Saturday, June 27, 2020

My Happy Homeschool Planner



There is an old saying “Plan your work and work your plan.” My Happy Homeschool just published three planners to help you plan your school work and work your plan using a 4-day school week and 36-week school year. The digital download gives you a curriculum planner, lesson planner, and weekly planner so you can create your very own My Happy Homeschool Planner.

The curriculum planning sheets help you list your curriculum choices for your student.



The lesson planning sheets help you list your assignments and the student’s grade for each assignment.



The planner for elementary school gives you planning pages for the following subjects: Bible, Phonics, Reading, Handwriting, Spelling, Grammar, Mathematics, Science, History, Art, Music, and Physical Science. The planner for middle school gives you planning pages for the following subjects: Bible, Reading, Spelling, Grammar, Mathematics, Science, History, Art, Music, and Physical Education. The planner for high school gives you planning pages for the following subjects: Bible, Reading, Grammar, Mathematics, Science, History, Art, Music, Physical Education, Foreign Language, and Elective.

The weekly planning sheet helps you list your weekly household and homeschool schedule.



After you purchase the digital download, simply print the My Happy Homeschool Planner pages and put them into a binder with subject dividers.

One person will win one planner this week. To enter, follow my blog by email, follow my Facebook blog page, and share the post on your personal Facebook page. I will announce the winner on July 4, 2020!


Sunday, June 21, 2020

Gluten Free Restaurant Menus



One of the most, if not stressful parts about eating out gluten free is trying to find a restaurant that actually offers gluten free options. I have spent countless hours of research, looking online at menus, to seek a few safe options in my area. Today I would like to share with you my guide to gluten free restaurant menus to make life easier for you.

The following restaurants offer a gluten free menu, simply request to order off their gluten free menu.

§  Carrabba’s
§  Cheesecake Factory
§  Chili’s
§  Logan’s Roadhouse
§  Olive Garden

The following restaurants offer a gluten free bun, so you can eat a hamburger or deli sandwich.

§  Culvert’s
§  Fuddruckers
§  Schlotsky’s

The following restaurants offer a gluten free pizza dough, so you can create your own pizza.

§  Brick Oven
§  Domino’s Pizza

Not every restaurant has a gluten free menu, but they have gluten free options.

§  Salad
§  Baked Potato
§  Grilled Chicken
§  Bun-less Burger

You can eat out on a gluten free diet. Simply do some research and look ahead at menus so you’ll have a go-to-list of safe restaurants in your area. Please feel free to share in the comments some of your gluten free restaurant menus.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

The Mayflower at Cape Cod - Crew Review



Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

The Mayflower at Cape Cod – Stories, activities, and research that connect 1620 with life today from Rebecca Locklear explores the Pilgrim’s survival story when the Mayflower anchored off Cape Cod on November 21, 1960 and remained there for five weeks. This eBook is a 7-lesson unit study for grades 6-12. Each lesson begins with a story. After the story, each lesson provides an array of activities that foster critical and complex independent thinking – art, charts, cooking, discussion, drama, games, poetry, and research. Through these lessons, students not only examine history, but connect it to issues today.



Lessons 1-6 relate directly to the Pilgrim’s story while on Cape Cod; whereas, Lesson 7 delves into the controversy surrounding how the Pilgrims are viewed. Students are presented with a balanced view of the Cape Cod Mayflower story using first-person records, current dependable sources, and interviews with historians, history teachers, and Native Americans; and then students relate what happened to issues and ideas relevant today.



As we learned about trees and shrubs that were present in the 1600s, we actually had fun creating our own leaf art. Inside the leaf, we drew a collage of items that represent Cape Cod Native Indians.



My girls had fun with the art, cooking, and games; but my favorite part was the research topics.



Throughout these research topics in each lesson, students truly explore history as they search for answers and become immersed in the Cape Cod Mayflower. Rebecca Locklear has put in countless hours to create this unit study and I am very pleased with its layout and array of activities. I would like to encourage you to visit Rebecca’s website and sign-up for her email newsletter.

Visit the Crew Blog to read more reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Using Literature to Teach Fractions



Many of us use a curriculum to teach math; but using literature to teach math can be a great teaching tool. I am continuing this math literature series with some of the best books to teach fractions. With my love for literature and math; it only makes sense to combine the two, so I have gathered some of my favorite books that teach fractions in the elementary classroom.

Go, Fractions! by Judith Bauer Stamper uses soccer to teach fractions. The coach of the soccer team is a math teacher; and the name of the team is the Fractions. The numbers on the players uniforms are fractions. At halftime, the players eat orange slices that are cut in halves, quarters, and thirds. All these fractions add up to two things – a winning team and lots of fun with fractions!

Jump, Kangaroo, Jump! by Stuart Murphy allows readers to cheer on this rowdy crew of Australian animals as they swim, canoe, play tug-of-war, and have a good time at camp. In this story, Kangaroo and his friends divide into halves, thirds, and fourths to form teams on field day.

Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta uses a variety of different apples to teach students about fractions. Playful elves demonstrate how to divide apples into halves, thirds, fourths, and more. Readers will also learn about a variety of apples, like Golden and Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Cortland apples.

Fraction Fun by David Adler uses hands-on math concepts to make fractions fun. Would you rather eat one-fourth or one-eighth of a pizza? Would you like to find three-fourths or one-tenth of a dollar? This book teaches what the top and bottom numbers are called, and what they mean. Students will also learn how to recognize and compare different fractions. Simply follow the instructions and students will learn that fractions can be fun!

These are only a few of my favorite books that teach fractions, there are so many more out there! Feel free to share in the comments what you consider the best book to teach fractions.

Happy Homeschooling!

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know! - Crew Review



Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know! from The Critical Thinking Co. gives high school students writing exercises for winning applications. Students will use these writing exercises to discover what kind of student they are and they will use what they learn about themselves as they search for colleges, write college applications, write essays, take college tours, and as they interview online or in-person. These writing exercises help students separate themselves from other students who are applying to the same college or university.

Part I is a student self-assessment. In the part, students are given writing exercise that really make them stop and think about who they are as a person and as a student. They begin by writing five adjectives that describe them according to their mother, father, friend, and self. Students will write about three important events in their life and why the event is important to them. They will list their favorite band/musician, book, video game, TV show, movie, quote, and word. They will write about three people who have influenced them the most. They will list their student interests and write half pages giving examples from school or out-of-school activities. As you can see from the pictures below, there is plenty of writing space for the student.



After going through these self-assessment writing exercises, students take a 10-Step Campus Culture Quiz to think about what kind of college would be the best match for who they are.




Part II provides college search worksheets. Throughout these pages (23-82) students fill-in the blanks as they search colleges.




Part II also provides college fair worksheets, college preparation worksheets, and campus visit worksheets. After completing these worksheets, students make a list of their top ten colleges.

Part III provides an application organizer that helps students keep up with application deadlines, essays, and interviews. This part includes five essay exercises and a list of example questions for the college interview.



After graduating two daughters from our homeschool, I can tell you, after the dean has read high school transcript and test scores, students are in the group of “qualified” students who have met the necessary academics to do the work; but their application is the first thing the college reads from the student. The purpose of a college admission essay is to help the admission dean get to know the student. No matter the question, the college wants to know the student’s personal opinion. They want to know to know if that student is an interesting person, a good student, and a hard worker, who will bring their own way of thinking to the college campus.

Part IV provides college admission calendars to help the student throughout their Junior and Senior year in high school. This is a great resource for every high school student pursing college!

When I completed the Vendor Interest Form for this review, I thought it would help me with Kaylee; but after flipping through its pages, I was not be able to use it with her because she has been accepted to her first college choice. So, I will be using this book with Isabelle as she begins her freshman year because we are seriously considering dual-enrollment and this book will help us determine where to begin dual-enrollment and where to pursue her degree.

Visit the Crew Blog to read more reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew.


Wednesday, June 3, 2020

ARTistic Pursuits - Crew Review



Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, TheElements of Art and Composition from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. is a comprehensive art program designed to involve the student in the creative process while developing observational skills. There are fifteen units in this book; and each unit introduces the elements of art and principles of design over four lessons.

The first lesson of each unit is about building a visual vocabulary. Students are given a topic to focus on explained in words and pictures. The creative exploration assignment guides students to observe the topic within their own environment.



The second lesson in each unit is about art appreciation and art history. Students see how the topic is used in a work of art by the masters and apply their own observations to a work of art that they create.




The third lesson in each unit is about techniques. Students learn how to use the materials and tools while applying that knowledge to make an original work of art.



The fourth lesson in each unit is about application. Students do a final project incorporating the new techniques and topic while using a variety of references such as still life objects, landscapes, photographs, and more.



To complete the assignments within the book, students will need a drawing pencil set, vinyl eraser, metal handheld sharpener, drawing pad, charcoal, blending stump, and a kneaded eraser. My seventeen-year-old daughter who will be pursuing a degree in Studio Art was able to work independently through this book because she already had art supplies for drawing. In lesson four of unit fifteen, she selected a family photo of her grandmother and I am so proud to showcase her artwork!



The book recommends that students complete two lessons within a week; but I allowed my daughter to work through the pages at her own pace. She completed most lessons within one day; but she took more time on some pieces as she combined the elements of value and texture. This book has given my daughter the opportunity to explore the elements of art and composition through various assignments that all produced a creative, original work of art.

Brenda from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. has created a blog with free video lessons for beginning drawing students and she has created online courses for the K-3 Level Books. I hope you will check out these resources!

Visit the Crew Blog to read more reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew.

Monday, June 1, 2020

Summer Summit



If you live in Southeast Texas, I would like to invite you to attend the Summer Summit on August 1, 2020 at Midway Baptist Church located at 4512 Ellis Drive, Kountze, TX 77625. The four sessions of the Summer Summit are empowerment, enrichment, entertainment, and encouragement – the ingredients for a happy homeschool mom.

09:00 Check-In & Summit Shoppe
09:45 Empowerment: Curriculum the FAMILY Way with Susan Reed
10:30 Empowerment: Organizing the School Room with Veronica Whitley
11:15 Empowerment: Homeschooling When It’s Hard with Kayla Buckner
12:00 Enrichment & Summit Shoppe
01:30 Entertainment
02:15 Encouragement: Q&A Panel
03:00 Door Prizes & Summit Shoppe

The $15 registration includes summit sessions, summit shoppe, door prizes, and take-home-tote filled with homeschool resources and freebies. During the “enrichment” session, a luncheon will be served with chicken salad on mixed greens, baked potato soup, fruit cup, and iced tea. Attendees have the option to add-on the luncheon or you can bring your own lunch. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, seating will be limited this year; but if you do not register in time for the sessions, you can still purchase a $5 Shopping Pass to attend the Summit Shoppe between 12:00-1:30 p.m. As of today, the following publishers and companies will be in the Summit Shoppe; but this list will expand as more vendors register – Apologia, BJU Press, Easy Grammar, Memoria Press, Notgrass Company, Usborne Books, and THE Book Nook.

REGISTER by July 26, 2020 to attend the Summer Summit!