Python Programming

OK, homeschool mom confession time!  Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew.  I know, I know, it is something I am working on.  BUT, in my defense there are just so many amazing curriculum out there and not enough time, or kids, in this house anymore to use them all.

In this case though, I bit off more than my child could choose!   CompuScholar Python Programming was just that tempting! 

And still is...when my 8th grader is a bit more ready for it!  (There is a reason we should heed age recommendations sometimes, ladies!)

Like all moms, I profess my kid is a genius.  And he is in many areas.  But while he loves all things computer, programming at this level was just a bit more than he was ready for.

Python is one of the most popular basic computer programming languages. Python Programming, a one semester course, is a great subscription that takes you through multiple, well designed lessons, to teach basic programming.  It requires no software installation to your computer and does not have your child running willy nilly through the vast internet world!  The student writes their coding on Python's online engine, something I greatly appreciate.  Each video lesson works through a specific learning objective and then there is a time for your child to take a quiz and complete a corresponding project.  Luckily for you, the projects and quizzes are auto graded!

My son began this as a new 8th grader and did well on his own for the first few lessons, really enjoying the activities.  Unfortunately for him, I am NOT a computer lover and was having him do the lessons on his own,  That worked well until he got stuck and needed my help.  um.....  nope, I had no clue!  We were able to push through with the help of a fellow homeschool mom (it takes a village, ya'll) but after that he was discouraged, not happy with my lack of knowledge, and finally asked if he and dad could just start over.

So...that is the plan!  Huge praise that as a homeschooling family we have the freedom to know when to stop and regroup and have the freedom to know what is best for our children.  I KNOW with a little age and maturity on him, Python Programming will be a great program for Colby and be a nice addition to his transcript for a Computer Science credit.

It is well organized, affordable, and let's face it, the wave of the future.  Computers are not going away, ya'll- time to learn to  better use them!  And yes, I am speaking to myself!

Topics Covered:

Printing and User Input

Data types and variables

Logical expressions and flow control

Debugging skills

Lists and Loops

Working with numbers, dates and strings

Writing and using functions

Simple Object-Oriented Programming

...and more!

Python Programming is also a part of Timberdoodle's 11th grade curriculum kit.

 

 

Medical Investigation 101

Homeschooling for the most part has been fairly easy for us.  After all, I have been teaching our four kiddos for over 23 years!  I plug in reading, writing, math, science and history to our schedule and off we go!  

The hard part?  Electives!  All our kids are quite different and therefore have quite different ideas of what an elective should look like.  Sometimes I let them chose and sometimes something catches my eye to try.

 

Such was the case with Medical Investigation 101, given to us by Timberdoodle Co to review.  I mean, just the name sounds cool, right?

 

 

Medical Investigation 101 is comprised of a 247 page Student book, student work text, and teacher's edition.  The subtitle- "A Book to Inspire Your Interest in Medicine and How Doctors Think" gives you a good idea of what this book is really about.

 

The book begins discussing the medical field and introduces many vocabulary words by talking about various kinds of doctors.  It mentions some of the challenges of the medical profession (should be required reading for any current doctors) and encourages the reader to explore the world of medicine on their own.  It then turns to medical complaints by the presenting of "patients", giving patient backgrounds, symptoms and such, and encouraging problem solving skills using the background information they have provided to diagnose the patient.  As you proceed, more medical information is provided such as the role of blood, food-borne illnesses and common conditions including diabetes, respiratory illnesses and heart attacks.  You can think of it as a mini science lesson!

 

The accompanying student workbook begins with a good amount of vocabulary review and then has corresponding pages to each medical case.  After taking notes on each patient, further activities include vocabulary, fill in the blanks and matching activities, and word puzzles.  Do not let the graphics fool you though, this is not fluff and will challenge a high schooler to use their brains a bit! 

The teacher's edition is basically the workbook with the answers filled in (thank you!), but also has a short summary of each chapter to help you as a teacher keep up.

OK, every mom wants their child to be a doctor, right? ;)  But this is not only a neat way to introduce the world of medicine to your student in a fun way, but also to challenge their problem solving.  We often tell our kids they need to think outside the box, and that, I believe, is most certainly true in the medical world! 

So yes, if your child is even the bit interested in medicine you will want to grab this set!  It is also a great way to expose them to more areas in medicine than most of us are familiar with.  I am a firm believer in our kids would have more choices deciding their chosen career if they actually KNEW what choices were out there!  But even if you have a kiddo who does not long to be a doctor- this is a great elective offered in a fun, non threatening way that will challenge their problem solving skills.

Medical Investigations 101 can be found in the 11th grade curriculum kit offered by Timberdoodle, or ordered separately.  I would recommend it for 8th grade and up.

Before the Wrath Review

I love Bible history.  The older I get the more I love to study the mysteries of the Bible.  Some things are pretty straight forward and easy to understand.  But let's face it, some things are quite a mystery.

The end of times, for example.

Whether you believe in one timetable or another (pre-tribulation, post- tribulation, etc.) is not really important.  The important issue is the need for Christ's return.

In the new documentary, Before the Wrath, Bible scholars investigate and explore the parallels between a Galilean wedding timeline and the coming of Christ timeline. This one hour and twenty four minute film will get you thinking about many things, but the most important being that our preparation for His return is far more important than the actual date.  So contrary to our modern way of thinking, which desires to KNOW upcoming dates ahead of time, this film's creators try to show the listener how the Galileans would have understood the importance of the timeline of the return of Christ by comparing it to their culturally relevant weddings.

Examples of this would be drinking of wine by the bride and then the groom as also seen by Jesus and his disciples in the New Testament, the groom leaving to prepare a house for the bride and no one knowing when he would return except his father, and the bride preparing for his return while she waits.  Sound familiar?

Before the Wrath is narrated by Kevin Sorbo and features-

• Jack Hibbs - Theologist and host of “Real Life” on SiriusXM 
• Amir Tsarfati - Founder and President of Behold Israel 
• Jan Markell - Founder of Olive Tree Ministries 
• JD Farag - Theologist and Eschatologist
• Scott McConnell - Exec. Director of Lifeway Research 
• Jay McCarl - Ancient Middle Eastern Anthropologis
• Lizette Dillinger - Qualitative Director of LifeWay Research

"Bible scholars continue to debate the timing of the Rapture, but why is such a mysterious event prophesied to happen in the first place? Is there a deeper understanding surrounding this occurrence that we've lost over the millennia that those living in the first-century clearly understood? Newly rediscovered ancient anthropological evidence from the time of Christ finally reveals unprecedented findings that could prove the upcoming Rapture is not only real to a skeptical world but sheds new light on how and why this event must take place. Regardless of your Tribulation Period views, "Before the Wrath" will captivate believers and non-believers alike; revealing new depths of theological understanding regarding what Jesus revealed to the ancient Galileans about the end of the world in ways you could never have imagined."

The discussion of prophecy in the Bible may divide people if we are not careful, but will pull us together if we remember the purpose of it is to remind us that "God is God!"  If you are interested in seeing this documentary, I have one code to give away to one of my readers.  Just leave me a comment and tell me how I can reach you and we will choose a random winner on Monday!

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):

Many thanks to Ingenuity Films for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, from the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Laser Chess For The Win

You know by now we are a game loving family!  Like, we play games several times a week and often Colby and I end our school day with a quick game of cards or such.  I thought my older kids loved games- but the 13 year has them all beat.  In more ways than one, since he usually DOES win!

I was thrilled to be able to add a new game to our ever growing collection, because let's face it, we have more time on our hands these days with the virus messing with our plans.  Staying at home is a blessing though when you have fun things to do with your kids!

Laser Chess is a great addition and one I have been eyeing for a while.  The name Chess held me at bay until I got the opportunity to review it for Timberdoodle.  Let's start by saying I do not, nor does anyone in our family, play chess.  And that is OK.  Because other than the fact that you are trying to "capture" someone's king and certain play pieces can do special things, this game is not like traditional chess.

Made me feel a lot better.

Did NOT help me in winning.

But it is a fun game for two people, ages 8 and up.

There are several quick ways to set up the game and then you are ready.  Each player takes turns moving one of their pieces or has the option to rotate one.  Once you do, you push the button to see where your laser beams hits.  You can take out your own man, so careful planning is needed.  Ask me how I know! If you hit your opponent's piece, they remove that piece from the board.  Again, the object is to take out their king. 

Here's where the strategy kicks in.  The pieces are mirrored and reflect the laser beam at 90 degree angles, from one piece to another.  You have to figure out how to position your men to work together to take out your opponent.  Some pieces are always safe, some reflect on two sides, and some reflect only from one side, so careful placement is needed.

I will have to admit this game is not my cup of tea as far as winning, ( I don't. Ever.) but I do enjoy playing it with my son.  Each game takes about 10-20 minutes depending on how skilled, or not, you are.  More importantly though, is all three boys in my house, to include my husband, do like it and have gotten quite good at it. It is fun to watch them strategize and problem solve!

If you are looking for a fun game to keep those kiddos busy this fall, Laser Chess is definitely one you will want to grab!  Not only will they have fun, but they are learning great problem solving skills as they play.  That's a win- win in this momma's book!

*Laser Chess is part of Timberdoodle's 7th Grade kit!

Blessings,

Tell Me a Story

Once again, The Timberdoodle Company has come through with another stellar product for homeschooled and public schooled children alike!  Whether you have been blessed with an artistic kiddo that likes to draw and create stories, or have a child that just needs a little encouragement in the creativity department, 99 Stories I Could Tell, the brain child of Nathan Pyle, will fit the bill.

What is it?
99 Stories I Could Tell is a 99 page paperback book with drawing and writing prompts to help your child begin to create stories in their heads- 99 to be exact. Beginning on page one, your child is guided by the author, as a character in the book, on the rules of engagement- "user guidelines" he calls them.  The next few pages encourages doodle practice.

The rest of the book looks like this-

The left side of the page uses writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing, and the right side of the page uses doodles to create a nine block of story prompts.  Each two page spread after that is the same lay out, with new writing a doodle prompts.  On each of the nine doodle blocks is a different symbol to help you reference your story.

At the end of the book you will find spaces to list your 99 story titles, and then reference the corresponding page where you brainstormed the idea.

What it is not! 
Notice I said brainstormed the idea.  Nowhere in this book will your child actually write out any of their stories.  This is just a place to help them create those stories in their heads and have visual prompts to remind them of those stories.  From there they can either choose to write the best of the best down to share or save, or just have a neat place to go to remind them of their stories.

PROS-
This book is so open-ended and creative.  It is perfect for those kids that just need a little push to get started.  Though there are doodles provided to begin with- Nathan encourages the reader to break the rules, draw over the lines, add things and be creative- no boxes to check!


The writing prompts are fun and engaging and don't have a lot of space to write, so they will not intimidate those non writing kids out there!  They can just jot down a few sentences and move on.

CONS-
Ok, there are a few.  One, when we read through the first few pages we were seriously confused on how it all worked.  Once we figured out what Nathan was talking about with the coding system so you could reference back to what story you were talking about from your final list, we were ready to go!

If you have a kiddo who is not confident in their "art"skills, the doodle part may be a bit intimidating at first.  That being said, the author does a great job of showing ideas and allowing time for doodle practice.  Once they get started, there will be no stopping them.

My opinion?
I like the little book a lot.  The quality is great- it even has a plastic cover on it to protect it and make it a more lasting memento for your child to have. Once I got over the idea that they were not actually writing out the stories, I embraced it- see you can teach an old homeschooling mom new tricks!  What a fun idea to just have a reference point to jog your memory about a story you have to tell.  It makes me think of a time when stories were passed from one person to another, and sometimes one generation to another just through word of mouth.  What a great skill to develop!

This could also be a great way to catalog family stories that you share! Maybe have each person in your family take turns, notating family stories and memories made, so that in years to come you will remember and can easily share and pass those stories on to the next generations.

And oh my word, what stories we could tell these days, right?

99 Stories I Could Tell is recommended for 6th graders up, and is also included in the Timberdoodle  9th Grade Curriculum Kit.

Fighting for Freedom, One Book at a Time

Children's books intrigue me.  At one time I thought I would write them, but decided there were way more talented people out there that could better fill that need.  Two such people are Lynn and Jeff Yelton, authors of the newly released BUCK the CHUCK series.


Husband and wife team Lynn and Jeff feel strongly about freedom and the the system the founding fathers of America set up to provide and protect that freedom.  In an attempt to convey those concepts in a simple format to children, they created an unlikely hero, BUCK the woodchuck.  In BUCK the CHUCK- Thre Fight for Freedom, BUCK, along with his friend Thor the guardian pig, take on the BoozleBoops of swampy forest who want to take over Chucksville.  While Chucksville is a place of many colors and freedoms, the swampy forest is simply black and white, having given up their freedom for the promise of something better. They are now on a mission to take away everyone else's freedoms too.





This fun picture book is a delight to read, especially for kids who love all things animals.  The characters are endearing and comical.  A combination of narrative and conversational style, the story often reads like a comic book, taking quick pauses from the narration to hear what the characters are saying to each other.  While written for children, I would recommend it for a slightly older elementary to middle school age, as the pages are quite wordy at times, and well, let's face it- freedom is a difficult subject.


Lynn and Jeff use color, or the lack of it, to help describe freedom and what can happen when someone takes it away from us.  About half way through reading it, a light went off in my 12 year old's brain and he said, "Oh. I get it!"  After that he giggled his way through 'til the end and declared BUCK "pretty cool."

 BUCK the CHUCK helps kids answer the questions-

• What is Freedom?
• How do we lose it?
• Can we get it back?

Good news for BUCK the CHUCK fans, a second book in the series BUCK the CHUCK- Let Freedom Sing,  is scheduled to be published in  Spring/Summer of 2020!

Looking for a few new books to add to your library?  Check out the BUCK the CHUCK series.  YOu may find your child has a new hero in their life.

What Have YOU Overcome?

Those who know me or know this blog well know that I am always pretty hesitant to recommend movies.  Since we are not big television people around here at Family, Faith and Fridays, movies are our go to and usually on Friday nights we can be found snuggling around the TV enjoying some quiet down time together.  But, we are pretty picky (think conservative) and know that movie watching is very subjective.  I have also gotten burned recommending movies in the past and usually try to steer clear of that kind of stress these days.

That being said, I am breaking my rule and telling you to go grab a DVD of the newly released Kendricks Brothers movie Overcomer!

There, I said it.

But, really, go get a copy!

 Overcomer is the #1 Inspirational Family Film of 2019

From their recent press release-

OVERCOMER is from the creators of the #1 box-office hit War Room. Life changes overnight for coach John Harrison (Kendrick) after he loses his basketball team and is challenged by the school’s principal, Olivia (Shirer), to coach a new sport he doesn’t know or like. As John questions his own worth, he dares to help the least likely runner take on the biggest race of the year. Filled with a powerful mix of faith, humor and heart, this inspirational story will have you on the edge of your seat.

Available just in time for gifting!

DVD is packed with tons of features and extras!

The Blu-ray, DVD and digital release come with an extensive array of bonus material, including 10 minutes of extended and deleted scenes, fun bloopers, exclusive commentary by the Kendrick Brothers, moving in-depth looks at the power of forgiveness, identity and more.

OVERCOMER has runtime of approximately 119 minutes and is rated PG for some thematic elements. 

Why do we watch Kendrick Brothers movies?

Simply put, "Kendrick Brothers Productions is the company of brothers Alex, Stephen, and Shannon Kendrick that exists to honor God and share the truth and love of Jesus Christ through movies, books, curriculum and speaking."  While the Kendrick Brother movies started off a bit amateur in our opinion, we have always loved their messages of faith and hope.  We have also been encouraged that with each additional movie, the quality and acting has improved ten fold.  Finding family friendly movies that can be watched with a mixed age group is challenging but Kendrick Brothers movie fit the bill.

Why we enjoyed Overcomer-

We have a sports loving son, so while he was unsure of how he would feel about the movie, he was pulled in by the fact that is was sports related.  Yes, it does contain some mature themes such as death, but the themes of love, and doing things for God's glory, and forgiveness, and pushing oneself in hard circumstances are what you will remember in the end.  We had the privilege of seeing Overcomer in the theater, and there were a few times people actually clapped during it!  It's a feel good movie with a positive message of determination in the face of fear!

You can find resources for your church and family on the Overcomer website-  https://www.overcomermovie.com

 

 

 

“Will Have You Cheering…” -- The Dove Foundation

“A powerful, family friendly film!” – Christian Film Review

ON DIGITAL NOVEMBER 26

COMING TO BLU-RAY™ AND DVD DECEMBER 17

EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT INCLUDES EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES, MULTIPLE FEATURETTES, DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY

AND LIP SYNC MUSIC VIDEO FEATURING MANDISA

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