I have been tagged in a game of TOS Blog tag

I have been tagged by fellow TOS mate, Nanette (Joys of Homeschooling blog), and I guess what I am to do is answer the 8 questions, then tag 8 bloggers, and come up with 8 questions...problem is I am not on my puter, and have limited access right now as my ole girl crashed into oblivion.  So I will honor the tag, but not pass it along due to the issues I am having.  Thanks to Nanette for including me in the game. Here were her questions I needed to answer:

1. How do you stay organized? I dunno-some days are better than others-and I honestly don't have an exact formula, ...just try to keep some pre-work for future lapbooks, activities and such, done prior to when I need it, so I can pull it to fill the workboxes as needed (instead of running around trying to get it all together as I am setting up the day)...stuff like that...
2. What is your favorite curriculum and why? (Ex: Apologia, Life of Fred, etc.) 

Beautiful Feet Books programs [history and science], because it is easy to apply and adjust as needed-uses great literature.  Not overwhelming at all.  Been using it pretty much since the start.  I have lots of other favs, this one just stands out the most right now.3. Do you notebook or lapbook? Do you have any successful secrets to share to a lapbook newbie?

Yes, and Yes.  Best advice-premake the items (copy, cut, gather necessary extras and books before you want to do the project) and store in Ziplock bags...that way when you want to do an couple mini-books it is all set and ready to go.  Also-don't try to do it all [suggested booklets, activities-pick and choose what strikes you as the most interesting or needed] or  attempt to do too many per month-you'll get student and teacher burnout.  4. What kind of field trips, or outings do you go on for school enrichment? 

Been pretty lame-O in that department.  When traveling with daddy, we try to visit as many interesting sites/museums/etc. that we can.  We zero in on historical places the most.

Also attend a co-op.
5. Do you have any awesome science experiments to share?

After my puter decided to die-I am wondering if we should learn to build a computer from the ground up-sorta like when Steve Austin crashed in the plane and the gov't decided to rebuild him.
6. What is the best website, book, etc; you have found that has helped you through your homeschool journey?

Any and all relating to Charlotte Mason and her philosophy, and how to apply it.  

and workboxes have saved my sanity and given order to the kid's schooling...so that process has helped immensely.

7. Within your homeschool, what is one thing you could never live without? 

God and his mercies that are afresh every day

8. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever heard from a non-homeschooler? It can be something from a child or an adult. 

Dunno...most annoying?  "I would never have the patience to hs."  and dumbest?  "But what about Prom?"  

There you have it.  Nothing fancy, or too in depth...but wanted to respond.  Thanks and yes, I am the tag game party pooper....

Curiosity Files Ebook: The Puffer Fish review

I do believe I have come across Ms. Frizz's zany, and somewhat lesser known (but not for long) cousin-Professor Ana Lyze...who apparently grew up [and earned her degree in all things curious] with the same ideals, and extreme need to explore the unique and somewhat obscure scientific situations, found throughout the Lord's great creation.  She doesn't wear clothing that correlates with her subject matter (thankfully), but that doesn't stop her from her pursuit for the "need to know" about her topic!  

Jam packed with oodles and oodles of info-these are far from "cheesy" or "lame-O".  In fact, I found these [look for 2 more reviews coming soon] to be the BEST ebook unit studies I have had the pleasure of exposing my peepers to! 

The Puffer Fish Ebook is spattered with links to various on-line sites to learn more, quizzes, Bible connections, math, language arts activities, copywork [KJ, but you could easily adapt one to your favorite version. Both print and cursive options available], science lessons, natural history information with extra projects/research [think nature study/journaling here], adorable art/crafts ideas, a ditty focusing on geography, a dash of music mania, and a nice book list to round out the study.  Best yet, they have included "Curiosity Snippets" [lapbook mini-books] to jump start your notebooking needs.  Did I mention the beautifully colored pages and graphics? Well, that is included too. 

Neat facts just abound in this study!  I didn't know a Puffer can tell whether something (or someone) is coming or going past them, and all at the same time! Or that they get all puffed up in a rather curious manner, but not from the way I assumed it was.  These little factoids were quite surprising to learn [but I am not going to share that info-don't want to spoil it for you] and subsequently,  have made it so I will never ponder or look upon a Puffer in quite the same way after learning so much about them!

Best yes, the Curiosity Files: The Puffer Fish touches on several areas, so I know that when we delve into this as a part of ocean study this winter, my son will have many of his core subjects covered. We can literally take a break from our regular routine and just enjoy this Bible-based, analyze it [or should I say, Ana Lyze?], and go forth, exploration of a very curious creature.  Now that is quite puffalicious!

image from Wikipedia.com

Surf on over to the Old Schoolhouse Store 

to learn more about this great unit study.

The Old Schoolhouse Store Homepage

$6.95 Ebook download-you will need to print the pages.
Target age range is 8-13 but can be adjusted to fit younger and older students nicely

***The Old Schoolhouse company provided me with a free Curiosity File: Puffer Fish Ebook, to use and enjoy with my family.  I am an independent contractor for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine, but did not receive any financial compensation for my honest review of this item.  It is that puffalicious and excellent, I couldn't help but be puffed up about this great study-for real folks!

TOS Crew Review: William Tyndale: God's Smuggler Ebook from Soli Deo Gloria Resources

Sounds mysterious and almost criminal doesn't it?  "God Smuggler"-well it actually was all that and more. Plus, the penalty for translating and/or smuggling the English version of the Bible into the hands of the "commoners" was death at the stake (with fire, not a potato [sorry just trying to lighten the grim facts here]-so obviously this was a very high price to pay to help spread the Gospel).

So who was this smuggler, and what was the big deal?  Wasn't the Bible always available for the average folk to purchase and read for themselves? Why would anyone care if there was an English version anyway?  Where and when did this all take place?  What is the significance of researching and learning about this event from the past?  Is it still "illegal or life threatening" to own a Bible today?

I can guarantee you this-your children (and perhaps you yourself) will know the answers to those questions and have a greater understanding of the exact details surrounding this God-led step in history, and all in just one week, or there about-as you can stretch it out for as long as need be. 

[image from Wikipedia.com]

The name William Tyndale should be somewhat familiar to most Christians, and perhaps non-Christians too.  After all, most probably heard of Tyndale House Publishers right? But why should you even consider studying him with you children?  You should, because it changed history and for the better-because of it, the "commoners" all around the world have access to a Bible they can read for themselves. So how can you study him and not take a year to do it?  

Soli Deo Gloria offers a week long, unit study focusing on this great man.  Right off the bat, you are given some good options for ways to introduce William Tyndale to your children (lists of books and DVDs to watch), then it walks you through each day with a variety of ideas,  to go further into depth and learn more. There is no pretense that you must do all the listed suggestions, but rather a more relaxed approach where you are offered enough ideas to keep everyone busy, and focused on Mr. Tyndale for your lesson time. Links to additional sites and activities are duly noted, offering some really good tie-in, hands on projects [like creating a timeline, art ideas, sites with games and quizzes, and even vocabulary work] to cement the information into your young scholars' memories.

This review came along just as we were about to leave for a trip to Hawaii, so I had to whittle the study down to do what we could during the amount of time we had.  I decided to start with one of the suggested books for my son, and so during the plane ride and during down time at the hotel-we read and discussed the story.  Then upon returning, we watched one of the movies and will end our study with another.  We have done some of the coloring sheets (the boy does great if I give him something to "do" whilst I read, so the links to those extras really helped) and the teen did a fun translation activity too.  We have actually looked up some paintings of King Henry VIII to help get a mental picture of the dude that William prayed for, and we will do a few more projects to round out the mini-unit study of Mr. Tyndale.  I plan on pulling it out down further down the road, when my son covers Medieval history, as a refresher.  Both the kids found this to be an interesting side-project (because right now we are in American history); and did enjoy learning about one of the many people who opened the door to get God's Word into the hands of the regular folk.  

If you are looking for something that is easy to do, this is a great option-especially if you are new to the whole concept of the unit study as a way to teach.  Best yet, you can sample William Tyndale: God's Smuggler to see for yourself, if it will suit your family's learning style. 

I have the "run gal" up there due to the fact that you will need to collect some things in order to do this study-but after that-it is an easy project


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Soli Deo Gloria Resources Homepage

William Tyndale: God's Smuggler Ebook

Ages: lower elementary to high school

$8.00 Ebook download

Don't forget to see what my TOS mates had to say about this and many other fine homeschool products!  Visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage for more information.

***Soli Deo Gloria Resources provided me with a free William Tyndale: God's Smuggler Ebook to use and enjoy with my family,  so that I could write this review.  No financial compensation was received for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Digital Frog Field Trip Series

One of the beauties of being a homeschooling family, is that we can head out to explore all sorts of neat places-which is often referred to as a "field trip".  I actually don't refer to it as such, because it is more than that-it is a life experience that we can tuck into our child's heart and mind.  I can tie in various lessons (science, history, culture, etc) with the experience, to really infuse into the children all that we have learned about that subject.  And it is very Charlotte Mason like (which is our backbone method of choice),  in thought and philosophy-having them experience it first hand (well lots of other methods are covered here too-I just wanted to highlight our choice of learning style) and so that is one of my goals in educating my children-to include these outings.

But being the realist that I am-I understand that visiting a lot places is simply not going to happen within the time frame of what our lessons are about...unless we are fortunate enough to go with daddy on one of his business trips, with places to explore, that just so happen to fit what we have been studying. So for example:  the desert is not a very tangible option right now (although when we first started homeschooling, we lived in Phoenix, so we were able to see some of it whilst we lived there) because we live in the north east part of the country-but what if we have been covering that climate, and I truly wanted to add an outing to tie the lessons all together? What options are available that are  interactive and provide more than a spew of info in a short amount of time.  Where could I go for that?

That question was quickly answered when I received the Digital Field Trip Series DVD to review.  Not only does this cover three different climates and an assortment of other scientific like processes/happenings (like photosynthesis, adaptations, botany, etc.) but it is actually interactive-like we are there but in virtual form, and we can experience it from our cozy home, any time we want.  Now sure, it isn't the "real" thing-but the real thing also costs money to get to, has obstacles and challenges that frankly, we may not always want to deal with. Such as hot, sweaty and cranky kids, or timing it so our visit is during the time/season the parks/places are open. Oh, and lest we forget- bugs! Those blood thirsty mosquitoes, biting gnats, and yes-fire ants which litter the desert landscape, and can administer very painful bites, indeed. 


And how about those critters I do not want to meet whilst traipsing through the great outdoors [snakes, bears, skunks or some crazed Howler Monkey, for example], during our exploration? Well they are virtual so "no harm, no foul" here! This is proving to be a great way to get those hard to do field studies into our schedule.

And like a great "Ginsu Knives" commercial-there is that "But wait!  There is more!!!"  to this than just a virtual 360 degree tour of the place. You can download both a teacher's and a student's workbook for all three of the field trips, to use as you explore the selected climate. As you walk through the well marked (by numbers) trails, you will be able to click on signs to gain details about what is around that point in the tour, or view diagrams, take a quiz, and more-all to gain further insight while on your outing of discovery.  To not over load you with the details of each tour-I put the direct link [above the picture of each climate] that will navigate you over to the page detailing what each field trip covers, but I couldn't resist giving a few personal comments on each for you...

The Wetlands

We live in an area that one could consider the wetlands-well close enough to one that we could visit...in fact the kids have climbed through a plastic reconstruction of a beaver's home at our local nature center...but we did not get all this information on our quick tour.  No way Nellie-sure didn't.  On our virtual tour, we hunted for various critters, as if we were on a nature seek and find quest; and we even heard the local bird residents chatter and sing. And if we forget the details of what we just heard, we can revisit any time we want to take notes, play a game and well-not sink in the bog!  Besides-we didn't need a passport to go on this Canadian wonderland excursion!   

The Rainforest

Visiting a rainforest is not really that easy for most of us. Now granted, we just returned from Hawaii, which  has 11 of the 13 climate zones found throughout the world.  So we actually were in one-but not "in" it long enough to glean much [you simply do not hike in flip flops when the paths are steep and you have no water], because I was not about to go exploring the unknown entanglement of plants and trees and creatures, just to provide some sort of educational opportunity for the kids.  So yes, we may be able to get near one-but to venture deep within it?  Not so sure...that is why this is a great option for anyone.  I was able to hear the birds sing, a fly buzz by, and even was tempted to lunch in at the Cafe o' Jungle (not sure what its name really was-but it was rustic!) And again-the info is right there, so if I forgot something I could simply click on the sign and re-learn it.  This was probably my favorite tour, but the boy was totally digging the bog.  Actually this series is like a smörgåsbord-it can suit just about everyone's tastes! 

The Desert

After living in the desert area of Arizona, I can truthfully say-you really wouldn't want to explore this puppy on your own unless you had a guided tour, and lots and lots of water!  No need for Cody Lundin (co-survivalist on the show, Dual Survival) to get you from point A to B without the need for a search and rescue. Plus, finding all the creatures and plants, within a decent amount of time, is probably impossible. So again, this series takes you there and all without leaving your home! Going on tour of the several deserts in the Southwest US, we meandered all comfy-like in our jammies, soaking in the knowledge...and without needing to pick barely visible cactus needles out of our skin (which we did many a time while living there).  Re-visiting the Sonora Desert was like a step back into memoryland for some of us,  and a totally new experience for our youngest.  Too bad they didn't include a Pink Jeep Tour of the place-that would have really added some nail biting excitement to the visit.  


So there you have my side comments of all three of the Digital Field Trips.  We have only scratched the surface of these; as we did a quick tour for now, but plan on turning each into a mini-unit study down the road.  It was a delight to review this item! I cannot close without mentioning that the Digital Frog gals also have a couple other great virtual products-one being the Science Matrix: Cell Structure and Function (which I got when I renewed my TOS magazine a while back). My daughter used this as she worked through her Biology course-in fact, it helped her "get it" quickly, and she had fun learning it too!  They also have the Digital Frog 2.5 program, which involves virtual dissection of the amphibian (and without the stink/grossness of it all) right on your computer screen. So these gals certainly have created some very useful and Twenty-first Century ways to teach with a different approach!


You can try a free demo version by clicking here, or join the Frogger Club for worksheets, game cards, additional videos, and more.  

**For those readers who like to know the angle of the material:  these definitely are not coming from a Christian view point.  There is reference to "millions" or "thousands" of years in a few places.  I personally just insert a more realistic number and let it be.  I wasn't finding it to be too much of an issue.  As with most science oriented material we come across, we had to tweak it to fit our beliefs as Christians.  Frankly, there is so much good information in these, and the concept is a great way to get your field trips in without leaving home-that the good totally outweighed the glitches of a worldly view point for us.  But I did want to mention that so you knew before purchasing.

the younger children will need assistance


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Digital Frog Homepage
Field Trip Series info
For the Series DVD:  $125.00 (plus shipping) for a single home license. Different prices for co-op use or for purchasing individual virtual field trip DVDs. Pricing page

I figure most kids of any age will enjoy this-but I should think the upper elementary and Jr. high kids will find the material best suits their skill levels the best. Once could certainly have their high schooler or younger elementary students go through this too...ah geez-let's just give it a rating for all ages, as it can easily apply to just about everyone once tweaked to fit their skill level.

Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to see what my crewmates had to say about this and many other fine homeschool products.

***Digital Frog International provided me with a free Field Trip Series DVD, to use and explore with my family; so that I could write this review.  No financial compensation was provided for my honest and field trip exploration opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: LanSchool Home Version computer monitoring program

Wouldn't it be great if you could monitor your student's computer time?  Pop in and post a note to them or receive a question from your student's inquiring mind? How about being able to see what your child is doing in real time?  Or where they have been?  How about being able to check to see if they are really doing their assigned work, or [gasp!] dawdling on another site instead?  What if you could block out questionable websites?  Wouldn't it be fun to have your students be able to see on their own screen, the "something" you are demonstrating on your computer?  Or perhaps you want everyone to enjoy a video without scrunching up to see it on one screen (in other words-they watch it on theirs, without squashing you to view it).  These are not some far fetched "Geez that would be swell" sort of scenarios. There is a program out there that can do just that.  It is called LanSchool, and even though it serves many public and private schools, they also have a home version available.  But dear readers-I simply cannot adequately describe everything it offers-so please visit the LanSchool Homepage link, and read about it-then come back to see what I think about it.

See?  There is a lot to the program and obviously, they can describe it best.  So on with my thoughts...

I guess I must admit-we're most definitely smack dab in the middle of the most technically advanced era on the ole timeline of human history. Unfortunately, I am not one to always embrace it.  Especially the whole computer thing-sure, I can use it and have found it to be a great blessing-but I also have felt gray hairs popping, and my veins surging due to the frustrations that occur when using something so complex and downright fussy.  Simply put-I am not a computer geek, and I just don't "get it" most of the time-which is why I have a very tumultuous love-hate relationship with it.

So when it comes to how we homeschool, I utilize the old fashioned way of doing things, for most of it.  You know-using face to face discussions, reading real books, cuddle time on the couch, using the ole television set to view movies and so forth.  I do not use much computer time during our regular school hours-but we will use some educational CDs and websites as supplemental activities to our main curriculum. Granted our teen does have her own computer; but we have the safety issues already addressed; as well as the ability to check her history at any given moment-so those bases are covered. So when I was chosen for the LanSchool review-I was unsure exactly why I would even need it-not to mention the fact that I was having a bit of a panic attack because I am not techno-savvy at all.

Some of you are probably shaking your heads and asking what the big deal is.  Well, for me and those who are not all computery loving..it is a challenge. Thankfully, LanSchool has a very helpful PDF file and several (yes, I watched them) tutorials to get me started.  I found that I was able to download the program fairly easily and then navigate it well enough. It certainly was not something to "freak out" about because it actually makes sense once you play around on it.  Best yet-it has plenty of tech help available if and when I require it.

Now, even though I was able to do those things mentioned in the first paragraph, it simply is not a good fit for us.  As I stated, we are more "old timey" in our way of learning (and if and when my son was doing computer work-it was on mine. That is definitely a valid point to ponder; as it also happens to be the one I have as the "teacher's"...so it kind of voided out the need for monitoring his activities) so I truly wasn't seeing much of a reason for this type of application for us. Perhaps I will find more of need for it down the road, but right now-it is simply "overkill" for us.  But, I can definitely see this being a great program for a homeschool group or co-op; especially for those classes that can use computers but have limited funds to provide each child with their own curricula (such as a video they need to see), or better yet-used for actual computer instruction classes.

For those families who use a computer curriculum program, or for those who use the computer frequently to teach-then perhaps this is a most useful program indeed.  I have to say-you'll need to do your homework in regard to whether it is right for your family.  Reading the Home Version Information Flyer should fill in the gaps too.  Pay attention to the specific system requirements noted at the bottom of the flyer-and you will need to have computers that "can talk to each other", so research and know that information prior to purchasing.
And there you have it folks-my take on the LanSchool program.

Basically they are doing what they normally would be during their computer time-you now have the ability to assist and monitor it with this program-so that is why I have this icon here-unless they are not computer literate, than I guess they would need assistance.

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Home Version Sign-Up (3 computer monitor limit)
$99 for home  license with 3 yr. update access
This can be used for most ages-as long as they can use a computer, you can monitor them

Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to see what my crewmates had to say aboutthis and many other fine homeschool products.

***LanSchool provided me with a free home version license to test and use on my family's computers, so that I could write this review.  I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.