A Stable Beginning

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Wordless Wednesday

http://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Wordless Wednesday ~ last box of tape

http://astablebeginning.com

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

True biography of Clara Barton from YWAM Publishing ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Hey there! I love adding biographies to our learning so you know I was excited to review another one of the books in the Heroes of History from YWAM Publishing. We were offered several choices from their popular Heroes of History series and this time around we chose to learn about Clara Barton: Courage under Fire.

If you are just starting your homeschool journey you may be scratching you head and saying, “YWAM, who”? YWAM Publishing is the publishing division to the Youth With A Mission organization and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Their mission is to provide quality Christian materials to help fund children and adults around the world through vital missions programs. We received a physical copy of the book and a PDF copy of the study guide for the purpose of this review. I should note the book is available in either paperback, Kindle or Nook version, eBook, or audio book in MP3 or CD formats for just $7.50.

So, lets dig into the book a bit. Did you know that Clara Barton, who was once an extremely timid child, dedicated her life to service of others? She worked tirelessly to save the lives of soldiers during the Civil War. Through her bold and heroic actions she became known as the “Angel of the Battlefield”. She also organized the American Red Cross, how neat is that!

We really love these true biographies of American heroes! We also received a Study Guide to use with our book. Learning through living books makes learning more memorable for all of us so I was especially excited to be able to study about Clara Barton in-depth. The study guide that correlates with the book retails for just $5.49! So, for just under $14.00 you can get It an in-depth study of your favorite historical hero. It is full of activities and projects including:

~ Creative writing prompts

~ Dramas

~ Reading comprehension questions

~ Essay writing assignments

~ Geography

~ Timeline project

~ Movie critiquing

~ Hands on projects, audio visual projects, arts & crafts projects

~ Games

~ Many additional resource ideas

The study guide is designed for both individual and/or group learning. It is also suitable for many age/grade levels because of the wide variety of learning styles presented through the projects and activities offered.

Student Explorations ~ essay writing, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts/crafts

Social Studies ~ reproducible maps, geography, terms/vocabulary, journey tracking, critical thinking

Bible Study ~ scripture memorization, devotional application, spiritual concepts

Community Links ~ meaningful field trips, guest speaker ideas, service projects

Related Themes to Explore ~ missions, current events, life skills, math, government, science

Bibliography or Related Resources ~ books, movies, documentaries, magazine articles, websites

Culminating Event ~ project displays, cultural food, music, and activities, oral presentations

I really love the lesson presented in this book about Clara Barton! She never gave up, even when pressing forward meant she would lose everything. Such a great lesson for everyone in life! I try to instill this in all of my kids. Keep battling and fighting for your dreams and goals even when things are hard and tough. This book has come at the perfect time for McKenzie as she is battling through a lingering injury that has left her sidelined for much of the gymnastics season.

Reading how Clara was able to keep pushing through has encouraged her to do so as well for the sport she loves.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” —Ambrose Redmoon (quote taken from pg9 of the study guide)

YWAM has many titles to choose from in their Heros of History series. Be sure to click on the link below to read some of my CrewMates thoughts of the following heroes.

Christopher Columbus William Bradford Cpt. John Smith William Penn Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin George Washington John Adams Meriwether Lewis Daniel Boone Davy Crockett Abraham Lincoln Harriet Tubman Clara Barton Thomas Edison Theodore Roosevelt Milton Hershey George Washington Carver Laura Ingalls Wilder Orville Wright Douglas MacArthur Louis Zamperini Alan Shepard Ronald Reagan Billy Graham Ben Carson

Company ~ YWAM Publishing

Product ~ Heroes of History ~ Clara Barton: Courage under Fire

Format ~ paperback book

Price ~ $7.50 Ages ~ 10+

YWAM Publishing can be found on these Social Media Sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

http://astablebeginning.com

Friday, April 30, 2021

Learning history through play with articulated paper dolls from Figures in Motion ~ a TOS review

Another week is in the books friends! Today I am eager to share with you an awesome product that I have had my eye on for a few years. Over the last few weeks, I have been creating articulated paper dolls from Famous Figures of the Middles Ages & Renaissance with McKenzie and Micah to correlate with our history studies. Let me tell you more about it!

I first heard of the Figures in Motion company about 5-6 years ago when the author Cathy Diez-Luckie came to our state homeschool convention. That year I was able to purchase the Early Modern Era book. This year, we have been blessed to receive the Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance along with a 1/8 in hole punch, and mini brads to review.

Many of you know that my kids love hands-on learning opportunities and these historical puppets for kids fit the bill! The sturdy paper dolls are perfect for ages 6-12 year olds to help bring history to life. The Middle Ages & Renaissance book covers the fascinating age of castles and conquests through the life of William the Conqueror to Queen Elizabeth I reign, and the great works of William Shakespeare.

Assembling each historical figure is simple. Just cut out the shapes, hole punch with a 1/8 in hand punch, and attach the pieces with a tiny brad.

There are 6 historical era’s to choose from and each one comes full of twenty-one colorful historical figures. There are also black-and-white copies of each figure in case your budding artist wants to decorate on their own. Each figure is printed on heavy card stock that you cut out and connect. To make the figure come alive, simply hole punch in the correct spot and attach the pieces together with tiny brads.

I am always on the lookout for historical reading lists so I am glad that a full page reading list for Read-Alouds and Independent readers is included on the same heavy cardstock paper. And because this book just keeps on giving you also receive mini-biographies for each of the historical figures complete with dates and important key facts.

McKenzie and Micah have loved these articulated paper dolls and so have I! Having access to a resource like this makes history so much more enjoyable in my opinion! They both love that they can move the figures about and play with them during our history read-alouds. So much so, that I ended up purchasing the Famous Figures of Ancient Times Printable Ebook so that we could finish out the last few famous people of our current school year. This book includes 28 famous figures from Ancient times including Jesus.

I recommend you get your hands on a copy of one of these books for your upcoming history study and watch as history becomes the favorite subject of the day. I know it has in our house and that makes this history loving Mama happy! I can’t wait to complete our collection of figures! But don’t just take my word for it, click on the link below and read what 24 of my CrewMates thought of this product and the other four books, Famous Figures of Ancient Times, Famous Figures of the Early Modern Era, Famous Figures of the American Revolution, Famous Figures of the Civil War.

And for your dinosaur lover they also have Dinosaurs on the Move and a book on Queen Esther that is internet-linked as well.

Company ~ Figures In Motion

Product ~ Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance

Format ~ paperback cardstock book

Price ~ $19.95

Ages ~ 6-12 year-olds

Find Figures in Motion on these Social Media Sites:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Using Teaching Textbooks with multiple ages ~ a TOS review

Hi there! As we wrap up our school year and start planning for next year’s courses, have you thought about what curriculum you will be using for math? Earlier this year we were given the opportunity to try out the new app-based math program from Teaching Textbooks. This new version of their Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 has allowed us to fill in gaps and get ahead in our homeschool math learning.

The folks at Teaching Textbooks (aka TT) sent us access to their Math 6, Pre-Algebra, and Pre-Calculus programs for this review. As I stated above, TT is an app-based subscription that is accessible on computers, tablets, and smartphones. The complete program is designed for homeschooling families with children working at grade 3-Pre-Calculus level. Pricing is just right for small to large families so you are not having to shell out hundreds of dollars for homeschool math curriculum. Families with 4-8 students pay a special discounted price of $199.08 a year for up to 8 students.

Getting set up to start the program was easy. I simply downloaded each of the apps from the app store onto the girls iPads mini’s and followed the steps to set up. Each of the girls has access to their own login and password for their corresponding level. My girls liked that they were able to personalize their courses with stickers and backgrounds. An eBook for the entire course is available to view for each lesson. My girls have not found it necessary to use the eBook as the lessons work just fine for them to understand the concepts. There is also an option to purchase a printed eBook if needed/wanted.

I had access to my very own parent portal to help me keep track of everything. This parent portal allows me to monitor the girls work and to see where they had problems, if any. In this parent portal there is also the grade book that logs all the work the student completes. The answer keys are also found on the parent portal.

We are not strangers to the TT courses. My oldest Marie used their Geometry and Pre-Calculus book/CD based programs in high school. This new app-based program is a huge lifesaver for the portability of the product! Typically, from Jan-May we travel for the girl’s competitive gymnastics, this year things have been different because of the pandemic. Nonetheless, the ability for the girls to take the iPad to the gym on double training days has been a huge blessing. No more lugging around their textbooks because everything is compacted right into the tablet.

McKenzie has been using and excelling in the Math 6 program while Montana is using and gaining confidence in the Pre-Algebra curriculum. Both girls use the program as a supplement to our current standard math. McKenzie is working ahead of grade level while Montana is working at grade level. Mikayla, my Senior, tried the Pre-Calculus program for a few weeks. We quickly found that the format just didn’t work for her learning style.

Montana and McKenzie will use the program 2-3 days a week on Wednesday, Friday, and some Saturdays. McKenzie normally completes two lessons because she enjoys math while Montana is only required to do the one lesson. I really like that I was able to pack our school iPad for McKenzie to take on Friday for her double training day. During the 2- hour school break she was able to complete her two math lessons. She would then send me a quick text message and I would log into the parent portal to check her grade.

Overall, I think this is a great program for homeschool math. We have used it as a supplement to our current and long-standing math and will continue to do so for the rest of our subscription. I especially enjoy how McKenzie is able to work a grade level ahead and learn new math concepts and Montana can solidify concepts that she needs more time with. This is a win-win in my book! Thirty of my CrewMates have also used various levels of the Teaching Textbook curriculum. Be sure to click on the banner below to read their thoughts!