Teaching This Year

I know it may not be super interesting to some, but I am posting my outline to teaching my boys this year.  Warning:  Super long post...sorry.

It helps me keep track, and maybe it might help ideas for you, or something.  :) (the links are for your reference, not because I make money from them...because I don't.)

Grade 9: My Oldest

English

• Book study - The Hiding Place, My Mothers Secret, "Fake" Holocaust links (1 & 2)                  - Compare and contrast with opinion on what really happened.  Maybe watch a movie like Schindler's List After.
  -Beowulf or The Last of the Mohican's 
• Vocabulary Book C (BJU) - Bi-weekly
• Wordsmith Craftsman - Weekly
• Daily Grams - Daily
• Reading Detective - Weekly
  - Stop & Jot
  - Photo of the day for storytelling/creative writing - weekly on blog
  - 7 Steps to a Perfect story, then write me a story.
• Spelling Bee - weekly (use the 100 words for HS)
• Journaling on blog - at least weekly

Math

• Teaching Textbooks

Typing

• Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

Misc "Home" Skills

• Money Management for teens - bi-weekly

Art

• Once weekly art class with co-op
• 52 weeks of drawing prompts
  OR
• Drawing Lab

Science

• Once weekly class with co-op (I am teaching)

Home Ec

• Once weekly class with co-op (I am teaching a year long in depth cooking class)

History

• Once weekly class with co-op (they are doing story of the world)

Phys Ed

• Twice weekly class with co-op

"Extra's"

• Thursday School with our school board (they go all day to learn what our teachers have prepared once per week.  This gets the hours with the board to qualify for "teacher led" even though it is 100% me leading the rest of the week)
• Piano lessons once weekly

Grade 7: My Middle  (all links that are the same book have been left out)

English

• Book Study - Treasure Island
  - Chains OR Fever 1793 
  - Door in the Wall OR Farmer Boy
• Wordsmith Craftsman - weekly
• Reading Detective - weekly
• Apples - bi-weekly
• Daily Grams - daily
  - Photo for storytelling/creative writing on blog - weekly
  - 7 steps to the perfect story - then write me a story
  - Newspaper Generator - to use for a weekly newspaper for a month, reporting whatever he feels the need to report on! 
• Vocabulary A - weekly
• Journaling on blog - weekly at least
• Spelling Bee - weekly

Math

• Teaching Textbooks

Typing

• Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

Misc "Home" skills

• Money Management for teens

Art (my son who loves art, will be doing some extra art things)

• Once weekly class with co-op
• 52 weeks of drawing prompts
  OR
• Drawing Lab book
  - Draw in Faces
  - Comic book printable
  - Foam Armor
• Creating a Masterpiece

Science, History, Home Ec, & Phys Ed

• Once weekly class with co-op

Extra's

• Thursday School
• Guitar Lessons once weekly

Grade 3: My Baby (again, all links that repeat are missing)

English

• Book Study - Frog & Toad Together
  -The Mouse and the Motorcycle
• BOB books 
• Kids Kit Magnets for storytelling
• Story Teller Magnets for storytelling
  - Photo of the day for story telling - weekly on blog
  - "I am as..." starters for teaching similies and metaphors
• Reading Detective
• Daily Spelling 
• Journaling on blog - weekly
• Spelling Bee - weekly

Math

• Teaching Textbooks

Typing

• Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

Art, Science, Home Ec, History, & Phys Ed

• Once weekly class with co-op

Extra's

• Thursday School
• Piano lessons once weekly

So, there is my plan.  I hope it all works out.  I have ordered a tonne of things from this new company that I found.  They will direct bill to my school board so it does not come out of pocket for me.  I kind of got out of control, but there were so many new things I thought would be fun to try, plus after schooling for so long, I am running out of things to spend my funding on.  :)  Just kidding, but it is getting kind of that way.  We end up spending the last thousand or $600 on books or something at the end of the year.

What are your plans?  What do you think I should include?  

Are you excited for school?  I am so excited to gear up for this year.  I can hardly wait!

Cheers 

Book Talk Tuesday - Eragon

Am I the only person in the world that hadn't read these till recently?!

My oldest son started them a few years ago...like 7 or so and put it down and declared it "stupid".  I gave away my copies and forgot about them.  Then last year at a book sale I picked up a paperback copy for 5 cents!  Score.

This weekend I read the first one.

I am sad that I waited this long to finally read them. 

I watched the movie many years ago and thought I didn't want to read the book.  Mistake. 

I should know better that the movies are almost always crap compared to the book...but sometimes I have to be reminded.

I have a dragon/fantasy lover in my house.  This book is right up his ally.  In case you have one as well, here is a brief overview.

Eragon is out hunting one day when he is startled by an explosion near him.  In the center of the burnt section there was a beautiful blue stone.  Knowing that his family needed some sort of food, he took it with him in hopes of selling it for some meat.

A few days later when a dragon hatches out of that egg, he learns that he must choose to serve an evil man or fight for the freedom of his people from that man.

This is the story of that adventure.

I enjoyed the play of evil vs good.  The distinctions are made very clear and as he makes each decision you see how if he had made a different one, he would be serving that dark master he is fighting against. 

There are some fight scenes.  There is some blood, but it is not dwelt on.  If this is bothersome, skip the book.

My boys also enjoyed the small fact that the author was homeschooled and started writing this book when he was only 15.  He published it when he was just 19.  Great motivation for my boy who already wants to write something. 

I think this would interest boys the most, but I think a girl who enjoys adventure would also like the series.  Now because my son did try it before, I am sure that it is better for older readers.  My 11 yo is enjoying it now, so I would wait until they are a bit older.  It is a long read and rather detailed. 

This review is only for the first book as that is all I have read.

Book Talk Tuesday - Magyk, Flyte, Physik

By Angie Sage

One dark and wintry night, a woman goes into labor.  When her baby is born dead, her husband finds a baby in the snow at the same time.  The family raises her as their own but always feels as if they are missing that baby that died.  He was a seventh son of a seventh son.  Septimus is deeply missed.

I have only read two of the six so far available, but am hooked.  It is a great series. 

My second son (who was previously a very reluctant reader) has been devouring these books!  He has loved every single word and flies through them.  That right there has me picking up another each time I make it to the book store!  (and at only $10 for the paperback...it is a rather inexpensive book to buy)

There is a slightly different take on magic, and the words are spelled a little different also.  I am enjoying the fact that they are very explicit about the difference between good and evil.  They mention several times in each book how very damaging and soul stealing even the tiniest foray into the dark side could be and to stay very far away from such things.  I love the parallels between our lives and the things in our lives that can be drawn here.

I think that with the smaller words, and the non stop action in these books, it would captivate even the younger readers, so I am going to go with about Grade 3 (if they are strong readers) and up.  I also think that both girls and boys would enjoy this series.  There are strong leads in both sexes so there is someone to relate to for both.

I have seen that they are compared to an easier read than Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, so if you enjoyed these two series, and want something similar, this might be a good one to try.  (not having read HP and not finished LOTR yet, I am not a good judge, this is just what "they" say.)

And, if you like your kids to explore the online sites of games and maps and etc, the website is here.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Hobbit, A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver

This past summer (as all summers since we started homeschooling) I have been busy reading for school.  I really like to pre-read the books I am going to have my boys read as school assignments, so that means reading many books over the summer to find those ones that we will be using. 

 

Here are three such books.  I still don't have a definite on all the books we will be using, but the Hobbit is one that is for sure. 

 

From the flap:

"Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling any further than his pantry or his cellar.  But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure.  They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.  Bilbo is most reluctant to take part in this quest, but he surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar!"

I figured it was high time for me to read a book that was considered a "classic".  With the movie coming out, I wanted my boys to read it, then we would let them see it in December....maybe, provided it was rated appropriately to our family standards.

I struggled the whole way through this book.

I don't read books like this often, and when I do, I take a long time to read them as the language is not at all the type I am used to.  This excited me.  I want to stretch my brain and gather books like this and read them all.

I love the descriptive way Tolkien writes.  He describes things so vividly and totally different than normal so you have a whole new take on the thing he is describing.

I think, with the difficult language in the book, that this would be more appropriate for older readers.  (Grade 6 or so?) There are some rather large words, and if your child is used to reading today's literature, some difficult passages.  I think that both girls and boys would enjoy the adventure though.

From the back of the book:

"It was a dark and story night.  Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure-one that will threaten their lives and our universe."

Again, this book is written in a different style that I am not used to.  I loved it.

The thing I loved the most about the book is the blatant reference to Jesus, God, and Satan.  The "good" things are attributed to God and the "bad, black" things are Satan's. 

I even found reference to the war in heaven.  Satan wants to take away the agency of the world he occupies and will make a perfect world where everyone is totally free of making choices.  He says they are all happy. 

I thought that it was interesting for an author to so blatantly add her religious views in a book.  That happens rarely and it was exciting for me to find.

The writing style is a bit more difficult than regular books, but a little easier than the Hobbit above.  I would say this would be for an experienced reader and older.  (Grade 4 and up?)   I think that both boys and girls would enjoy this adventure.

From the back of the book:

"Jonas's world is perfect.  Everything is under control.  There is not war or fear or pain.  There are not choices.  Every person is assigned a role in the Community. 
When Jonas turns twelve, he is singles out to receive special training from The Giver.  The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life.  Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth.  There is no turning back."

This was an interesting read. 

I found that many of the more popular distopian novels that are cropping out seemed to have taken many of their ideals for their new societies from this book, but that is where the similarity ends.  While things are different here, the violence in today's books is lacking in this one.  That made me happy.

I have been trying to find a book like this for a while that I can let my children read, that produces discussion such as this, and I think I may have found it. 

I was also thankful that I didn't have to read so much of the garbage that is in today's novels. 

I think that because of the issues in this short novel, you would want a more mature reader.  I am thinking around Grade 6 for age appropriateness.  I also think that although the main character is male, both boys and girls would enjoy this book.

I would love to hear about your opinions.  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think of them.  Apparently they are rather controversial and are on some lists of books not to read.  What did you think of them?

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Humming Room

Roo hides.  When her parents are killed, Roo is hiding and she thinks that is what saved her.

Roo hears the earth.  During the quiet of her hiding she puts her ear to the earth and can hear the life inside.

Roo is friendless.  Being the kind of girl she is, she does not attract friends.

Roo finds out that she has a wealthy uncle who lives on an island in the middle of nowhere.  That is when her life changes for the better.

This book is inspired by The Secret Garden.  I could see shades of it inside but those who haven't, won't.

Being a really short book, it only took me a couple hours to read.  (and my oldest read it in almost the same amount of time)  It is a really easy read too.  It is very well written for the younger crowd, but still appeals to the older pre-teen/early young adults.

There is a cute little romantic side story, a thread of loving your difficult relations, a finding yourself through hard work and coming out of your shell, and a finding your joy and life.  So many different issues are addressed and worked into the story.

Although by the middle of the book, the story lines of the two books seem to be pretty much the same, this is a great book.  If you have read both, you will probably find this one to be rather predictable, but if you are starting off your children on a book with language a little easier to read and working your way up to The Secret Garden, this is a great place to start.  (although, I think it is great either way)

I think it would appeal to both boys and girls and probably Grade 4 to about Grade 8. (at the top end of the spectrum)  ...or even their mothers!

Cheers

Summer Links and Lists

This post is also appearing on Latter-Day Homeschooling today.

Are you having a great summer?!

I am.

My boys are busy working on their summer fun chart, interspersed with some other activities. 

I thought that for this links and lists I would give you some fun activities, that cost little or no money, to do with your kids.  These are great for the last min "Mom, I am sooooo bored.  What can I do?!" times in your children's lives!

Enjoy.

• Kids love being monsters right?  Just mine...I am sure it is not!  This is a great idea for those monsters to have big monster feet.  Walk in the sand or puddles.  Leave big monster feet prints behind.
• For my son's birthday this year he got a bow.  Since then my boys have been really excited about bows and shooting them, and even making them.  Here is a simple bow your (older) kids could make.
• Have you seen the baked cotton balls making their rounds?  My boys really want to try them, and we will as soon as it is not so stinkin hot out and I can turn my oven on!  They are practically free though so good fun.
• Are you lucky enough to have a sandbox?  If you are, my boys are jealous because they want to turn a sandbox into one of these mud boxes.  They think this would be so much fun.  (and I think girls like getting dirty just as much as boys do...at least I did!)
• I just picked up a pack of shower caps (12 for a dollar) for this fun activity.  Super fun with lots of kids or just two.
• If you have a few kids at your house and they are all bored, this would be super fast and easy to put together and I think it could keep them busy for a while.  I did a popcorn fight once and it was FOREVER to pop enough popcorn for a 20 min fight...worth it, but this activity seems a little less work to me.
• How about chalk?  Do you have some?  Water balloons?  I am sure you have both.  If you do, this activity looks like lots of fun.
• If you used paper plates, you could do this little man tea party on the super cheap.  My boys are obsessed with moustaches so this is right up their alley.  (Yes, even the big one!)
• And because I secretly long for the simple days of the pioneers, this whistle is right up our alley too.  I think if kids had a little patience it would be a very rewarding activity.
• Right now we live in a rental and spray painting our lawn is kind of forbidden...but as soon as we aren't, this is going to happen here.  What fun!
• OK, we did this last month and my boys had a blast.  I had to make a rule that no hands were involved for the big boys because they were just wrestling, but as soon as the hands were taken out of the equation, this was a BIG hit here. 
• Last year the biggest hit of all was our shaving cream war.  Serious fun here.  Cheap, but not free.
• Here are a couple other ideas that I had featured on my summer camp series on my blog this summer.

Have an awesome summer!

Cheers

Summer Camp - Using Your Noodle

When I first started discovering this wonderful new world of blogging a few years ago, the very first blog I ever started reading on a regular basis was Montserrat's.  Even now, over 4 years later, I still make time to read her blog as one of my "must read's".  Lucky for me, she has also become a dear friend.  She has wonderful ideas, a huge heart and is just one of the very nicest people you could ever "meet" in bloggy land. 

While waiting an exorbitantly long time at the orthodontist I browsed through a Family Fun Magazine and came upon a summer idea I KNEW my kids would love to do. See we live out in the middle of nowhere.



Yup, that's our farm surrounded by mountains and desert and sand dunes. The only chance my kids get to actually swim is if we drive 40 minutes to town or if their dad fills up our "redneck" swim tank. Recalling the article in the Family Fun Magazine we decided to use our pool noodles for something else.



Gather together six skinny pool noodles, two thick pool noodles {not pictured}, six toilet paper rolls cut from top to bottom, duct tape, and two 1/2 inch thick dowels {not pictured.



Take a toilet paper tube and roll it into a smaller, tighter tube. Stick half into the end of a noodle, bend the noodle into a circle and stick the other end over the toilet paper tube.



Tape closed with duct tape {it comes is so many fun colors and patterns now!}. Do this to all six smaller noodles.



Lay the six circles and two thick pool noodles out as pictured. Tape circles together where they touch and then to the end noodles.



As is it can be placed on the ground for part of an obstacle course.



Or tap the dowels into the ground and place the end noodles over it. Let 'em have at it trying to throw noodles or balls into the rings.



Think outside the box, use your noodle!

Super fun!  I am going to go get some noodles right now from the dollar store!  If you haven't read Montserrat's blog, go check it out.  You will be glad you did.

Cheers

Summer Camp - Simple Joys of Summer

A few years ago I got to exchange emails with a lovely woman.  Then this year I actually got to meet her!  Yahoo!  She has become a dear friend and I enjoy our association so very much.  Shauna is a homeschooling momma in BC.  With three young children to keep busy she was a natural for my series!

As I was thinking about this post, I was feeling quite overwhelmed with all the great ideas there are in Blogland and Pinterest for engaging and entertaining children through the summer. My mind was boggled. How do I find something unique that Jaime doesn't already have on her awesome list of summer activities that I got a sneak peek at in April? How do I pick just one? What will happen if I can't stop once I start on that path to finding the perfect project to feature? ( I can be a little crazy sometimes...)

Then, as I started looking back through our photos from last summer, I realized that often it is the simple things we do in the summer that are going to be the memories that my children carry through their adult lives. Sure, I remember the big trips we made to California and Wyoming but they don't cast a shadow over the memories I have of camping in the rain every summer or hanging out in the backyard with my siblings. So, instead of a post telling you how to do one of the amazing things I found online or of an amazing place you can visit, I reworked one of my favourite Primary songs to showcase some of the fun (and mostly free) things we did together last summer as a family. Do with it what you will...maybe it will inspire you to have some fun adventures with your kids or maybe it won't. However, it reminded me that sometimes the joy of summer is found in simplicity...it isn't about always jetting off to exotic locations or doing the amazing projects that I find online. Sometimes, the best thing about summer is just being together in a simple moment!

Shauna blogs a private blog, but her school blog is filled with wonderful ideas.  Check it out for more of her positive outlook and ideas.

Cheers

Summer Fun Reading Chart

Last year I saw a really cute little "bingo" type reading chart on a friend's blog.  She always has amazing ideas and I love her virtual space. (if you click on the bingo link she also has a great list of books) 

My boys did the reading chart and were all pleased with the new books they discovered.

This year as I was sort of loosely planning what we were going to do this summer, I asked my boys what they enjoyed most last year.  Of course they mentioned our Summer Fun Chart (which seems to look a little different each year!) and then they surprised me and said the summer reading chart.  Then they surprised me further and asked for another only with MORE books on it!  Knock me over with a feather!

This year I thought I would share with you what we are doing for our chart.  (and here is the chart just for you if you want it for your kids, just click on it for a bigger version)

There are 50 different words or phrases on this chart. 

The deal here is that they must cross off the ones they read.  For example, if they read a book like "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan, there are a few things they could cross off.  Pyramids, A Boy Hero, A Girl Hero, Action/Adventure, just to name a few.  The trick is that they have to cross it off on their own.  They can not ask me what I think the book is about.

They must eventually cross off all 50. 

I am letting them do this from Mid-June until the end of September.  Then I will let them pick a large prize if all three boys complete their charts.  Last year they were trying to earn a trampoline but one of them didn't finish his.  I extended the deadline and made it so they could cross off multiples for each book.  Hopefully they can all complete their charts.

I hope your kids enjoy it.  I tried to make it friendly for both girls and boys and to make it all age friendly so your elementary and your high school children could all use it.  (of course rules could be changed for each age group as well)

Rules could change for your family too.  If you want to have the complete 20 or something, or choose to have all the blue colored words...the choices are endless.  You don't have to reward your kids either.  Make it work for you.

Please let me know if your children enjoy it.  I would love your feedback.

Cheers

Update...Black and White Version is here

Summer Camp - Summer Fun Chart

To kick off this series of Summer Camp ideas, I thought I would start with something my boys love.  I really hope that you are all like me.  I hope that when summer comes, you try to find things to keep your kids occupied because they need to have something to do each day!

My boys love looking forward to summer though because that means that I make up our summer fun chart. 

For the past few years I have been printing out a list of activities, putting it in a cheap frame (think dollar store) and each time they do one, they cross it off with dry erase markers.  The beauty of having it in a frame is that I can just wipe it off.  Easy Peasy.

This year I thought I would get fancy and make all of you (who want one) a printable list as well.  Just click the photo for a larger one to print out.

Coming up these next few weeks, I have some wonderful guest posts.  These ladies have some really cool ideas for you to try out.  I will be posting summer camp ideas every Monday and Thursday.   Come check them out, and...

Enjoy summer!

Some of these things are just links to a photo, or an idea on Etsy and I figured I could totally do it (without buying them) I hope you will also find them useful.

Make a Catch a Ball             Learn How to Embroider (this is a link for 100 Stitches)
Learn How to Quill            Make a Tin Can Mug
Fishing Tackle Bracelets (for a more "manly" version leave off the beads)
Yarn Dolls                        Salad Spinner Art
Yarn Book Worm               Play Tent (with a hula hoop) and here is another one
Family Dolls (Nesting)          Monster Pillows
Take Close Up Photos (then make a simple book out of them)
Monster Page Corner Bookmarks
Marshmallow Popper           Monster Dolls
Baked Marbles                    Province/State String Art
Bag of Toy Soldiers             Make a Fork Ring
Make Tie Tacks/Earrings out of the end of a spent bullet casing
Make a Giant Flower            Make a Flower Press
Make Rock Candy                Make Rubber band Guns
Tiny Bubbles with straws        Bath Boats with Ice Cubes
Catapult with Popsicle Sticks  Frozen Treasure Dig
Water Hose Gun                   PVC Sprinkler
Flour Tag                            Glitter Balloons
Clay                                   Sumo Wrestle with Cushions
Drums out of Cans                   Fabric Bowls
PVC Periscope                     Superhero Masks
Jellybean Bracelets               Make a Jellyfish in a Bottle
Lip Straws                           Redneck Waterbed
Tape Ball                             Laser Tag with Balloons
Shaving Cream War               Popcorn War
Bubble Wrap Hopscotch         Pudding Painting

Cheers

Worth the Trip - House of Mystery, MT

While travelling through MT we found this little hole in the wall place that was amazing.

The Montana Vortex.

There were some amazing things we saw.  Let me tell you about them.

That house above was a really cool "playground" for us.  The vortex causes electrons to move about in a whirlpool type motion.  This causes some effects like distortions in the way you can stand (think twirling around on a merry-go-round), how tall you are, and how the trees grow. (there was also talk of auras and personal energy)

This yellow platform that my son is standing on is level.  He is not.  It is super hard to stand without tipping over.

There was a ladder standing straight up, when you gripped it and let your feet off the ground, it made you fly!

The trees were growing so funky.  Where the lines of the whirlpool were the strongest the trees grew the funkiest.

We had such a blast checking out the energy in the place.  We had never seen or been in a place like this before.  The tour guide was full of energy and information.  The tour was interesting and so much fun. 

For just over $30 it was a tour well worth taking.

Cheers

Kind of Creepy

The other day when cleaning out our hermit crab tank we found out that one of the ones we had gotten was dead.  Sometimes that happens. 

So, we couldn't leave Grandma Jenny alone.  We needed to get her a new playmate.

The one we chose was a decent sized little guy and was so friendly.  Sideways Bill had on a shell that was kind of funny as it was sideways when he walked around.  We thought it was fun to watch.

Well, today we caught Sideways Bill naked!

I could hear scratching and looked over to see him digging around.  It was kind of creepy looking.  He looked like a spider and I hate spiders.  They give me shivers.

I could see the white part behind him and thought it was his funny little sideways shell until he started digging his way out...

...then I figured out it was that he was missing a shell!

I gathered my boys and we all watched with fascination (and a little bit of grossed out on my part...because it is really creepy gross) as he crawled over to another slightly larger shell and put it on!

Gross but oh so fascinating!

Seriously they are amazing creatures. 

I am so excited that we have had this chance to study and observe them. 

My boys have looked up many things on these little creatures and watched a few videos.  We are now almost hermit crab experts!

Cheers

Floral Foam Carving

The other day for a field trip we travelled to a school art exhibit that happens here each year.  There were some amazingly talented young artists pieces displayed.

One thing that we really loved was the sculptures.

One of the kinds of sculptures that we saw were made out of floral foam.

I thought you might like to do them with your kiddies.  Mine loved it!

First you need some floral foam blocks.  I got mine in a pack of 6 from Michaels for only $5.  You could even make that cheaper by using your coupon. 

We experimented with a few different ways of carving.  Butter knives were great for cutting off large chunks.

I had an iTunes card that made a great tool for the finer details.

Their first sculptures took them about an hour and a half.  Their second was a bit longer as now they took care.  They knew what to expect with their carving tools and had a better idea of how to do it.

We will be doing this again.  They loved it.

Super cheap and easy.

Cheers

Lessons from the Tree House - Review

One awesome treehouse we saw at the Enchanted Forest in BC

A dear friend of mine keeps an eye out on the WWW for me.  She sends me links that she thinks I would enjoy and we have a great little email friendship going.

The other day she sent me a link to this page.  I was excited as I checked out this lady's two e-books that she was offering.  It seemed it was right up my alley.

I mentioned in a post a few months ago about my math/practical gardening lesson I was teaching my boys.  I also had a post about some of the catalogues I order each year.

Take these two things, add them together and you have a perfect mixture to want Carol's e-book on Lessons from the Seed Catalog. 

Then I saw that she had another called Lessons from the Hen House.  HEY, I want chickens!  So I clicked on over and checked that one out as well.

If you are anything like me and you love what you see, you go checking to see if there is more...

...so I found her blog.

Then I read an announcement that her next installment called Lessons from a Tree house was coming out soon and she needed some people to "test" it out.  Hummmm, check out something that I already think looks awesome, or not...tough decision right?!

I got my copy and sat down right away to read it.

It is simply amazing.

I am totally in love. 

In it there are three sections, the design stage, the building stage and the enjoyment stage.

Each section includes many wonderful activities to do with different suggestions for each age group.  For example: In the Design stage she suggests  to draw up your plans.  Under that there is a breakdown for older children (Using a computer aided drafting program) and younger children (drawing by hand).  This takes all the thinking out for me.  I often want to have my older two do something and am left floundering as I try to think of an easy way for my youngest to also be involved.

At the end of the e-book you will have a completed tree house.  How cool is that?!

Just in case I was totally out to lunch in the "knowing what kids like" department, I checked with my boys, reading a few things to them and asked them if it sounded like something they wanted to do.

My oldest was particularly excited about the research that she encourages in the book.  He wants to go to a garden center and check out the trees.  My second son was especially excited about the design phase.  He even went so far as to ask me if we might use some of our funding for buying a drafting program for him.

I am excited to implement a few of the ideas now, and then when we finally have a place to call our own, let them have a few months of just learning in this new hands on sort of way.

Cheers

Disclaimer:  I was provided with a free copy of all three e-books for my review of this new Lessons from a tree house.  No matter what my opinions were, I was able to keep all of the lessons.  All opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced by the author of the e-books.

Book Talk Tuesday - Human Footprint

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway HERE.  It closes on Sunday night. 

Human Footprint.  Full of photos of images from space of the way humans have shaped the planet.

I picked up this GIANT book the other day (at the urging of my children).  We totally are using funding for it!  Let me take you on a mini tour of why you may need to run to your Local Costco and pick one up.  (for just under $30)

Huge beautiful photos.  The book is just over a foot and a half tall and so when it is open, the pictures are huge.

You can even see tiny details like the Eiffel Tower (not tiny, but looks like it in the pic) and the little cars and trucks driving down the road.

My boys have been pouring over the amazing pages in this book.  We have had some interesting discussions about population density, mining and the tole it takes on the earth, the structure of different countries, the difference between "industrialized" and not, and more.

Each page is numbered, the back of the book has the numbers and a very brief description of the photo, with a dot on the map of the location. 

The book has been translated into quite a few different languages as well, so if you don't speak English, or would prefer to read it in French, then you can!

This has been a really great addition to our home library. 

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Mortal Instruments

By: Cassandra Clare

Clary goes to her favorite all ages club with her best friend and that is where she encounters three teenagers painted with strange markings.  When they kill another teenager, she knows she must step in. 

This is a series of four books (it says three, but I just found book four.) and I have only read two of them, just be aware of this as you read.  If you choose to read all of them, and the last two don't fit with this review, just know that I haven't read them yet.  :)

This series is not a new idea.  There are guardians that watch over our world, Shadowhunters.  They protect us from Demons and other "Downworlders".  They keep order and police the downworlders, killing when necessary. 

There are all the usual suspects, Vampires, Werewolves, Faeries, Demons and Evil bad guys.  There are also the "Good Guys".  Evil fights with Good, and the war ensues.

Simple enough.

Why did I read two of them so far?

I enjoy fantasy.  I enjoy the good vs evil, and these books are pretty clean.  I like that. 

There is almost no language in both books total.  (I say almost, because I can't remember any, but there may have been a couple I don't remember or didn't catch)  There is little in the way of sensuality.  I was a bit bothered by the fact that the main character is 15 and falls in love at that age as well.  I know that she is supposed to be older in maturity and experience, but 15?!  But, I did enjoy the little romance in the book and it is tasteful, there is no sex and only some kissing, not heavy and nasty like some YA books (and adult) seem to think I want to read.  There is violence, but it is not gory. 

I did enjoy the writing.  I enjoyed the little fantasy and romantic story.  I also enjoyed the non-stop action.  That being said, this book is not for everyone. 

I think this would be most appropriate and enjoyed most by girls in their late teens or older.

I almost didn't read them because they are endorsed by Stephanie Myer, but this might be a draw for some.

Let me know if you read them or enjoyed them. 

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Eleventh Plague

I haven't done a teen book here for a while.  This is for two reasons.  One, I haven't been reading very many YA books lately.  And Two, the ones I have read I haven't been a big fan of it...so didn't review it here.  This one was worth a review though because it was one that didn't make me give up halfway through and put it down for some reason. (what better reason to review it than it didn't bore me or make me want to puke with the stuff in it!)

By Jeff Hirsch

After the collapse, there was a new version of the flu released by the Chinese that killed almost everyone in North America.  Stephan's family is living in this new society.  Stephen himself only wishes he could have a home, but instead his family makes their living scavenging.  When Stephen meets a Chinese girl named Jenny, his whole world changes.

The premise is really interesting in this book. 

I enjoyed the book, mostly.  There is an absence of the "big three" (sex, nudity and mostly violence) but it still didn't do it for me.

I guess I am getting tired of all the doom and gloom, last-days are going to suck books. 

This book is actually different in the fact that Stephen tries so hard to be upbeat and positive in his outlook.  He lives with hope that the world will be better. He thinks it won't, but he lives in hope that it will be.  There is even a little of the positive in the ending.  It doesn't end with a big bad ending, it is a nice one that is almost even happy.

I think that if your kids are into The Hunger Games, or similar distopian novels, this one will be a nice change.  It is still in a similar genera, but a little happier.  I think it would be most enjoyed by the 12 to 15 year old crowd.  This is a very strong male protagonist, so I think even boys would enjoy it.

Cheers

Field Trip: The Gault Museum - Lethbridge, Alberta

As I stated before, we are suckers for a museum.  We pretty much go to one in every city we are in.  I did wonder why we had never been to the museum in Lethbridge, as we use to live there.  BUT we drove up and I realized we had...it was just over 6 years ago when my oldest was in Kindergarten! 

It was a fun little museum though.

There was an "Airplane" that took you on a tour over Southern Alberta.  It showed you the major sites and told a little about each one.

Of course there was a buffalo.  This one was standing on a map of Southern Alberta with a button you could push with information all about how the plains used to be teeming with buffalo, and where they ended up.

There was a little section devoted to toys.  It was fun to tell the boys that most of them I remember from my childhood. 

Inside the toy section, it had a fun little "dress-up" box.  It was full of hats.  We struggle not putting things on, even as we are old...like me, so we had fun in this section.  (this little man would NOT look at my camera!  Stinkin kid!  Can you tell he is like, "Oh Mom, seriously?  ANOTHER picture?!")

Inside this teepee, there was a meeting area you could sit and watch a presentation about the Native Americans.  There was also a huge drum you could play on.  We enjoyed drumming it.

Out in the lobby there was a HUGE snakes and ladders game with a GIANT foam dice.  Snakes and Ladders is not our favorite game, but HUGE like this makes it so much fun!  Of course the big boys were not impressed that my baby won!

And I leave you with one of the signs that really struck me as we were in there:

All too often we struggle with doing this.  It is so easy to just stay inside, but outside is so much fun and so much better for you.  (just remember your sunscreen, even here in the winter) 

We enjoyed the trip.  If you are in Lethbridge, this little museum is worth the $12 admission fee (for a family).  It will only take you about an hour, but has some fun stuff worth seeing in there.

Cheers