TOS Review: We Choose Virtures

Do your kids struggle with character traits?  This is an on-going battle that we struggle with at our home, especially for a boy who gets the “gimmes” on a regular basis.

Thank goodness for We Choose Virtures!  The TOS crew was recently asked to review the Virtue Clue Cards, along with the Family Character Assessment (FREE!), Kids of Virtueville coloring book, and Teacher Handbook.

 

 

The Virtue Clue Cards are full-color business cards that contain the 12 basic virtues discussed in the We Choose Virtues curriculum.  The are stored in a handy plastic case, which Aikman referred to as his wallet.  The virtues included are:  attentiveness, contentment, diligence, forgiveness, gentleness, helpfulness, honesty, kindness, obedience, patience, perseverance, and self-control.  Each card contains a description of the virtue, along with the image of the character that goes along with this virtue  (kindness = Kettle Gretel).  These same characters are used in the coloring books.

 

 

 

 

 

The teacher handbook also has some wonderfully insightful ideas for teaching kids virtues.  The author shares candid stories of how she taught her classes the virtues, and also gives great ideas and tips for teaching the virtues to your kids or in a classroom.  One such idea is that the children roll-play different occupations and discuss how they might use certain virtues in their vocation.  She mentions that this is a great opportunity to discuss WHO you are (your virtue) over WHAT you do (your vocation).

The set of clue cards that we were given did not include scripture verses on them; however, the scripture verses that correspond with the cards can be found as free downloads off of the WCV website.

 

 

What did we think?

We enjoyed using the clue cards.  As I stated earlier, Aikman thought they were his personal wallet (to which he added his Christmas giftcards).  It was great to be able and pull out a card as a visual reminder to tell Aikman that his “wanter” was not in check.  (Yep, that’s the BIGGIE that we struggle with around here… does anyone else’s kids go wacko in the store and want and want and want… and WANT?!?!?)  I also used the Bible verses that go with it, to illustrate to Aikman that this isn’t a “Mom rule,” but a trait that God wants us to have.

Personally, I am secretly wanting the Teacher Virtue Cards, which contain a more detailed explanation of how to teach the virtues on the back of each card.

You can purchase any of these materials via the links provided above, or one of their super-awesome virtue kits ($99).  Currently the virtue cards are on sale for $4.99; the coloring book is $3.00; and the teacher handbook is $4.99. 

Read what other TOS crew members think of We Choose Virtues here.

Disclaimer:  I was given the opportunity to review the clue cards, teacher handbook, coloring book, and family character assessment in exchange for an honest review – whether positive or negative.  I received no additional compensation.

Wordless Wednesday: Grace Abounds!

Okay… so a few words… dog bite.  5 stitches.

The sweet words of love and grace:  Upon walking in the door from the ER, dog runs up to him to sniff him and Aikman said, “It’s okay, Aaron.  I forgive you.”

Oh, the healing powers of grace!

TOS Review: Maestro Classics

One of aspects of homeschooling that I love is that I can expose my son to things that he would not be exposed to if he attended a regular school. We attend the symphony once or twice a semester, but personally, that just isn’t enough time or exposure to classical music.

Maestro Classics asked TOS crew members to review The Story of Swan Lake, a part of their “Stories in Music”.  This CD is designed for kids ages 6-12, and includes the tracks:

• The Story of Swan Lake (33:16)
• audio biography of Tchaikovsky’s life (6:59)
• Speed Metal Swan – an electric guitar arrangement of a portion of Swan Lake (4:02)
• About the Music (6:03)
• “Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet” vocal ensemble (1:23)
• Want to have some fun?  Prepare to Perform (0:48)
• “Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet” sing-along (1:28)

Total Play time:  54:02

The CD comes with a small guide which contains a dot-to-dot, maze, crossword, biography of Tchaikovsky, information about the conductor, narrator, and producer; a comparison of the acoustic and electric guitar, an activity (for the piano) about major and minor scales, and the words to “Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet” sing-along.

What did we think?

We really enjoyed listening to Maestro Classics as we traveled during the Holidays in the car.  Aikman really liked the electric guitar track, and I loved that the narrator explained some of the musical background.  The sing-along was a lot of fun, and we got a kick out of trying to sing it “opera-style.”

Wanna know more about Meastro Classics?  They also offer the following titles in their “Stories in Music” series:  Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Casey At the Bat, Juanita the Spanish Lobster, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Peter and the Wolf.  Wanna listen before you buy?  They have music samples of their CD’s too – listed at the bottom of the page.  Like their facebook page or follow their twitter profile to get receive coupons and find out about their giveaways.  Likewise, you can find their FREE music curriculum for ALL of their CD’s by visiting here. 

You can purchase The Story of Swan Lake for $16.98 as a CD or $9.98 as a digital download here.  Read what other Crew members have to say about Maestro Classics HERE.

Disclaimer:  I received a complmentary copy of Maestro Classics’ The Story of Swan Lake in exchange for a review – whether good or bad.  I did not receive any additional compensation.

What’s working and what’s not: Math edition

I’m excited to be joining in the Virtual Curriculum Fair, hosted by Homeschooling Hearts and Minds. This week’s discussion is about math – what works and hasn’t worked for us.

At the beginning of the school year, I posted here that we were planning on using Montessori Math, supplemented with Math-U-See Alpha and Shilller Math.

What didn’t work?

Well, the biggest thing that didn’t work for us was Shiller Math. At the beginning of the year, I tested Aikman with the assessment, and found where I needed to place him within the series.  Upon this starting place, I was having a hard time with the terminology used.  For instance, it taught rows and columns without an application, and was not used until much later in the first book.  It also used the terminology square where the term “square number” should be used. Likewise, it asked questions that were about his comprehension level (ie “how many 1/2 cups does it take to make 2?”)

Early on, we stopped using Shiller, and instead went back to Math-U-See.  We had almost finished the Primer (kindergarten) book at the end of last school year (May).  We have finished Primer, and have currently stopped on lesson 11 in Alpha.  For those true Montessorians who are not familiar with MUS, we are currently working on addition facts using the addition charts.

So, how are we combining MUS with Montessori?  This is actually a complicated question… I do most of the presentations from Karen Tyler’s math album that are related to the lesson at hand.  So, currently, we’ve been doing a mixture of the MUS blocks along with the addition charts to complete problems out of the book. I use the problems on these worksheets in lieu of the addition strip box.

Currently, he’s become frustrated with addition tables, which I am taking that as his sensitive period is changing, and that he is want different work rather than addition.  For the month of December, we focused on other math related things – money numeration (ie reading a price tag), counting money, and geometric shapes.  For the month of January, he still doesn’t have interest in addition facts, so we are experimenting with fractions instead.  He has been LOVING it!!  (This is an upcoming post….)

In a few weeks, we’ll go back to addition tables again, when his interest returns.  I must say that this is definitely one of the perks of homeschooling, and since he is advanced mathematically (per the school system’s requirements), I’m not worried about this lapse in learning.

What has been working?

Hands-on learning and games:  He LOVES games, so anything that involves a game is working well.  In fact, as I write this, he’s creating a new board game for us to play.

 

Follow the child:  This is still key for us…. for a LONG time, adding was going wonderfully; now that he’s lost interest, his love of math is returning, and he’s loving doing something other than addition charts.

 

 

So what’s working for you, and what isn’t?  Are you adapting to your child’s ever-changing attitude and interests, or do you stick to a specific curriculum outline?  How’s math going for you?

TOS Review: R.E.A.L Homeschool Spanish

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I am definitely NOT bilingual… neither is my husband.  In fact, we are typical American Southerners and know very little of ANY other language.  However, we want to change this for our son.  We’ve tried a few Spanish programs in the past, but nothing has really worked with our son so far.

I was given the chance to review R.E.A.L Homeschool Spanish.  The acronym R.E.A.L. stands for relax, enjoy, aspire, and learn, which is quite fitting for the approach to learning – and it fits nicely with our Montessori mantra of teaching!

The creator of this program, Dr. Williamson-Coria, was attempting to help her own children learn French and found that they always seemed to get stuck and unable to apply their knowledge with computer-based programs.  She was having to complete the online programs first, in order to learn the material herself, and then follow-up afterwards.  Dr. Williamson-Coria developed this program so that it was based upon conversational Spanish, but was easy enough to use.

REAL Homeschool Spanish comes with a book, activity book, audio files, and answer key within the kit.  It covers 10 units:  greetings, colors/numbers/time, food, family, body parts, clothing/seasons/weather/months, transportation/places, animals/nature, sports, and verbs.  The book contains a list of vocabulary words and phrases, as well as numerous suggestions for hands-on ways of learning them.  For instance, in unit 4, it suggests that you creates a family photo album so you can practice saying sentences with this vocabulary.  The Activity Book contains crosswords, word searches, listening exercises (the included audio files), puzzles, and writing exercises.  Also included is a Planning Guide and Daily Planning Chart so that you can plan on how much you want to cover, vocabulary, and which pages in the activity book you’d like to cover each week.

What we thought…

I really liked that the author made this curriculum so that it was very homeschool friendly.  She recommends in the Home Educator Tips that you can do as much or as little as you like.  So, if you want to focus on 10 vocabulary words a week, you can.  If that’s too much for your family, then just do 5… and save the remaining 5 for the next week, or even better – save them for a recycled lesson on this topic in a few weeks.

We’ve only completed a few lessons, but have been enjoying it.  The activity book is too difficult for Aikman at 5; however, for more advanced kids – say 2nd grade or above, it would be perfect.  In it’s place, we’ve been utilizing the “ideas” section of the book, which gives the suggestions for learning the vocabulary (like the family photo album idea mentioned above).

I also really like that Dr. Williamson-Coria wants the children to learn not only about the language, but also about the Hispanic culture.  When you go to the FREE culture links, you’ll find games, printables, and links to everything from recipes to indigenous groups to history.  Likewise, there is a giveaway every other month (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec) for children’s book in Spanish or another language related item – December’s winner won The Best Gift Of All:  The Legend of Vieja Belen, a Christmas story from the Dominican Republic.  I’ll definitely be entering this contest regularly in hopes of winning something cool for my continent bins!

Interested?  You can purchase REAL Homeschool Spanish (book, activity book, answer book, and audio files) as a download for $49.95 or as a printed version for $89.95.  See what others crew members say here.

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this program, in exchange for an honest review – whether good or bad.  I did not receive any additional compensation.