Homeschooling and the Performing Arts

Today I am a guest blogger at the Schoolhouse Review Crew!  Head over there to see my article on Homeschooling and the Performing Arts!

The Little Chapel That Stood

"We raised up the flag from the dust and the pain.

Freedom that's lost must be won again."

The two good giants fell on that grave day in September, eleven years ago.  People died.  Rescuers saved lives, and some of the rescuers gave their lives.  My son's friend lost his dad at the age of three.  We do not know why God allows evil people to commit such atrocities in this life, but we know that, just as He controlled Leviathan and Behemoth in the ancient story of Job (Job 40-41), He has put a limit on evil's power in this world.  The border that the devastation could not cross on the 11th of September, 2001, was the unassuming little Chapel of St. Paul, located behind the Twin Towers in New York City.  The blast left rubble in a huge wake and tore the tree adjacent to the Chapel out of the ground by its roots (as is memorialized in the sculpture below), but the building itself was not affected.  

Throughout the day, rescue workers hung their gear on the fence around the little Chapel.  Some never returned to pick it up.  It was a little bit of solace on that day, a reminder that God is still in control.

I never heard anything about the Chapel of St. Paul in the media, and I did not know anything about this story until I saw the chapel when I went to New York several years after the tragedy.  I was awestruck by the simple story and the simple building.  I told my children the story every year.

Last year I found a beautiful picture book that illustrated my sentiments.  The Little Chapel That Stood, by A.B. Curtiss, is a lovely testament to the chapel, to those who lost their lives that day, to the strength of the survivors, and to faith.  It can be ordered from http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Chapel-that-Stood/dp/0932529771, or you may see it online (free) at http://www.abcurtiss.com/graphics/books2/l_chapel/little_chapel1.htm.

If you are like me and have children, pre-teens, or young teens who do not remember the day that changed their history, and you have been looking for a book to help them understand, please take a look at this poem/story of tragedy and hope.

Remember.

Scripture Memory Verse List

Do you ever wonder which Bible verses to assign to your children for memory work?  Not that any of them would ever be the wrong ones - after all, the whole Bible is the inspired Word of God!  But you know, Judges 21 - the story of finding wives for the almost-decimated Benjamites - might just not be what your kindergartner needs to memorize this month.

My kids have had a number of lists of verses over the years from Awana, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, camp, and their homeschool curriculum.  I decided for this year that I'd like to have one compiled list on which I would challenge them all to work.  I am including my list below, in case anyone else is looking for something similar.

I broke my list of verses down into three levels.  The first one is mainly single verses for my youngest to memorize.  Each level is roughly in Biblical order, except that the first one starts with John 3:16, since that is the first verse each of my kids memorized.  The second level has passages with several verses each for my older kids to memorize, and the third one has some multiple-verse or whole-chapter challenges.  I have realized that some of the passages on my second level are as long as those on my third level; that is probably because at least one of the kids memorized it earlier on and I already had it written down.  I may need to re-sort for the younger kids.  Some of the passages in Levels 2 and 3 include verses that were previously memorized, but are now being memorized as part of a larger passage.  The kids may learn these in any order they wish.  We keep verse journals in which they can write down the passages they are currently memorizing.  Each passage on this list has a clue in the parentheses beside it - possibly the topic of the verses (i.e. Fruits of the Spirit), the first few words, or a phrase from a song which helped them to memorize the verse.

The third level list is fairly short and will probably start growing as the kids complete the items on the other levels.

We also have a "One-Minute Club," in which I challenge the kids to do flashcards or some other activity in various subjects in under 60 seconds for a prize.  I often include the Bible verses in the One-Minute Club challenges.  The shorter ones are, of course, easy to recite in under one minute, but the incentive keeps the younger kids working.  The most common prize for a short verse is 10 extra minutes on the Wii.  They each start with 30 minutes on the Wii each Saturday, so if my 2nd-grader memorizes 3 verses in a week and recites them each in under 60 seconds, he can double his Wii time and get to play for an hour on Saturday.  If he's memorizing 3 verses a week, that's fine with me!  The older kids can already say some of the longer passages and the books of either the Old Testament or New Testament in under 60 seconds.  I am impressed by anyone who can say all of the books of the Old Testament correctly in under 60 seconds!!

So here it is, no frills, just the list of verses we are working to memorize this year:

Scripture Memory List

Level 1

John 3:16 (love)

Genesis 1:1  (beginning)

Deuteronomy 6:5 (greatest commandment)

Deuteronomy 31:6 (Be strong & courageous)

Joshua 1:8 (meditate on Book of Law)

Joshua 24:15  (As for me and my house)

Esther 4:14 (For such a time as this)

Psalm 19:1 (Heavens declare the glory of God)

Psalm 37:4 (Delight yourself in the Lord)

Psalm 46:10 (Be still and know that I am God)

Psalm 63:3 (your love is better than life)

Psalm 96:1 (sing to the Lord a new song)

Psalm 113:3  (From the rising of the sun)

Psalm 118:8 (almost Center Verse of Bible)

Psalm 118:24 (This is the day)

Psalm 119:105 (Thy Word)

Psalm 139:14 (fearfully and wonderfully made)

Proverbs 18:10 (name of the Lord a strong tower)

Proverbs 30:5 (every word of God is true)

Isaiah 9:6 (prophecy of Messiah)

Isaiah 26:3 (perfect peace)

Isaiah 40:31  (Wait upon the Lord)

Isaiah 43:5 (do not be afraid)

Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you)

Daniel 1:17 (our school name)

Zephaniah 3:17 (mighty to save)

Malachi 3:10  (Tithing)

Matthew 5:44-45a (Love Your Enemies)

Matthew 6:24 (God and money)

Matthew 7:12 (The Golden Rule)

Matthew 16:26 (what good will it be to gain world but lose soul)

Matthew 17:20 (faith as small as a mustard seed)

Matthew 21:9 (Palm Sunday)

Matthew 21:21-22 (receive what you ask for in prayer)

Mark 16:16 (believing and baptism)

Luke 10:27  (greatest commandment)

Luke 19:10  (seek and save what was lost)

John 11:35 (shortest verse)

John 14:6  (way, truth & life)

Acts 2:38 (repenting and baptism)

Romans 1:20 (evidence of God in what has been made)

Romans 1:25 (worshipping created things rather than Creator)

Romans 3:23 (all have sinned)

Romans 8:28  (all things work together for the good. . .)

Romans 10:9 (confession)

Romans 10:17 (faith comes by hearing)

Romans 16:19  (wise about good, innocent about evil)

II Corinthians 9:7 (cheerful giver)

Ephesians 6:1 (obey parents)

Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ)

Colossians 3:17 (whatever you do)

I Timothy 4:12 (don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young)

Hebrews 11:1 (faith comes by hearing)

Hebrews 11:6 (faith)

I Peter 1:3 (living hope)

Revelation 2:10b (crown of life)

Revelation 3:20  (I stand at the door and knock)

9 Fruits of the Spirit - list them in any order

10 Commandments - list them in the correct order

Armor of God - list the parts in any order

Level 2

Books of NT - 27

Books of OT – 39

Genesis 12:1-3 (God’s Promises to Abraham)

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (verses in mezuzah)

Ruth 1:16-17  (your God will be my God)

I Chronicles 4:9-10 (prayer of Jabez)

Psalm 1 (Blessed is the man)

Psalm 23  (The Lord is my Shepherd)

Psalm 136: 1-3 (thanksgiving)

Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the Lord with all of your heart)

Matthew 5:13-16 (Salt & Light)

Matthew 6:9-13 (The Lord’s Prayer)

Matthew 6:19-21 (treasures in heaven)

Matthew 6:33 (seek ye first)

Matthew 10:32-33 (confession)

Matthew 16:15-16 (Peter’s confession)

Matthew 22:37-40 (Greatest Commandment)

Matthew 28:18-20 (Great Commission)

Luke 24:1-8 (Resurrection)

John 8:31-32  (truth will set you free)

John 15:12-13  (greater love has no one than this)

Acts 8:36-40 (Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch)

Romans 8:14-17 (adoption by God)

Romans 8:38-39 (nothing can separate us)

Romans 12:1-2  (being transformed)

I Corinthians 10:11-13 (no temptation beyond what you can bear)

I Corinthians 11:23-26 (The Lord’s Supper)

I Corinthians 15:1-8 (The Resurrection)

II Corinthians 4:7-12 (treasures in jars of clay)

Galatians 5:22-23 (Fruits of the Spirit)

Ephesians 6:1-3 (obey your parents)

Ephesians 6:10-18 (armor of God)

Philippians 1:3-6 (I thank God for you)

Philippians 2:12-18 (do everything without grumbling)

II Timothy 3:16-17 (all Scripture is God-breathed)

Hebrews 4:12-13 (Word of God alive and active)

Hebrews 4:14-16 (Jesus is the Great High Priest)

James 1:22-25 (looking in a mirror)

James 2:14-19 (faith without works)

I Peter 3:21-22 (baptism)

II Peter 1:5-8 (qualities of a Christian life)

I John 4:7-8  (love)

Jude 1:24-25 (Jude Doxology)

Revelation 3:14-16 (Church in Laodicea lukewarm)

Revelation 21:1-8 (New Heaven and New Earth)

Level 3

Exodus 20:1-17 (The Ten Commandments)

Psalm 100  (praise & thanksgiving)

Isaiah 9:1-7 (prophecy of Messiah)

Daniel 1:8-21 (more about our school name)

Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)

Luke 2:1-20 (The Christmas Story)

John 1  (The Word became flesh)

Romans 6:1-6 (baptism)

I Corinthians 13 (The Love Chapter)

Colossians 3:1-17 (living for Christ)

Hebrews 11 (The Hall of Fame of Faith)

Happy Memorizing!  :-)

September WordArt Challenge at ScrapTakeout

Have you joined the challenges at ScrapTakeout?  You have all month!

Here's my entry for the September WordArt Challenge.  Download Dandelion Dust Designs' free word art and design a page for the contest:

Join the challenge here.  If you love the rest of the page, keep checking Dandelion Dust Designs' new fall kits this month and check back here for a free quick page after the kit is released!  

Happy Scrapping!  :-)

"Tropical Paradise" by Dandelion Dust Designs and a Freebie

The fall kits are beginning to come out (Yay!), but you may have a few last summer pictures to scrap.  Seriously, I don't think I know anyone who has all their vacation photos scrapped.  So here's Tropical Paradise by Dandelion Dust Designs!

You may pick up the kit exclusively at ScrapTakeout:

Don't forget to come back for your free Quickpage!  Click image to download from Mediafire.  PU only.

Happy Scrapping!  :-)

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of "Tropical Paradise" in exchange for layouts.

Schoolhouse Review: Math 911

Professor Martin Weissman has been teaching Mathematics for 50 years.  Passionate about the subject, he desires to help students overcome their fear of Mathematics and to master it.  In his years of teaching, he felt that students needed fewer explanatory textbooks and more illustrative examples to help them understand how to do higher math problems.  To that end, he developed the Math911 tutorial software.

The Math911 tutorial software download generates problems for students to solve in Introductory Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Statistics, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus.  No answers are marked "wrong."  The student must get a certain number of problems "correct" to prove mastery and move to the next level.  If the student does not understand how to do the problem, he may click on a button for step-by-step instructions to see the problem being solved.  He may follow these step-by-step instructions for as many problems as necessary to understand the process.  Professor Weissman wanted to give students practice, practice, practice in all types and variations of problems.

I used the Introductory Algebra course over the summer with my son who is starting 9th Grade and Algebra I this fall.  There were a lot of things we liked about the program.  By continually generating problems, the program provides my son with all the practice he needs, giving him immediate feedback and step-by-step instructions when he needs them, enabling him to master the concepts and saving me a lot of time and effort grading problems done on paper.  Some PDF files that function as a textbook and explain the concepts can be downloaded free from the Math911 website for the Introductory Algebra course ONLY.  I feel confident that my son is now ready for Algebra I/Intermediate Algebra this fall.

Update:  This is what I get for trying to post a review early - there is more information to cover!!  I realized in a recent email from Professor Weissman that "Introductory Algebra" is Algebra I, and "Intermediate Algebra" is Algebra II.  I was thinking that "Introductory Algebra" was like Pre-Algebra, and since I've never taught Algebra before, I didn't realize the things we were covering were the things I would find in an Algebra I program.  What this means is that my son is almost through Algebra I now and will soon be ready for Algebra II.  How exciting!!  :-)

We will continue to use this program for advanced drilling, but not for our main curriculum, because the remaining classes do not contain any kind of textbook instruction.  Professor Weissman - who answers emails quickly, is extremely helpful, and seems like he is probably a very good teacher to me - explained to me that he feels that students do not need the textbook instruction nearly as much as they need to see the step-by-step problem solutions, and that he feels this program is adequate as a full course curriculum for high school Math.  I have a feeling (please forgive me if it seems I am speculating too much) that his students probably do fine with this method, since they have him to explain the mathematical concepts to them.  For many of us homeschool moms, however, it can be a bit intimidating to explain higher math concepts on our own (or, you know, just google them!), and we feel more comfortable with a textbook curriculum.

To be honest, for the price he is offering the Math911 curriculum, I can afford both, and I will gladly continue to use the Math911 program along with our other curriculum, probably all the way through high school.  It is a valuable tool, and Professor Weissman is currently offering it for a fabulous value.

The complete Math911 program is available at http://math911.com/ for the discounted price of $49.95.  That includes all the subjects listed above.  As a special back-to-school offer, you may try a free download of the Introductory Algebra course from the website.  Tech support is always free.  The age range is 12 and up, or any student who is ready for Introductory Algebra.  The program is downloadable and works on PC, but not Mac systems.

For a VERY limited time, there is a special back-to-school coupon code on Professor Weissman's website, taking another $40.00 off the price of a flash drive, so you can have this great tutorial software for only $9.95 plus shipping!  (Note that if you choose the download option, there is no shipping, but the coupon code is only for the flash drive.)  The advantages to having the program on a flash drive are that you may then use it on any PC computer in your home, or even at the library or elsewhere.

Click below to see how other Crew Members used this product, and how they liked it for various Math levels:

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of the full Math911 curriculum download in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Schoolhouse Review: Reading Kingdom

During the summer, we were not getting up early, keeping a normal school schedule, or working on our normal curriculum, so it was a good time for reviewing things like reading and math drills in a fun and relaxed way in order to improve the kids' skills for the fall.  My six-year-old has been using ReadingKingdom.com.  Developed by Dr. Marion Blank, Director of the Light on Learning Program at Columbia University and one of the world's top experts in reading, this online subscription program may be used as a drilling or practice program to supplement whatever curriculum you are using.  It distinguishes itself from other programs by using Dr. Blank's patented six skills method for reading success. These skills include sequencing, motor skills, phonics (phonemic awareness), meaning, grammar and reading comprehension.  It is designed to be a fun, game-like drill program that pre-K through 3rd-graders will enjoy using to learn to read.

The program has bright, fun graphics, and it may work well for you if you have a student who is beginning to read up through a 3rd-grade reading level who types fairly well on a physical keyboard or an on-screen keyboard and who is motivated by computer learning programs.  The on-screen keyboard option in the program is a nice feature for early computer-users or for anyone who would like to use the program on a tablet or iPad.

Unfortunately, the program was not a good fit for my son.  He is already a fair reader, but he has hunt-and-peck typing skills at his ripe old age of 6.  He was not able to type some words and sentences in the time allotted, and so the skills survey threw him back to a much earlier reading level, at which point he was very bored with the lessons.  I must emphasize at this point that Reading Kingdom's customer service had a quick response time and was VERY helpful.  They moved his reading skill level up and explained to me how to go into the settings and increase the response time he was allowed.  They also directed me to more exercises for typing skills.  My son's typing skills are adequate for other reading programs that he's done, and he was quickly bored by the typing exercises.  Moving his skill level up and increasing the allowed response time was helpful, but it was not enough.  The program seemed to have excessively long pauses in some areas, and then speed through others.  Some directions were clearly stated, and others were not.  My son would, for instance, not know to hit the "space" bar in a particular place and would type the first letter of the next word instead.  Once the program had moved on to the next place because his time had elapsed or he had hit the wrong key, there was no way to go back and correct the mistake.  Being a hyper-perfectionist, he became extremely frustrated.  Meanwhile, even at the higher level, he was still frustrated and bored by the excessive repetition he experienced with one word at a time, but then the program would launch through entire sentences, and then go back to repetition of one word.  We worked on the program for several weeks, but I think that because of his energy level, frustration with sitting still, and general impatience with the program, it is not a good choice for him.  This is not a general frustration with any computer program that requires him to sit still, as some do work for him, but the combination of factors with this program is problematic.  

Reading Kingdom may work well if you have a child who enjoys working on the computer and is patient with various speeds in programs, and the customer service for the program really is excellent.

You may try Reading Kingdom free for 30 days to see if it is a good fit for your child.  To learn more about the patented six skills method, click here. 

To find out more about whether Reading Kingdom will work for you, explore the following information:

Product:  Reading Kingdom online subscription website

Website:  http://www.readingkingdom.com

Ages: Age 4 through 3rd Grade Reading Level

Price:  When you sign up for the Reading Kingdom, you receive a free 30 day trial. After that, subscriptions to Reading Kingdom are $19.99/month (with no monthly minimum), or $199.99 per year (20% off). Additional children in your account get 50% off ($9.99/month or $99.99/year). You can cancel your subscriptions at any time.  Contact the vendor for information on volume licensing discounts.  If you cannot afford to pay for the program, you may apply for a scholarship that will allow your child to use the program for free.

Sign up for your 30-day trial here.

Read what my fellow Schoolhouse Crewmates had to say about Reading Kingdom by clicking the banner below.

Disclaimer:  I received a free subscription to ReadingKingdom.com in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.