Project Passport History Study: Ancient Egypt - Crew Review

Home School in the Woods is a hands-on history company with Project Passport World History Studies and they make learning history fun with their Project Passport History Study: Ancient Egypt. When we study history, one of the first civilizations we find is Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians built stone monuments and pyramids, carved pictures and hieroglyphs, recorded stories and important information on papyrus scrolls, and in the process preserved the history of Ancient Egypt for future generations.

After downloading the file, you will want to print out the three-page “Travel Planner” – this is your lesson planner. You will want to preview the “Travel Itinerary” pages in advance to help you prepare for the projects you choose to do. You will find each lesson is called a “Stop”. Like any stop on a tour, your time will vary depending on the projects you choose. Several stops have more than one project listed, such as Scrapbook of Sights, Lap Book, Snapshot Moments, Postcard Greetings, Newspaper, Game, Edible Project, or 3-Dimensional Project. This allows you to choose projects based on your child’s interests. It is advisable that if you begin a project that has a series of steps, like the newspaper or lap book, you will want to complete it. These projects take a bit longer to complete, but they result in projects that your child will be very proud of. There are 25 stops on your trip through Ancient Egypt.

Stop 1 – Laying the Foundation – Part I – Packing for the Trip!

Stop 2 – Laying the Foundation – Part II

Stop 3 – Everyday Life – Part I

Stop 4 – Everyday Life – Part II

Stop 5 – Everyday Life – Part III

Stop 6 – Agriculture, Trade, and Transportation

Stop 7 – Education

Stop 8 – Literature and Writing

Stop 9 – The Sciences

Stop 10 – Medicine and Disease

Stop 11 – Ancient Egyptian Arts

Stop 12 – The Great Builders

Stop 13 – Religion and the “gods”

Stop 14 – Governing the Land

Stop 15 – The First Dynasties

Stop 16 – From Chaos to Order and Back Again to Chaos

Stop 17 – A Land Divided

Stop 18 – The New Kingdom Begins

Stop 19 -Egypt’s Most Famous Woman

Stop 20 – The Conquering Pharaoh

Stop 21 – Akhenaton and Tutankhamen

Stop 22 – Egypt Fades Away

Stop 23 – Ancient Egypt and the Bible

Stop 24 – Bringing Back the Past

Stop 25 – Final Stop – Packing Up!

 

If you find your student lingering on a topic of interest, follow it a little longer! In turn, is your student has little interest in a topic and wants to move on, go ahead. The key is to provide exposure to your student.

Each stop also includes a “Guide Book” – this is the lesson text. Read the lesson and then refer to your “Travel Planner” for project choices. My daughter and I enjoyed working on the Snapshot Moments, a chronological timeline of events. Here is a glimpse from the teacher guide –

 

And we especially enjoyed working on the newspaper. My daughter was able to write for “The Kemet Chronicle” – your source for news from the Nile!

Traveling through Ancient Egypt has been FUN with the Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Egypt.

 

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about this Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Egypt, as well as other products from Home School in the Woods.

 

Games Galore

I have always enjoyed playing educational games; but as a homeschool mom, I know see the value of purchasing games galore when they’re used to reinforce a learning concept. Here are a few family favorites.

Tally Rally is a fast-paced equation game. Simple to learn, but challenging enough for math puzzle addicts, Tally Rally is the fast-moving, quick-thinking game where every equation counts. Place the tiles randomly on the board, start the timer and take the lead against your opponents to find as many equations as you can using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The longer the equation, the more points you win. Sounds easy enough, but you’re racing against the clock plus you only earn points for equations no other player finds. It’s the fast track to improved math skills and inventive problem solving!

Locale is a game of world geography and cunning deception. Do you know where Timbuktu is? No? Convince players that you do! In Locale, the object of the game is to make up a story by explaining as much as you can about a given location – whether you know anything about it or not! Players vote on whose story is the most believable. Score points by writing a story that’s good enough to fool others or correctly guessing the true locale.

Word Yahtzee is a letter game that spells F-U-N for the whole family. Just roll the letter dice and arrange them to form words of varying lengths and various letter combinations. Count up their values and strategically place the totals in the twelve scoring boxes on your score sheet.

SCATERGORIES is a fun, fast-thinking game. Right off the top of your head, can you name a sport, an ice cream flavor, and something in a pet shop, all beginning with the letter B? The trick is to take on twelve categories in three minutes or less and not match anyone else’s answers! So be creative and seek the unique.

Scrabble is a crossword game. It offers all the fun of forming interlocking words. With all the challenge of racking up big scores! Cleverly connect letter tiles up, down and across the board. Different crosswords are created every game, so it’s a new challenge every time you play. The all-time family favorite word game!

Happy Homeschooling!

No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope - Crew Review

No one told Hal and Melanie Young what to expect when their little ones were no longer little – so after they got over the shock – they wanted to share some of the things they learned by writing the book No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope. This book is published by Great Waters Press and shares their lessons learned through parenting preteens – understanding what was happening, when to expect it, and how to navigate through it.

Everyone knows about the changes of adolescence, but all that hormonal activity began long before external changes. Puberty is the process of physical change in the transition from childhood to adulthood.  It’s no wonder the preteen years are hormonal – moody, irritable, unpredictable in their personalities – both sexes have hormonal surges exceeding fifty times the normal, stable levels they have in adulthood.

Irrational outburst can certainly test our parental patience. The seems to take advantage of this emotional turmoil to tempt our children away from our care and guidance. That makes this stage of parenting one of the most critical. More importantly, God’s Word reaches their hearts better than our words.

Hormones not only effect their body and emotions; but also effect their brain. During puberty, the part of the brain changing the most is the area that controls executive functions. These are tasks like problem solving, priority setting, short term memory, attention, and focus. Neurologist say these parts of the brain actually unravel; there truly is a temporary loss of function as the neurons re-assemble into their adult configurations.

So, how do you cope? Prayer and patience. It’s hard to hear the child you’ve prayed for, the child you’ve taken to church week after week, now questioning the most important truths in life. I have been here – we would search the Scriptures together – we would sometimes reach out to our pastor for advice – but we had to understand what our daughter was thinking and feeling.

Hormones also effect their sexuality. God created our sexual nature and the act itself with a specific purpose and blessing – “to be fruitful and multiply.” Our challenge is to protect our children from the misuse of sexuality and from sin, while preparing them for marriage. Teaching preteens about sexuality and preparing them to fight temptation is about an ongoing series of conversations from childhood to adulthood. It may be uncomfortable, but we need to establish a Biblical understand that sexuality is create by God and designed to be used only in marriage.

Hal and Melanie Young not only share the effects of hormones throughout these preteen years; but they share words of wisdom regarding money, work, stewardship, social struggles, bullying, and social media. Preparing our children for their digitized future involves training them to use devices and media with wisdom and discernment.

There are no guarantees in parenting, but there is hope. Proverbs 22:6 admonishes us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope.

 

Summer on a Shoestring

Summer is well under way by now, and if you’re like most parents, you’ve probably heard “I’m bored” just a few more times than you’d like. Here are a few ways our family breaks the boredom and it doesn’t break the bank.

[] Bowling. Visit www.kidsbowlfree.com to register each child and receive the free bowling passes every week by email. The bowling passes allow two free games of bowling a day throughout the summer.

[] Summer Movie Clubhouse. Visit www.cinemark.com/summer-movie-clubhouse-theatres to view the summer movie schedule showing in your area. Cinemark only charges $1 per show and offers a coupon for concessions too!

[] Summer Reading Programs. My girls participate in two summer reading programs, one through the local library, and the other through Barnes and Noble. This is a great way to reward reading through the summer!

[] Museums. There’s a lot to see and much of it’s free! Many museums offer specific free times for general admission, you just have to do your research, but it’s well worth the research time when your kids can explore and learn new things for free!

[] Playdates. Out of all our summer activities, my girls will tell you, their favorite is their playdates with friends. We are so busy during the school year, we do not have time for many playdates, so we use the summer months to catch up with friends!

What are you doing this summer that doesn’t break the bank?

Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming - Crew Review

Knowing how to code opens up a huge world of new, exciting possibilities. Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner’s Guide to Programming (Volume 1) from Code for Teens is the perfect tool to help teens (anyone with at least a sixth-grade reading level) learn JavaScript, the world’s most commonly used coding language. From understanding basic operations and functions to creating your own loops and beyond, you will begin developing the skills of programming pros in no time.

Students will need a desktop, laptop, or Chromebook in order to work through this book. They will not be able to complete the activities using a smartphone or tablet. Students will need to have Google Chrome on the computer.

This book empowers teens to teach themselves. Students are allowed to work at their own pace and figure things out on their own. The book is entertaining and keeps the reader engaged. The text is well organized and has a great balance of directed practice and independent exploration with easy-to-follow exercises. The author uses bold words to indicate that the word is important and that the word is defined in the glossary at the back of the book. The specific keys to type are also in bold, but they are capitalized too.

Each chapter provides quizzes, drills, review questions, and simple do-it-yourself projects to reinforce each lesson you learn along the way and ensure that these valuable skills are retained. With this book, you do not need to know anything about coding! In chapter one, your child will be expected to create and save a document, also known as their workbook, to keep their answers to the quizzes and drills. All of the answers are in the back of the book. Programming is like solving a puzzle or working through a thinking game. Students should not get too down on themselves if they are struggling through a concept. They simply need to try their best, check their answers, then move on and come back to the topic later. To hold students accountable, I highly recommend checking your student’s answers against the key, this will help them take the work seriously and be more diligent to complete it.

In Chapter 1, students assemble a few materials and write their first line of code.

In Chapter 2, students learn about data types used in JavaScript: numbers.

In Chapter 3, students learn about data types used in JavaScript: strings.

In Chapter 4, students learn about functions.

In Chapter 5, students learn about data types in JavaScript: Boolean.

In Chapter 6, students learn about data types in JavaScript: null.

In Chapter 7, students complete projects galore.

In Chapter 8, students learn arrays in JavaScript.

In Chapter 9, students learn about a loop in JavaScript.

In Chapter 10, students use the concepts already learned to create a Hangman game.

Volume 1 is a beginner’s guide to programming. If you have ever been curious about how to program but never knew where to begin, then this book is for you. In Volume 2, the author introduces students to HTML and CSS and shows them how to weave JavaScript in with these concepts.

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner’s Guide to Programming (Volume 1).

 

 

Make Spelling Fun!

Regardless of the age of your child, spelling can be fun with these activities.

1. Shape Words.

Have your child choose vocabulary words that name objects. Encourage creative thinking as your child writes the words so that the letters conform to the shape of the object. For example, the word “caterpillar” may be written to take on the curved shape of the insect, or the word “kite” may be written with tall letters to fit the diamond shape of the object.

2. Invisible Words.

Squeeze some lemon juice into a saucer. Invite your child to dip a cotton-tip swab into the lemon juice and write a sentence or message on white paper. Encourage your child to use new spelling words in the sentence. Then watch. As the juice dries up, it becomes invisible! Then have your child give you the invisible message to see if you can read it.

TOP SECRET FOR TEACHER ONLY: To make the words reappear, place the message facedown on top of an old towel. Iron the back of the paper with a warm iron. Share the message with your child and see how many words are spelled correctly.

3. Spelling Volcano.

Begin by drawing boxes in the shape of a volcano: two boxes at the top, followed by a row of three boxes, a row of four boxes, a row of five boxes, and so on to seven. Then have your child write a two-letter word in the top row. Add one new letter to the previous word to spell a new word. Write the new word on the second row. Continue in this way, adding one new letter each time, going as far down the volcano as possible.

Happy Homeschooling!

September Summit

You are invited to attend the September Summit on September 8, 2018 at Mid-Way Baptist Church, 4512 Ellis Drive, Kountze, TX 77625. The four sessions of the September Summit are faith, friendships, food, and fun. These four f’s are the ingredients for a happy homeschool mom.

09:00 – Check-In & Summit Shoppe

10:00 – FAITH

11:00 – FRIENDSHIPS

12:00 – FOOD & Summit Shoppe

01:00 – FUN

02:00 – Door Prizes – you must be present to win!

 

FAITH – A short time of reviewing what God has to say about issues closets to a mother’s heart can do wonders to fill up an exhausted mom. Susan Reed, a homeschool mother of three, shares how you can have joy in the journey while parenting with a purpose. Using biblical principals, we will look at the concentric circles of your child’s life. Why? Because we are on an assignment from God and are called to be parenting with a purpose.

FRIENDSHIPS – Friendships strengthen us to be better wives and mothers. As any mom can attest, we tend to get so focused on others that we neglect ourselves; and that’s not good for anyone. We need to be with other homeschool moms – for that occasional grown-up conversation. A time to encourage one another and learn from each other’s challenges. During this session, conversation prompts will set in motion the “gift of gab”.

FOOD – There’s something about a get-together with food that nourishes a mother’s heart as well as her body. A luncheon will be served with chicken Caesar salad, bread, brownie, and iced tea.

FUN – Fun is the final, and in my opinion the most important session. Proverbs 17:22 says, “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” The Bible seems to suggest that laughter is a good antidote for the blues. That’s why I take fun so seriously. Therefore, a good game is a critical component for a successful September Summit.

SUMMIT SHOPPE – Do you have a home-based business? Do you have curriculum for sale? Display and sell as a vendor in our Summit Shoppe! Cost is only $20 for a table and booth space.

DOOR PRIZES – Our door prize table is always a hit and huge blessing! If you would like to donate a door prize for FREE advertisement in the program, please contact Susan Reed at susanmreed22@gmail.com.

GIFT BAGS – Each mom in attendance will receive a gift bag! If you would like to donate a promotional item or product for the gift bags, please contact Susan Reed at susanmreed22@gmail.com.

REGISTER by September 2, 2018 to attend the September Summit for $30 and join moms like you to celebrate the homeschool journey together! We do not offer refunds, just as you had purchased a ticket for a concert or sporting event. However, you may transfer your registration to one other person. If you wish to transfer your registration to another person, please email susanmreed22@gmail.com with the transferee name and contact information.

Donate Plasma

Today I am writing as a patient advocate. When I called in my daughter’s refill for her immunoglobulin therapy, I was made aware of a plasma shortage. The term “immunoglobulin” refers to the fraction of blood plasma that contains immunoglobulins, or antibodies. These immunoglobulins (Ig) in the plasma are IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE. Individuals who are unable to produce adequate amounts of Ig or antibodies, such as patients like my daughter living with CVID, benefit from replacement therapy with Ig.

Who can donate?

Plasma donors must be 18 years of age and weigh at least 110 pounds. Individuals must pass two separate medical examinations, a medical history screening and testing for transmissible viruses, before their donated plasma can be used to manufacture plasma therapies.

Where do I donate plasma?

There are more than 600 licensed and IQPP-certified plasma collection centers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Each company manages its operations differently within government regulatory guidelines. Locate a center near you, using the searchable directory.

How do you get my plasma?

Donating plasma is similar to giving blood. A needle is placed into a vein in your arm. Plasma is collected through a process called plasmapheresis and is conducted in cycles that may take up to an hour. Whole blood is drawn. The plasma is separated from the red blood cells and other cellular components. These are returned to your body with sterile saline solution to help your body replace the plasma removed from the whole blood.

How long does it take?

Your first donation will take approximately 2 hours. Return visits on average take about 90 minutes.

Will you donate plasma?

If you are healthy, 18-years-old, and weigh at least 110 pounds, please consider donating plasma, not only for my daughter, but for the many patients who rely on immunoglobulin therapy.