Saturday, September 24, 2011
Apple Picking 2011
We went for our annual large apple picking trip today. In much less than hour we were able to pick over 100 lbs of apples. Everyone had a great time. It's sometimes humorous to watch some of the other folks out at the orchards with us. They sometimes provide a bit of entertainment. Then again, based on the number of times we are asked about our family, I have a feeling we provide a bit of entertainment as well. Now we begin the task of making applesauce, apple butter, pie filling and apple jelly.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Visual Latin
We've been struggling with finding a program to teach the kids Latin that was both easy to use for us and interesting for the kids. It's been a struggle. Since both Alan and myself lack any experience in Latin, it's been a bit hard to teach. German or Spanish I can safely say could be managed with no struggle. Latin, well, there's a struggle. And teaching Latin to children who would rather be outside rather than learning a language they will only hear in church and then only on those rare special Sundays is even more of a struggle.
The Visual Latin program has seriously changed all of this for our family. When I received the first DVD, I was not yet sure which child I was going to select to work with me. I decided on Sean since he was sitting alone in the living room when I was ready to pop the DVD in. To say he was not happy is putting it mildly. But after doing just a few lessons, he has asked that we abandon the Latin program we've been using and switch to Visual Latin instead. I kind of view this as high praise.
The Visual Latin program is a DVD based program. There are no books to go along with the program but there are plenty of worksheets to print instead. Each lesson is broken into 3 small parts. You watch a short video section and then do the corresponding worksheet. Starting with the first lesson, the student is translating short paragraphs from Latin into English.
Because the program is DVD based, it is a one-time purchase for your family. This keeps the program very affordable for those with large families. All of the worksheets, flashcards and assorted resources are available for download from the Visual Latin website.
The teacher in this program keeps the students engaged. His presentation is very down to earth and humorous. The short lessons are easy to absorb without being overwhelming. After 3 lessons, my son who previously said he could not understand any Latin is now able to translate sentences.
I would say the only negative I can see with this program so far is that the worksheets are not available in an already printed workbook format. Yes, the downloads keep things more affordable. But there are times when I've been known to run out of printer ink in the middle of the day or a child needs something printed when I am busy feeding the baby. I honestly prefer whenever possible to have the worksheets already available for the kids in a format that keeps them from wandering around the house. It's easy to loose a single printed page around here. Yes, I can use a hole punch and put them in a binder but when I'm pressed for time those things just don't always happen. So I would love to see a workbook option available in the future.
If you are interested in the Visual Latin program, be sure to request a free homeschool catalog from Timberdoodle today. You can also find resources for teaching many other foreign languages to your students.
As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of Visual Latin in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.
The Visual Latin program has seriously changed all of this for our family. When I received the first DVD, I was not yet sure which child I was going to select to work with me. I decided on Sean since he was sitting alone in the living room when I was ready to pop the DVD in. To say he was not happy is putting it mildly. But after doing just a few lessons, he has asked that we abandon the Latin program we've been using and switch to Visual Latin instead. I kind of view this as high praise.
I would say the only negative I can see with this program so far is that the worksheets are not available in an already printed workbook format. Yes, the downloads keep things more affordable. But there are times when I've been known to run out of printer ink in the middle of the day or a child needs something printed when I am busy feeding the baby. I honestly prefer whenever possible to have the worksheets already available for the kids in a format that keeps them from wandering around the house. It's easy to loose a single printed page around here. Yes, I can use a hole punch and put them in a binder but when I'm pressed for time those things just don't always happen. So I would love to see a workbook option available in the future.
If you are interested in the Visual Latin program, be sure to request a free homeschool catalog from Timberdoodle today. You can also find resources for teaching many other foreign languages to your students.
As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of Visual Latin in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.
Monday, September 19, 2011
SpellingCity
I've been given a premium membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com for a candid, personal, online review.
VocabularySpellingCity.com helps students study word lists using 25 different learning activities such as Crossword Puzzle, HangMan, and Handwriting Worksheets. Parents can create their own spelling lists, find published lists already available on the site, or use any of dozens of free teaching resources such as sound-alike words, and contractions. Be sure to come back in three weeks to read about my experience.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Camp is Over
Camp is over for the year. The kids had a blast and I am tired. It's been a busy week and the younger 2 boys are going on 5 days straight of no nap. Yup, it's meltdown city around here because they just cannot function without naps.
The kids learned quite a bit and had a great time. Yesterday the older children had to be told they were not allowed to practice their fire starting skills in the backyard without adult supervision. Although I have to say it is totally awesome to see them start a fire without the use of matches. Very impressive.
While visiting the museum today with the younger kids, we found a dress for Abby to try on for a while. She was thrilled because she really wants a chance to dress up like her big sister.
The kids had a blast and I am very glad that we take the time to start each school year with such a wonderful experience. It might not be book work but I think they get so much out of the experience. I would have a very hard time duplicating these experiences at home.
The kids learned quite a bit and had a great time. Yesterday the older children had to be told they were not allowed to practice their fire starting skills in the backyard without adult supervision. Although I have to say it is totally awesome to see them start a fire without the use of matches. Very impressive.
While visiting the museum today with the younger kids, we found a dress for Abby to try on for a while. She was thrilled because she really wants a chance to dress up like her big sister.
The kids had a blast and I am very glad that we take the time to start each school year with such a wonderful experience. It might not be book work but I think they get so much out of the experience. I would have a very hard time duplicating these experiences at home.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A Day at the Park
We were looking for something to do out of the house on Saturday and decided against going to the free air show due to the chance of massive crowds. Turns out the crowds were huge so I'm glad we opted against it. Instead we headed to the park. Everyone had a great time and we hope to head back again soon.
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