TOS CREW Review- Logic of English

  Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar These are the subjects that can take up much of a homeschooler's day.  They are also the subjects we have had the hardest time teaching.  Not that the actual teaching has been difficult, but certainly finding a good solid program for each of them has been.  That is why I was excited to try out Logic of English.  Logic of English takes all four of those- reading, writing, spelling AND grammar, and puts them into an open and go curriculum aimed at teaching from the ground level up.

Their program Essentials,  designed for ages 7 to adult, contains 40 lessons and teachies 74 basic phonograms and 40 spelling rules, introducing the 480 most frequently used words and then variations of them by adding prefixes, suffixes and making compound words. This is what we received for this review: Essentials Teacher's Manuel ($95.00) Essentials Manuscript workbook ($25.00) (also available in cursive) Phonogram Flash cards ($18.00) Phonogram and Spelling Game Book ($15.00) Phonogram Game Cards ($10.00) Spelling Rule Flash Cards ($15.00) Phonic with Phonograms App

At first glance, I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed.  There is quite a bit of introductory reading to do for you the teacher to explain the what, how and whys of teaching this way.  But, once I got past that initial reading, we were on our way with ease.  Each lesson is scripted with exactly what to say and is broken down into three sections. Part 1- Phonograms, Exploring Sounds, and Spelling Rules For each lesson, new phonograms are learned and old ones practiced.  This is where the flash cards come in.   You show the child the letter and then they can tell you the sounds that particular letter makes. Pretty easy until you get to letters like e or combinations like ai that have numerous sounds.  Luckily, on the back of each flashcard are all the sounds and words giving examples.  It is also usually at this time that you can play a game.  No surprise that this is the part my son liked the best, right?   Luckily for you the parent they are fun games like Sound Bingo, Old Dragon (like Old Maid using the letter sounds), and Rotten Egg.  The Game book is loaded with other games that are activity based  for your active children, sensory ideas for tactile learners, spelling games and more, as well as the templates needed for the games.  It was our most used book and I think essential to the program!  Part 1 also has you explore sounds, teaching some neat ways to practice sounds and make sure kids were saying them correctly.  There are corresponding workbook pages to go along with each activity.

Part 2- Dictation (spelling test) In this part 15 spelling words are introduced and tested.  A worksheet is provided for the tests. Part 3-Dictation, Composition, Grammar and Vocabulary Development In this section  grammar and spelling rules are worked on, as well as dictation of phrases or sentences and composition.  Composition starts off fairly easy with writing six phrases in the workbook and advances to harder assignments.   Vocabulary development adds elements like suffixes, prefixes, compound words, homophones and such.  Again, workbook pages are provided for each written activity.
That's it!  Repeat the same three sections for each of the 40 lessons and you have it.
So let me talk to you about a few things-
This program is amazing.  It is one of the best laid out programs I have seen that combines so many elements together.  And scripted!  Who doesn't like scripted?  Other than literature, this IS your Language arts program.  So do not be surprised that it takes some time to get through a lesson.  Because, it takes some time!  Not because it is hard, but simply because there is just so much there.  The good news is that the publishers have carefully laid out a suggested schedule for 4 different levels that you can choose from, starting with 8 year old and struggling adults in which you teach one lesson every 1-2 days to 5 year olds in which you teach a lesson every two weeks.  Wherever your learning or struggling reader falls, you will find just the right pace for him or her.
How did it work for us- Because of the time involved in the lessons and the fact that my son is a young 6 year old, we found we could only do a section per day.  More than that and he just could not sit still long enough to be productive. So we did section 1 on the first day and section 2 the second day.  He did well with both of those days and surprised me at the level of spelling words he could spell. Those are not easy words friends!

Note- Logic of English also has a program for Kindergarten through first grade called Foundations  focused on beginner readers.  Since my son is a strong reader for his age, we decided to skip to this level.
About day 3...not there yet!  The grammar lessons were just above his level for now.  I do not think he will have any problem next year but right now his 6 year old brain just could not get many of the concepts.    Let's face it though, that is the beauty of homeschooling.  We can take what we need and use it to the best of our ability and also know our child well enough to know when it is time to call uncle.  This was one of  those times for us.  Reading and spelling he was ready for, mechanics of grammar will just have to wait until next year.  You can bet this is the book we will be using when he is ready though.
Our favorite part, again, were the games.  I have finally come to a place in my homeschool career that I think learning with games is the way to go.  Seriously.  Our kids will have enough sitting at a desk to last them a lifetime.  If I can find a fun way to learn then I am all for it.  After all, it always seems to be that information that my son retains the most.  If it works, why not?!

Another neat aspect of this program is their phonograms app.  AS I have mentioned before  I fought allowing my kids to use my ipad, but have since given in when I found there were GOOD, quality apps out there to use.  This is one of those!  Since I never learned all of the sounds each letter makes, and still have to stop and think about some, this app was great for us.  Both CJ and I learned new sounds together and it made it much easier to study once you had heard them taught by someone else.  This is not an app in fancy game form, but truly a learning app that have levels of words  to study.  Regardless, CJ enjoyed using it and got very excited when he mastered a level.  I highly recommend you not leave out this aspect of the program.

So yes, this family has had great success with Logic of English's Essentials program and highly recommends it for your emerging readers or those who need just a little more help.  Fellow CREW members reviewed other programs, so I encourage you to click on the banner below to read about their experiences as well!

The good 'ole HARD days

There were days early in our our homeschooling years that were hard...like call-your-husband-and-tell-him-the-kids-would-be-waiting-in-the-driveway-for-him-when-he-got-home hard.  You know what I mean- the you-are-going-to-the-worst-public-school-I-can-find-tomorrow hard.  Crying, crying and more crying.  And not just the kids!  Is it just me that can relate?

Anyone?

Seriously.  One of those very days I made a big announcement, in a not so quiet voice to my children:

  You are part of this team or not.  Either start rowing or get out of the boat and swim away.

Yep, not one of my best mommy moments for sure and certainly not very God led, but it IS one of the FEW things my kids, especially my older girls, remember me saying.  Figures.

I have said sweeter words.
I have been more gentle.
I have quoted Scripture.

Nope, they remember the time mom told them to get out of the boat.

How wonderful.
How typical!

When was the last time you said something to only seconds later wish you could put those words right back in that mouth of yours?

Happens all of the time to my 6 year old spirited child these days.  And I am forever telling him that once you say things, you cannot take them back.  Once the words are out there they have already been heard and taken to heart.  And made an impression.  And stuck!  It is a lesson he is learning. It is a lesson I learned.

Oh, I am glad that is a lesson I learned early in my homeschooling years.  How grateful to God I am that he tamed my tongue, quieted my spirit and settled me into joy filled homeschool days.

Mostly!  Haha  Yes, please remember, I am now in for the challenge of my homeschooling journey.  A very smart, Very VERY strong willed child.  The last child.  The older mom.  See the problem?

But on days like today, well really, the past two weeks, I remind myself of the boat and am thankful that not once has God asked me to get out!  Praise Him that He is faithful.

Lord, please help me to be faithful as well!

Blessings,

Join me back on Wednesday to see what we are learning about this school year!

This post is linked up with Amy at Raising Arrows!  Be sure to check out the other amazing bloggers there!

Fun Friday- Managers of Their Schools Review and Giveaway

Welcome back to our second week of giveaways!  This week we added a few more to the lineup and I can't wait for you to see the fun goodies we have to bless some readers with in the next two months!  I could get use to this giving away stuff.

Congratulations to Sara@Embracing Destiny for winning a copy of the book Alone, Yet Not Alone!  Hope you enjoy the read!

Since school is just getting underway for many of you this week, I think now is a good time to reintroduce you to a family I adore and their book Managers of Their Schools.  Steve and Teri Maxwell are parents of 8 children and grandparents to 4.  Together with their family they began a business with the purpose of educating, inspiring and equipping Christians and homeschoolers called Titus 2.  They write books on mentoring moms and dads alike, bible studies, a children's book series, homeschool guides and more.  My oldest met the Maxwell family years ago at a conference and then we all had the privilege of hearing them sing and speak in Colorado several years ago.  They are as kind and personable in person as they seem on their site.  It is a joy to see a family loving and working together that has a heart for the Lord and His people!



I was able to team up with the oldest Maxwell, Nathan, a few months ago when I took his online computer class ITonRamp and did a review.  It was a great experience and one I highly recommend if you have a budding computer tech in your midst!  I am equally excited to now tell you about an additional resource that the Maxwell family has written titled Managers of Their Schools.

Based on 23 years of homeschooling, this 214 page, spiral bound book is a wealth of information.  In 18 chapters, each focusing on a specific aspect of managing your homeschool, the Maxwells share their hearts and their experiences. Chapters include information such as textbooks, planning, schedules, doubts, hindrances and more.  Because the Maxwells used an "out of the box" curriculum, there is much information about how this type of ready made Christian curriculum can benefit you, with schedules they used included in the appendix section.  Even if you are a homeschooler who uses a little of this and a little of that, you will benefit from this book. In fact this quote from page 11 sums it up best...
"The best way for the Maxwells to educate their children is the way God leads the Maxwell family.  The best way for you to educate your children is the way that God leads your family." While the Maxwells are quite firm in their reasoning behind how and what they do, they acknowledge that every one's journey may look a little different.  "What is best for each family is the direction the Lord Jesus is leading them, and that is what we want to affirm, not change."

One of the things I love about this book is that it is full of encouragement.  Even after 15 years of homeschooling I never tire of hearing other people talk about their homeschooling days.  It is such a blessing to know we are not alone in this journey.  The encouragement you will receive from Steve and Teri is worth every minute of your reading time.

A fun takeaway from the book- how Steve turned an everyday kitchen storage cart(microwave cart) into a divided school cart with 8 sections that could be rolled to where it was being used.  I am always amazed when people think outside the box and solve a problem with a "simple" fix!

For those of you who are chart people (welcome to my world,) this is the resource for you!  There are charts of the Maxwells' typical subjects by grades, their preferred resources, numerous examples of their schedules and summer schedule and school assignment pages.  Though you may not agree with every word they say, I would also encourage you to read their article about their familys' reading criteria.  It is written soundly from scripture and will for sure give you something to think about.

I have to say that of all of my homeschooling resource books this is the one I tend to loan out the fastest and the most often, as I feel it lays a great foundation for not only those just starting out in their homeschool journey, but also for those who are in the need of some changes and fine tuning!  You will come away with a refreshed soul and new passion for teaching your children!

The Maxwell family has offered to bless one of our readers with a free copy of their book Managers of Their School.   Make sure you enter for your chance to win using the rafflecopter below!  Thank you Maxwell Family!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Managers of Their Schools can be bought from Titus 2 for $18.00.  You might also want to check out the other books in that series Managers of Their Homes and Managers of Their Chores.

Blessings, Michele

Visiting Mt. Rushmore for our Bucket List

Can you even believe that we are winding  down the summer?  Where has time gone?  Oh I know, we spent much of it moving!  Because of that I was determined to fit as much as we could into the little time we had left before our oldest went back to college.  We may not have too many summers left with her and we are trying to make the most of our time.  

As soon as we found out we were moving to South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore went our our Bucket List!  We have been there before minus our youngest and loved it then.  Now that we have added to our family AND found out that old friends of ours own a campground there, the deal was even sweeter, so off we went for a fun filled four day trip!

OK, work with me...pretend you are watching a slide show...

We took a slightly longer trip into the area so we could see the Badlands.  We had not done this before and it was worth the extra hour.  Next time, I hope we can stop and do some hiking there!

The scenery is stunning!

Even the 6 year old thought it was pretty!  Can I just say that this kiddo has turned into the best traveler?

Yes, a rare sighting of the parents! ;)

Oh, my girls!  How I love these two and the sweet relationship they have.  Don't ever let anyone tell you the teen years are bad!  I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Our friends own the Spokane Creek Cabins and Campground.  If you ever are looking for a place to camp this is a place you will want to stay.  They have cabins, tent sites and RV sites.  There is a pool, miniature golf course and a cafe that serves amazing pizza and the BIGGEST cinnamon rolls I have ever seen.  CJ will tell you that the camp store was his favorite place!  The campground is just off Needles Highway which is a sight to see all on its own!  That is, if you can handle the twists, turns and dropoffs!  ugh!

Have you seen the movie National Treasure 2?  Anyway, this is the lake where it was filmed and it is beautiful.  On our next trip, we plan to hike this area and get in the boats.

And of course, there is Mt. Rushmore.  A simply amazing place and if you have not gone I would strongly encourage you to do so.  Pictures just cannot do it justice.

Oh, and then there is Bear Country USA, where my oldest faced her fears!  Really.  For many years she has had an irrational fear of bears.  Not sure when or why it started but it was bad.  So we of course, being the caring family that we are, drove her through a reserve of about a hundred bears, many of which were in reaching distance from the cars.  Hence, the no getting out and keep your windows rolled up rule!  Several times we had to stop the car to let one walk in front of us.  And not one time did we get eaten, child of mine!  ;)

Not sure what she was doing here...might have been praying! heehee

And one of the best parts of the weekend...coming back to a camp site with friends!  It was wonderful to catch up and just relax...  and who doesn't like s'mores at the end of a busy day?  They blessed our family beyond belief for hosting us and we are extremely grateful! THANK YOU DARRYL AND CHRISTY!!

Darryl and Christy, camp hosts and awesome friends!

Also, not in pictures...we toured a cave, visited Crazy Horse, olders went on a zip line and the girls went and saw a play!  All in all, one of the BEST vacations we have had!  We are already planning our next trip out...ready for us, Christy and Darryl?

What about you...have you finished your bucket list or are you still holding on to a few more warm weeks of summer?

Blessings,

TOS CREW Review- Homeschool Spanish Academy

I have been teaching my kiddos Spanish for years.  Well, I have been teaching them Spanish vocabulary for years.  Actually speaking Spanish, that is another story.  I am NOT fluent in Spanish, but the the folks at Homeschool Spanish Academy are so you can imagine my excitement when we were asked to review their on line Spanish lessons via Skype video conferencing!  To say that there was a fiesta going on in this house is an understatement!

For the past 5 weeks, our youngest son, age 6, has been enrolled in the Homeschool Spanish Academy's  Early Language Program for ages 5-12.  Lessons are 25 minutes long and you can choose whether you want to have 1 or 2 classes a week. Teachers begin teaching kids as young as 5 in this level, but do recommend age 7 as ideal to begin.  Because CJ was adopted from Guatemala and has a pretty thorough introduction to the Spanish language we felt he would be ready.  With one on one instruction with native Spanish speaking teachers your child is bound to learn something...I think you will be surprised at just how much they will learn.

There are a few hurdles to overcome before you can begin lessons like making sure your system will support the video conferencing.  The teachers, after all, are in Guatemala.  Before you begin lessons customer support will contact you, help you test your system and make sure you are set up on Skype.  Just prior to your lesson you will ask to accept your teacher's name so you can converse.

After that the only thing left for you to do is schedule your lessons. This is done easily by choosing the time of day you want, the day of the week, and the teacher you prefer.  There are pictures of all of the available teachers along with their bios to help you choose.  Because the demand for classes has been high lately, they are in the process of adding even more teachers to choose from.  I cannot speak highly enough of the two teachers we have used!  Elda and Rosa have won a spot in my heart and have enamored CJ!  Just watching his face light  up when he sees them on the camera sold me on this program from day one!  While I would have initially preferred to stay with one teacher, Elda has gone on maternity leave and therefore we had to pick a new teacher.  I was concerned that the transition would be hard for CJ, but instead it was seamless and now he has two teachers he loves. Homeschool Spanish Academy actually recommends you use several different teachers so you can get use to different accents and teaching styles.  I see now the wisdom in this recommendation.  The teachers take detailed notes about each session they have with your child and therefore if another teacher teaches next, they know just where to pick up.

24 hours prior to a lesson you will be sent a reminder of your lesson time and then you are off!

Let me tell you, I am not sure who was more nervous, my son or me that first lesson!  But Elda asked questions, smiled a lot and even acted silly to break the ice. She asked him to share what he knew already, asked him about himself and told him a little about her. Within minutes CJ was conversing with her like he had known her forever and my heart stopped beating a million miles an hour, knowing things were going to be great!

Each week a new theme is introduced and discussed, as well as the previous lessons reviewed.  In addition to being able to see the teacher, she is able to bring up a screen with the material that is being taught on it for your child to see.  She can then use her mouse to point to the pictures or phrases she is talking about.  Then, after the lesson your child receives their "homework".  For this level, it is a copy of the pages (usually 4-6) you just went over with the teacher for further review and practice.  We have used these pages daily to review the material, going over each section in about 15 minute session.

So far we have studied vowels and the sounds they make, the alphabet, greetings and titles, and fruits.  By far the hardest lesson for CJ has been the alphabet.  I am sure this is because for a child who is learning to read in English and pronounce English letters, it is a little more challenging to now see the same letters pronounced differently.  I do think that is one area that it would be easier to have an older child in the program, but other than that he has had no difficulty picking up new words and phrases.

One of the areas that I have seen the most growth in is his comprehension of questions being asked of him. Like I said, he knew a lot of vocabulary prior to these lessons, but understood very little back and forth conversation.  Both of the teachers we have had are very good at asking a question first in Spanish, waiting a few seconds for CJ to process it and then repeating it in English.  As time has gone on, I see that he understands more of what is asked without it having to be repeated.  From my personal experience I can tell you that part of that is just being comfortable with a native speaker!  When we were in Guatemala I did pretty well understanding native speakers until the conversation turned towards me.  At that point I would panic and freeze up.  The longer we were there the less that happened because I relaxed and got use to the different sounds being used.  I have a feeling that is the case with my son as well.  The more comfortable he gets hearing Spanish the more comfortable he will be at using it.  While we try daily to use some Spanish in our home, we now find ourselves using it more and CJ loves quizzing everyone in the evening with the new words he has learned for the week.  Let's face it- it is always fun to have more knowledge than your older siblings, right!?

So what do we think?
Can you guess?  haha  We LOVE this program!  So much so that we have signed up for another 7 week session.  In my opinion, while learning a foreign language can be done with just a book, it is far better to learn from someone who is a native speaker.

   It gives you a broader base of knowledge, makes you more comfortable with the language and is just much more fun!

I also am impressed with the professional quality of this program.  I have no doubt that setting up lessons via Skype with teachers in another country has many moving parts to it that could fall apart easily. We have seen no hiccups in the program at all!  As a matter of fact, when Elda had to leave early for maternity leave, we received an email explaining the situation and telling us exactly how to reschedule the remaining lessons we already had on the calendar.  The website is easy to navigate and there is a members' section that keeps track of your scheduled lessons as well as homework assignments.  If any questions arise contacting customer service is easy and they respond back super fast.  

When signing up for classes you can choose to sign up for a half semester which is 14 weeks, or a half of a semester which is 7 weeks for $59.99.  That is only $8.57 per class!

Fellow CREW members reviewed additional levels of the Homeschool Spanish Academy program, so if you have an older child, I encourage you to click over to read about their experiences.