TOS Review: Hewitt Homeschooling

Today I am reviewing "Chronicles Of....A State History Notebook"  (gr. 3-6) from Hewitt Homeschooling.

My family is so lucky to live in an area of the country that is just brimming with history.  We live outside of Philadelphia, PA, the birthplace of our nation.  My children and I have walked in the footsteps of Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and Adams.  We have visited Valley Forge, have touched the Liberty Bell and stood in the room where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.  Recently, we visited the home that Washington used as his headquarters during the Battle of Germantown.  To stand in the room where he stayed is truly awe inspiring.  Our house even lies on a street where there was a Revolutionary War battle! (we found out that our side of the street was the British side).  Less than a mile away is another of Washington's headquarters.  How cool is that?  

So, when I was asked to do a review of a state history notebook for my daughter, I knew it would be exciting as we love history around here.  :-)

The history notebook is a binder with 100+ pages of durable cardstock paper with all kinds of information that the student fills out while studying his/her particular state.  These topics include:

• Facts, Symbols, Emblems: state seal, state flag, state license plate, state flower, state song, state capital, etc.
• Geographic Population: state outline, my and other states, relief map, state route map, climate map, natural resources, population and more.
• Industries and Jobs: main state industries, transporation, point of interest map, tourism and more.
• History and Government: historical events, history of my local area, Indian tribes, famous people, religious history, interview a new and old resident and more.
• Misc., Field Trips, and Photographs: famous places, events, current events, important cities, my favorite place, trip to my state's capital, trip to a nature center and more
• Certificate of Completion: We have not gotten to this point yet, but are looking forward to it!

Take a look at this Table of Contents to see for yourself.  SO much to do and learn!

There are suggestions of all kinds of activities for the students to do when engaging in their state study.These include making a travel brochure and comparing "then and now" photos from your state and so many more.

Kiddo has enjoyed drawing and coloring the symbols for Pennsylvania as well as writing about all of the places she has visited.  She wants to see our state capital.  Both a state congressman and state senator attend our church, so I will be calling their offices soon to arrange a tour for September, as they are out of session right now.  

We have found books to further read about our state:

We loved this product!  Everything is there and with SO many choices.  You don't have to worry about coming up with all of the ideas.  You can do as many or as few of the pages as you like.  You can add additional pages yourself like photographs or pamphlets from places you visit.  The possibilities are really endless!  You can purchase this exceptional product for only $19.95.

Hewitt offers so many different products that have to do with Shakespeare, Literature, History and more in addition to the product I reviewed.  Some of my colleagues at the Review Crew received those other products.  You can see all of the reviews by clicking on the graphic below:

Here are the links to find Hewitt Homeschooling on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HewittHomeschooling Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/HewittOnline Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hewittonline Google Plus: https://www.plus.google.com/b/115323246990194958229/+HewittHomeschoolingResources/posts Hewitt Blog: http://hewitthomeschoolingresources.blogspot.com

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Some Awesome Kindle Finds for .99!

Check out these books for only .99 right now on Kindle (affiliate links included)!  There is something for everyone here!  :-)

The Castro Conspiracy

Redcoats and Rebels

Number's Up

The Custer Legacy

The Blood-Red Flag

Will of God

Mirth, Murder and Mystery (#1 Best Seller in Mystery Anthologies)

75 Secrets Revealed on Time Management Skills

Family Deceptions

Amish Courtship

To Protect and Serve: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel

400 Amazing Baseball Facts you Never Knew for Only 99 Cents

Cats: Pictures of All Types of Cats

Cake Recipes

All About Soccer for Kids

Van Gogh: 99 Watercolors

Animals

Bears: Pictures and Facts about the Brown Bear

Body Systems: A Fun Guide for Kids, Learn about the Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, etc.

Quinoa Recipes: 99 Cent Recipe Books

99 Jokes for 99 Cents: Clean Funny Joke Books for Kids

George Washington: Fun Facts for Kids

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries (#1 Best Seller in Children's Detective Books)

The Victorian Mystery Megapack (include Dickens, Poe, Kipling and more!)

Hope you enjoy!  :-)

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Try a New Recipe Tuesday- July 29

It is time for another wonderful week of recipe sharing!

The most viewed post from last week's hop was:

Strawberry-Vanilla Pinwheels with Sweet Cashew Icing from an Unrefined Vegan

An InLinkz Link-up

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Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up: July 25-26

Where did another week go?  Seriously.  It just flew by and is literally a whirlwind.  :-)  Summer is going by way.too.fast.

This week, much like the past few, Kiddos 2, 3 and 4 went to Taekwando almost every day and sometimes twice a day (morning and evening)!  They are really dedicated and want to work hard on achieving their next belts. Since we will be away the end of August, they know that will be a lot of missed sessions, so they are trying to make it up ahead of time.  :-)

There has also been lots of night swimming in their grandparents' pool:

Bike riding:

Lots of baking:

The very first cucumber was picked from the garden:

and a new gift for the cats' 3rd birthday

Our very first 4-H roundup is approaching quickly, so the kiddos have been diligently working on getting all of their projects done.

Next week, I will start making meals and getting out items to pack for the beach, all the while trying to plan for 4 kiddos for the next school year and finish all of the last minute odds and ends for the 4-H posters and projects.  I definitely am going to need that ocean air to recuperate, lol!  :-)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, Show-Off Friday, Learn and Link and It's a Wrap, Friendship Friday and Friday Connection and Family Fun Friday and T.G.I.F. Linky Party and Let's Homeschool High School and This Week


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TOS Review: Flourish

Have you ever picked up a book, started reading it and think that the author knew you and your life personally?  Well, that is what has happened as I read Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms.  I am thrilled to do reviews on anything from Apologia Educational Ministries, and this book was certainly no exception.  And this one is written by a homeschool mom for her fellow homeschool moms.  I loved this book and will read it again soon and continue to highlight it and be inspired.  :-)  It is available at the link above for only $15.00.

Do you find it difficult sometimes to "do it all?"  Is there just not enough time in the day?  Do you say yes all of the time because you are just "too nice" or just plain uncomfortable saying "no?"

This book, sometimes feeling like a loving smack in the face, lol, addresses all of those issues, and more, with a witty, conversational style.  There are quotes or tidbits galore that cut right to the chase like:

• "Don't say you don't have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein."-  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

• Make peace with your own homemaking style.  Relieve yourself from the burden of trying to live up to someone else's standards.

• Keep in mind the principle of finding peace in the space between the ideal and reality.

• "There are two sure ways to fail: Think and never do, or do and never think."-- Zig Ziglar

• "Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least."-- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

• "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."-- Teddy Roosevelt

• "I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not upon our circumstances."-- Martha Washington

• "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."-- 1 Peter 4:9

• "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors and let every year find you a better man."-- Benjamin Franklin

There are forms included  for self-evaluation (to see where one's time is being spent), planning, and goal planning.  There is also a section in each chapter called "Take Action."  In this, there are concrete exercises for the reader to take that go along with the theme of each chapter.  What are those chapters? Funny you should ask, lol.  They are:

• A Invitation to Flourish
• Change Your Mind to Change Your Time
• The FREEDOM Toolbox
• Where Did My Time Go?
• Aim High: Setting Goals
• What Do I Do Next?: Seven Essential Planning Tools
• We Interrupt This Program
• It's Time for an Attitude Adjustment
• Oxygen Masks and Monkey Bread Days
• Training Your Children
• Making Memories
• Managing Your Home
• All of Life is Learning
• Solo Act: Flourishing as as Single Mom
• Home Business
• Moving Ahead

In these chapters, Mary Jo is not preachy.  She does not tell you that it is her way or the highway. She guides her reader to figure out what is best for them given their lives and situations.  It is an engaging and interactive book.  It isn't something you are going to read passively or without much thought.  You are actively involved in this book, answering the questions, evaluating certain aspects of life and making the decisions on what needs to change.  She helps her reader break things into 3 categories:

1. Irreducible Facts- what you can't change
2. Non-negotiables- what you won't change
3. Preferences- what you can and will change

Once you determine those, you are on the way to making healthy change in your life, home and homeschool.

You may have heard Mary Jo.  She is the host of the "Flourish at Home" show on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network.  She has written other books, is an international editor and book coach, teaches high school literature for a homeschool co-op and has homeschooled her 4 sons since 1997.

More important than any of those other accomplishments, she is a mom and stresses the importance throughout her book of having special time with each of our children and together as a family.  All of the other "stuff" means nothing without our family and the special times we share. Our children, someday, will be reminiscing about fun events and times with each other and us, not whether or not we had an impeccably clean house or had the hampers empty every day.  Live every moment to count and make them memorable.  Then you will be truly able to "flourish."  :-)

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TOS Review: HomeschoolPiano

Today I am reviewing HomeschoolPiano

The Kiddos have played some piano in the past, but all of the instructors either were not consistent (cancelled a lot), they didn't have convenient times available or were just too expensive.  When the opportunity arose to review HomeschoolPiano, I was excited to try it out.

The program is taught by Willie Myette.  He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has toured both Europe and America.  He is the founder of JAZZEDGE, JazzKids, PianoWithWillie and more.  His music has even been played on over 90 radio stations nationwide!

I received a lifetime membership for 5 family members to HomeschoolPiano- Complete Set of Books.  The membership, which includes bonuses such as sheet music, downloads and jam tracks can be purchased for $299 or $99.97/month for 3 months.  I paid more than that for just a couple of months of lessons in the past. This program is for all ages (parents included!)  :-)

The program has four levels.  The first, for the absolute beginner is called Core Piano.  The lessons can be viewed on a computer, a tablet or a phone.  My kiddos all used the computer.  I printed out the piano books.

Book 1 is entitled "Perfect for Beginners."  Book 1 is for beginners.  They will learn to read music and some improvisational skills


Book 2 is "Building a Foundation."  In it, the student builds upon what they have learned in the previous books.  For a child who has had some piano experience in the past, this is probably the place to start.


 and Book 3 is "Unlocking the Pianist Within."  This level (we didn't get to it yet) will help the student develop rich piano arrangements for different musical styles.

Each book has 6 units and each unit has 6 lessons.  On the video, Willie is in the bottom corner explaining and teaching.  There are two keyboards-- one is the actual piece he is playing and the other is a virtual keyboard that is demonstrating exactly what he is doing so you can emulate it on your own keyboard or piano

Each lesson, based on the National Standards for Music Education, follows a 6-step cycle: Technique, Rhythm, Ear Training, Reading, Song and Improvisation.  This all helps them develop their ear, read music and someday even write some music of their own.  :-)

In the video below, Willie explains the basics of the program:

We used the program several times a week.  It is easy for the kids to log in on their own.  I like that they can take quizzes to assess how much they have learned and they like that they are doing something independently.  They are also able to repeat a video as many times as they would like or need.  Since it is internet based, it can be used any time of the day or night (don't have to worry about an instructor's schedule) and it is far less in cost.  Definitely a win-win situation.  :-) 

You can find HomeschoolPiano on these social media outlets as well:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HomeschoolPiano

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/jazzedge

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jazzedge/

To see what some of my colleagues on the Crew had to say about the program, click on the banner below:

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- July 22

Can't believe it's Tuesday again!  That means it's time for another week of recipe sharing!  :-)

The most viewed post from last week was:

Make Your Own Brown Sugar from The (mis)Adventures of a "Born Again" Farm Girl

An InLinkz Link-up

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