Wandering through life one season at a time
The TOS Homeschool Crew is setting sail on a new adventure – the BLOG CRUISE.
The Blog Cruise is a new carnival about homeschooling that is being hosted on the Crew blog, and Facebook fan page. Each week will have a new topic/question and Crew members will answer the questions on their blogs. The new topic will be posted each Tuesday.
This week’s topic was:
Keyboarding for the Christian School reminds me of my word processing class in high school. The touch-typing lessons are quick & simple, with lots of drillwork. Lessons are made to be printed out and placed by the computer to learn the necessary skill of transferring information from paper to a computer.
Lessons include:
You can view sample lessons HERE.
Keyboarding for the Christian School, Elementary Version, offers keyboarding basics for grades K-5. Both versions use Bible verses in the practice exercises.
My kids like the flashiness of the free online typing programs like Dance Mat Typing, but those have only taught them letter placement and speed. Christian Keyboarding offers effective and practical lessons for real life. I think it is important for my kids to learn these skills before heading out into the “real world”.
The Nitty Gritty:
Value: This is a very effective program for very little money.
See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Christian Keyboarding!
I received these programs free for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was given.
Unlike many of my Crew Mates, no one in my family has any guitar experience. We eagerly awaited the arrival of our Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class. Jean has a Master’s in Guitar Performance from USC and I think she is a wonderful teacher!
The only problem we ran into was in the Tuning the Guitar section. She gave very clear instructions on how to tell if a guitar is in tune, but did not demonstrate how to tune it.
You can watch the first lesson HERE. There is also a Worship Guitar for Kids.
The Nitty Gritty:
Things I Like:
Value: This is a fantastic value compared to traditional guitar lessons.
See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Worship Guitar Class!
I received a free dvd and book for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was given.
Most of you know by now that I hoard collect educational links. I even started another blog to house them. (The poor thing has been neglected over the holidays.)
I used to have a fantastic memory, but it went to the bathroom to powder its nose when I had my first child … and never returned! Because of this, there are a few free online tools that I use when planning our school activities.
~Google Reader There are several different feed readers out there but Google Reader is my favorite. I can tell at a glance which of the blogs that I follow have new posts. There are so many great ideas in Bloggyworld, but it would take forever to visit each blog just to see if there are any new posts. Here are a few of the lovely websites in my Google Reader:
~Delicious Once I find an article or idea that I like, I save it as a bookmark through Delicious. I have a little tag button in my toolbar that lets me easily bookmark a link. My links are all sorted by category tags that I assign.
Sometimes I run across an idea that I definitely want to use later in the year. In addition to my regular categories, I will also label it 2010. That way, when Christmas rolls around and I am browsing my Christmas links, I will remember that I want to study Christmas Around the World. Or in late September, when I am browsing my Autumn links, I will remember that I want to make a leaf mural to decorate our home.
Another benefit to Delicious is that I can search other members’ tags by clicking on one of my tags. I love browsing through a category like filefoldergames to see what links other people are saving.
One last great use: create an online cookbook. I have 554 recipes saved and sorted into categories, all with the click of a finger.
~Zoho Notebook I was in need of a way to organize all of this info into lesson plans when I stumbled across this post at PreKinders several months ago. Zoho notebook turned out to be a perfect fit for me!
I set up a new book every month and have several pages in each. September had a page for apple links, a page for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activities, and a page for the first week of school. December had a different page for each of the symbols we studied. My newest book is for a Writing Station that I am setting up next week. (I’ll be posting on that when I get it done!)
Zoho has a big list of applications that I’m sure would be useful if I ever find the time to figure them out.
So there you have it, my brain-in-a-post.
What clever methods do you use to help you remember?
[Ok, hands up, how many of you are still singing ‘Pinky & The Brain, Pinky & The Brain …. one is a genius, the other’s insane.’ ?]
We received a copy of The Tortoise and the Hare from Maestro Classics. The story is beautifully narrated and the music is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Even the case is very appealing with its bright colors and adorable illustrations. The narrator’s voice really impressed me. So often recorded voices sound dull & flat, but his is pleasant and clear.
We really enjoyed all of the little extras on this CD. In addition to listening to the story & musical score, there is some background information and a fun little sing-along. A 24-page activity book is included to further the learning experience. You can listen to a sample HERE.
I think The Tortoise and the Hare is best for the younger crowd – I would say kindergarten & down. We are interested in hearing The Story of Swan Lake or Peter and the Wolf. There are seven titles in all.
The Nitty Gritty:
Value: This is a high-quality product that can be enjoyed by your family for years to come.
See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Maestro Classics!
I received a free copy for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was given.
