baby's first artwork.

he's been known to hold a pencil. he's been known to eat his share of markers. but today little Blue happily joined the ranks of the bigs, plunking onto a bench and grabbing an unused scrap of paper. he discovered a pencil just his size and actually concentrated for a period of time on this artwork, his first. he even proudly displayed his work for the lens (really, i do classify as mamarazzi). he's been a student since birth, but i think today he officially joined the class.

TruthQuest History - TOS Product Review

Whew... it's coming to the end of the traditional school year, and for many people that means a big breath for the last stretch, or a sigh of relief... me, I just want a NAP!!

I'm excited to be able to review for you a really neat History curriculum that makes me feel rested just looking at it. TruthQuest History is , in their own words,

"...a deep and rich literature-based history study…but with a difference.
You will not learn the story of mankind; you will learn the lovestory of mankind.
You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations;
you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God's unchanging existence,
power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply 'meet the culture'
or 'get the facts;' you will probe the truths of history so deeply
that your students will be equipped to change their world."


TruthQuest history is a spiral-bound guide (and I'm an old-fashioned girl... I love paper...) that includes brief introductions to segments in time, with a distinctly God-centered view, along with book suggestions for both reading and activities. It's written with a lighthearted attitude that's an easy read, and would be not the least overwhelming for any student reading, in my estimation, chapter books.

It is simple, so if you're the kind of person who needs pages and pages of explanation, exams, maps, diagrams, and such, this isn't going to be enough for you. But if you'd like a copyrighted list of excellent books in each time period (and even suggestions and warnings for different ages and sensibilities), and you're comfortable getting creative with a basic outline, this would be an excellent consideration.

There are also some writing/critical thinking exercises at the end of the book, as well as a suggested film list.

We reviewed the Renaissance, Reformation, and Exploration edition by Michelle Miller (buy it here), and we're working through the Famous Men of Rome study, as well. I can say that I don't intend to put these away after our review. This is a book/study that may well begin a collection.

dolphin watching

one night last week, we feasted on crab legs and corn fritters at a super cool local spot known as the friendly fisherman this week, and then our hosts treated us to a sunset dolphin-watching cruise. seriously, this is where i LIVE! spoiled, spoiled, spoiled.

Math Tutor - TOS Product Review

Sometimes, teaching math is just plain painful... for me, anyway! There are days when the oldest tells me something like, "step away from the math book, mom," and takes over helping a younger sibling. There are days, I have to say, when I slap the book shut and announce with firmness, "Wait till your dad gets here. He's the math guy!" And there are days, frankly, when I think, "You don't know how easy you've got it. You do school in your jammies on the couch and at the table during snack time and in the grass under the Florida sun. You should try sitting in a classroom for lectures!"

Enter the Math Tutor DVDs. Designed with parents like me in mind (well, maybe not that last one!), it is a series of topical training videos to help students with Math!! Most courses are 8 hours long, and cost about $27. Ranging from basic math, to physics, calculus, geometry, word problems, probability and statistics and many more, Math Tutor DVD's slogan is "Press Play For Success."

My children especially enjoyed the story problems DVD. Although it's really just a teacher in a classroom (aha! my wish is granted!) problems are taught slowly and in detail, with some humor thrown in occasionally to grab attention. The instructor, Jason Gibson, holds a long and impressive list of credentials including work with NASA with a full space shuttle flight control certification. As he says, though,

"Now, I am the first to admit that none of this amounts to a hill of beans when teaching a lesson. What really matters if the instructor take a complex topic and assume the student knows absolutely nothing about the task at hand and take him/her from zero knowlege to expert in step-by-step chunks. I personally get a thrill out of making seemingly complex topics suddenly easy to students. I have found over the years that the easy way to do this is to learn by working example problems, beginning with the easier ones and gradually progressing to the harder ones."

I personally found in school that teachers who were likeable, were most memorable, and often their material was therefore somehow more palatable. I am thinking this guy comes across as a "nice guy" on video, and it just make harder math concepts more digestible! (His simple and straightforward methods of course would help.)

These videos could be a great add-on for days when teaching many stretches you beyond your dreams, or for supplementing the vital math studies to assure success in a given subject. Complete course listings are available online, as well as sample videos and verbal testimonials (VERY convincing!!). This is a neat discovery, and I love the money-back guarantee, although I suspect it rarely gets used.

Homeschool In The Woods - TOS Product Review

I have to admit, I'm not a good lapbook momma. I mean to be... I love the idea of all these cool little folds and creases and hidden treasures in carefully-constructed pockets. But when the day gets rollin' for me, I'm usually behind already on schedule, and often we just dive in and do the "necessary" topical assignments, and I forsake the opportunity to get hands-on with our study and review in this really cool way.

Many homeschool moms are well-familiar with lapbooking, but it's worth explaining. Sort of a hybrid of scrapbooking, you typically use a file folder (alternative folds are optional) and fill it with small packets and pockets, fan-folds and accordions, little flip books and revolving paper-fastener-creations, which contain little snippets of information about the chosen subject.

We had the chance to review Homeschool In the Woods' New Testament lapbook, and instead of trying to "add it on top" of all we are already doing, I decided to just take a week and make this our primary project, along with our math and science studies.

Rather than opt to have each child do their own, the "big kids" are working in pairs. I'm excited about the teamwork as well as the chance to work on small motor skills (11 year old still needs work in this area). As they cut and color individual projects (one example is the basket filled with fruits of the spirt, with the correlating scriptures glued on the backs), they read the material it contains. Next, they place each assembled component into a large ziploc. At week's end, they will assemble the project, reviewing the concepts as they go. Finally, they'll "present" their projects to friends and family to firm up their knowledge.

For us, this is a great way to take a little break from the regular schedule and re-focus on God's word. I like the product a lot, and as a multiple grade teacher, I love that it's got components for all levels. If I only had one, I think this would be a fun project to do together! In fact, I am thinking of purchasing their artists activity pack for this summer, and as an aid to "hitting" some of the figures more in-depth than we did during the year.

A little about Homeschool In the Woods:

"It is our heartfelt prayer that children develop a love of learning that will not end when they are finished with "school." We at Home School in the Woods have a passion for supporting the education of our children, specifically in understanding God's providence through history." Homeschool In the Woods provides activity packs, timeline notebooks and figures, some digital and some printed, and available as downloads or on CD (products vary). Cost averages $20 per product, with the timeline binder (looks beautiful online) available for around $38.

From one mom to another: If lapbooking isn't your typical curriculum, give it a go. But try dropping everything else you can for a week so you can really dive into it and not rush.

my mom shoots people.

these two totally rock. i mean it. poor e. wants to "help me on a shoot," but he's not ready. j. tried it once and didn't love it. but these two, they haul equipment and angle reflectors and make toddlers giggle and so when i saw i could do a short-run t-shirt order for them, i had to do it. the others will get one, too, if they want it, don't worry. but first i had to reward the two best assistants a photographer could ask for. and they're growing shooters, themselves.

Tapestry of Grace - TOS Product Review

Tapestry of Grace is a curriculum designed along classical education philosophy that is multi-level, literature-based, cyclical on a four-year rotation, and inclusive of many subjects including history, fine arts, writing, philosophy, Bible, literature, and more.

Our family had heard the "buzz" about Tapestry of Grace for several years before we chose to use it in our home. To be honest, it overwhelmed me when I saw the giant notebook with lists of books and activities, and knowing myself, I thought, "I'd beat myself up if I couldn't do it all."

What changed our minds was when we visited friends who have four boys similar in ages to our gang, and when I, as mom, could get hands-on and see it in action. In the end, it is what we chose as our core, adding in Science, Math, language (Grammar or Latin or, soon, Spanish), and the occasional "extra."

Classical education is based on several concepts, but a core idea is that there are four main learning/developmental levels that children progress through, and Tapestry of Grace is designed to cycle through history, ideally four times, each time going deeper and adding age-appropriate literature. It includes book lists of both "spine" or "core" reading, as well as suggested supplementary reading, that can be purchased or checked out from the library (or borrowed from friends - in our case we've found several like-minded families who use Tapestry, and often borrow or lend as schedules allow). Some of the books are recommended as read-alouds, and others include hands-on activities. The idea is that the teaching parent will pick and choose as they feel able/appropriate for their home and students.

Tapestry also includes a writing component (purchased individually) which assigns grade-appropriate projects tied to the current period of study. It is in-depth and well-rounded, incorporating vital aspects of good writing with review. There are teacher sections which actually review all the information children are expected to glean, discussion ideas and questions, co-op activity ideas, and more. One can also purchase lapbooks, "Pop Quizzes," which are discussion questions for dads (or working parents), and evaluations, for each year-plan.

My only struggle with Tapestry has been the cost (the year-plan without any extra books and products is $170 for digital or $290 for digital and printed), and the sometimes-confusing aspect (for me) in ordering. Recently the company has gone to offering their year-plans as digital products, which some find a huge benefit. I can see the blessing in having a digital copy, but taking the cost into consideration and being a person who needs to "hold it," I will personally probably end up having my products printed and paying even more. That said, I look at this curriculum as rich in knowledge and activity, and ripe with Christ-centered application, and have viewed the expense as an investment into the future faith-life and education of all five of our arrows.
When encouraging any fellow mom in curriculum choice, I always say, "look at the other moms around you who are using it. Are they "like you" in teaching style? Are their families anything like yours in schedule, priorities, and dynamic?" In our case, the families we saw using Tapestry either were similar in style, or were pursuing the passion and activities we wanted to include in our homeschool lifestyle.

Worth mentioning, also, is the fact that you can go to the Tapestry of Grace website and order a three week trial of the curriculum to try for yourself!