose from. She enjoyed picking the voice to be read to her in a British accent. The ability to have the material read aloud is also my favorite feature of the program.
She is now back on track with her courses and I owe that to Calvert for giving the extra support and different teaching style. The fact that it is portable is another huge plus for us! We were able to take her school work on the go so she could work on it while at the gym or on the way to physical therapy. Montana and McKenzie did not mesh well with this program. But that’s OK! They are very much book learners so this was not a good fit for them.
Overall, Mikayla will continue to use the program for the rest of our subscription to help her in Physics and Government. Be sure to read the other reviews from my CrewMates to see if this would be a good fit for your family and students by clicking the banner below.
She is now back on track with her courses and I owe that to Calvert for giving the extra support and different teaching style. The fact that it is portable is another huge plus for us! We were able to take her school work on the go so she could work on it while at the gym or on the way to physical therapy. Montana and McKenzie did not mesh well with this program. But that’s OK! They are very much book learners so this was not a good fit for them.
Company ~ Calvert Homeschool
Products ~ Calvert Homeschool Online
Price ~ Family plan $
Ages ~3rd-12th grades
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© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
http://astablebeginning.com
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Halloween 2019
Trunk or Treat at Community:
Co-Op Dress up day:
Mr. Evans Farm:
Halloween night:
Panda Bear
Princess Jasmine
Mr. Cheeseburger
Pumpkins:
baseball, gymnast, and a cat
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Wordless Wednesday
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Channie's: 2 Digit Multiplication and Dry Erase Sight Word Flashcards ~ a TOS review
We received two new products from Channie's Visual Handwriting & Math workbooks a few weeks ago for my two youngest children. McKenzie, my 4th grader, has been working her way through the One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice book while my youngest, Micah, who is 5, has been using Channie’s Dry Erase Flashcard for Sight Words with is reading program.
McKenzie still loves math since our last time using Channie’s but because it is starting to get difficult she is not so chipper about doing her multiplication facts everyday. To get out of the rut of everyday facts practice, these visual math worksheets came at just the right time.
My younger children, 7th grade and below, still school just 4-days a week. Using the Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication book with McKenzie was easy. I ended up spiral binding our book because when it arrived the original binding had fallen off and the pages were loose. I quickly ran the pages through our binding machine along the left edge. After thinking of it, I should have bound it at the top because the pages flip from top to bottom instead of left to right like a book. McKenzie didn’t seem to mind it though. We just flip the page over to complete the work 4 days a week as part of her math warmups.
I love color-coded everything, so I am a big fan of the color-coding of the ones vs. tens place in this book. Each page has twenty-five 2-digit multiplication facts problems that start off easy and then gradually increase in difficulty. McKenzie still writes rather big, the the boxes are just the perfect size for her writing. Visually, having the columns lined up makes it just a bit easier to see where the numbers go. I wish I had this when I was learning my double and triple digit multiplication!
My Micah man is just starting to read, yay! The Dry Erase Flashcards in this set contain the first 100 sight words that are traceable. From what I can tell these are the first 100 Fry’s sight words for Kindergarteners and First graders.
We typically learn Dolch Pre-Primer and Primer sight words during Kindergarten so some of the words were difficult for Micah only because he didn’t recognize or know them. For these words we just concentrated on writing the letters and not so much reading the word. For the Fry words that overlap with Dolch the expectation was that he would read and write the word.
I love that the cards are sturdy and heavy duty to take the daily beating of a young reader. The blocks helped Micah learn to keep his letters straight and in the proper alignment as he learns to write words. It also helps him with spacing of his letters. Again visually being able to see this with the color-coding is a big plus in my book!
We have enjoyed using both of these products over the last few weeks. They both will be continued to be used throughout the school year. But don’t just take my word for it about these fabulous products. Click on the banner below and see what my CrewMates used these products and the other two products, Channie's Dry Erase Flashcard For Alphabet & Number and Neat Numbers in their homeschools.
McKenzie still loves math since our last time using Channie’s but because it is starting to get difficult she is not so chipper about doing her multiplication facts everyday. To get out of the rut of everyday facts practice, these visual math worksheets came at just the right time.
My younger children, 7th grade and below, still school just 4-days a week. Using the Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication book with McKenzie was easy. I ended up spiral binding our book because when it arrived the original binding had fallen off and the pages were loose. I quickly ran the pages through our binding machine along the left edge. After thinking of it, I should have bound it at the top because the pages flip from top to bottom instead of left to right like a book. McKenzie didn’t seem to mind it though. We just flip the page over to complete the work 4 days a week as part of her math warmups.
I love color-coded everything, so I am a big fan of the color-coding of the ones vs. tens place in this book. Each page has twenty-five 2-digit multiplication facts problems that start off easy and then gradually increase in difficulty. McKenzie still writes rather big, the the boxes are just the perfect size for her writing. Visually, having the columns lined up makes it just a bit easier to see where the numbers go. I wish I had this when I was learning my double and triple digit multiplication!
My Micah man is just starting to read, yay! The Dry Erase Flashcards in this set contain the first 100 sight words that are traceable. From what I can tell these are the first 100 Fry’s sight words for Kindergarteners and First graders.
We typically learn Dolch Pre-Primer and Primer sight words during Kindergarten so some of the words were difficult for Micah only because he didn’t recognize or know them. For these words we just concentrated on writing the letters and not so much reading the word. For the Fry words that overlap with Dolch the expectation was that he would read and write the word.
I love that the cards are sturdy and heavy duty to take the daily beating of a young reader. The blocks helped Micah learn to keep his letters straight and in the proper alignment as he learns to write words. It also helps him with spacing of his letters. Again visually being able to see this with the color-coding is a big plus in my book!
We have enjoyed using both of these products over the last few weeks. They both will be continued to be used throughout the school year. But don’t just take my word for it about these fabulous products. Click on the banner below and see what my CrewMates used these products and the other two products, Channie's Dry Erase Flashcard For Alphabet & Number and Neat Numbers in their homeschools.
Products ~ Channie’s Dry Erase Flashcard for Sight Words AND One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice
Price ~ Flashcards: $16.95, One Page A Day: $12.95 {consumable}
Ages ~ Flashcards: 5-6 years old, One Page A Day: 3rd-5th grade
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© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
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