Godspeed to You

Well, Sunday is not our usual field trip day, but while visiting with the Pastor after church, Hubby heard that the Godspeed was going to be docked nearby and that tours would be FREE!, so we made PBJ sandwiches and grabbed water at home, then set off for the pier.

We arrived close to the end of the afternoon when the crowds were thin, so we were able to ask a lot of homeschooler-ish questions. Have you noticed when you go to demonstrations and activities that people tend to know you're a homeschooler, without you telling them? It could be the denim skirts I and the girls are wearing, but that doesn't account for all the times they've picked up on it when I've worn something else. Instead, I am sure it is all of the very specific and endless questions. Once, Hubby and Tex went to a re-enactment and one of the "soldiers" remarked that he was so glad to talk to homeschoolers because the public school kids didn't even act very interested. That's sad.

In any case, that is the replica of the Godspeed, one of the three ships that sailed to Jamestown in 1607, in the background. It's the "middle" sized ship. The other two are the Discovery and the Susan Constant. All three ships are normally on display at Jamestown Settlement. Today, for a special event, the ship was docked closer to our house. Yay!

On December 26th, 1606, the three vessels left from England for Virginia, spending four months making the transatlantic voyage. This replica of the Godspeed was commissioned in 2006, is 88' long, has a mainmast height of 71'6", carries 2,420 square feet of sail, and a burden tonnage of 40 tons.

According to the costumed interpreters, there were 52 men aboard the Godspeed, all of whom made it to the end of the voyage, except one unfortunate gentleman.

Records tell us that the captain's name was Bartholemew Gosnold. Interpreters told us that there were  13 crew on this voyage and 39 passengers. On some voyages, the captain would act as the navigator, though I am not sure if that was done on the original voyage. This replica of the Godspeed has GPS and other modern tracking systems hiding in the binnacle on deck where they used to keep the compass, a lantern, etc.). 

Other than the Captain, positions on board would have been the Navigator (the man who charted their course, if not the Captain), the Bosun (in charge of all things rigging related), the Cook, the deck hands, and the Ship's Boy (the young man who would turn the half-hour glass and ring the ship's bell every thirty minutes so that people would know when they needed to come on for duty. Each crew member had to work four hours on and four off, so you'd hear the bell ring eight times before your shift was over). 

In the picture above, you can see Boo working the bilge pump, which is actually functional (though they do have electric ones in the cargo area...they have a microwave and full kitchen set up in the galley, too...posh living!) The re-enactors live on board the vessel when she is out of port. We could peek into their berthing area and it didn't look too bad. The gentleman we talked to pointed to his bed and it looked roomier than the rack Hubby used to have when he was on various submarines (more headroom and wider).

Above you can see Cowboy holding up one of the weighted lead lines that helped sailors figure out depth and bottom type. This would allow them to chart the safest course through unknown waters.

 This gentleman also explained the definitions and origins of nautical terminology such as fathom (six feet) and knot (one nautical mile per hour...they originally had an instrument called a traverse board (see above) which was attached to a large spool like contraption with rope. The rope had knots tied in it at regular intervals. When they wanted to know how fast they were going, they would toss out the traverse board and drag it behind the boat. Then they'd use the sand glass to measure time, and the rate at which the rope fed out and the number of knots that were showing when time was up indicated the number of "knots" of speed. Neat, huh? I hope I got that correct.) 

This is a backstaff used for measuring altitude of the sun by sighting the horizon...it helps you determine your course and location.

Here's Boo wishing someone would fire one of the small cannons on board. No such luck.

This astrolabe was used to determine position of heavenly bodies and to reckon time, before the invention of the sextant.

Here you see a compass, the glass sand timer, and the Chip Log (colorful board on the right). The Chip Board was used to keep track of your measurements over time so you would remain on course.

Here we are gazing in awe at the vast rigging on the ship, wondering how those deck hands possibly managed to hang on at all...especially while the ship was moving, and in possibly rough waters. This is when the camera's memory filled up, so alas, there is no photo of the rigging. 

But there's a picture below of the ship that gives you a good idea of how intimidating it would be to have to climb up top to the crow's nest and be the one on the lookout for land. Not for the faint at heart!

The Godspeed sails into New York Harbor.

Tomorrow the kids will get to color some printables that I found online and write a paragraph, some sentences, or a few words (depending on their level) about their experiences. They will also get to copy some of the vocabulary we learned into their copywork notebooks. 

All in all a great field trip...educational and fun!

Coloring page of the Virginia quarter featuring the Discovery, the Godspeed, and the Susan Constant.

Coloring page from Jamestown featuring the three vessels.

Coloring pages featuring several options for pirate ships...the ship looks very similar to the Godspeed and one of the activities is a customizable printing page. Just color over the one Jolly Rodger flag...it's tiny anyway.

One last simple ship coloring page. Again, pirate-y, matey, but it's easy to make that Jolly Rodger into a British Flag, me thinks...arrrr.

Here's a list of some of the vocabulary terms we heard:

backstaff

astrolabe

traverse board

knot

fathom

compass

sand glass 

chip log

cannon

rudder

tiller

binnacle

fore

aft 

bow

stern

deck

belowdecks

trim (the sails)

ship's log

captain

bosun

navigator

cook

galley

deck hand

forecastle

topsail

mizzen mast

hold

cabin

crew

course

aboard

hull

anchor

port

starboard

seagull

There are a lot more you can come up with, I am sure. 

I am going to let the littles choose their favorite ten to copy.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our field trip. We certainly had a great time on a beautiful day. We were very grateful for the kind folks who sponsored the trip and the attentive costumed interpreters. Thank you all!

Blessings,

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...The HEAV Convention...Tips for Having the Best Time Ever!

I know, you hear "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." and strains of the Christmas song sung by Andy Williams float through your mind. I do love Christmas, really, I do. It's the celebration of our Savior's birth and a time to be thankful for family and friends, and to be together and acknowledge all of the Lord's blessings. Alas, it is also a LOT of work when you are a mom, and sometimes it can feel a bit hectic and rushed. Ask me my favorite holiday, and I will still say Christmas, and then Easter, but ask me my favorite time of the year, and I will without hesitation say, "Homeschool Convention time!!"

In our state, our convention is in June. That's right at the end of the "school year" (though we often continue on through the summer with special projects and studies) and it's a great way to get a worn out mom and teacher re-energized to take on another year of home education. It's also always right around my birthday, so for me, it's kind of like the most awesome birthday party ever. 

I look forward to heading to our state's convention every year. I've been to conferences run by "the professionals" when I taught in the public school system, and I can without reservation tell you that our state home educator's convention puts anything they ever came up with to shame. I've lived in several other states and also attended other local conferences, but still, the HEAV convention ranks at the top of my "best things to do if you are a home educator" list. I have only missed a few of the conventions since I started attending them thirteen years ago, right after we made the decision to pull Bubba out of public school after third grade, and those were missed only because we lived twenty or so hours away and I was too pregnant to drive myself and the kids to attend. I bought the convention cds/tapes instead and have spent many wonderful hours listening to them. 

Actually, that is one of my top suggestions to folks who attend a big convention like ours: understand that you will NOT be able to attend every session that sounds good to you, so plan to buy the cds/mp3s. Getting everywhere you want to be just won't happen, no matter how organized you are. You will get "lost" in the vendor hall or at the used curriculum sale, or your kids will get wrapped up in the chess tournament, or you will find someone fascinating to talk to and then BAM! you will realize you just missed hearing Tammy Duby talk about GASP! Are You Leaving Gaps? in your home education, and you just KNOW you needed to hear that one. Or you will show up to hear Ken Ham talk about the importance of Genesis and the room will already be full. 

Here's my advice: Don't Panic. You can still get all that great information just by ordering the mp3 set while you are at the convention. It is usually a bit pricey, but it's cheaper to order while there than later AND it will remove the pressure from you to be everywhere you can't possibly be all at the same time. You will relax and enjoy yourself much more if you go ahead and order the set before you even attend the first keynote address. Really. I have learned so much over the years from listening to many years of archived talks. I never mind road tripping because it's not just travel...it's an educational opportunity. Even my kids have enjoyed many of the talks and we've had some excellent discussions because of speakers we've liked a lot, or ones we have not quite agreed with.

In any case, I thought that since my giveaway for one complimentary family pass for the Home Educators of Virginia Convention on June 6-8 is just around the corner (it runs from April 29 to May 3rd), I would re-post some tips (with a few new revisions) for attending a convention or curriculum fair. You really do need to make some preparations ahead of time in order to make the most of your time and truly enjoy yourself, especially if it is your first time going to a meeting as big as this one is.

Here are my top tips for making

 the most of your time at a

homeschool convention 

or curriculum fair:

1. Sign up early. Generally conventions offer "Early Bird" specials to members and those who will sign up before a certain date receive a substantial savings. If it is your state homeschooling organization's convention, you will receive a discount for being a member, and I've found that even though the membership fee to join may make your total price a bit higher, it's a good idea to support your state organization because they likely do quite a lot to support how you get to home educate. From helping sponsor bills to allow your kids to access sports activities in the public schools to defending your right to choose your own curriculum, they are a vital part of the freedom to choose home education. Plus, while you can generally sign up at the door and pay a higher fee, you will usually have to wait in a much longer line than those who pre-register, and you won't receive a specially printed-up name tag, either. ;-)

2. If you receive your local convention's emails or publication, then you've probably had an opportunity to check out the speakers and topics already. Mark the ones you are very interested in, maybe using a different color for different family members if more than one person is attending. It helps to plan who you will go see ahead of time, or you might find yourself in a long line to gather your convention tags and schedule with only a few minutes to decide where to head next. But then again, remember, if you purchase the mp3 set, you don't have to worry if you choose a talk that is less than what you hoped for. You can listen to something better later.

3. Make plans ahead of time for what to do with your children. If your husband is not attending, they can stay with him, but really, dad's need to go to conventions, too. Our HEAV Convention has quite a few sessions specially eared towards the men of the family, and since registration cost covers the family (one price for spouses and kids, and grandparents, too!), it's a great way for everyone to learn something and reap some of the rewards that come from homeschooling by seeing the many success stories and realizing that there are so many nice people out there who are walking a similar path. The children's programs at our convention cost extra per day and fill up fast, so early registration is advisable. 

Our convention has several teen programs which also carry an extra cost, but may be just the thing to light a fire for a summer filled with delight-directed learning. Nursing babies, and sometimes even young children, can accompany their mothers if you don't have child care planned, but please remember to plan ahead by taking a bag of quiet playthings and snacks to distract your children. 

Also, please, be courteous and leave a session if your child starts to fuss or even to make happy noises. Usually, sessions are being taped for those mp3 sets and too much noise can ruin them, not to mention the fact that even nice baby coos make it difficult for folks to focus on the speaker. Everyone in the session paid good money to be there, just like you, and they deserve to be able to get the most out of it possible. Sometimes, if you must step out to calm a baby, the session moderator will give you a coupon to get a copy of that session on disk. It never hurts to ask, just as it is better to err on the side of caution with keeping children in a session than to ruin it for everyone else. 

4. Plan where you will park and eat ahead of time. Our convention is in Richmond, VA and there is plentiful parking, but the closer you are to the convention center, the more costly the parking is. Some years there have been benefits to forking out $15 to park for one day, but others, we've driven farther and walked to only pay $5. Of course, Dad can always drop the family at the door, and do the walking alone...but whatever you do, you need to remember that if you keep a cooler of food in the car for lunch or want to drive somewhere to eat, you need to have that car close by, and tired kids at the end of the day will have a difficult time making a long trek back to a far away lot. It also helps to be closer if you plan to do a lot of shopping and will need to unload your bags from time to time. Also, ask around ahead of time if you plan to dine out. Lunchtime is usually the same time for everyone, so you could stand in very long lines if you don't plan ahead, especially if you get lost because you don't know where you are going.

5. Make sure your cell phones are charged and ready to go. Have a plan for where to meet up at certain times, just in case someone in your group can't be reached. You don't want to get stressed out by not being able to find someone from whom you got separated in the crush of onlookers at the Robotics demonstration. Make sure your phones are on vibrate so their ringing does not accidentally disrupt a taped session, please. If you are taking younger children with you, be sure they know to stay with their assigned "buddy" at all times. It might help to have them wear coordinating colors to make it easier to pick out your kids in a crowd, if you have a lot of them. It might sound a bit stereotypical, but it's really just practical.

5. If you are traveling a long distance to be there, you may want to find lodging nearby and stay overnight, at least on Friday night, if it is a two-night weekend conference. We've chosen to drive the hour and a half back and forth each day to save the cost of lodging most years, but the year Bubba was graduating and I had very new baby Boo with us, we secured reservations at the hotel nearest to the convention center and it was quite nice to be able to go rest or change or drop things off in a room just across the street. If you do want to stay in a hotel, the earlier the better. Usually, groups reserve blocks of rooms at a special rate, so don't forget to check if you can get a lower price that way. You can often add a military discount or AAA to that, too. It never hurts to ask. 

6. This one is important, but you may need to wait to implement it for next year, but we've found that budgeting for convention spending ahead of time is a huge relief and makes the whole experience much, much better. It is so much nicer to spend money on what you need (or just want) when you are not causing a shortfall somewhere else. 

Talk it out with your husband and decide a reasonable amount to invest per child and determine how much you will need to set aside monthly to meet your goals. Find creative places to pull the money from, such as the grocery budget, by using coupons and putting the money you saved in the "Curriculum Account" instead. Sell old stuff you didn't like or use and put that money away, too. Clean a neighbor's guesthouse or watch someone's pet and save your pay. Sell used items on Craig's List or your local Facebook Trash or Treasure (online yardsale) forum. Let the kids start their own fund using money they earn doing jobs you want done around the house or by working for trusted friends and family. They'll have more fun shopping in your wake if they can keep their eyes peeled for a bargain, too.

7. Get informed. Do your primary initial curriculum research ahead of time. Do NOT wait until the day of the convention to get ideas on how you want to teach math to your third grader. Ask friends what they use, inquire at co-op or support group meetings, or post a query on a forum online, then take all the suggestions and start looking them up. Many sites offer trial versions, trial periods, or at least sample pages for you to look at. Request catalogs, compare prices, and see how much of any of the supplemental materials you need for any given program are available at your library (the more you can borrow for free, the better). 

You may wish to visit your local homeschool second-hand store (if you have one) or check out Craig's List or e-bay (or any other online vendor) before deciding to pay full-price at a convention. Swap meets, library sales, yard sales, thrift stores, and sometimes even public school discard boxes are good sources of cheaper (or possibly free) materials that may meet the needs you have. See my post on How to Homeschool for FREE (or at least, more inexpensively) before you go to your convention. However, vendors often do offer convention deals and/or free shipping if you buy while visiting the Vendor Hall, so take advantage of those offers, especially on large purchases.

8. Make a list and stick to it. After you have compiled a list of "wants" that you haven't found yet, whittle it down to your actual "needs." Don't discard the "want" list. Just keep in mind that every bank account has a limit and even the strongest-willed person in the world can be sorely tempted to go overboard in a super-packed Vendor Hall. It all looks so GOOD! Go to the fair armed with your two lists, shop for the "needs" first, then with what is left of your budget, HAVE FUN! 

You might consider splitting the leftovers between the kids and let each child make a delight-directed selection, such as some Adventures in Odyssey tapes, some chess teaching software, or a special sketch pad and pencils. You never know what new talents or joys you might discover.

9. I HIGHLY recommend taking a rolling suitcase or rolling basket to carry your purchases so you don't break your back (or the back of your teenager) toting all your finds around. Empty out your big scrapbook rolling bag and give it a new function. I've seen many folks load up the stroller and carry the baby! LOL. Last year our convention had a booth that for a low fee would box up your stuff and hold it for you to pick up later. I thought that was pretty nifty. Whatever you do to handle your new acquisitions, please make sure your conveyance is not too difficult to maneuver or too bulky to find a place to "park it" during a lecture, otherwise it will make your day less pleasant.

10. Also, remember to take a bottle of water...shopping is thirsty work...and maybe a snack or two (convention prices for refreshments do not tend to be cheap...they were charging three bucks for a soda at ours and two bucks for a small bag of chips). Energy or granola bars are good ideas, or snack mix, but avoid snacks that are messy or have noisy wrappers as there are enough distractions and messes to deal with already.

11. Wear comfortable clothing and good walking shoes or your little doggies will be worn out by the end of day one, let alone day two. My mom recommends taking a sweater, even if it is sweltering outside, because they often turn down the air conditioning very low to compensate for the volume of people in the room and it can get quite chilly. 

And this isn't a requirement, so much as a request, but while I do not subscribe to the stereotype that homeschool moms should be wearing skirts all the time, remember that there are folks with varying levels of conservativism attending the convention, so if your rules are a bit on the looser side, give the folks who might be on the more conservative side a bit of a break and dress in your nicer, comfortable, yet modest clothes. 

Over the years as more folks have entered the homeschooling trend, I've seen the dress code take a nosedive (especially for girls), and it's especially difficult for moms of teenaged boys when young ladies, or even moms, are wearing strapless tops and too short skirts. Be yourself, but be yourself with modesty, please. Thank you. 

12. Take a notebook. You may meet folks and want to exchange addresses. You may want to take notes at a very riveting lecture...having a composition book or legal pad to write on always comes in handy, and it's very annoying when you want one and don't have one. Speaking of meeting people, if you have family or business cards, you might want to take a stack to hand out to the many fascinating folks you will meet. It's so much quicker than writing the same information down again and again. I find that Vistaprint is a good source for inexpensive printed items.

13. Someone suggested this one and I just loved it: Take pre-printed labels with your name, address, phone number, and your email on them to use when you walk by booths you are interested in and they want you to fill out their sheet for a freebie (Vision Forum usually has great freebies at their booth). It will save you a lot of work and time.

14. Lastly, PLEASE remember to give your kids a break once in a while by stopping at the booth with the cool science gadgetry, the Lego table, the Robotics demo, or the chess tournament. Some booths are great for a few laughs, a few sparks, and maybe even an explosion or two...or at least a few minutes playing with a wooden pop gun or sword. Your kids will be grateful for the break, and you might just find something that tickles their fancy and lights an interest on fire if you relax and browse for a while. 

15. Whatever you do, just remember to HAVE FUN. The convention is meant to be a time of rejuvenation for you, to get you remembering why you have chosen to undertake this sometimes daunting, but always rewarding task. Listen to the kids playing their violins in the lobby for a few minutes, examine the artwork lined up along the walls, talk to the winning robotics team and give one of the bots a whirl...and be inspired. 

Well, if you get a chance, let me know how you made out at YOUR local convention this year. I'd really love to know what cool stuff you found. I might want to get one, too. 

If you live nearby, don't forget to come back here during the week of April 29th-May 3rd to enter to win a family pass to the HEAV Convention in Richmond, VA. It will be worth your while and may wind up being one of your favorite times of the year. I hope to see you there!

Little Voices Raised in Praise

Don't you just love the sound of little voices raised in praise to the King? I sure do. One of the things we are striving to do in our homeschool is to make sure that all of our children are raised with an appreciation for the classic hymns of our parents and forefathers because they are so rich in doctrine and reflect our church history as Christians. One way we do this is to learn different hymns each month along with our Bible verses, one verse at a time. Since the Four Amigos are young, we sometimes stop after two verses, but with our favorites, we learn them all. That way when we are listening to music in the car, on the radio, or singing at church, the kids can join in, even if they can't read (or read fast enough to keep up) yet.

Sadly, many churches aren't teaching those precious hymns anymore in favor of more modern praise songs which tend to have fewer words, a more narrow focus, and to be more repetitive. Please don't get me wrong. I have my very favorite praise songs and worship tunes, too...we listen to KLOVE and a local station that plays contemporary Christian tunes, too. But there's something about the way those old hymns were written...to instruct, build up, and yes, even sometimes chasten, that makes them so valuable, we just can't afford to lose them. Alas, if you walk into many churches on a Sunday, they will not sing even a contemporary remake of an old hymn, and I think that is sad.

It used to be that when you went to church (or so I've read or been told) that you would be taught how to really sing those songs well in a group...you would learn how to harmonize and join in so that your voice enriches the sound of the song and adds to the worship of the Lord. People would sing together at parties, and sometimes perform for groups as part of the fun. Singing was something many people did...not just something people watch on television.

Now there is not really anywhere to learn to sing correctly, unless you join a choir or can afford to take voice lessons, and I think you have to feel that you have some natural ability or calling to sing to do that. Alas, while my father has a magnificent voice, and my mother is amazing on the piano, I think musical talent skipped me (hopefully in favor of my kids). I can read music passably well, and can pick out tunes for the kids to sing along with (as long as it is a beginner book, or by using just the top line of notes in a hymnal...add the left hand? Never!). I was in the choir in junior high school, but I don't remember much beyond "stand up straight" and "sing from the gut." For many years now, I've wished that I could find an older, non-judgmental woman who knows something about music and who would think my kids are cute and want to teach us how to harmonize. It's a dream of mine to be able to have the Amigos sing together for everyone at church...not for my glory, but for God's.

I also think the discipline behind singing together and learning to work together would be good for developing a family teamwork attitude. It's also a great way to be able to pass the time anywhere, with no advance preparation! Imagine road trips spent in harmony instead of irritation. What fun it would be to visit a sick grandmother and cheer her up with a sweet rendition of Jesus Loves Me, or The Old Rugged Cross. Picture holidays with everyone singing together around the piano (my mom playing, not me) as their voices blend perfectly to sing Christmas carols instead of their voices hollering at the TV shouting at the referees over a bad call in a football game. *happy sigh*

Sounds great, but where to I find that sweet lady with tons of free time and generous heart? If you know where to find her, give me a call and let me know her phone number, okay? Until then, I am happy to say, I recently discovered a possible solution...at least, a beginning for our family in learning how to sing together, and I am SO excited!

"It's not magic...it's just good training."

Teaching Kids to Sing by The Vocal Coach is a three DVD/CD set that does just what its title says it will do...it teaches your kids to sing. Created by vocal coaches Chris and Carol Beatty, this two DVD set will teach your kids the basics of how to use their voice such as posture, breathing, tone, diction, and control. Basically, they are teaching you how to use your voice as the instrument God designed it to be. Amen to that!

Teaching Kids to Sing is a two DVD set of children's classes taped so your children to participate along with it. There is also one CD which contains all the tracks and vocal exercises from both DVDs (vocal and music only) so that you can practice anywhere you have a cd player (like the car on the way to AWANA, which is what my kids enjoyed). The classes are geared towards ages 5-13, though both Tex and I learned something ( a LOT) from the set.

"Vocal Coach product doesn't teach a particular style, rather we teach you to master the principles of vocal muscle memory, which cause critical body parts to produce excellent sound, amplification, and control with increased stamina to predictably deliver the results you want!

Before you know it, you'll be able to apply what you've learned to any style you want to sing. Just like a well-conditioned athlete often has the ability to play many different sports, a well-trained singer has the potential to sing many different styles."

How did my kids like Teaching Kids to Sing? 

That's easy...they LOVED it!! My sweet Ladybug walked around the house singing "I am an upright child of the King; I stand tall because it helps me sing. I am an upright child of the King; I can sing, I can sing, I can sing." It was so precious. Cowboy liked the breathing exercises best (you know, the kind where you go, "hee hee hee"). It doesn't take much to imagine why...LOL. Little Firefly started thinking she can really sing and be heard. Previously, her voice was so tiny that she got lost under the enthusiasm of the other two voices. With the help of the Vocal Coaches, she started projecting and it was very evident that she was enjoying herself as much as the rest of the crew.

I never heard anything other than complete enthusiasm and anticipation from the kids when I told them it was time to do their vocal exercises or watch (and participate in) one of the DVD classes. I did get more requests for having sing-along time, however, and Ladybug was even more interested in practicing her piano, as well as her songs. Now that's an unexpected bonus!! 

Actually, during the time of this review period, nine-year old Ladybug completely took over our Bible memory sessions in the morning, gaining confidence as a singer and as a teacher to the other three Amigos. She started leading them in practicing their weekly verses and song, even standing in front of them to use hand signals to direct them as they sang, copying the teachers from the dvd. It was positively adorable and inspiring to see...and the best benefit was that with her in charge, she was more enthusiastic about doing her morning work, and the kids never avoided joining in, seeing it as more of a game than school. Nice!

There's more to singing than just making noise. My daughter told me that. She also says that to be a good singer you must have good posture, you have to breathe from your abdomen, you need to use your sides and your back to help your voice make the best sounds, you need to protect your voice by not overusing it or yelling, and she tells me that your voice vibrates...isn't that cool? 

Obviously, she's learning something, and just the process of learning helps you to pay attention and be more aware of what it is you are doing. It also increases your comfort level when you decide to participate in that certain activity, and I can see their confidence in singing growing right before my eyes. I can't predict whether they will inherit my mediocre voice, or their dad's good one (people are always asking him to join the choir), but whichever one it is, I would like it to be a voice they can use effectively and confidently, to the glory of God.

I feel I have learned something from the classes, too, and that perhaps maybe my voice is not a lost cause. I can read music and follow a tune. I can stay on key and tell when someone (or myself) is off. I can learn to breathe better and control my tone and diction. I may never have a gift for singing or playing the way my parents do, but if I can learn enough to enjoy my voice, and to help my children learn to enjoy and share their little voices raised in praise, then that will be yet another success story for The Vocal Coach. You can read more testimonials and success stories from professional singers and normal folks just like me on The Vocal Coach website.

So if you are trying to decide what to do for music with your kids when it comes time to add one of the arts to your curriculum, consider this: why don't you try a year studying the hymns and hymn-makers, and use The Vocal Coach materials to help your children learn to use their voices better so they can have a life-long ability to praise the King of Kings with confidence and clarity of voice. It's a completely portable instrument, easy to learn and use, and it is something you will have with you forever. Sure, learning the violin is nifty, but if you are ever stuck in traffic and need something to do to entertain a busload of youth from your church, how practical is pulling out your violin and playing a few songs? Not to mention the fact that nobody else can join in (unless they happen to have packed a violin, or a flute, or a piano in their bag). Give voice lessons a try in the comfort of your own home, and perhaps, after a while, you will find yourself wanting to join the choir to develop that latent talent further, or just to have more of an opportunity to praise the Lord for all He has done for us.

• The Teaching Kids to Sing DVD/CD set is available from The Vocal Coach website for $44.99.
• The Vocal Coach Singer 12 CD set is available from The Vocal Coach website for $119.99.
• Other products to help you teach your kids to sing can be seen on The Vocal Coach website.
• To read more about the founders and teachers of The Vocal Coach, visit their website and browse for a while.
• If you'd like to read what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought about Teaching Kids to Sing and  Vocal Coach Singer, check out their reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: We received a copy of Teaching Kids to Sing from The Vocal Coach for the purposes of completing this review. All opinions reflect our own experiences with the product. No other compensation was received.

It's in the Bag

"Where fun and education fit in the same bag."

I first discovered Activity Bags when Preschool Activities in a Bag was released. At the time I had two little ones, ages 4 and 2 and another on the way, plus two older children. My oldest was a pretty high maintenance student, and my middle child needed one on one time to fine tune his reading and math skills. I was looking for ideas on how to occupy my younger children while I worked with the other ones. It wasn't like we didn't have toys for the little ones to play with, but it seemed that whenever we were working on school assignments, the little ones wanted to "do school," too.

That's when I came across the Preschool Activity Bags book. I was so excited when it arrived because the concept of preparing activities ahead of time that only came out at "school time" (thus making them special and attention keeping) made so much sense. My mom is a reading specialist by trade and had suggested having things like file folder games (which I tried, but the ones I had from here were just too hard for them without supervision at that point...her students were older) and learning centers (which took a lot of time to prepare, took up space, couldn't be left out indefinitely, and were often awkward to store). Her ideas were ecellent ones and I have used them in different circumstances since then, but they just didn't work for me at the time with the ages the little kids were. I needed something else.

Activity Bags was a revolutionary product for me and struck me as simply brilliant because it was so simple. How easy is it to put pre-planned activities into bags with labels and pull out one or two at a time to reinforce needed skills or to simply entertain the kids? Easy-peasy! Actually, the idea was pretty much what my mom had already suggested (file folder games, just a variation of it, and centers...contained in a Ziplock bag), but adapted from the classroom into a form perfect for homeschoolers.

Space-saving, efficient, easy to store, easy to assemble, and fun, Activity Bags delivers just what you are looking for to engage your students with hands-on learning activities. Many of the activities require only items you probably keep in stock around your house, especially if you are a homeschooler. They are simple to assemble on your own, if you just plan on using the book for your own family, or you can arrange an Activity Bag swap party and assign the supplies for one activity to each participant, set up the items in a Round Robin sort of way, and everybody leaves the party with as many different bags as there are people. Now that deserves the Easy Button. Easy!

I've got to tell you that hostessing an Activity Bags party really makes sense because when make-your-own activities require particular items to complete their assembly, you can't generally just buy one of whatever it is you need (like metal spinners or Velcro dots). Multiply each of those supplies by twenty-five activities and it adds up to a lot.

BUT if you are responsible only for the supplies for one or two of the twenty-five activities, then suddenly your boxes of spinners and game pieces don't seem too expensive after all. Someone else brings the Velcro and laminated flowers, another participant brings the dice, poker chips, and photocopied game board, and you walk away with three fun activities for your kids to play...and it only takes about five to ten minutes to assemble each bag (instead of an hour to gather the materials and do each one individually and on your own). What a nifty concept...I love it!

The next great thing about Activity Bags is that they are so easy to store. You have lots of storage options. You can keep them in a filing cabinet, in a crate or laundry basket, use banker's boxes or Rubbermaid containers, clip them to a clothesline stretched across your basement classroom, or place them around your classroom in learning centers. Oh, and they are fantastic for workboxes, too. They fit right into most drawers or upright file holders very easily. Pull a few activity bags out each week to add some variety to your kids' school days and they will thank you for it with more enthusiasm and excitement about learning. You will thank yourself for doing it because suddenly teaching your varying ages (or even your one or two students) is much easier AND you get this sense of having done more than just making sure the kids got their workbook pages completed and nature journals filled out for the week. Nice.

We received the full three-part series of Science Experiments in a Bag and I was as impressed with them as I had been with the Preschool Activities years ago. Those preschoolers are older now (though there are other preschoolers using the original activity bags and they are still holding together!) and they LOVE the idea of doing experiments. As a busy mom, experiments just seem like a lot of work and mess to me, especially with the little ones all wanting to help at the same time. Having to gather the elements of the experiment, print up a notebooking page, get all the kids safety goggled up, then doing the experiment, writing it up, and picking it up...whew! That takes the whole afternoon.

Of course, you might say I am just stressing myself out by writing up the experiments, but I just think that the kids understanding the scientific method and being able to look back in their notebooks at the pictures of what they've done is a valuable exercise. So if I am not going to cut out the write up, how can I make doing science experiments easier and more appealing to me so I will choose to do them more often?

The answer is Activity Bags. I love them. I can take an afternoon on a weekend when Hubby can tote all the kids to the dump, his favorite home improvement store, and to Sonic for ice cream cones, and in just a few hours I can have ten experiments put together in bags and stowed away for Fun Fridays (see links below to my old Fun Friday posts and get in on the fun yourself!). Then when the kids say, "Mom, can we do an experiment today?" I don't have to think whether we have the baking soda or the coloring or the paper tube or the funnel...I know all the parts and instructions for TEN (there are twenty-five per book) experiments are waiting in their bags, along with the notebooking pages I printed ahead of time from my favorite source, and I can just say, "Yes, let's do one right now." Let the fun begin! The smiles make the up front preparation worth it. I highly recommend all of the science e-books. I don't see how you can fail to love them, too. Your kids sure will.

The Science Experiments in a Bag e-books are a welcome addition to any science curriculum. Covering topics from biology to nature to chemistry and the human body, the can be used alongside your own unit study or to supplement your textbook. They are also great if you don't have a curriculum for science, but want your kids exposed to vital, basic concepts in a fun and engaging way (especially in the earlier years, or by using lab notebooks to further cement the concepts in their minds).

Easy enough for older students to complete with minimal supervision and simple enough that even the most science-challenged mom will not be intimidated, Science Experiments in a Bag go together in a jiffy, and get you a lot of "bang" for your homeschool budget dollar at $15 dollars each, $27 for two, or $39 for all three. Since there are 25 experiments in each book, one book can last you a year if you only do one a week. Since we also do nature studies as a vital part of our "eclectic Charlotte Mason" curriculum, once a week is plenty for us, and the kids LOVE IT!!



Science Experiments in a Bag E-Book 1



Science Experiments in a Bag E-Book 2




















Science Experiments in a Bag E-Book 3

Activity Bags doesn't just have these three excellent e-books about science, they have Preschool Activity Bags 1 and 2, Reading Games Activity Bags, Travel Activity Bags, and Math Games Activity Bags, too. A little birdie told me they might be coming out with a Craft Kits in a Bag series of books soon...my kids are going to adore those!

These fine collections of activities are ideal for:

• families with kids of all ages (target ages K-8, unless otherwise specified)
• parents who need to keep kids occupied while they work with other kids
• co-op groups
• homeschool groups
• MOPS groups
• hands-on learners
• independent learners
• beginning homeschoolers
• Charlotte Mason homeschoolers
• Unschoolers and Relaxed homeschoolers
• useful with any curriculum
• science enthusiasts (easy labs for young ones)
• those who are not so enthused by science, but want their kids to be...
• reluctant/beginning readers
• math enrichment
• public or private school teachers of all sorts
• Special Education teachers and Reading Specialists
• Fun Fridays (see my blog posts about Fun Friday at our house Variety is the Spice of Life, Friday Fun School, Twenty Fun Friday Ideas, and Fun and Games Friday.)
• getting Dad involved in the homeschooling experience...perhaps you could have him do an experiment every Saturday.
• aftercare workers or grandparents to do with the kids.
• and much, much more. Anyone and everyone...this means YOU!

Check out this great sampler of the Activity Bags books.
Check out info on how to have an Activity Bags swap.
Check out pictures of Activity Bags made all over the world!
You can order some Activity Bags books TODAY!



You can read other excellent reviews about the Science Experiments in a Bag Activity Bags and other products from Activity Bags at the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.



Blessings,

Samson's Classroom: Time for Reading Fun

Samson's Classroom is a useful online tool for home educators and parents of students who are enrolled in school, but need some extra practice when they get home. Intended for grades K-5, Samson's Classroom is designed to build up proficiency in three core areas: sight words, spelling, and reading comprehension, all with the goal of helping your student become a better reader. 

Two of my students, Ladybug and Cowboy, are already reading, but benefited from the spelling portion of the program, as well as reviewing the lists of 244 commonly used sight words already programmed into the system. My third student, Firefly, is just learning to read, and really enjoyed the Sight Words with Sampson portion of the program. She spent a lot of time doing the same lists, but I feel she was gaining confidence (and having a good time "doing school" like a "big kid.")

As a parent and a teacher, I liked the fact that there was flexibility in this program. I could choose to either have my child work on pre-programmed lists of sight and vocabulary words, or I could take the time and enter my own lists based on either our current studies or needs I identified in my students. It was very simple to create my own lists (I figured it out without reading any directions, which is my usual way of doing things), but since I liked the lists that already existed, we only did this once, to practice some of the "th" words that were tripping the kids up.

I also liked how the study portion of the program clearly read the words aloud, spelled them, then said them into a sentence. The reader's voice was soothing and easy to understand (it was a male voice). I thought it was great that Firefly could turn on the sight word practice portion and listen to the same word being spelled as many times as she wanted to. She is fairly auditory in her learning and she got a lot from the repetition. Of course, the repetition could be annoying to the other kids, so we got some headphones so that she could listen to her heart's content. All of the kids liked how you can print certificates for your folder once you have completed a level. They liked the tangible reward (along with some stickers, of course).

Here's an example of the reading practice.

The only thing I saw as a negative was that the reading practice seems to start at a fairly high level, and once you start reading a passage, you must finish it and answer all of the questions or else the unanswered ones will be marked wrong. This stressed out my readers, and it took practice and lots of support from me to keep them from getting to uptight to complete the lesson. I would add passages on lower levels (much shorter and simpler ones...I can't imagine a kindergarten student completing even the level one of the first passage unless he'd been reading since age four), and perhaps allow the parent the option of letting passages be marked as incomplete (which can be finished later) if the student stops. The passages are fairly lengthy for beginning readers and might need to be broken down into shorter bits for some students (of course, this becomes less of a problem if they were to add simpler, more basic passages and let the kids work their way up to the tougher ones).

My kids all liked Samson's Classroom and we plan to continue using it throughout the rest of the school year. It gives me something worthwhile to let one student work on while I work personally with another student. Cowboy saw working in Sampson's Classroom as a reward rather than work, so it was motivating for him when it came to getting his book work done. 

Here's what the kids had to say about Samson's Classroom:

Cowboy says: It's great! Samson Classroom's games are really fun. The best ones are "Crunch Time" and "Spelling Scramble." "Crunch Time" is so funny because you have to spell the words and the walrus crunches pieces of your iceberg until it's all gone (if you don't spell fast enough, that is). "Spelling Scramble" is crazy because the spiders try to catch you while you are collecting the right letters. Once it is easy for you, you can go up to a harder level, so it's always a challenge. It's awesome.

Crunch Time...oops, somebody spelled a word wrong!

Ladybug says: I liked how they spelled the words out loud for you when you are learning them. That helped me a lot. Then they let you spell it yourself and I liked doing that the best. By the time I finished studying the whole list, I really felt like I knew all the words. I use the words more when I write. I love to write stories. My favorite game was "Spelling Scramble" because you have to run away from a spider and spell the words as you go.

Spelling Scramble

Firefly says: I liked the sight word practice part (Sight Words with Samson). It would say and spell the word over and over again, as many times as I wanted it to. It read the word in a sentence, too. I had lots of time to write and learn the words. Some of the games were hard for me, but Ladybug and Cowboy helped me. I liked the "Missing Letters" Karate Chop game the best. It was fun!

Sight Word Practice and Games

If you think you might be interested, you can watch an introductory video that will explain the program to you. It is only three minutes long and it's very helpful in understanding how things work. Then you can give their demo a try (no registration required!) for free.

If Samson's Classroom looks like something that would benefit your family, the price is very reasonable. The cost for one student for a year is $30, and to make the subscription a family subscription (up to four students) costs only $50. You don't find many deals like that out there these days!

To read more reviews by other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, check out the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: I received a yearly family subscription for the purposes of writing this review. This review contains the honest opinions of myself and my family members, and reflects our own personal experiences with this product. No other compensation was received.