Video Review: Teddy Roosevelt - An American Lion

Teddy Roosevelt - An American Lion
From The History Channel

Several months ago, we joined NetFlix with the intention of adding more educational videos to our homeschool curriculum. I soon learned that not all documentaries are completely family friendly, even if they are educational. This one, I am happy to report, was very family friendly. I noted two instances of the "D-Word" used in a historic quotation.

Teddy Roosevelt - An American Lion is a two-DVD set. The first DVD covers Roosevelt's life up to the beginning of his presidency. The second DVD covers his presidency to his death. Richard Dreyfuss voices Teddy Roosevelt. At first, I thought Dreyfuss was an odd choice because I imagined Teddy Roosevelt with a loud, booming voice. At some point in the film, mention is made of Roosevelt's high-pitched voice. Richard Dreyfuss gave an excellent performance.

Our kids were very interested in the first disc, but the younger ones (ages 7 and 4) lost interest with the second disc's discussion of Roosevelt's presidential policies. We all learned a great deal about Teddy Roosevelt as well as the nation and world that he helped shape.

Book Review: Family Driven Faith

Family Driven Faith
By Voddie Baucham

I loved this book. I wish every parent or potential parent would read it. Dr. Baucham is passionate about teaching parents to disciple their own children rather than turning them over to a youth pastor. This book is a thorough exposition of that topic.

I've had the privilege of watching Dr. Baucham speak on video twice, and I would love to see him in person. He also has a website and blog where you can read many of his thoughts.

Read-Aloud Story Time in the Car or Van

In a recent post, I mentioned that we have pieced together a microphone system that allows me to read books aloud in the van so that everyone can hear me through the vehicle's speakers. Before having this, I would sit in the front passenger seat and twist myself to be heard by the kids in the middle and back rows. In addition to turning my torso, I had to speak loudly. The driver (Paul) felt like I was shouting right in his ear. My back ached, and my voice quickly grew tired. Now, I can sit comfortably in my seat, speak in a normal voice, and be clearly heard throughout the van.

The first piece of this puzzle is the FM transmitter that I highlighted here. There are two more pieces necessary to make it all work.

This is the speaker/amplifier from Radio Shack.

And this is the clip-on microphone from Radio Shack.

This is what worked for us. There could be better and/or cheaper solutions. One thing to note on the microphone is that it needs to be a mono (phonic???) as opposed to a stereo (phonic???) microphone because the speaker/amp requires that to work. We had to figure that out when getting our setup working.

Now, Here's a Handy Little Gadget

Paul received this Sony Car FM Stereo Transmitter as a Christmas gift from his employer, and it has been a great addition to our vehicular travels.

Here's how it works. You take the audio output from something like a CD player, MP 3 player, or DVD player and connect it to this gizmo. This device then transmits the audio signal on a short-range FM signal of your choosing. Then you tune your car radio to the corresponding FM frequency, and presto!, the audio is heard through your vehicle's sound system.

We first used it with our portable DVD player to broadcast the sound throughout the van. Next, I got the bright idea that it could save my voice when reading aloud in the van. Paul did a little work with Radio Shack and came up with a clever system for doing just that. More details on that to follow.

Book Review: Egermeier's Bible Story Book

Egermeier's Bible Story Book
By Elsie E. Egermeier

I recently reviewed the Bible Study Guide for All Ages. In that review, I noted that I like to read through the Egermeier Bible Story Book with my kids around the ages 4-7.

We have a number of Bible story books around the house, but Egermeier's is by far our favorite. Many Bible story books give a cursory treatment to the stories, and some aren't even stories but simple rhymes. Egermeiers is neither cursory nor simple. It is thorough and meaty yet written at a level that is understandable to little minds. Difficult subjects are covered with an amazing sensitivity and not just omitted (think David & Bathsheba). I have found it faithful to the Bible in all details.

Snuggling on the couch for some Bible story time is a great pleasure with your little ones. The beautiful illustrations are so engaging, and our copy includes a list of comprehension questions in the back if you are interested in checking comprehension or reviewing the story.

Curriculum Review: Bible Study Guide For All Ages

Curriculum Review
Bible Study Guide For All Ages

Bible Study Guide For All Ages is a wonderful program that I use with all my children (ages 4, 6, 9, and 11) I first started using it when the oldest was 6. At that time, I just used it with the two oldest, and I have added the younger ones in when they've gotten old enough.

One of its strengths is that you can teach multiple age levels at the same time. All of my kids are definitely getting a lot out of it. The program has 3 different levels of worksheets. My younger two use Beginner, the 9-year-old uses Intermediate, and the oldest uses Advanced.

When I first started with it, we used it 3 days a week. Now we do it every day. Also, we do it as the first subject in the morning so we don't run out of time for it. It is a little time consuming. It takes us about 30 minutes each morning. We take two days to do one lesson. The first day we review previous lessons and read aloud the new passage (usually a chapter or two). The second day we review the current lesson and do the worksheets. The older two do the worksheets on their own, I help the younger two. You could spend even more time if you did followed all the suggestions. If I was going to do everything, I'd spread one lesson over 3 days.

I have taken a break from it several times in order to pursue something different. In fact, next fall, I plan to take a semester break from it in order to do a Young Peacemaker study. This year, we have spent a lot of time on Moses, the commandments, law, and Joshua. So, I am also reading through the Egermeier Story Bible with the two youngest so they can hear all the Bible stories (for example, it may be a year or more before we get to Genesis in the Bible Study Guide and I wanted to make sure they know about Adam and Eve, Noah, etc.).

Here are the positives:

• My kids are definitely learning the Bible in-depth, chapter by chapter
• They seem to like the worksheets
• It is easy to take a break from and re-start at a later date
• We bought the CD, and the kids have enjoyed it

Here are the negatives:

• The worksheets are a little pricey
• If your kids aren't used to sitting quietly for Bible reading, they may find it difficult at first (the visuals help with this)
• It is time consuming (but worth it in my opinion)

If you decide to buy it, you might be able to find it used on ebay (I've gotten at least one of my books from ebay). However, I've always had to buy the worksheets new.

Classical Music Appreciation the Cheap and Easy Way

Late last spring, I learned about the Introduction to the Classics series of CD's. There are 18 different CD's available. Each CD is about a single composer (or in some cases, two composers). Spoken biographical information is interspersed with the composer's work from various periods. Following the biographical section are several tracks of music alone.

We've been listening to one CD per week in the van. The kids (as well as mom & dad) have been enjoying them, and we're all learning something as we drive about. I like it that my kids are at least familiar with the great composers and their works.

It took a little investigative work to assemble a complete list of the CD's. When I finally placed my order on Amazon.com, my total was $41.72! It qualified for the 4-for-3 deal as well as free shipping. Here is the list of the Vox Music Masters CD's that I compiled to place my order with Amazon.com:

• The Story of Bach
• The Story of Beethoven
• The Story Of Handel
• The Story Of Haydn
• The Story of Mozart
• Mendelssohn In Words And Music
• Story Of Chopin In Words And Music
• The Story Of Brahms
• The Story of Tchaikovsky
• Story Of Johann Strauss In Words And Music
• The Story of Schubert
• Stories Of Foster And Sousa
• The Stories Of Vivaldi And Corelli
• Story Of Verdi In Words And Music
• Story Of Berlioz In Words And Music
• Stories Of Schumann And Grieg
• Story Of Wagner In Words And Music
• Story Of Dvorák In Words And Music

So, What Curriculum Do You Use?

This is one of my favorite questions when I am talking to a homeschooling acquaintance. I enjoy hearing how various curricula work in different families. Nothing beats a first-hand curriculum review. In that vein, here is what our family is using this year:

5th grade daughter
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Adv.
Sonlight Core 4
- History
- Readers
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science 4 (minus the experiments)
Horizons Math
Rod & Staff English
Spelling Power & studying from the spelling bee guide
Institute for Excellence Writing
Student Writing Intensive - A
Dale Seymour Critical Thinking 4-6
Speedy Spanish - see my review
Typing Instructor for Kids
Abeka Cursive

4th grade daughter
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Int.
Sonlight Core 4
- History
- Readers
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science 4 (minus the experiments)
Horizons Math & math drills
Rod & Staff English
Spelling Power & studying from the spelling bee guide
Dale Seymour Critical Thinking 4-6
Speedy Spanish - see my review
Handwriting without Tears Cursive Success

1st grade son
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Beg.
Egermeier Story Bible
Sonlight Core K
- History
- Readers
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science K (minus the experiments)
Horizons Math
Dale Seymour Critical Thinking K-3
Bob Jones 1 Handwriting
Alpha-Phonics

4-year-old daughter
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Beg.
Egermeier Story Bible
Sonlight Core K
- History
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science K (minus the experiments)
Frank Schaffer Preschool Activities

Curriculum Review: Speedy Spanish

We began homeschooling our oldest child when she entered kindergarten. From the very beginning, Spanish instruction was part of our curriculum. Back then, I had big, big plans. We would achieve fluency in Spanish before junior high then dabble in French during 7th and 8th grades. In high school, we would get a working mastery of German and the rudiments of Latin and Ancient Greek.

You are probably not surprised that things haven't worked out quite the way I planned. In the beginning, the kids couldn't even grasp the concept of a foreign language. Why would you call it a "gato" when it was plainly a "cat"? We practically had a mutiny when I brought home a Spanish-language Blues Clues video from the library. So much for the theory that it is easy for little kids to learn a foreign language. I had swallowed that one hook, line, and sinker.

Along the way I've spent a fair chunk of change on Spanish curricula that I hoped would get us closer to my vision of multi-lingual high school graduates. I've tried the biggies (PowerGlide and Learnables) along with some of the lesser-known ones. We've tried paper-and-pencil lessons and computer games. Nothing stuck. The kids just didn't care, and Spanish always seemed to get relegated to the back burner of our studies.

As I planned for this school year, I did one last desperate internet search for the perfect Spanish curriculum for elementary school children. I saw a few mentions of a program called Speedy Spanish. Looking at the sample lessons, I began to think this program could actually work for us. Once again, I plunked down my credit card and ordered Speedy Spanish I with CD's.

We have begun our 6th week of study with Speedy Spanish, and I have to say I am pleased. I have two children using the program: a 4th grader and a 5th grader. There is very little teacher prep involved. The lessons are driven by the student workbook and the accompanying CD's. We have been disciplined to use the program daily. Part of our success is due to the fact that each day's lesson rarely takes more than 15 minutes to complete. So far, the lessons have been conversation- and vocabulary-oriented with little or no grammar instruction.

The program could definitely use a little more professional polish to improve the graphic design and remove a few minor inconsistencies and typos, but overall it is a great program. It has exactly what I was looking for in a Spanish curriculum: simplicity and consistency (daily lessons).

A Plug for HSLDA

If you are a homeschooler, I bet you've visited the website of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Among other things, the website provides overviews of the homeschool laws in every state in the nation.

If you're a member, great! If not, here are some reasons why you should be:

• If you belong to a local or state homeschool organization, you probably qualify for a membership discount. Sometimes curriculum purchases will qualify you for a discount (Sonlight, for example). There is a very good possibility that you qualify for a discount in some way.
• If you are ever if need of HSLDA's legal services, it is a bargain. You'll pay a whole lot more for the services of a local lawyer. HSLDA attorneys are well-versed in laws related to homeschooling all over the country. Their expertise just can't be beat.
• If you never need their legal services, it is still a bargain. The lawyers and staff at HSLDA keep track of legislation that could affect homeschoolers. They monitor proposals at the federal level, in all 50 states, and even in municipalities. Your continued freedom to homeschool is not guaranteed. It must be protected, and HSLDA does that for all of us.
• It is the right thing to do. HSLDA can only protect homeschooling if they have the necessary resources available. If you don't shoulder your small share of the load, it hinders the ability of HSLDA to help us all. Your membership fee helps support all they've done for your family so far and all they will continue to do.
• It is very comforting to know that an HSLDA attorney is just a phone call away. What would you do if a social worker joined by a police officer knocked on your door tomorrow morning?

Math Drills for Homeschoolers

First, let me get up on my soapbox about elementary math education. Then, I'll tell you about some of the resources I like to use.

I was a math major in college. Specifically, the Teaching of Mathematics was my major. So, I've had a lot of math courses and a lot of education courses. The math classes were good. The education classes...not so much. My university instructors were absolutely enamored with manipulatives--hands on games, objects, and activities that were to help the kids really "understand" math.

What I've come to realize is that (for most elementary kids) manipulatives don't offer a good math foundation. Cold hard math facts can form this foundation if they are memorized. Yes, by rote. I was taught that rote is an ugly term, and that kids don't really learn that way. But, the reality is quite different. When a child knows his math facts and procedures down pat, it is easier for him to start playing with the numbers in his head, turning them around, and seeing their relationships with each other.

It is a lot easier to teach a new math concept (say, adding fractions) if those addition and multiplication facts are automatically accessible to your student right there in his mind. He doesn't get distracted by the simple operations. He can concentrate on learning new algorithms and integrating new concepts into his mental math framework.

Sure, there is an occasional time and place for hands-on activities and manipulatives. I especially like to use something concrete for teaching place value. But most of the time I do not spend much time or effort with hands-on math. But, we do math drill every day in addition to the daily math lesson. To give an example, my 4th grader does addition, subtraction, and multiplication drills every day.

Here are some things I like to use:

• Calculadders. Timed tests on a variety of math operations. I bought the MasterPak 1 CD-Rom which contains 48 tests in PDF format for you to print off. These tests cover addition, subtraction, and multiplication. A MasterPak 2 CD-Rom is enroute to my house at the moment.
• Quarter Mile Math software. I wouldn't call this a low-cost tool, and I can't say I'm really excited about it. But, my kids like it...so that helps.
• Wrap-ups. I bought mine used. They've been great for quick, easy drill. They're portable, don't need to be plugged in, and they're kind of fun.
• MathTest software. The best thing about this is that it is FREE for download. It is a simple program, but it includes a lot of different ways to drill.
• Math-U-See Online Drills. FREE to use online. You can make these drills very specific to cover any trouble areas.
• Worksheet Generator. FREE to use online. You can create worksheets for all kinds of arithmetic problems. Created using (apparently) random numbers, they are unique each time you create one. You can also print answer keys which include the problem solving steps.
• Flashcards. I made my own. Buy them at Wal-Mart or wherever. Tried-and-true.
• Marker board/blackboard. Have your student write a troublesome math fact over 10 times. Have them copy a whole multiplication table. Just use some sort of repetition to help their hands and eyes put it into their brains.
• Extra practice worksheets. Maybe your curriculum offers extra practice worksheets. If so, use them.

Thinking About Homeschooling? Start Here!

Do some internet searching and order a lot of (free) homeschool catalogs to flip through. That's not as good as looking at the actual material, but it's still worthwhile to get a broad view of what's out there.

Take a look at Mary Pride's Big Book of Home Learning Vol. 2 (the green one). It is a little dated, but it has great overviews of the different approaches to homeschooling (classical, unit studies, etc.).

It's great to actually hold material in your hands and look at it. Abeka and Bob Jones typically schedule local displays where you can look at their materials. Check their websites for upcoming dates in your area. Sonlight may have a local representative in your area that can answer your questions or show you their material.

Check with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) online to get information about the laws governing homeschooling in your state. While you're at HSLDA's website, take a look at their information about local support groups in your area. See what resources your local group offers and subscribe to their newsletter or email group. Use the internet to locate a homeschool convention in your state. Being able to wander through the exhibit hall and handle the merchandise will help a lot.

For Kindergarten, you don't have to do a lot. You can keep it relaxed and simple. You may even be able to make up your own curriculum. If your child is ready to read, I like Alpha-Phonics by Samuel Blumenfeld. I've also heard good things about Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. My philosophy about reading is that it is best to wait until the child is ready.

I like Horizons Math. It is inexpensive, but a bit advanced.

Once you decide what you would like to use, you can try to buy curriculum and books used. I've used ebay in the past. Perhaps your local support group allows buy/sell/trade listings in their newsletter or email group.