Home School Navigator Review

I really like all-in-one, literature based language arts curriculum. Our current curriculum, which we do really like, has everything but the phonics and spelling. I like the idea of everything together, ready to go. For the past few weeks, we have been using the Orange and Green Levels of Home School Navigator Reading and Language Arts Curriculum from Home School Navigator.




The levels follow the rainbow color scheme through six levels, K-5. Madison is finishing up second grade now. Since I would rather start a program at the beginning, rather than the last month, I put her in Green, which is third grade. I did the same for Reagan as she wraps up kindergarten, giving her a taste of first grade with Orange.



Each level includes a 36 week course with:

· Daily Reading, Writing, and Word Study Lesson Plan (including flex days for your busy schedule!)
· 60 Instructional Videos
· Word Study Program (including word wall headings, cards, and games)
· Activities That Encourage Multiple Learning Styles
· Monthly Skills Checklist
· Portfolio Maintenance
· Monthly Goal Sheet/Portfolio Check-In
· Downloadable Review Games
· Interactive Notebooks

The programs are year long subscriptions. The great part is that you can change levels if necessary. If I don't think something is a great fit, I move the level easily. The program is MORE than thorough. I was blown away by the amount of material this program provides.

We are typically not an online learning sort of family. I use apps and games for extension, and I do like videos, but I did a lot of printing. The printing isn't necessary, but we're paper/pencil schoolers, and the program accommodated that. I need a hard copy of lesson plans so I chose to print out the weekly guide to get us started. On the level homepage you have a list of tabs; these tabs are the Master Book List for the level, the monthly handouts and the weekly lessons. The lessons are listed in month, week and day format like this Level Orange [1.1.1] – this means month one, week one, day one. This makes it very nicely organized and quick to find the lesson you need for the day.

The girls really liked the videos, and I liked that I could watch them in advance while prepping, then use that video time to work with my other child.

Like other literature based language arts programs, an issue is always getting the books for each week. I really liked how you had the FULL book list available to prepare. This site also links you to spots you can buy, but I like to check out the library first, and if I have enough advance notice, I can request inter-library loans.

Each day there is a list of activities for your child to complete, some are in video format and the others are paper/pencil. After your child completes the lesson for the day, you can choose to upload your child’s work and compile notes. I prefer to keep everything with paper,  so I am just keeping all the hard copies in a binder designed for this program divided by the monthly guide. Then you check the box that states your child has successfully completed the lesson for the day (I am terrible at remembering this, thankfully you can go in and do a few at once). This records their progress so if you somehow forget where you are in the program you can find out by the seeing which lessons have been completed. We don't have to report or share portfolios in our state, so this is just for my records, but if you were required to turn in records, I would think this would make it incredibly easy.

We've really been working on writing with Madison, and I think that the writer's notebook finally helped the writing piece sink in. She liked the set up and began to understand more the "purpose" of writing and keeping a notebook. Reagan has been eyeing Madison's word sorts all year, and was very happy to get to do a few of her own!

Overall, I really do like this program. The few cons I have are very specific to my own tastes in how we school:
1. If you're a print person, you'll find yourself printing a lot and plenty in color, which adds up quick. For a program I'm paying for, I do like to have the print outs there.
2. Your child WILL be getting on the computer to do lessons at least several times a week.
3.  Not every book is a favorite, but they all do serve a purpose.


Overall, I highly recommend it. The interface was clean and easy, the lessons are high quality, complete, and well planned, and I was able to manage two kids with almost no confusion!

I Can Do it Myself

...but sometimes I don't want to.

Ever look at yourself and realize you don't make sense?

There are things that I look at and think, I am TIRED of paying someone else to do this for me. I have to do it way too much, it's too expensive, and I don't want to have to go and interact with people who may or may not be judging me. 

(They are almost certainly not judging me.)

Then there are things that I, or at least we, as a family, could certainly do ourselves, things that I'm sure people do and would judge us for, but the fact is that I just don't care. If I can get someone else to do it for me, I will.

It's why, that although it would certainly make my life easier, I can't bring myself to hire anyone to clean inside the house...

...but we'll hire someone to weed our bed and mow the lawn.

I can't have someone looking at my clutter and probably talking about me to their friends as they do the jobs I'll put off forever, but I'm perfectly fine paying someone to stand outside in the morning and pull weeds because I don't want to do it.

It's why, despite owning approximately 20,000 bottles of nail polish, I only get my nails and toes done at the nail salon...

...I'll figure out how to do basic car maintenance so that I don't have to interact with anyone and have them see my definitely past its prime and definitely past the point of caring interior.

I mean, the car guys probably can't believe that anyone would tolerate such a ridiculously messy backseat or still knowingly drive around a car that needs oil way too often. But the fact that the ladies at the nail salon very definitively point out when I'm overdue for an eyebrow wax add on don't bug me enough to stop.

I like the idea of being a regular, but I also don't like it. Know me enough where I don't have to justify why I'm here again so soon, but don't give me any indication of that.

In fact, this very morning I'll be conveniently upstairs, in the shower, when the people arrive to weed. I thank you, I love you, you make my spring thousands of times more pleasant...

...but if I see you I know you'll be thinking "she can do this herself"....and I don't want to.

Messy Learning for Preschoolers and Kindergartners - PandaParents Review

Reagan is just finishing up her kindergarten year with me at home, and as usual, it's so humbling to look back and see the amount of growth the kids make during these early years. She's well on her way to becoming a real reader, she's amazing me with math, and she's loving learning about the world. But as exciting a time as having an early learner is, it can be terrifying too. What if I do it wrong? What if I mess up this foundation and they struggle FOREVER? It really helps to have a guiding system. PandaParents have created an immersive learning series called MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS. Don't worry - MESSY isn't really messy. It stands for:

• Mixed subjects & activities for integrative learning
• Engaging activities that challenge minds
• Simple 1-2-3 steps: READ, LEARN, CREATE
• Smart designs for creative learning
• Yeah, a new way to learn!

We received digital access to the program, since it's so new that the physical books aren't ready yet. We had access to the videos on Vimeo, each of the eBooks on PDF PowerPoint, and the workbooks to go with each, also on PDF PowerPoint. Instead of learning just one subject at a time and mastering one level, or stepping stone, at a time, like many other preschool online programs or videos do, M.E.S.S.Y. Learning combines subjects and focuses on building brain networks with creative designs. The program is definitely for child and adult to do together. We would read the book (online), then watch the video, and talk about it.



Reagan is definitely on the older edge of the target audience, but as she finishes up her kindergarten year, she'll still enjoy programs like these. We printed out the workbooks. They are colorful and engaging, which is wonderful. I really wish we'd had the physical copies to use. Not only would it have saved me on printer ink (you really need the color!) but they'll have stickers to place. The workbooks should take about a month to complete, working at a pace of 2-3 days a week. This would be very doable, even for a young preschooler. Reagan was able to fly through them, but since she turned six in February, that's not surprising.

We covered all three books (about three months worth of work) pretty quickly, but for a young preschooler, one book would fit very comfortably into one month and be "enough" school.

The first book, A Jolly Jingling Journey, was two holiday stories where they highlight the letter J. I like that the book was not written in preschool language so there was plenty of vocabulary. The second book was called Mommy’s Baby. It was really cute and compares several different things, working on matching and comparing (big/small). Reagan loved this one because there was so much information on animal babies. Her science this year has focused on animals, so she was excited to see the babies! The third book we read was Scotty Skunk Hears a Scary Sound. Reagan loves the Scaredy Squirrel books, so she really liked this one too. This book focused on seasons and different places, as well as the letter S.




This would be a really fun program for a true preschooler. It builds a good foundation and starts formal learning off in a really fun way. It's not a "learn to read" program, and it wouldn't be enough for kindergarten, but it's fun for the littlest learners. I wish it had been around when I started homeschooling both girls. I also wish we'd gotten the print version, so we could really see the workbooks. Still, it's obviously a great and well designed layout.

This innovative and exciting learning package for preschool through Kindergarten is available as a monthly subscription. You will receive print books, eBooks, workbooks, art supplies, and video read-to-me books all for the great price of $9.95/month. Right now, you want to pre-order to lock in the price. The estimated shipping date for the print books is November 20, 2018, and the online content will be available December 1, 2018.

Best Mother's Day Surprise

I like Mother's Day.

In 2011, on my first "official" Mother's Day, when I was a mother with a child who'd been born, I tried too hard. I wanted a happy day for me, I wanted a day for my mom and I didn't want to leave out my mother-in-law either. Plus, Madison had three living GREAT-grandmothers, and I had this idea of gathering ALL the moms together in our home. Madison had a really rough bout right before this, and it was important to me that it be an amazing day.

It was not. Adam did his best, and we had a great morning, but there is nothing amazing about hosting two sets of parents, three aging widows, and two siblings, when you have a baby who is still dealing with some pretty major issues. Not to mention that other issues decided to blow up THAT day, DURING the event, and pretty much soured the entire thing.

So in 2012, when I was a mom of two, I changed my tune. I would celebrate the moms in MY life on Saturday. But Sunday was for ME. Being a mom was HARD, I was full time at home with two under two, completely buried in the life of a new stay at home mom of newborn and toddler, and I wanted my one day. Starting that year, we had breakfast together, and I took the rest of the day OFF and AWAY. I love my family deeply and truly, but I wanted ONE DAY. Just one.

Ever since then, Adam has been amazing. He gets it. We do breakfast, and I head out for some alone time, and then he brings the girls to his mom's. While they're gone, I might steal back home for some quiet time in the house. Later, we have dinner together, which I neither cook, nor clean up. It's a perfect day.

This year, Adam broke from tradition. He didn't want to bring the girls to his mom. He wanted to bring her here, to our house. He SWORE to me it would not change my day at all. I still could go out. I would not have to plan, prepare, serve, or clean up the meal. I would not have to clean the house.

I was still skeptical. I didn't buy the idea that I wouldn't have to clean before (I knew the dining room would have to be dealt with, and that's my room to handle). And although I would be participating as a guest, I would still have to be in "we have company" mode, not "I'm hanging out in my yoga pants" mode. And sure, he'd cook and do the initial clean up. But I knew I'd be dealing with the aftermath Monday morning. I was cranky. I felt pretty selfish feeling cranky, but I was cranky. I like my in-laws, but I was also spending all day Saturday with MY family. Where was my ONE DAY?

It went fine. I was still a little resentful, but Adam kept his word, and aside from cleaning the dining room before and putting the china away on Monday, he handled it. I did have to be social. Yet there was a silver lining.

My father in law brought over the car brochures and the potential specs for my new car, including the kind of details that dealers know. My brand new, first model year, PLEASE hurry up and get here car was becoming REAL.

Best. Mother's. Day. Surprise. EVER.

I'll take it.

Kids Email Review

The girls are no strangers to mobile technology, but anything that connects them to the greater world of the internet makes me nervous. They're definitely still young for social media, but even email can be tricky. I set Madison up with an email not too long ago for a variety of reasons (emailing her grandmother, connecting to her educational sites), but to be honest, I was too nervous to let her use it. Although I set it up as a sub account of mine, and with plenty of filtering, and I have total access, I was still horrified at the amount of spam that gets through. But I also didn't want them to not know how to communicate, or to have to rely on my account, or go only through iMessage with family. This offer to review a year's subscription really came at the perfect time. My girls now have their own Kids Email!  Both of them have been sending and receiving emails with a one-year subscription to Kids Email Safe Email for Kids. 






What I love about this is that it's the perfect bridge to electronic communication. It's a real email address. You can email people on other platforms, you can receive email from other platforms, and everything about it functions like true email. Your child sets up their account with their own name (I let my girls have free reign, which is how we have one dance driven name and one My Little Pony driven name) and password. However, the parent is still in control. There are options for every stage. A parent can say that email can only be sent to people in the contact list, received from people in the contact list, and the parent can even get a copy of all sent and received email in their own inbox.



Right now, I have the girls set up where they can only email people on their contact list and receive from people on their contact list, but I opted NOT to have copies sent to me. They are only emailing people I know, and I'm ok with that. If an email comes in from someone not on their list, I get a notification, and I can accept or reject it. I do have access to the account as a whole, so I can do periodic spot checks, same as I do with their messaging groups (they each have a group set up with their dance teams, and all the moms know about it and read through the chains periodically). The best thing about this is that we can adjust as necessary. It's teaching how to use technology with training wheels.

It's incredibly specific. You can restrict all attachments, allow all attachments, or go into detail (allow word, PDF, restrict pictures. Allow pictures, but no links). You can really fine tune the details. You can restrict access to certain times of day as well (we haven't done this, because we have control over the devices).

One other feature that we have not used yet, but that I think will be beneficial over the next few years as the children get older is the option to change the email from kidsemail.org to ‘kmail’ and use an interface designed for older children/teens. This is a way to start that transition with older children to a "regular" email, but still monitor and guide their usage as needed without making them feel like they are using a "baby" email.

Since we're primarily mobile users, I wanted to make sure that this wasn't going to be web based only, and it's not. The app is incredibly easy. We all have it on our phones, and so far, that's what we've been using.

I can see all the accounts from my app.

The girls can email each other and get creative. All the emojis work, they can draw, and they can practice their typing.

All in all, I like this email program. We aren't using everything, but it's great to know that they've really thought of everything a parent might want. It's not free, but a year of access is $2.99/month for up to six accounts, and that's a small price when you consider all the monitoring and headaches that go on with a free web based email.

Little By Little

Little by little I'm getting it done.

I'm organizing in little bits. Bite sized chews that I can tackle easily in an evening before I crash or when the girls are doing math. I'm not yet trying to tackle major areas, but I'm making little strides.

Actually I made two big strides, both Easter related.

1) When I realized that Easter was going to be chilly, people would be wearing coats to our house, and we hadn't dealt with the coat closet mess since last year, I cleaned that out.

2) On Easter, the final few too many people banged into our laundry closet door and knocked it from quirky to hanging off the hinges. Adam went to adjust it and found that the actual door was split and the track was bent, so we ended up just taking it off. Since I knew the chances of actually getting it fixed quickly are slim with Adam's crazy schedule, and that the once concealed chaos was now exposed to anyone who came over, I cleaned that out fast.

It was actually kind of nice, since both of those jobs had been on my to-do list forever.

Beyond those two jobs, it's little bits. Little chunks.

I organized my car doors.

I selected (and procured a good 80% of) our homeschool curriculum for next year. That's right - we still have a few weeks left of THIS year, and I've already got the summer AND the next year ready to go. I have a few more things to purchase on Amazon, and then the books are DONE. This is AMAZINGLY ahead for me.

Thanks to a last minute dinner invite that I didn't make, but was made FOR me, I cleaned up the dining room, which had gotten shockingly messy since Easter a few weeks ago.

I have plenty more little projects to tackle, but with the weather finally behaving nicely, my motivation is back!

Reading Kingdom Review

There are plenty of online reading and phonics programs out there, particularly for the younger set, but as most moms know, whether they homeschool or not, is that they are NOT all created equal. There are times that I've looked into a program or app that people swear by, only to find out that it's too babyish, or not appropriate for a grade/age, or that it's completely ineffective as anything more than just a game. We were given the chance to check out an online program, and both girls enjoy their online reading lessons with Reading Kingdom.   This program was created for kids ages 4-10, to get them to a Lexile of 750 (approximately third grade).



There are six levels that focus on teaching comprehension, grammar, phonics, sequencing, writing, and more. There was a good amount of keyboarding skill, which surprised me. Before starting Reading Kingdom, there is an optional assessment. Both my girls did the assessment before starting, since they have some reading skills, and were placed fairly appropriately (because they don't spend much time keyboarding yet, those skills kept them a little lower). Be warned, if you have an older student who is reading, the assessment is long. Madison had to do it in several sessions, because the length of it, as she mastered various levels, was making her lose interest. When I noticed her intentionally answering wrongly, just so the test would let her out, I knew it was time for a break. We took several days, and she did end up placed appropriately, but I wish the placement test would have moved a bit quicker once it was obvious that she'd mastered certain levels.



The program is flexible, but for maximum effectiveness, it's recommended that students do 4-5 sessions a week, with each session lasting fifteen to thirty minutes. We school four days a week, so this fit in nicely with our schedule.

Reading Kingdom recommends that the students complete the testing and lessons on their own, which generally suited us well. I like online learning to be mostly independent, so I am freed up to work with my other child. Both girls required a little bit of technical help from me to get started, but were able to do the program alone without much difficulty. The parent dashboard allowed me to follow their progress.

The hardest adjustment was for my older daughter, with respect to the keyboarding. We do use touch screens, and she has some experience with a typical "computer", but most of our school is done the old fashioned way with paper and pencil. Her keyboarding skills are far below her reading skills right now and she was either frustrated that the reading was too easy, or frustrated that the typing was too hard (the program requires use of the shift key, finding symbols, etc., much more than basic letter finding). My younger started at a lower level and her skills were on par with each other much more quickly. If you began at four with a new reader, and were developing the skills concurrently, it wouldn't be much of an issue at all. We did push through, but it was frustrating for a while.

Finally, this program does feel like real "school", not a game. I don't think this is a bad thing, but it is worth mentioning. Rather than blasting letters or feeding creatures, you are really learning reading skills in a deliberate way. I like this a lot, and ultimately the girls liked it too, but it's not as much of a carrot as some educational apps. The progress though, is outstanding, for both new and experienced readers, and that's an excellent thing. We'll definitely keep it up!

Love Hate

I'm having a love/hate relationship with the girls and their technology right now.

Generally speaking, I feel like they do ok with their technology. They have a decent balance of playing games, texting (mostly me and each other, on wifi), playing music, and watching favorite shows. I haven't found any searches, texts, or anything else that indicates they're finding things they shouldn't, and they aren't on their devices all day. They play plenty on their own. Their favorite app is a series called "My Town", which is basically a virtual dollhouse or a "Sims for kids". You have these people, and you move them around. They don't talk - they don't move on their own. You create your own imaginative story.

Even in the car, when they pretty much have free reign to do whatever they want, they spend a lot of time coloring, writing, or listening to audiobooks. We're on a huge Harry Potter kick right and are finishing up listening to book 6.

They relinquish them easily at night or whenever we ask (they charge in our room overnight so they aren't tempted). Occasionally I'll let someone listen to an audiobook if they're struggling to fall asleep, but then I'll collect them.

So when I hear horror stories about YouTube, or how kids are obsessed, or how their behavior nosedives, I thank our lucky stars that, somehow, our kids seem to have a decent relationship. Maybe it's our doing, maybe it's because they have more free time, maybe it's luck, maybe it's all of those in various percentages, but we're lucky.

Yet STILL, I wind up hating it sometimes.

I hate when the charges don't match up. Madison's (less than year old) iPod is dying faster and faster, but Reagan's hand me down iPhone (admittedly a really nice one) lives much longer. No matter what settings we adjust, Reagan's kindle screen doesn't turn off, so her battery runs out crazy fast, AND it's doing the whole Kindle-charging-port-getting-loose thing.

I hate the wifi issues. The girls don't NEED them in the car, but generally speaking, especially when we're on long trips, they LIKE them in the car. And (obviously) we don't have Wifi in the car right now. Do we need it? No, we can download or play offline, but there's always some sort of issue that needs addressing, and while I'm driving is not the time to do it.

But my biggest issue with my girls and technology? Other people's handling of it.

For instance, my girls are generally not allowed their technology when they're with their friends. Sometimes, I'll let it slide, but most of the time it's the rule I hold firm to. If you are with your friends, BE WITH YOUR FRIENDS. If Reagan is hanging out, killing time while Madison's with HER friends, that's different, and vice versa. Madison gets to bring her iPod and Kindle to dance when she has an hour to kill once a week. I know a couple of her friends will be there, but it's not always a guarantee, and I'm ok with it. I mean, I bring my phone when I have to sit in the waiting room for an hour.

But there's a girl who always has her tablet. Always, always, always. It is loaded with games, and when it's out (and it's always out), the rest of the girls can't help themselves. They're drawn to the lure, and it ends up being one girl playing (sometimes the owner, sometimes another), which five or six girls end up watching. It's not MY kid, or my tablet, so I can't take it away, and if I remove my kid, I'm removing her from her friends, who are all clustered together. It's infuriating.

Then there are the kids who (sanctioned or unsanctioned, and I'm guessing the latter) are super blase about security. Madison admitted that most of her friends know her unlock codes. She said they all know each other's codes, because "it's just easier" and "it's really mean to tell your friends you can't tell them!". I mean, they're averaging 8, all the devices are extremely monitored, and they're all good kids so I don't see a huge risk, but I still HATE that the peer pressure starts this young to just totally ignore the "don't give out codes or passwords" rule.

Maybe my biggest concern is that as they get older, my well balanced kids will slip. And there's nothing I can do but keep making sure that I give them all the tools to be successful.

Such a Tease

My new car should arrive at the dealership in less than two months and I am like a little kid waiting for a trip to Disney. Or my birthday. Or some other thing that you count down and obsessively think about when you're not great at delayed gratification.

My gratification has been delayed.  When my father in law first talked me out of switching makes and waiting for this brand new model instead of , it was supposed to be LAST summer. Then this past fall. Then the end of 2017.

Now it's a sure thing that they'll be arriving in dealerships in June or July. Which seems like it is SO FAR AWAY.

My car is limping, limping, toward the finish line of its long life. I'm doing end of life care now. I know it needs bigger repairs, but for now, I'm just making sure that the tires have air, the tank has gas and the engine has oil. And of course, I'm still doing the recalls.

Yes, it seems ridiculous to do a recall service on a car that I'm planning on getting rid of within months, but they're free to have taken care of, and I know that I'm not willing to risk it.

Anyway, when I brought the car in to get the recall service done, they gave me a complimentary dealership loaner.

And UGH, it's the worst tease ever.

I dropped off my rattling, bumping, noisy, worn out clunker, and drove home in the same car - 10 years newer.

What is this sorcery?

 It had a touchscreen, and bluetooth, and back up camera, and usb ports galore. Everything was so FANCY. Everything worked so beautifully! The ride was quiet and smooth and it SMELLED good and it was SO CLEAN.

I kept trying to think of ways to convince the dealership to just please, please, pretty please let me borrow it if I TOTALLY PROMISE to buy the new model from them when it finally makes it there. I can't go back now! I can't go back to all the problems and the blinking lights and the engine issues and the stains that will never come out. I can't! I've seen the light and I've driven the future and I am NOT OK WITH GOING BACKWARDS.

Overall, that's totally their plan. Had I done the $5000 worth of repairs they noted, or I'd decided to just go ahead and stick with my current model (which would totally defeat the purpose of waiting for the bigger model), they'd have me convinced to keep this.

But I can be strong. I tore myself away, looking longingly back, and promised to wait for the right thing.

Thank goodness the right thing is just around the corner.

Multimedia Digital Books - Weigl Publisher Review

If there's one thing our house is bursting with, it's books. Storybooks, phonics readers, informational books, audiobooks, and e-books. My girls know that I'm a sucker for books in all forms. For this review I had the opportunity to check out three different types of books from Weigl Publishers and the digital content that accompanied each book. We reviewed Glaciers, A Lion’s World, and There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant. These were digital books with interactive content.

All of the on-screen books come with a special code that you use to activate the book to begin narration, sound effects, and links to additional resources of videos, activities, slideshows, interactive maps, transparencies, games, quizzes, and puzzles. Each book is delivered in PDF format and contain a special code that unlocks the interative e-book. The only thing you need to bring the book to life is the code and a computer, tablet, or phone to play it on that allows Flash and/or Javascript.


We downloaded the books on the iPad we use for school and saved them to the iBooks app. This gave the girls access to the e-books whether they were on WiFi or not. The interactive content is available from a website. Using the access code (on what would be the back cover of the book) and a security word from the text we opened a new way to take these books to the next level - narrated texts, comprehension questions, and more.

The security word will be something similar to "the third word on page 33." No, that is not the actual security word prompt for any of the books, but just an example of what you'll need. I mention it only because we'd closed the PDF the first time when we went to switch to the interactive site and had to go back and reopen the book. After this, we learned to keep the PDF window open until we were in.



There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant – Ideal for Grades K-2. This is a read-along story complete with sound effects that are intended to get the child excited about reading with this silly, fun story that follows a sequential poetic style that builds on the previous pages. I love predictive text and repetitive stories for young readers!



A Lion’s World is a great non fiction read for young readers to learn more about lions.

My second grader read this to her kindergarten sister in the iBooks app. What I did love about the interactive feature on the website was the animated pictures. Instead of a still photo of a lion, you got a video of the lion. My girls loved this book. We muted the audio so that my second grader was still the "reader", even when she was viewing the enhanced book with the video, but it's nice to have so my newer reader can revisit on her own.



Glaciers from the series “Earth’s Water” is published under the imprint Lightbox and is intended for Grades 3-6, as a non-fiction text with further study links included to learn scientific facts about glaciers. There is an on-screen test and other fun and educational activities throughout the book.

This book was used by my second grader, with support from me, as an introduction to a research text. She and I shared the reading, and we made good use of the comprehension and extension activities to discuss how we might read a book for information and distill that information down. It was factually accurate, yet easy for my not quite eight year old to understand in a scientific context.   The additional activities for Glaciers included 10 pages of activities on glaciers.  These activities cover geography, history, and science (zone activity, movement over time, and glaciers around the world), writing (expository paragraph and write a letter), vocabulary (key words), and quizzes. 




Overall, we enjoyed all three books, but for this format, we really made the most use of the non-fiction titles. I loved the way all the extra content was so easy to access and tie in, and I hope to use this for more non fiction titles in the future!

Bullet Journal Basics

I've been slowly working on getting my bullet journal started for a few months now.

Now when I say slowly, I mean slowly. Agonizingly slowly. Ridiculously slowly. So slowly that half the year will be done by the time I'm finished getting things set up (which, incidentally, is why I gave up on doing it quickly and I'm focusing on doing it well - the plan is to have it last a year and a half now).

Of course, the advantage of doing it slowly is that I'm really finding what I want in it, and what I don't.

I am not:

• Making it a weekly planner. I like my planner from Erin Condren, and I plan on hanging onto it.
• Having it become a daily grind list book. 
• Charting my daily moods. There's no way I'll keep it up, so I'll end up frustrating myself and staring at blank pages.

The pages I AM working on are:

•  Meal ideas and tracking. I need to find a way to both inspire myself and see where we're getting stuck.
• Car upkeep (for both the end of my current car's life and to track the new one)
• Long term lists (wish list for the house, for myself, for our homeschool, projects to tackle)
• Tracking for random things (when I last did those "major" jobs, like the pantry, laundry closet, etc.)
• Ideas - for co op classes, writing ideas, things I'd like to try.

I'm anticipating I'll have things put together in the next couple of weeks, and then I'll probably work out the kinks, but I love the idea of creating something that's useful!

https://www.chuckpattersondodge.net/bullet-journal-car-log.htm