Review ~ Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics

Since we discovered the wonderful biblically based products offered by Apologia Educational Ministries my job as a homeschool mom has become much easier. I always recommend the Young Explorers Series when others ask about what to use for their homeschool science curriculum.

We have been blessed to review the newest book in this series titled Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics by Jeannie Fulbright and we also received the corresponding Junior Notebooking Journals.

The Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics text ($39.00) is a beautiful full color non-consumable hardback book. The recommended age range is K-6th grade, but I honestly feel that older children will benefit more than the younger ones for this subject. The information is presented in a way that makes sense, the experiments really make what you have learned stick in your mind. I can honestly say that I was learning all of this right along with the kids. While some of the concepts were familiar to me, the "why and how" was so much better explained!

I wish I had been taught this way!  Jeannie writes in a relaxed conversational tone, and uses words young children can understand. I love how she uses analogies to explain concepts. For instance she compares the states of matter to a typical child's day. When he is at rest, he is like a solid. When moving around slowly in the house with the family, he is like a liquid. When outside running and jumping all over the place he is like a gas.

In addition to the textbook, Apologia offers additional help if you need it via mail, email, fax and by phone. They also have a course website full of all kinds of extras. In fact all of the science titles have a special website. All of these resources are given in the beginning of the book.

Apologia makes science enjoyable, and I do not have to worry about any false teachings in any of their subjects. Every page is based on what the Bible teaches us about Creation. Kids are encouraged to explore Creation scientifically because God tells us that He created the world for us to enjoy and discover the wonders that He has created for us to find.

The book has 14 chapters including...

Introduction

1. Chemistry and Physics Matter

2. Moving Matter

3. Building Blocks of Creation

4. Compound Chemistry

5. Multitude of Mixtures

6. Mechanics in Motion

7. Dynamics of Motion

8. Work in the World

9. Sound of Energy

10. Light of the World

11. Thermal Energy

12. Electrifying Our World

13. Mysterious Magnetism

14. Simple Machines

Supply List

Answer Key

Photo and Illustration Credits

Index

The Junior Notebooking Journal ($24.00) is designed for younger students and those with limited writing abilities. It's full of pages to write thoughts and illustrate them, puzzles, coloring pages, vocabulary activities, copywork, little hands on activities and more experiments to try. It is suggested to do as many activities as your child can handle, but not every page needs to be done. If your child doesn't love to color, or do crossword puzzles its OK to skip those and do other pages instead.

Using a Notebooking Journal is not essential to use the textbook, but it really does keep everything looking nice, neat, organized, and I dont have to plan anything in advance except having the ingredients ready for experiments. Im so glad the book already has that listed out for me as well!

My kids have enjoyed having their own special book to complete and share with visiting friends and relatives.

A regular Notebooking Journal is also available for older kids. In the beginning of either version of the notebooking journal a schedule is given so you can complete a chapter in 2 weeks. We found this schedule to be a little much so we took our time and went slower than suggested. Do whatever works for your family to keep the learning fun and interesting.

Each chapter has several sections called "Try This!" Here is where the kids get involved hands on with activities and experiments. We do every one of these that we can, sometimes the ingredients are too expensive because we are unable to find something in our rural area. This is rare however as most of them use common household items or things easily found locally.

The book is divided up into mini sections so you can easily stop and start again whenever you like. We would read until we came to a "Try This" that we wanted to do, and sometimes they would ask to read more and some days were ready to move on to another subject. They have really enjoyed all the hands on science! They have each said at one point that this felt more like fun than learning. Music to my ears!

Showing off their homemade lava lamps, which demonstrated density.

Finding out which boat design can hole the most pennies before sinking, all while learning about buoyancy.

Learning about the states of matter including this tricky substance, called an amorphous solid or a non-Newtonian liquid.

Everyone loves edible science experiments! They made sorbet to demonstrate the freezing point of liquid and how it is affected by adding salt.

I had to make a video of the lava lamps, the kids were so excited! They are still talking about this weeks later.

I highly recommend all of Apologia's Young Explorer Series titles for those looking to teach Creation based science in a hands on fun way. Its not the boring dry textbook science we learned as kids, its 100 times better! Check out the first chapter of Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics for FREE (click on Chemistry and Physics sample) and see for yourself just how easy and enjoyable science can be.

Review ~ If You Were Me and Lived In.....book series by Carole P. Roman

 Carole P. Roman is a children's book author who had a desire for children to learn about other countries and cultures so that they would realize we are all basically the same. We may have different customs, foods, clothing, and climate but deep down we are all human.

We received the first 4 books for this review, the titles included.....
If You Were Me And Lived In.....France
If You Were Me And Lived In.....South Korea
If You Were Me And Lived In.....Mexico
If You Were Me And Lived In.....Norway
(This book was just released and does not yet have a link to share on Carole's website.)

The "If You Were Me And Lived In..." series was written for ages Pre-K to age 8. My two youngest girls fell into this age category, but my 9 and 10 year olds rarely want to miss a book reading so they got involved as well.



I think these books are well written and definitely with the younger crowd in mind. However, the taste of information given was enough to spark interest into my older kids to go and find out more.








Each paperback book has just a few pages with just a few lines of text. The perfect amount to keep a wiggly little one's interest. The illustrations are appealing to little eyes, with bright colors and smiling faces. We found plenty of  interesting things to talk about on each page.

 We learned some new words, and thankfully there is a pronunciation guide in the back!





We used a globe and a map to find each country. We used other map skills to determine what continent and hemisphere it was located in, the longitude and latitude, etc. Of course they had to find out what animals lived there as well.






I even found some free printable coloring pages for each country's flag, landmarks, animals, and traditional dress. It turned into a little unit study.



There are many ways you can stretch these books out and also use them with older kids. We have definitely enjoyed these sweet books!

Each book is available from Amazon.com in paperback version for under $9.00 each, they are also available in ebook format for Kindle.

   

Review ~ IXL Math and Language Arts

IXL.com is an online Math practice website for grades Pre-K through 12, but now they also offer Language Arts practice as well for grades 2-4. More grades will be added soon! Since the membership is online there is nothing to download, and the site can be used from anywhere with an internet connection.

Since it near the beginning of the school year IXL has offered us the perfect way to review math skills learned last year in math and also practice a few new ones. I required my 10, 9 and 7 year old to practice for at least 15 minutes each day, but they were welcome to practice longer if they wanted to. The kids can reach goals such as completing so many problems or practicing for a certain amount of time, then they get rewarded with special graphics on their progress board and also with printable certificates if they like that type of thing. All 3 kids were able to use the math section with no assistance from me, even my 2nd grader. She kind of shocked me with all she was able to do, she picks up so much just by being around when I teach the older kids something.

IXL math practice can be used as a supplement to any math program, good to know if not all of your children use the same math curriculum.



Language Arts is a new addition to IXL, right now it is only available for 2nd through 4th grades, but that includes all 3 of my homeschooler's grades so it was perfect timing. My 2nd grader did fine with the activities if someone was available to help her read. She isnt quite fluent enough to fully understand what is being asked of her and then of course to read all the answers by herself. When we helped her though she did great, and wanted to keep going for a lot longer than I wanted to sit most days. My two 4th graders were able to use the Language Arts all by themselves without problems. My son told me he like the LA better than the math, and thats unusual for him.



I have my own parent account that I can log into to see just what they have been doing, how long they did it,  and how well they did. There is a section that shows me the State Standards for my state, including Common Core. I can compare these to the level of mastery my kids have shown if I want to, but honestly I don't like doing that. It is nice knowing what is expected at each grade level though. I get emails when they have reached a goal, it makes the kids smile really big when I show them the email I got praising the efforts they have made!

In my state we are required at the end of the year to either have a certified teacher review a portfolio or have the kids take standard tests. We choose portfolio, and I can print out reports from IXL showing how my child has made progress during the year along with samples of their written work. This is a nice option that I am really going to use at portfolio time! I have never done standard testing with the kids, but I did as a kid. I can see how practice like IXL provides can help with testing scores. There is a timing feature that can be used or turned off, whichever you prefer. The times stresses my kids so I don't use it, but if I were preparing them for testing I would use that feature since the standard tests are timed.

What we liked about IXL...
*I liked the parent reports, it helped me see areas where each child needed some help and in which areas they were doing just fine.
*I like that it can be used anywhere, so if they have an impromptu sleepover they can get some practice in that day.
*I like that the kids didn't feel pressured to stay in one grade level, they can go to a younger grade and work their way up if needed, or skip ahead as well.
*I liked that except for helping my 2nd grader with Language Arts I did not need to be present as they practiced. This is a blessing on "those days" when nothing is going right and my attention is on other things for a while.
*The kids all said they enjoyed working by themselves and being able to choose what to work on each day.

What we did not like about IXL.....
*The kids were expecting it to be more "game like" but it is really more like bookwork minus the book. They don't enjoy writing on worksheets much so they did prefer IXL over paper.
*My son with a learning disability got frustrated easily by the score going down if he got an answer wrong. He likes to reach those goals, and when it takes too long to get there he just wants to quit. So we wish the points didn't go down, staying the same would be better.
*The State Standards and Common Core stuff is very unimportant to us, but to some it is very important. I want to stress to those using this with their children to NOT be discouraged if your child isn't doing everything on the grade level that they say the child should be doing. Don't be afraid to practice where they need it only, and let them work at their own pace so learning stays fun!

A subscription to IXL is $9.95 for math only, $9.95 for language arts only, or $15.95 a month for both. If you purchase a yearly subscription it is $79.00 for either math or language arts, and $129.00 a year for both subjects. Each additional child is only $2 per month, or $20 per year. - See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ixl-review/#sthash.t76o1ld2.dpuf

A subscription to IXL is $9.95 for math only, $9.95 for language arts only, or $15.95 a month for both. If you purchase a yearly subscription it is $79.00 for either math or language arts, and $129.00 a year for both subjects. Each additional child is only $2 per month, or $20 per year. - See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/ixl-review/#sthash.D6v1Scj1.dpuf

A subscription to IXL costs $9.95 monthly ($79.00 yearly) for each subject, OR $15.95 a month ($129.00 yearly) for both Math and Language Arts.

These rates are for one child, additional children can be added for $2 each per month or $20.00 each per year.

Review ~ Logic of English ~ Essentials

If I had to pick the most useful product academically I have reviewed this year, Logic Of English would win the award hands down. I have been abundantly blessed to review the Essentials program for the past few weeks with my 7, 9, and 10 year old children. 

We received.....
Logic Of English Teachers Manual, which is a sturdy hardback book, $95.00
One Student Workbook (paperback), in manuscript, $25.00 ~ A PDF Family license can be purchased for $25.00 if you have more than one child and would rather print the workbook at home to save money. This is what we did so I could use this with 3 of my children.
Basic Phonogram Flash Cards, $18.00
Spelling Rule Flash Cards,  $15.00
Phonogram and Spelling Game Book, $15.00
and 2 sets of Phonogram Game Cards in Red Manuscript and Blue Bookface type, $10.00 per set

The video below will give you an overview of the program...




How we used Logic Of English...

It was still summer when we began using Logic Of English, we had been doing a light school day throughout the summer however. I was a bit overwhelmed when I first received the box, it seemed like so much to figure out. The teacher manual is so well written that getting started was not hard at all. In fact, because it is scripted and tells you exactly step by step what to do and say I felt very at ease teaching with it. A whiteboard or chalkboard is also needed. Some of the demonstrations require writing where they can see well.

For the first lesson, which reviews the phonograms, I taught each child individually. I thought this lesson would be easy peasy and we would just skip right through it. What I discovered though is that each of my kids knew their consonants very well, but did not know all of the vowel sounds and two were even confused about which sound was which. Its no wonder they have been struggling!

One vowel sound in particular has never been taught in any other program we have used. Look at the word "ONION", in this word the "I" makes the sound of the consonant "Y". My son has always heard that sound, associated it with Y and spelled it "unyun". This is one of those English words that drive everyone a little crazy, but Logic of English has helped to de-mystify the proper spelling and pronunciation of words like these.

Each day we do part of a lesson, I want things to really sink in and stick so I require mastery before we move on. The games from the Spelling Game book really help with this, as they give review over and over as the kids play. They enjoy all the games we have played so far, they even play when Im not in the room but I prefer to be in there so I can be sure they are using the right sounds, especially for those tricky vowels!  The Phonogram Game Cards are essential to use the game book, and I feel like the games are a huge part of what makes this program successful.

The flash cards are essential for teaching the lessons from the manual. Other sets of flashcards are available  but we got by just fine with the two sets we received.

How each of my children have benefited from using Logic Of English.....

My 10 year old son actually asks to do English first every day. He has struggled for so long, and now that English is finally making sense to him he is like a sponge thirsty for water, he wants to be a good speller and a better reader. He is motivated and excited to keep going! I have noticed him picking up a book and reading on his own in the past couple of weeks. He loves stories and books but doesn't usually do this on his own. My heart is overjoyed!

My 9 year old daughter is an avid reader and has a book in her hand every night in bed, but her spelling was awful. She likes writing in her journal and has a pen pal, but she would have me edit her letters and she would re-write them because others have a hard time deciphering her spelling. We have both noticed her spelling improve since starting Logic of English. She too wants to use the program every day and just smiles as we work together.

My 7 year old daughter is good at sounding out short words and is right at the perfect level for using this program alongside her brother and sister. Much of this is new to her but she is learning it quickly, her reading and fluency has definitely improved, her spelling is coming along at a slower rate than the older kids. Thats OK, we are going a bit slower but I know she will catch up at her own pace. I am so thankful that she is learning this way at a younger age and I believe she will have less problems in the future because of this.

Besides the benefits Ive described above I am so grateful that I can teach English to all 3 kids at once instead of teaching separate grade levels. This may not be possible for every user, but because my kids are close in age, and were also close in abilities it worked out perfectly for us. I can spend more time each day using Logic Of English and giving each child individual help as needed because my time slot isn't so small.

I have seen a lot of progress by using this program for just a few weeks, I am so excited to think about what their abilities might be like by the time we finish the entire book! 

This is a long video, but after watching this I was convinced that this program could help my children. The presentation given makes so much sense! Now after using the program for a few weeks and teaching the way Logic of English explains, my children are learning, and finally understanding how to read and spell better.

Review ~ Reading Kingdom

 Reading Kingdom is an online program designed for kids ages 4-10 and also offers help for struggling readers.  We were blessed to be able to use this program with 3 kids so I chose my 7, 8, and 10 year olds.

There is nothing to download, it is a subscription to the Reading Kingdom website and everything is done online. You must have internet to use it at home, but you can use it anywhere since you can log in anywhere. We can use it at the library, grandmas house, etc. I can even make them do a little school on vacation!

Dr. Marion Blank developed the Reading Kingdom program using what she calls the "6 SIM" 6 Skill Integrated Method which includes sequencing, writing, sounds, meaning, grammar, and comprehension. Read about why this method works here.



Each student starts out with a skills survey to determine the level they should start at based on what they already know. All 3 of mine started out in Letter Land because they had weak keyboarding skills, but they advanced pretty quickly once they got better at it. You can choose to use a keyboard on the screen or the physical keyboard. They tried both ways and preferred the actual keyboard.

If using this program daily a child can finish it in 12-15 months. More advanced users can complete it much sooner. Each lesson lasts an average of 15 minutes, so it is possible to do more than one if a day is missed. I had no problems getting the kids to use it every day, in fact most mornings there was a fight going on about who got to go first!  

I like that the program adapts itself for each student, so they are less likely to become bored by repeating things over and over again. I also love that I get emails with progress reports for each child weekly, so I can let them use the program by themselves and still keep up with what they have been learning. This frees me up to give attention to the million other things going on here daily.

In addition to reading the kids kept telling me that they were learning how to spell better as well. I also noticed that when working with sentences they were required to use a capitol letter at the beginning and punctuation at the end. YES! I feel like I repeat myself daily on that one, perhaps once we start full time school again next week they will be better at that when writing as well!

Below are screenshots from the program, there are many levels so your child may never encounter these particular ones.

 

I asked each of the kids what they liked about Reading Kingdom and if they enjoyed using it. These are their comments.....

Skye 7 ~ Its really fun! Even when you get questions wrong its ok. I want to use it every day!

River 8 ~ I like using it because it teaches me to spell and read better, the lessons aren't too long, and its not too hard.

Braeden 10 ~ I like everything about it, I have learned a lot. Especially the spelling, I want to spell better. Im glad we got this!

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You can try Reading Kingdom for FREE for 30 days to see if it would be a good fit for your family. You will be asked for credit card information but you will not be charged unless you decide to subscribe after the 30 days are up. They do this to make sure you are a real person. If you decide to subscribe the charge is $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year. Additional students on your account receive a 50% discount ($(.99 per month or $99.99 per year) and you can cancel at any time.

If this sounds like a program that would benefit your child but it is simply too expensive they do offer a scholarship program. Read about that program here.

Review ~ Circle Time ~ Plan The Best Part of Your Day!

 I had heard of Circle Time before this review, and I have to admit I thought it was something preschoolers did in daycare. Not so! Kendra Fletcher from Preschoolers and Peace has written a 33 page e-book called Circle Time ~ Plan The Best Part of Your Homeschool Day that explains it all, and it can be used with all ages. She explains how you can use Circle Time in your homeschool to help draw your family closer together and get more done in your day, including any preschoolers you may have!

 Reading the entire e-book took me less than an hour, but the ideas and inspiration I gleaned from it was well worth the $4.99 price tag. I downloaded it in a few seconds and then sent the PDF file to my kindle for easier reading. You can read it right from your computer or print it as well. Included in the PDF file are printables to help you plan your own personalized Circle Time plan that best fits your family.

I love how Kendra explains that no two Circle Times will be the same, each family has their own needs and goals, as well as different ages to work with. Even homeschools with just one student can benefit from Kendra's wisdom and experience.

The e-book sections include...

Introduction

Planning A Circle Time That Works For You

Strategies for A Peaceful Time Together

How To Get Your Kids On Board

Words of Wisdom From Other Moms

Resources, Activities & Ideas

Printables

A Final Word

The Preschoolers and Peace blog has even more ideas and posts related to Circle Time, I have enjoyed reading many of her posts and finding ideas that could work for our own schoolroom.

 Although its summertime we have still been having light school days here. It was the perfect time to try out Circle Time with the kids. Some of the things we have done during our circle time include...

Bible Study
Learning the Books of the Bible
Reviewing our year of Geography through games
Praying together
Reviewing math facts
Reading aloud a chapter from a book
Reading picture books
Drawing together and making cards
Science experiments

When we start our regular school year this list will look different, and that is the beauty of circle time, you can make it anything you want to, there are no set rules. You dont even have to call it circle time!

If you have been desiring a way to bring your kids all together at least once a day and accomplish more by doing some subjects together I highly recommend reading Circle Time and using the ideas to build your own circle time, it really can be the best part of your homeschool day!