Halloween 2016

This post is a little late, because I've had a very busy week. I was supposed to post this end of last week, but was distracted. We hung out with friends this Halloween. The girls all dressed up and went trick-or-treating together. We saw a few friends along the way and enjoyed the each other's company. Alyssa ended the night with a candy sort and treat. :)

Sweet Girls

Friends for Life

Let's Get This Party Started

Glad This Adorable Bee Didn't Sting Us

Candy Pile

Homeschool Review Crew: Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents from Homeschool Legacy

We've been reviewing one of the Once-a-Week Micro-Studies titled, Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents, from Homeschool Legacy to our weekly schedule to change up our routine. With the presidential elections around the corner, my daughter has been interested in learning more about all of the presidents and asking more thought-provoking questions. Cooking is also a skill I want my daughter to learn before she leaves home and is on her own. I thought it would be fun to review and learn about the founding presidents while practicing this skill. We received a digital copy of the micro-study via email from the author, Sharon Gibson, to review.

Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents is a 4-week micro-study consisting of 21-pages in PDF ebook format which means that Adobe Reader will be needed to view this document. This particular history study is suitable for children in 1st-8th grade, but can be used with your entire family with minor adjustments. Several subjects were integrated into this unit study.

Academic Subjects Addressed

• American History and Government
• Language Arts (Reading and Writing)
• Home Economics
• Practical Life Skills
• Internet Research

Topics Covered
Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents explores and introduces children to the history about the first four presidents of our nation, their spouses, character, personalities, politics, and their favorite foods which were usually desserts. One president is covered each week in addition to the first ladies.

• George and Martha Washington
• John and Abigail Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• James and Dolley Madison

All but one of the week's included a Did You Know section jam-packed with interesting factoids for historical buffs. This unit study addresses several influential men and great ladies who shaped our nation. Each section about a president included biographical information, a weekly supply list, educational links and videos, informative History and Government blurbs, a Language section, and a Cooking with the president section.

How We Used Homeschool Legacy
I downloaded the micro-unit study in PDF ebook format and saved it to my computer. I immediately printed out the weekly lessons and organized them in a 3-ring pocketed folder. My ink was running low so the unit cover is not as crisp and clear as I would like it to be.

I used Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents with Alyssa (Age 8) who works at a 3rd-5th grade level. The micro-unit study was utilized as an American history supplement. The study can be done once-a-week or spread throughout the week. We chose to spread the activities out throughout the week. We worked through the unit at least 3 or 4 times per week for approximately 20-30 minutes each session which worked great with our schedule. We continued using our regular core curriculum and easily added the study into our day. Alyssa and I completed the study in chronological order beginning with our first president, George Washington. A variety of activities were provided including coloring sheets, note taking, Internet research, reading, baking, and more.

Prior to starting the first week, we gathered all the necessary ingredients for the first recipe. We also visited the local library and checked out a few books related to George Washington. We returned to the library the next week to check out many more related books for the entire micro-study. The picture below only shows a very small collection of the books we read during the historical unit study. I adore the David Adler books.

Read Aloud Biographies

First, we read a picture book biography aloud or started a biographical chapter book we found at the library. My daughter also read several related topical books independently and reread books we read together. She was surprised to find out that several presidents started college at an early age and had real jobs. She thought it was sweet that James and Dolley Madison were buried side by side at their home in Montpelier, Virginia. Alyssa couldn't believe that Jefferson and Adams both died on the dame day which was July 4th. She also thought it was funny when Jefferson didn't tell anyone about his birthday, because he didn't want the country to celebrate it. She couldn't believe that girls weren't allowed to go to school after reading a book about Abigail Adams. These were all findings after reading additional books about the presidents and their wives.

Then, we clicked on the embedded links throughout the micro-study to learn more about the president or the History and Government during his presidency. I read aloud the informative blurbs and my daughter read them a second time. I gave her some time to reread the information and conduct an independent research study using the embedded links as a starting point for rabbit trails. In the photos below, Alyssa was learning about Adams. The color page also includes information about the president.

Researching John Adams

Coloring John Adams

We first learned about George Washington and the a fact that his favorite dessert was a cherry pie. My daughter took charge in the kitchen and made two cherry pies. We used cherry pie filling instead of real cherries to save money. We added the other  listed ingredients such as sugar, tapioca pudding, butter, cinnamon, almond extract, and nutmeg to the pie filling. It tasted good, but the crust didn't bake properly. Even though I covered it for her, the middle tasted doughy and the edges were burnt. A link to a homemade cherry pie recipe was offered in the study.

One of the embedded links led Alyssa to a cartoon drawing activity. Drawing is one of her favorite hobbies. This video helped her create an image that looked like George Washington. My daughter also listed the first president's precedents on a piece of notebook paper. We may need to further discuss this topic.

Alyssa's favorite part of the micro-unit study was the hands-on baking and cooking experiences. Even if the recipes don't turn out exactly how we want them to, we enjoy spending time together in the kitchen. She is becoming more and more independent and taking on harder kitchen tasks as the years progress. She made the cherry pies pie herself. I only handled oven.

Washington's Cherry Pie

The most interesting fact she read about John Adams was that he owned a pet alligator. This factoid inspired her to research presidential pets online. We found a book through the InterLibrary Loan System to request. My daughter also wrote a friendly letter to a loved ones expressing her love towards them. John and Abigail shared a special love. Writing love letters was one way they communicated while he was gone in order to keep their love alive.

Then, we learned about John and Abigail Adams who were the first presidential couple to live in the White House. We  attempted to bake an apple pie. However, we had a bad experience with our Apple Pie Dowdy when studying James Adams. This was our first time ever making an apple pie. We used apples that were sweet and extremely juicy so our pie was extremely runny. Apparently, you are supposed to use tart apples. Our apples also must have been much larger than those used in the recipe. The recipe didn't indicate a size or type of apple to use. My daughter still thought the pie was delicious, because the apples were soft and soaked in the liquid and spices.

While studying Thomas Jefferson's presidential and historical background information, we learned that he was  a widow when during his presidential terms. She also found out that Jefferson owned 2 cub grizzly bears and a pet mockingbird in the White House. Alyssa had the best time studying Thomas Jefferson. The Macaroni and Cheese was a huge hit with us. It was super cheesy, moist, and very filling. She said, "Out of all the recipes this one is my favorite and it tasted the best."

Mac and Cheese Cooking Process

Thomas Jefferson's Macaroni and Cheese

My daughter made a list of new words in order to practice neology like Jefferson did when he coined words for the dictionary. She visited many websites, but she found one to be particularly interactive. The website taught her about architecture and gave her the opportunity to build her own Monticello.

We're almost finished with the last president from this micro-study, James Madison. We'll complete the unit study either later today or on Monday. The only thing we have left to do is make Thomas Jefferson's Vanilla Ice Cream for this week's presidential favorite dish. Additionally, we will read about how food was kept cold in the past using the chapter book, Farmer Boy. I am hoping to compare and contrast it to modern refrigeration today. We usually saved the recipes for late Friday afternoon. The dessert was served in the evening and the mac-n-cheese was served as part of our dinner one night. Although I will say that having us make Thomas Jefferson's Ice Cream during the James Madison portions confused both of us. I wish a different or second favorite food for James Madison was offered instead of using one for the third president. Alyssa thought that there was an error in the study. We will make and eat the ice cream for my birthday.

Learning About James Madison

What We Liked

• Favorite Food Recipes and Baking Experience
• Embedded Internet Links
• Short, Quick Sessions
• Excellent Coverage in a Short Amount of Time
• Teaches American History and Government
• Easily Added to Our Schedule
• Very Minimal Prep Work 

Possible Vendor Suggestions

1. Add the Book Lists Back - I miss the longer book lists as seen in the Once-a-Week Unit Studies even though our local library didn't always carry the books, they could access them through the InterLibrary Loan System. I always appreciated having a starting list of suggested books related to the topic. However, it is very easy to find related book using the Dewey Decimal System.
2. More embedded educational links especially for Government and History.
3. Add more hands-on projects, crafts, and recipes.
4. Printable recipes
5. Double check information for possible errors. I think that the comment about the "pet alligator" was possibly  incorrect. Everything we researched said it was a pet for the 6th president which was the son of John Adams (John Quincy Adams). I would also add the recipe ingredients so that they are easily accessible and printable. 
6. Add a Did You Know Section for James Madison
7. Are there plans for a complete President Unit Study?

Overall Thoughts and Opinions

I am thoroughly impressed with the History and Government coverage in this micro-study. I wasn't expecting so many events to be addressed, but I was pleased that Alyssa was exposed to topics such as the War of 1812, the Twelfth Amendment, the election of 1800, the Declaration of Independence, XYZ Affair, the Alien Sedition Act, the Embargo Act, political parties, and Mount Vernon and so much more. I also appreciated that vocabulary terms were linked enabling the students to discover the meaning of each word in the context of a sentence.

We also enjoyed reading the biographical living books. My daughter learned a lot about each president and was encouraged to further research historical topics in more depth in order to gain a better understanding. By focusing on one president at a time, she was able to retain the information better. It is a complete study for its purposes. I would aim more for exposure than mastery while allowing the child to slowly take in all the information.

Alyssa was begging to study another president. She asked if there was a study covering all of the presidents. We would love to see more cooking unit studies too. My daughter absolutely loved the baking and cooking activities! However, Alyssa was a little confused why Thomas Jefferson's vanilla ice cream was utilized for James Madison until I explained to her that he was one of the first individuals to write down an ice cream recipe. She preferred a new recipe specific to James Madison.

Price
Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents is reasonably priced at $12.00. This affordable price is comparable to other unit studies on the market. You can view a sample week on the website. She offers an assortment of history and science unit studies in her online store.

I also reviewed Homeschool Legacy's Christmas Comes to America, Revolutionary Ideas, and Birds of a Feather in the past. Click on the links above to read those reviews.

Note: All prices are subject to change without notice.

Recommendations
I highly recommend Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents as a supplement to any American History curriculum. Educators implementing an Eclectic, Charlotte Mason, or a Unit Study approach will benefit from using this micro-study. You have the added bonus that it serves as a mini baking or cooking class teaching practical life, math, and science skills. We are hoping to use the Once-a-Week Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims or the Many Nations Micro-Studies either this year or next year as supplements to our American History curricula. I really want to begin the Thanksgiving with Pilgrims before the holiday arrives. I already own several of Sharon's high quality Once-a-Week Unit Studies which I plan to use this year and next year.

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The Homeschool Review Crew reviewed several Homeschool Legacy Once-a-Week Unit Studies and Once-a-Week Micro-Unit Studies. Visit our blog to read about their experiences with these fun unit studies.

Halloween Monster Bash 2016

Our local library held a thrilling Halloween Monster Bash for the community. The new library was jam-packed with visitors from all over town. Games and activities were scattered throughout the inside of the building. There was also a costume contest. Alyssa didn't win the contest, but we enjoyed seeing several of our friends. Alyssa dressed up as Cleopatra.

Thank you for visiting! 

Homeschool Review Crew: Elementary Spanish 1 (Grades 3-5) from Middlebury Interactive Languages

Alyssa is having a blast with our new review product Elementary Spanish 1 (Grades 3-5) from Middlebury Interactive Languages. No background knowledge or prerequisites are needed to take this course. Middlebury Interactive Languages offers digital world language courses for four main languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, and German. We received access to the comprehensive course for a year. Their courses are semester-based and this specific course contains two semesters of content.

I chose to review one of the introductory Spanish Courses, because I wanted Alyssa to be able to communicate with people in our community. I also believe it is important for her to become bilingual, because it opens many opportunities and doors in the future. Furthermore, there are many other positive benefits to learning a second language. We both enjoy learning Spanish so it was easily added to our homeschool schedule. As you read this review, please click on the graphics to enlarge small images.

Middlebury Interactive Languages is an online foreign language learning program suitable for children in K-12th grade. The company implements an immersive learner-centered approach while exposing children to both language and culture. Their courses are divided into grade-based group ranges such as K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th with 11th-12th grade containing AP+ courses. The company emphasizes what they call the Five C's into their courses: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Community.

Children will improve their reading, writing (typing), speaking, and listening skills with this course. The lessons are taught using authentic stories based on culture, fun songs, educational games, and interactive activities. I was thoroughly impressed with the fact that a cultural component was added and that speaking was integrated into the curriculum. These two features are often rarely both found in an online course. Icons or symbols will be seen throughout the program. The orange audio icon allowed her to listen to the directions for each activity. The green audio symbol allowed her to listen to the Spanish word, phrase, or sentence. The red record icon button was available when recording activities were offered. In the screenshot below, she was practiced discussing foods she liked and didn't like using complete sentences. She would first listen to the sentence, and then record herself saying it. In the beginning, I would watch your children and make sure they are listening to the helpful audios first to improve pronunciation.

There are 16 units in the 3rd-5th grade Spanish Course two of which are built-in review units. Each review unit is divided into three units. Each review unit covers material from 1-3 units. Reminders are given to review content from specific units in preparation for a lesson. The other units cover basic theme-based vocabulary terms and simple expressions. Each unit consists of 6 lessons which are further broken down into 5-9 engaging activities. Look at the left-side of the screenshot below.

Unit Themes Covered

• Family
• Numbers
• Greetings
• Adjectives and Feelings
• Food 
• Community and Professions
• Body 
• Review
• Animals
• Colors
• Clothes
• Weather and Seasons
• School 
• Calendar
• Months
• Review

You will need a computer with a reliable Internet connection. Chrome is recommended as one of the preferred browsers. A headset with a mic is also recommended for the speaking lab portion of the course. Read about the Technical and System Requirements before making a purchase. The FAQ section may contain answers to your questions too. you will also need Adobe Reader and a printer if you want to print any of the unit materials provided to supplement the content.

How We Used Middlebury Interactive Languages
I used the Elementary Spanish 1 course designed for students in 3rd-5th grade from Middlebury Interactive Languages with my 8-year-old daughter, Alyssa. It was her core foreign language program. My daughter begged to use the Spanish course every day. However, we utilized it 3-5 times per week. Middlebury Interactive Languages recommends that a 3rd-5th grader work through the material at least 2-3 days per week. Alyssa usually covered 1-4 lessons per session. The lessons were quick. The amount of time for each learning session varied. I carved out 10-30 minutes for each daily session. She is moving through the course at her own individualized pace. She recently started Unit 6 and will most likely finish it later today. Alyssa is currently learning about the Community and different Professions. She called her father a "bombero" on a phone call the other day which brought a smile to my face. I'm glad that she shared words she learned with him and that it was related to his career.

Speaking Test: Community Professions

After receiving my password information, we logged into the program. We used Chrome as our preferred browser on a Mac OS X 10.9.5 which has a built-in microphone. We did NOT purchase a headset and didn't have any issues during recording labs. Even though my daughter could speak normally into the computer she constantly felt the need to sit on top of the screen. Kids are so funny! We authorized the use of the microphone during our class sessions which we was a very simple process beginning with a reminder prompt.

We received the Spanish Course without teacher support. My daughter has prior background knowledge and experience with the Spanish language and I have a degree in Spanish. Several units contained vocabulary that she already knew so we basically reviewed some of the material in more depth with this course. I was available and nearby to help her with pronunciation if needed. If I heard her say a Spanish word incorrectly, I would say the word in Spanish and encourage her to listen to the pronunciation again. I wanted Alyssa to have more exposure to the Spanish language which was met with this course. She'll work on mastery of the content this year.

I used the Gradebook feature to track Alyssa's scores and progress. Several activities such as quizzes and tests were automatically graded providing Alyssa with immediate feedback. One thing she had to remember to do at the end of each activity was to submit her answers in the top-right corner for credit.

Food 1and 2 Quiz

My daughter immediately started the program. I watched the first few activities while jotting down a few notes about the course. She completed the course independently. I was always nearby if she had any questions. She first clicked on the Welcome lesson which explained how to use the program features such as how to drag and drop, highlight, work in steps, and record. She also watched a welcome video. We had one problem during the review period. My account closed for some odd reason. I contacted customer service and they immediately resolved the issue. My daughter's scores and work was not lost.

Welcome Activities

There are three other features mentioned including Authentic Stories, Course Vocabulary, and Songs and Translations. The company offers access to English song translations for all of the songs, links to the traditional songs heard, and vocabulary lists with English translations in printable PDF format. I printed the vocabulary term lists for Alyssa so that she could create flash cards and play games using the unit vocabulary.

There was a new story for every unit and the material presented was related to the concept being taught. The first story we listened to completely in Spanish was called Heart of a Butterfly. Family words were seamlessly integrated throughout the story as characters. Alyssa would listen to the story and try to translate the story in her own words. During additional viewings she recognized key vocabulary words. Related story activities were provided to explore, practice, review, and test on vocabulary. The words were highlighted in red so that they would stand out yet still be in the context of a sentence.

One story we enjoyed was the Deer and the Turtle. My daughter made connections to the fable titled, The Hare and the Turtle. In this story, an arrogant Deer challenges the smaller forest animals to a race. Turtle was the only animal confident enough to stand up to Deer who laughed at her after accepting the challenge. Turtle outsmarted the Deer by waiting at the finish line and crossing over it when she heard Deer approaching. She tells Deer that she outsmarted him and didn't have to run the race. Deer learns a lesson and never teases the animals again. The stories captured her attention. She used contextual and visual clues to figure out the meaning of the story. After hearing the story for the last time, I asked Alyssa to narrate the story. Then, I opened up the English translation to compare her understanding to the meaning. Her translations were on target for the most part which amazes me. She understood the story better and with repeated viewings she clarified her understanding.

It became habit for us to watch the immersive story and song videos together. We both appreciated hearing the fascinating folktales, myths, and legends revealing aspects of the Spanish culture. The Legend of the Corn was my favorite so far. My daughter constantly called me in to hear her sing the catchy songs. I loved hearing her sing the Spanish songs while doing chores. The song, Los Diez Perritos, reinforced the Spanish numbers through 10. Pictures were utilized to facilitate learning. The song, Buenos Dias Su Señoría, reviews the profession vocabulary. Alyssa has the task of sequencing the professions based on the song presentation.

Sequencing Song Verses

The objectives were clearly stated as "I Can Statements" on a separate slide at the beginning of the unit. This let her know what was going to be covered and what to expect. I asked her to read the objectives aloud.

The course consists of a variety of activities including but NOT limited to matching, sequencing, highlighting, color pages, and multiple choice. The highlighting colors varied. In the screenshot below, "I like" or "I want" were highlighted green. This activity reminded Alyssa of another online highlighting program she uses. She enjoys searching for the key words.

Highlight Activity

Coloring Page

Multiple Choice Test: Numbers

Mini grammar lessons were scattered throughout the units. They were presented when you click on the light bulb. A speaking bubble pops up with a grammar teaching point such as masculine and feminine nouns as seen below. She read them aloud too.

What We Liked

• Gradebook Feature
• Interesting Stories Based on Spanish Culture
• Structured Layout with Well-Organized Slide Format
• Individualized Work Pace
• Built-In Review
• Course Independently Completed
• Variety of Interactive Exercise and Engaging Activities
• Effectively Teaches Spanish
• Kid and User-Friendly Navigation
• Age Appropriate Content
• Native Speaker Recordings
• Repetitive Nature and Exposure to Language
• Learning to Speak Phrases and Sentences
• Speaking Lab Sessions (Alyssa's Favorite Part)

Speaking Lab: Recording Location Phrases

Possible Vendor Suggestions

1. Separate Parent Dashboard
2. More Affordable Price for Yearly Subscriptions 
3. Option for Parent to Grade the Speaking Portions (not just leave comments)

Overall Thoughts and Results
This is an exceptional online foreign language course that I HIGHLY recommend for children in the elementary age range. My daughter absolutely LOVES her Spanish course! She took 130 screenshots to mark her favorite features or activities to share with me which I had to later delete off the computer.

She is retaining the course content in her long term memory and becoming more proficient as she progress through the sequenced lessons. Her confidence is soaring with this digitally-formatted program. She is also communicating in Spanish more frequently in real life and attempting to utilize the language in public. We were recently at a Mexican restaurant with our pastor and his family for Pastor Appreciation Day. My daughter was looking at the menu and was ecstatic when she recognized several of the Spanish words on the menu such as "almuerzo" and "desayuno." She started telling the words and their meanings to the other children at the table.

The Calendar in the top-left corner of the screen also allowed me to see Alyssa's progress through the course. The material that is completed is check marked or colored in green. The Calendar provides a daily sequence through the material, but your child can work at their own pace. Alyssa is currently ahead of that schedule and will mostly likely finish early. However, she will take time off during her Fall and Winter breaks. My daughter has no intentions of slowing down. Alyssa worked through the first 6 units with outstanding success. She looked forward to seeing her scores and participation grades after submitting her answers. We will continue using the Spanish course until it is completed or our subscription expires. If she completes the course early, then I will have her review the material.

I  wish we could afford to use the next course, but unfortunately as a single mom on a super tight budget this won't be possible. This was wonderful addition to our homeschool. It makes me sad, because I know there is no way we can continue using it in the future even though it was a perfect fit. I just can't justify the cost for an online yearly program especially when our CORE subject curricula costs less. Thankfully, your budget may differ and you can take advantage of this complete and comprehensive course!

Alyssa's Thoughts
"This was my favorite subject to do every day. I look forward to the lessons at the end of the day, because they are like a surprise or a mystery. I don't know what topic I am learning unless I peek ahead. I am learning Spanish in a fun way. I enjoyed recording myself during speaking lab and taking the quizzes. Sometimes I would act silly or tell my mom I love her during a recording, but the program lets me delete it and record the correct word or phrase up to 3 times. Recording was a neat feature! I felt like I was teaching the words to someone online. The stories were my top favorite and they have a new story for every unit. The songs about the ten dogs and the ducklings were funny too. My favorite unit was about the Community and Professions. I loved learning how to say the places in our community and the jobs in Spanish. I also learned about the Spanish culture like bull racing, Quinceañeras, and making tortillas. I want to continue using Middlebury Interactive Languages if possible."

Recommendations
I definitely recommend the Elementary Spanish 1 course for children in 3rd-5th grade to ALL homeschool families who can afford it. This program would also be beneficial to public school students in the classroom or as an at home course. This would be a great course for a child to work on after school as an independent study.

It effectively and successfully teaches Spanish using an immersive approach. Many learning styles are addressed, but the program will be especially useful for individuals with an audio or visual learning style preference. Children who prefer computer-based learning will appreciate this online homeschool foreign language study as well.

Price
Elementary Spanish 1 (Grades 3-5) costs $238 WITHOUT teacher support for BOTH semesters and $588 WITH teacher support for BOTH Semesters. One semester is 6 months and both semesters equals a year's worth of content. Visit the Grades 3-5 Collection to view other language courses suitable for children in 3rd-5th grade.

Note: All prices are subject to change without notice.

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Homeschool Review Crew reviewed several homeschool foreign language programs from Middlebury Interactive Languages. Visit the previous link to read about their varied experiences with different languages and grade levels.