© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Have I Got A Story For You ~ a TOS review
I have struggled with how to add art education to our homeschool for my younger kids, but HiGASFY Art History Video Series has made it possible to add this subject to my middle school daughter's course work!
HiGASFY is the brain child of Mrs. Beth who used to be an international world traveling flight attendant. Since she has a love of art and history, she combined her years of traveling to create this exciting art curriculum. With her helpful paint drop buddy, Gasfy, together they make learning about famous artist come alive.
HiGASFY is a 16 week online subscription to an amazing art history program geared for students in 1st thru 8th grade. We received a three month subscription to work with it. With short 20-30 minute video lessons your child will study an in-depth lesson about a famous artist through four different art eras: Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist.. Artist such as Monet, VanGogh, and Picasso.
After the video lesson, your child will spend roughly 30-40 minutes on the actual lesson and activities. Activities include free drawing, worksheets, and/or coloring.
The best part is that lesson plans are included to guide you the parent/teacher if you are not 100% comfortable. The lesson plans include four basic parts including: Objectives, Vocabulary, Suggested activities, and critical thinking. Writing assignments are included as well in some of the lessons. One of my favorite parts are the flashcards with the art samples. These are vivid pieces of real art that your student can check out to study first hand. For our needs, I have printed these art pieces, laminated them for durability because I have littles still, and hole punched them to store on a ring.
This program has been super fun for my middle schooler, Montana. She enjoys art and drawing so I was pleased to be able to offer a little more detail on some the great artist of yesteryear. She enjoyed that the video lessons were relatively short so she could get to the actual activities part. But don’t just take our word for it how great this program is, 44 of my CrewMates also used this art history program. And be sure to check it out for yourself, I think you will be pleasantly pleased.
The best part is that lesson plans are included to guide you the parent/teacher if you are not 100% comfortable. The lesson plans include four basic parts including: Objectives, Vocabulary, Suggested activities, and critical thinking. Writing assignments are included as well in some of the lessons. One of my favorite parts are the flashcards with the art samples. These are vivid pieces of real art that your student can check out to study first hand. For our needs, I have printed these art pieces, laminated them for durability because I have littles still, and hole punched them to store on a ring.
Company ~ HiGASFY Art History Video Series
Product ~ HiGASFY Art History Video Series
Format ~ online subscription
Ages ~ grades 1-8
Social Media Links:
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
http://astablebeginning.com
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Wordless Wednesday
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Online math facts practice with Online Times Alive! ~ a TOS review
It never fails…around 4th grade my kiddos just seem to struggle with their math facts. Thankfully, I have a secret weapon to use to get them over the hump. Because everyone needs to learn the math facts and getting a head start is the best way to go. We received a 6 month subscription to the online Times Alive program and also the Times Alive App.
Memorizing multiplication facts can be boring and, for some students, difficult, but with the Online Times Alive subscription from City Creek Press, Inc. students learn math facts by watching videos and practicing math facts. Its super fun and for my ten year old little girl, she loves it!
Online Times Alive! is a fun, engaging, supplementary math program founded by former Sylvan Learning Center owner Judy Liautaud that has been “Helping Kids Get a Kick Out of learning since 1992.” Times Alive! is the interactive online game that uses stories, songs, and quizzes to help teach the multiplication facts from zero through the nine.
I love that this program really plays to the audio and visual learner that McKenzie is by providing short animated video clips with catchy lyrics for her to learn. Because we have been super busy running here and there to physical therapy and her own practices, utilizing the Times Alive App on my iPad mini has been a lifesaver for us.
My son, Micah who is 5, has really loved following along with McKenzie during her screen time. I love that the story is read aloud to the child while they view the music video and the catchy songs are also a favorite in our house. Just the other day I overhead McKenzie humming along to the 4x8 song and Micah tried to sing too.
I only discovered by accident that the data from the Online program does not transfer over to the App. The online program allows students to stop anywhere and resume where they left off. However, it doesn’t log in the info to the App. But for our family that is not a huge deal! We still love the program!
So, don’t just take my word for it. Be sure to check out what my 44 CrewMates think of this curriculum to learn multiplication facts by clicking on the banner below. I love that my daughter is so eager to learn math!
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Memorizing multiplication facts can be boring and, for some students, difficult, but with the Online Times Alive subscription from City Creek Press, Inc. students learn math facts by watching videos and practicing math facts. Its super fun and for my ten year old little girl, she loves it!
Online Times Alive! is a fun, engaging, supplementary math program founded by former Sylvan Learning Center owner Judy Liautaud that has been “Helping Kids Get a Kick Out of learning since 1992.” Times Alive! is the interactive online game that uses stories, songs, and quizzes to help teach the multiplication facts from zero through the nine.
I love that this program really plays to the audio and visual learner that McKenzie is by providing short animated video clips with catchy lyrics for her to learn. Because we have been super busy running here and there to physical therapy and her own practices, utilizing the Times Alive App on my iPad mini has been a lifesaver for us.
My son, Micah who is 5, has really loved following along with McKenzie during her screen time. I love that the story is read aloud to the child while they view the music video and the catchy songs are also a favorite in our house. Just the other day I overhead McKenzie humming along to the 4x8 song and Micah tried to sing too.
I only discovered by accident that the data from the Online program does not transfer over to the App. The online program allows students to stop anywhere and resume where they left off. However, it doesn’t log in the info to the App. But for our family that is not a huge deal! We still love the program!
Company ~ City Creek Press, Inc.
Product ~ Online Times Alive and the Times Alive App
Format ~ Online and App
Price ~ Online is $9.95 / month and a $6.95 sign-up fee, $14.99 app
Ages ~ elementary
Social Media Links:
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
http://astablebeginning.com
Friday, September 13, 2019
Happy 13th birthday Montana!
Officially a teenager! Love you, wild cat!
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Grammar lessons in just 10 minutes with Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 ~ a TOS review
I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to Grammar in our homeschool. Why? Because if you have a solid foundation in grammar, other subjects like writing will be a bit easier. I am trying to raise strong readers writers who can express their thoughts effectively in writing so I was so excited to get some extra help with Mikayla with the Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 from Easy Grammar Systems.
Now, I’ve been homeschooling awhile now and I have always heard of Easy Grammar but never have jumped in to see what it is all about. I am sorry I waited so long because I love the quick and easy lessons it provides for my busy girl.
We received the digital copy of the Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 that also includes the Grade 11 Test Booklet. This curriculum includes 180 daily teaching lessons geared towards any student beyond 6th grade. With short 10 minute lessons, students will get step-by-step teaching lessons written at a fourth-grade reading level so that they can focus on learning the grammar concepts without all the fluff.
In our house, we have been using the Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 since the end of July to help Mikayla prepare for her upcoming ACT. Before we started back to school in mid-August, I had scheduled Mikayla to complete 3-4 daily lessons three to four days a week. Now that we are full force into our school year she only completes 2 daily lessons on the days that she doubles at the gym, which is two days a week.
Since we received the digital copy, I simply just print the worksheet pages Mikayla needs each week. She keeps her completed papers filed within her school binder. As you work through the lessons you will find an assessment test after every 10 lessons. I found these to be a good assessment of how much information Mikayla had retained and helpful to know what she needed to spend a little more time on.
Overall, Mikayla and I have both enjoyed this language arts curriculum. She especially likes the short and sweet lessons because it makes it easy for her to get her grammar lessons completed, especially on our busy days. I love that the program is spiral and comprehensive but doesn’t take all day to learn and/or teach. I also like that the answers are provided. I have other children that need to be taught and having the ability to grade Mikayla’s work without having to spend too much time on my end is priceless for me.
Sixty-nine of my CrewMates reviewed several different curriculum including:
Easy Grammar: Grade 1, Easy Grammar: Grade 3, Daily GRAMS: Grade 3, Easy Grammar Plus, Daily GRAMS: Grade 7, and Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 9. Be sure to check out their reviews and see what their thoughts are on these language arts curriculums. As for us, Mikayla will continue to use this grammar curriculum in her weekly studies as well as her test prep.
Social Media Links:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Now, I’ve been homeschooling awhile now and I have always heard of Easy Grammar but never have jumped in to see what it is all about. I am sorry I waited so long because I love the quick and easy lessons it provides for my busy girl.
We received the digital copy of the Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 that also includes the Grade 11 Test Booklet. This curriculum includes 180 daily teaching lessons geared towards any student beyond 6th grade. With short 10 minute lessons, students will get step-by-step teaching lessons written at a fourth-grade reading level so that they can focus on learning the grammar concepts without all the fluff.
Each daily lesson includes several different types of grammar instruction including:
~ sentence structure
~ parts of speech
~ punctuation
~ sentence combining and more
In our house, we have been using the Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 since the end of July to help Mikayla prepare for her upcoming ACT. Before we started back to school in mid-August, I had scheduled Mikayla to complete 3-4 daily lessons three to four days a week. Now that we are full force into our school year she only completes 2 daily lessons on the days that she doubles at the gym, which is two days a week.
Since we received the digital copy, I simply just print the worksheet pages Mikayla needs each week. She keeps her completed papers filed within her school binder. As you work through the lessons you will find an assessment test after every 10 lessons. I found these to be a good assessment of how much information Mikayla had retained and helpful to know what she needed to spend a little more time on.
Company ~ Easy Grammar Systems
Product ~ Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11
Format ~ digital copy
Price ~ $29.95
Ages ~ 6th grade and up
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Wordless Wednesday
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Middle School Music Appreciation with Zeezok Publishing ~ a TOS review
I have a secret to tell you! For the last several weeks Montana has been learning all about Frederick Chopin using Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades from Zeezok Publishing. It’s been really fun incorporating this homeschool music program into our weekly studies. Let me tell you about the newest program from Zeezok Publishing.
If you are not familiar to Zeezok Publishing then you need to know that they are committed homeschoolers just like you and I. They started providing homeschool materials to the community way back in 1993 traveling to homeschool conventions with a simple vision; “to publish top quality materials that will complement your educational needs”. In 2003, they launched Zeezok Publishing to help all the homeschools enrich their children’s schooling.
We received the jackpot with the Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades! The set covers seven composers through nine biographical books and also includes a Student Book. The biographies include:
This middle school set meets all the national standards for music appreciation for 5th-8th grade students through living books. This unique approach enriches the learning of these composers as we get a first-hand glimpse into their lives of yesteryear. The program has several components to it and using all of them will give you and your student the most benefit of the curriculum. The Journal notebook, Student book, Readers, and online apps all work together simultaneously to give the best music appreciation program.
Getting started for us was easy! Montana is a fluent reader so she literally just took off with the program. For each composer there is a weekly outline laid out for you to follow. I love this feature because I don’t have to break it up on my own. As a busy mom trying to fit everything into the day it is great to see what needs to be done each week without too much planning on my part. We simply have followed the schedule for the composer/books and have made great strides.
Another great feature, especially if you are not musically inclined is that all the answers to the activities and quizzes are included! The graphics throughout the Student Book are in color and black and white and are easy on the eyes. The layout of the reading inside the Student Book is also easy to read and not overtly distracting. The QR codes are fantastic! My daughter had permission to use her phone when listening to the pieces of tracks for the composers. I love that technology has made this possible, especially since it makes this music curriculum portable for us.
For my 7th grader, this is the right program for learning all about famous composers. Montana has enjoyed listening and learning about Chopin and Schumann so far and is looking forward to learning about the other composers studied in this set. Overall we have loved this program and will continue on with it. Now that we have started back to school full time, I plan to slow down our learning pace and spread this into her 8th grade year as well. It’s that good that I don’t necessiarly want to rush the learning when we have the option to slow down and savor each chapter. But, don’t just take our word for it, check out what my CrewMates think of this music appreciation program by clicking the banner below.
If you are not familiar to Zeezok Publishing then you need to know that they are committed homeschoolers just like you and I. They started providing homeschool materials to the community way back in 1993 traveling to homeschool conventions with a simple vision; “to publish top quality materials that will complement your educational needs”. In 2003, they launched Zeezok Publishing to help all the homeschools enrich their children’s schooling.
We received the jackpot with the Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades! The set covers seven composers through nine biographical books and also includes a Student Book. The biographies include:
Frederic Chopin, Early Years
Frederic Chopin, Later Years
Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
Adventures of Richard Wagner
Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
The Young Brahms
The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines
This middle school set meets all the national standards for music appreciation for 5th-8th grade students through living books. This unique approach enriches the learning of these composers as we get a first-hand glimpse into their lives of yesteryear. The program has several components to it and using all of them will give you and your student the most benefit of the curriculum. The Journal notebook, Student book, Readers, and online apps all work together simultaneously to give the best music appreciation program.
Getting started for us was easy! Montana is a fluent reader so she literally just took off with the program. For each composer there is a weekly outline laid out for you to follow. I love this feature because I don’t have to break it up on my own. As a busy mom trying to fit everything into the day it is great to see what needs to be done each week without too much planning on my part. We simply have followed the schedule for the composer/books and have made great strides.
Another great feature, especially if you are not musically inclined is that all the answers to the activities and quizzes are included! The graphics throughout the Student Book are in color and black and white and are easy on the eyes. The layout of the reading inside the Student Book is also easy to read and not overtly distracting. The QR codes are fantastic! My daughter had permission to use her phone when listening to the pieces of tracks for the composers. I love that technology has made this possible, especially since it makes this music curriculum portable for us.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Wordless Wednesday
© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
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