The most viewed post from last week's hop was:
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Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 18
Welcome to another week of recipe sharing!
The most viewed post from last week's hop was:
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The most viewed post from last week's hop was:
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Friday, June 13, 2014
Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap Up June 14
Didn't get a chance to do a wrap-up last week. so this will be a synopsis of our last 2 weeks, which really were a lot of fun here at the Home to 4 Kiddos.
Gotta love Family Game Nights, especially when you teach your kids how to play a game from your own childhood. (I hadn't played Battleship in probably 30 years or more!)
We finished school last Friday (yay!) with a wonderful trip to a local planetarium (that I never even knew existed!). What an informative and fun presentation. From what the presenter told us, we knew exactly where 3 planets (yes, 3!!!) would be in that night's sky and we did our best to photograph them with our camera. Here is Mars. Isn't that cool?
And you can see the shape of the rings around Saturn. And this is just with a camera. Can't imagine the views people could get with a good telescope.
We also gardened and did lots of yardwork, taking advantage of the warm temps and sunshine.
This week, the kiddos, hubby and I went on a pontoon boat ride in a local state park.
The lake is over 1,400 acres. We learned of all of the different fish species that call Lake Nockamixon home, as well as so many different bird species. We saw osprey,
blue herring and more.
We got to be on the lake for 2 hours and it was a relaxing and enjoyable time.
Seeing the sunset on the lake was truly breathtaking.
Speaking of birds, look who Kiddo #1 was able to photograph in the front yard? Isn't he beautiful?
So, our first week off from school was filled with schoolwork (yes, Kiddos 1 and 2 aren't finished their Trig class yet, poor guys, lol), volunteering at church, Taekwando, 4-H shooting sports and meetings, fun outings (like the one above), baking and Kiddo #4's sewing projects. Look at the oven mitt she made below! :-) (there is also a matching potholder she made, too)
She is working on a dress and matching accessories for the 4-H fashion revue. It is next Saturday. I will be sure to post pics! :-)
Hope you have a weekend that is both beautiful and blessed! :-)
My recent posts:
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 3
TOS Review: A Life in Balance
Hearts for Home Blog Hop- June 5
TOS Review- We Choose Virtues
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 10
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
Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!
Gotta love Family Game Nights, especially when you teach your kids how to play a game from your own childhood. (I hadn't played Battleship in probably 30 years or more!)
We finished school last Friday (yay!) with a wonderful trip to a local planetarium (that I never even knew existed!). What an informative and fun presentation. From what the presenter told us, we knew exactly where 3 planets (yes, 3!!!) would be in that night's sky and we did our best to photograph them with our camera. Here is Mars. Isn't that cool?
And you can see the shape of the rings around Saturn. And this is just with a camera. Can't imagine the views people could get with a good telescope.
We also gardened and did lots of yardwork, taking advantage of the warm temps and sunshine.
This week, the kiddos, hubby and I went on a pontoon boat ride in a local state park.
The lake is over 1,400 acres. We learned of all of the different fish species that call Lake Nockamixon home, as well as so many different bird species. We saw osprey,
blue herring and more.
We got to be on the lake for 2 hours and it was a relaxing and enjoyable time.
Seeing the sunset on the lake was truly breathtaking.
and it was free! Isn't that amazing? The kiddos are already looking forward to going back on a boat ride again next year (but want to visit the park and all of its amazing amenities even sooner)
Speaking of birds, look who Kiddo #1 was able to photograph in the front yard? Isn't he beautiful?
So, our first week off from school was filled with schoolwork (yes, Kiddos 1 and 2 aren't finished their Trig class yet, poor guys, lol), volunteering at church, Taekwando, 4-H shooting sports and meetings, fun outings (like the one above), baking and Kiddo #4's sewing projects. Look at the oven mitt she made below! :-) (there is also a matching potholder she made, too)
She is working on a dress and matching accessories for the 4-H fashion revue. It is next Saturday. I will be sure to post pics! :-)
Hope you have a weekend that is both beautiful and blessed! :-)
My recent posts:
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 3
TOS Review: A Life in Balance
Hearts for Home Blog Hop- June 5
TOS Review- We Choose Virtues
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 10
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
Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 10
Welcome to another week of recipe sharing! My family and I always look forward to seeing them all. :-)
The most viewed post from last week was:
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The most viewed post from last week was:
Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
TOS Review: We Choose Virtues
Today I am reviewing the Youth Virtue Journal from We Choose Virtues.
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Character training is so very important. It is something that I know every parent is concerned about, especially with the culture in which we live. There are a lot of good character training materials available for younger children, but when I was given the chance to review materials for high schoolers, I was thrilled, because they need something to address virtues to their age group and in a way that makes sense and is relevant to them.
I received the Youth Virtue Journal, a 100-page paperback book intended for teens, along with PDF files entitled: Mentor's Handbook, a Youth Character Assessment, a list of Scripture verses that correspond to the virtues in the book and a Mentor Meeting Report Form. These are all part of the package that is available for only $17.
Because I was using the materials in a home-based environment and not a teen group, I didn't use the Mentor Meeting Report Form.
How did we use this? Kiddos 1, 2 and I would sit down with the journal. We would read the section, discuss the virtue that was being covered. We would read the associated Scripture verses from the supplemental material (mentioned above) and then talk about how we could work to be a good example of that virtue in our lives. We would also do the assessments to see where we were before and after reading the section. It is wonderful to see that the results of the assessment change after they learn more about each virtue.
Each chapter had the following in it: "Take a Moment to Dream," "Take a look at me now," "Take a look around," "Take some good advice," "Take a moment to reflect," "Take some time to respond" and "Take a stand for what is right." In each of those sections, there are things to think about and questions to answer. By the end of each, the student is making the decision to add the virtue to who and what they are and eliminate the habits that are keeping them from changing for the better.
What are the virtues covered in the book? They are as follows: I am Attentive, I am Content, I am Forgiving, I am Gentle, I am Helpful, I am Honest, I am Obedient, I am Perseverant and I am Respectful. All good and honorable character traits that I know we all try to instill in our children.
There is a second section in the book entitled "My Dream Journal." After each virtue is covered, discussed, etc., the student turns to the corresponding section in the Dream Journal. There they describe a dream that they have, what obstacles they will need to overcome and what virtues they will need to make that dream become a reality. It is definitely a soul-searching way to make it real for the student to see how these virtues can help them succeed and just aren't something to read in a book because Mom said they should. It shows them how they can put what they learned into practice.
Here are a few of the "Take a Look at Me Now Questions" that really stood out while we were reading the book:
"Do I respond with a good attitude when asked to do something?"
"Am I cheerful when asked to help or do I mope, sulk or complain?"
"Do I find satisfaction in working harder than I thought I could?"
"Do I work hard to show others that they are worthy of my respect by using good manners?"
The complete Youth Virtue Journal package is $17 but We Choose Virtues is offering a summer sale.
* May-June: Use Promo Code BIG50 for 50% off a set of 12 11x17 Kids of Virtue Ville Posters. These are suitable for a church classroom, bedroom or homeschool room.
*June-August: use Promo Code BTS20 for 20% off anything in the We Choose Virtues Store. This includes any product for kids or youth, including the program I reviewed above.
You can find We Choose Virtues online at the following:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wechoosevirtues
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/WeChooseVirtues/
Blog: http://www.wechoosevirtuesblog.com/
They also make wonderful products for younger children, as well. To see the reviews on those products, as well as additional reviews for the teen program I descrbed above, click on the graphic below:
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Hearts for Home Blog Hop- June 5
Welcome to another week of sharing your posts about all things home! Happy June! :-)
Last week's most viewed post was:
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Last week's most viewed post was:
Are you ready to share your posts this week? Let's go! Use the form below to enter your links. Posts can be anything that shows your heart is for your home: homeschooling, homemaking, parenting, marriage, faith, family, crafts, etc. Please just kindly link back to this blog or display our Hearts for Home button in your post or on your sidebar.
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Tuesday, June 3, 2014
TOS Review- A Life in Balance
Today I am reviewing the book A Life in Balance from Learning Breakthrough Program.
The book is Frank's story. it brought me to tears many times. He didn't excel in school. He was bullied and made to feel stupid. Reading was a mystery to him. It wasn't until one summer, when he ran, played, and ran some more that his coordination imporved. With that improvement, he noticed that he was understanding the written word more and more!
I loved when Frank's dad realized that he indeed could think and solve problems and was an intelligent boy. He assured his son that he was NOT dumb. Reading and learning in the school setting was just frustrating for him. They didn't understand how he learned.
Fast forward a bit, Frank began to do better in school the more he worked on his physical coordination. He did a stint in the Air Force and upon being honorably discharged, received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. So much for being dumb. He wanted to be a teacher and help those that the schools and others had deemed unable to be helped, those that were labeled not "normal" such as those who were educably mentally retarded or had minimal brain injury.
From working with these children, he realized that they had so much more potential than anyone could imagine. He, and some like-minded colleagues developed sensory and physical programs to help these, and all children.
In 1975, Frank, his wife, and some colleagues founded Learning Breakthrough with the idea that balance and coordination had a direct relationship to learning disabilities.
It is uplifting to see someone who truly cares about helping children who society has "labeled" and already predetermined as not being capable of very much. He has proven and continues to prove that these arguments are wrong.
Because some of the book gets into the technical and scientific reasoning behind Frank's work, the recommended age of the book is for adults. I would also say that upper teens would be fine. It is available for $16.94 right now on Amazon.
To find them online follow these links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningBreakthrough
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LearningBreak
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LearningBreakthrough
To read what my colleages on the Crew had to say about the book, click the image below:
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When I was given the chance to review this book about how Frank Belgau developed the Learning Breakthrough program, I jumped at the chance. You see, his program is an alternative treatment for those with dyslexia and those with ADHD. As those of you who read my blog know, I have a kiddo with dyslexia and I am always trying to find new ways to help him succeed.
But, this book isn't just for parents of dyslexics or those with ADHD, but for parents of ALL children. All children learn differently and it is so important to find out how they learn and how to help them utilize their strengths for success.
The book is Frank's story. it brought me to tears many times. He didn't excel in school. He was bullied and made to feel stupid. Reading was a mystery to him. It wasn't until one summer, when he ran, played, and ran some more that his coordination imporved. With that improvement, he noticed that he was understanding the written word more and more!
I loved when Frank's dad realized that he indeed could think and solve problems and was an intelligent boy. He assured his son that he was NOT dumb. Reading and learning in the school setting was just frustrating for him. They didn't understand how he learned.
Fast forward a bit, Frank began to do better in school the more he worked on his physical coordination. He did a stint in the Air Force and upon being honorably discharged, received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. So much for being dumb. He wanted to be a teacher and help those that the schools and others had deemed unable to be helped, those that were labeled not "normal" such as those who were educably mentally retarded or had minimal brain injury.
From working with these children, he realized that they had so much more potential than anyone could imagine. He, and some like-minded colleagues developed sensory and physical programs to help these, and all children.
In 1975, Frank, his wife, and some colleagues founded Learning Breakthrough with the idea that balance and coordination had a direct relationship to learning disabilities.
It is uplifting to see someone who truly cares about helping children who society has "labeled" and already predetermined as not being capable of very much. He has proven and continues to prove that these arguments are wrong.
Because some of the book gets into the technical and scientific reasoning behind Frank's work, the recommended age of the book is for adults. I would also say that upper teens would be fine. It is available for $16.94 right now on Amazon.
To find them online follow these links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningBreakthrough
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LearningBreak
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LearningBreakthrough
To read what my colleages on the Crew had to say about the book, click the image below:
Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!
Monday, June 2, 2014
Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 3
Happy June! :-)
There was a three-way tie for the most viewed post last week. They are:
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There was a three-way tie for the most viewed post last week. They are:
Sweet & Sour Meatballs from Jonesin' For Taste
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