A Stable Beginning: April 2021

Friday, April 30, 2021

Learning history through play with articulated paper dolls from Figures in Motion ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary 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. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Another week is in the books friends! Today I am eager to share with you an awesome product that I have had my eye on for a few years. Over the last few weeks, I have been creating articulated paper dolls from Famous Figures of the Middles Ages & Renaissance with McKenzie and Micah to correlate with our history studies. Let me tell you more about it!

I first heard of the Figures in Motion company about 5-6 years ago when the author Cathy Diez-Luckie came to our state homeschool convention. That year I was able to purchase the Early Modern Era book. This year, we have been blessed to receive the Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance along with a 1/8 in hole punch, and mini brads to review.

Many of you know that my kids love hands-on learning opportunities and these historical puppets for kids fit the bill! The sturdy paper dolls are perfect for ages 6-12 year olds to help bring history to life. The Middle Ages & Renaissance book covers the fascinating age of castles and conquests through the life of William the Conqueror to Queen Elizabeth I reign, and the great works of William Shakespeare.

Assembling each historical figure is simple. Just cut out the shapes, hole punch with a 1/8 in hand punch, and attach the pieces with a tiny brad.

There are 6 historical era’s to choose from and each one comes full of twenty-one colorful historical figures. There are also black-and-white copies of each figure in case your budding artist wants to decorate on their own. Each figure is printed on heavy card stock that you cut out and connect. To make the figure come alive, simply hole punch in the correct spot and attach the pieces together with tiny brads.

I am always on the lookout for historical reading lists so I am glad that a full page reading list for Read-Alouds and Independent readers is included on the same heavy cardstock paper. And because this book just keeps on giving you also receive mini-biographies for each of the historical figures complete with dates and important key facts.

McKenzie and Micah have loved these articulated paper dolls and so have I! Having access to a resource like this makes history so much more enjoyable in my opinion! They both love that they can move the figures about and play with them during our history read-alouds. So much so, that I ended up purchasing the Famous Figures of Ancient Times Printable Ebook so that we could finish out the last few famous people of our current school year. This book includes 28 famous figures from Ancient times including Jesus.

I recommend you get your hands on a copy of one of these books for your upcoming history study and watch as history becomes the favorite subject of the day. I know it has in our house and that makes this history loving Mama happy! I can’t wait to complete our collection of figures! But don’t just take my word for it, click on the link below and read what 24 of my CrewMates thought of this product and the other four books, Famous Figures of Ancient Times, Famous Figures of the Early Modern Era, Famous Figures of the American Revolution, Famous Figures of the Civil War.

And for your dinosaur lover they also have Dinosaurs on the Move and a book on Queen Esther that is internet-linked as well.

Company ~ Figures In Motion

Product ~ Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance

Format ~ paperback cardstock book

Price ~ $19.95

Ages ~ 6-12 year-olds

Find Figures in Motion on these Social Media Sites:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube

© 2008 - 2021 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, April 28, 2021

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Using Teaching Textbooks with multiple ages ~ a TOS review

Hi there! As we wrap up our school year and start planning for next year’s courses, have you thought about what curriculum you will be using for math? Earlier this year we were given the opportunity to try out the new app-based math program from Teaching Textbooks. This new version of their Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 has allowed us to fill in gaps and get ahead in our homeschool math learning.

The folks at Teaching Textbooks (aka TT) sent us access to their Math 6, Pre-Algebra, and Pre-Calculus programs for this review. As I stated above, TT is an app-based subscription that is accessible on computers, tablets, and smartphones. The complete program is designed for homeschooling families with children working at grade 3-Pre-Calculus level. Pricing is just right for small to large families so you are not having to shell out hundreds of dollars for homeschool math curriculum. Families with 4-8 students pay a special discounted price of $199.08 a year for up to 8 students.

Getting set up to start the program was easy. I simply downloaded each of the apps from the app store onto the girls iPads mini’s and followed the steps to set up. Each of the girls has access to their own login and password for their corresponding level. My girls liked that they were able to personalize their courses with stickers and backgrounds. An eBook for the entire course is available to view for each lesson. My girls have not found it necessary to use the eBook as the lessons work just fine for them to understand the concepts. There is also an option to purchase a printed eBook if needed/wanted.

I had access to my very own parent portal to help me keep track of everything. This parent portal allows me to monitor the girls work and to see where they had problems, if any. In this parent portal there is also the grade book that logs all the work the student completes. The answer keys are also found on the parent portal.

We are not strangers to the TT courses. My oldest Marie used their Geometry and Pre-Calculus book/CD based programs in high school. This new app-based program is a huge lifesaver for the portability of the product! Typically, from Jan-May we travel for the girl’s competitive gymnastics, this year things have been different because of the pandemic. Nonetheless, the ability for the girls to take the iPad to the gym on double training days has been a huge blessing. No more lugging around their textbooks because everything is compacted right into the tablet.

McKenzie has been using and excelling in the Math 6 program while Montana is using and gaining confidence in the Pre-Algebra curriculum. Both girls use the program as a supplement to our current standard math. McKenzie is working ahead of grade level while Montana is working at grade level. Mikayla, my Senior, tried the Pre-Calculus program for a few weeks. We quickly found that the format just didn’t work for her learning style.

Montana and McKenzie will use the program 2-3 days a week on Wednesday, Friday, and some Saturdays. McKenzie normally completes two lessons because she enjoys math while Montana is only required to do the one lesson. I really like that I was able to pack our school iPad for McKenzie to take on Friday for her double training day. During the 2- hour school break she was able to complete her two math lessons. She would then send me a quick text message and I would log into the parent portal to check her grade.

Overall, I think this is a great program for homeschool math. We have used it as a supplement to our current and long-standing math and will continue to do so for the rest of our subscription. I especially enjoy how McKenzie is able to work a grade level ahead and learn new math concepts and Montana can solidify concepts that she needs more time with. This is a win-win in my book! Thirty of my CrewMates have also used various levels of the Teaching Textbook curriculum. Be sure to click on the banner below to read their thoughts!

Company ~ Teaching Textbooks

Product ~ Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0

Format ~ app-based

Price ~ Math 6 ~ $55.08, Pre-Algebra $67.08, Pre-Calculus ~ $67.08

Ages ~ 3rd-12th grade math

Find Teaching Textbooks on these Social Media sites:

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Wordless Wednesday

Friday, April 16, 2021

Creative Art Education from ARTistic Pursuits ~ a TOS review

Happy Friday guys! We are busy wrapping up our school year, just FIVE more weeks to go, but today I want to share with you another review from our favorite art education program, ARTistic Pursuits, that helps my kids get creative. This time we received a complimentary copy of K-3 Vol. 3 The Art of the Middle Ages that I have been using with my first-grade son, Micah.

With our busy schedule, I often struggle to incorporate art into our week even though I know how important it is to let kids express themselves. However, the K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. makes art instruction easy for this Mama!

There are eight volumes (we own 3) total in this series which include:

Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary (Vol. 1)

Art of the Ancients (Vol. 2)

Art of the Middle Ages (Vol. 3)

Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance (Vol. 4)

Art of the Northern Countries, Renaissance to Realism (Vol. 5)

Art of the Impressionists (Vol. 6)

Art of the Modern Age (Vol. 7)

Art in America (Vol. 8)

Like the other volumes in this series, Vol. 3 is a beautiful hardcover textbook filled with 18 projects that focus on needlework, weaving, and oil pastel. Lessons cover art that was produced in the Middle Ages from the early Migration Period AD 500 to the Gothic architecture 1300 that was found in France.

The course is available with the standard DVD/Blueray CDs to view the video portion of the program. Or you can choose the new Online Streaming option that gives you two years of unlimited access to the complete program through a flipable online book that is identical to the hardcover book. This is an awesome option for those who are on the go. Or if you don’t have a DVD/CD drive on your newer computer, the streaming option works great.

We love ARTistic Pursuits Inc. here at A Stable Beginning so we were thrilled to receive another volume of the K-3rd Grade. Getting started with the program is so simple! I love that there is a materials list in the front of the book so you can be prepared come art day. Many of the art supplies needed can be found at your local stores or you can opt to purchase a supply kit directly from ARTistic Pursuit.

Micah especially loves when he can do art lessons! I love how easy it is to bring quality art concepts and lessons to him. I scheduled our art lessons over the course of 2-3 days each week. To start out I would read to Micah the short lesson pages from the book as we studied and talked about the pictures on the lesson pages on day one. Then on our next schedule art day we simply watched the video lesson together on the computer and then I provided the necessary supplies for him to complete the art project. If he needed an extra day to finish the art project we would do that on Saturday morning.

ARTistic Pursuits offers a wonderful Art program and includes many different grade levels from Preschool through High School. I am so happy that they help me provide quality art instruction for my kids. We will continue to use this Volume for Micah as well as the Beginner Level, Art Core 1, Drawing with Graphite Pencils for my rising 6th grader McKenzie, and the Artistic Pursuits, Senior High Book 1, The Elements of Art and Composition program for my rising 9th grader, Montana, next school year. It’s going to be a great year filled with creative art education for my kids.

Be sure to check out the website an see all of what ARTistic Pursuits has to offer to bring out your students creativity. But don’t just take my word for it! 44 of my CrewMates also reviewed one of the following products:

Beginner Level, Art Core 1, Drawing with Graphite Pencils

Beginner Level, Art Core 2, Painting with Watercolor Pencils

K-3 Vol. 1 Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary

K-3 Vol. 3 Art of the Middle Ages

K-3 Vol. 4 Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance

K-3 Vol. 5 Art of the Northern Countries, Renaissance to Realism

K-3 Vol. 6 Art of the Impressionists

K-3 Vol. 7 Art of the Modern Age

K-3 Vol. 8 Art in America

Click on the banner below to read their thoughts!