REVIEW: Early Elementary Book One: An Introduction to the Visual Arts by ARTistic Pursuits

Haylee and I were so excited to have the chance to review the Early Elementary K-3 Book One:  An Introduction to the Visual Arts by ARTistic Pursuits.

 

WHAT IS IT?:

The ARTIstic Pursuits program includes a whole series of newly revised, comprehensive art instruction books for students in Preschool-12th grade. 

The approach of the program is a gentle introduction to various aspects of art so that children can express themselves freely and are not held to rigid standards that force them to draw like an adult, for instance.  It takes children through exposure to the elements of art and composition, art history, media, and techniques.

The Preschool through 3rd grade books include 36 lessons each, and books for all grades from 4th through 12th include 68 lessons.

PRICE:  $47.95

 

OUR EXPERIENCE:

For grades K-3, ARTistic Pursuits offers a series of 3 books where each one focuses on a different genre. Book One, which we used for this review, provides an introduction to visual arts and includes 4 groupings of activities involving drawing, painting, paper art, and clay.

Each lesson consists of 2-3 pages:

• a simple one-page topical discussion and an exploratory exercise to get kids exploring and thinking creatively
• a one-page focused discussion on a classic work of art that gets the child observing more closely and noticing elements in the composition
• a one-page project page that gives a simple art assignment, gives tips, and shows a sample of a completed assignment from an early elementary student

I was pleased that there was a materials list provided in the front of the book that detailed all of the supplies we needed for completing all 36 projects in the book.  That made it super easy for me to take that list to the art supply store and get everything I needed in one trip, which was exactly what I did.  I wanted to keep the materials organized and together in one place, so I also got a small plastic storage tub with a handle on top that held everything inside.  This made it easy for us to store and to pull out our “kit” whenever we were ready to complete a lesson.

It was so very simple for me to sit down together with Haylee and go over the introductory page for the lesson, discuss the master work of art using the discussion questions provided, and then set her to work on her very own art project!  She was so excited to go over a concept, observe it in a master work, and then get to try it out on her own right away! 

I absolutely loved how the project assignments allowed and even encouraged her to express her own creativity while exploring the various mediums.  She had never before used “real” art supplies beyond the typical Crayola-type children’s basic crafting materials.  She was very excited to try out things like sketching pencils and watercolor crayons (her favorite).  The lessons did a great job of planting seeds for ideas for her artwork and teaching her techniques for using the materials, but then allowing her own imagination to take over.  The clear message I received was that there is no right or wrong way to create art…it comes from inside each person and is an expression of themselves.  No wonder Haylee enjoyed this program so much!

Truly, Haylee was inspired by this book.  I saw her repeatedly motivated to complete her other schoolwork in a timely manner just so she could have time to spend on ARTistic Pursuits!  She couldn’t wait for the opportunity to get to the next assignment, and she showed so much joy with each and every one.

While I initially thought it was a bit expensive for just an art book, I now realize it’s so much more valuable than that.  It’s non-consumable, so you can use it with each of your children without having to buy additional copies down the road.  It’s undoubtedly a no-frustration program for both parent and child.  And it exposes children to a variety of mediums and pieces of classic artwork.

We enjoyed it so much that I’d like to continue using it with Haylee, because she has a real passion and talent for art, and I feel this program will help cultivate her interest and skill in this area.  But since she is at the end of 3rd grade and this is her first exposure to real art instruction, I was unsure how to proceed through the program from here.  I contacted ARTistic Pursuits for advice, and they were so helpful!  I asked permission to share their response in case it may help others who are just starting this program sort of mid-stream with their children, and they said I could share it here:

“When selecting which book to use within the ARTistic Pursuits art curriculum we generally suggest that you start at the child's grade level, however there other considerations to keep in mind that are also valid. Your child's comfort level is very important for continued success in the fine arts. There is no reason to jump ahead of their skill level and discourage a child. The biggest jump is from the K-3 level to the 4-5 books. Since your daughter is enjoying the first book at the K-3 level I would encourage you to go on to the other two books at that level. You can certainly do art twice a week rather than the suggested one. You are right in that way she will experience a larger variety of materials and processes, which are a great start to learning about art. There will be plenty of time to focus on drawing skills in the other levels. Parents also choose to use the lower levels for older children when they want to do one art class for all of there children and some are beyond grade three. Families report that this has worked well for them. Also if a family wants to focus on art history in a chronological way, the K-3 series does just that. Since our curriculum has students work on assignments at their own skill levels and is not a copy-what-you-see-on-the-page type of curriculum, there is a lot of flexibility that can occur when selecting which book to use.”

Sincerely,
Brenda Ellis, President, Owner
Artistic Pursuits Inc.

I would certainly recommend this program to others, and I have a feeling it has found its way permanently into our school curriculum!

 

 

Here are some samples of
Haylee’s work with the program
during the review period, which
included 3 watercolors and 1 sketch.

Check out what other Crew members had to say about this and other products from ARTistic Pursuits by clicking the banner below.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

New Educational Apps for iPad – FREE through 03/11/13!!!

Check out some of these great new apps for iPad from Lakeshore Learning.  These will be FREE through 03-11-13 only, so don’t delay in checking these out!

1. Language Adventures Quiz Game Show for grades 1-3
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Language Adventures Quiz Game Show for grades 4-6
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Math Quiz Game Show for grades 1-3
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Math Quiz Game Show for grades 4-6
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe Reading Game for ages 6-8 

 

So check out these super-cool new iPad apps from Lakeshore Learning while they’re still FREE.  Remember you can download them to your account for free right now, then delete them from your device if you don’t have an immediate need for certain grade levels, yet the apps will still be available to you in your iTunes account so you can load them to your device again later when you actually need them.  Don’t miss this opportunity!

Recipe Resources

I absolutely LOVE to cook.  Let’s face it.  I just love food in general and everything about it…the way it looks, the way it smells, the texture, the taste, the enjoyment I get in preparing it, the presentation…everything!  Food is definitely my love language.  I love to cook and serve others and see the pleasure they get from eating what I’ve made.

My all-time favorite cookbook series for healthy recipes that keep the calories in check but still taste good is the Comfort Food Diet by Taste of Home.  There are 3 editions in the series…the original, quick & easy, and family favorites.  There are also hardcover annuals you can order from Taste of Home, but I’ve found them to be the same recipes compiled in different combinations, so you only need to invest in either the softcovers or the hardcover annuals, but not both. 

The softcover versions are handy to use, inexpensive, well-organized, and have all the features I love about cookbooks:  nutritional information, portion sizes, sections organized by category, and then organized within each section by the number of calories per portion, an index, and even handy suggested meal plans that help you keep your daily calories at 1200 or less per day for 3 meals plus 2 snacks...and there are even desserts!  And let’s not forget the most important thing:  the recipes are delicious, easy to make, and appealing to the entire family.  Yay!

So many of the recipes have become favorites in our regular dinner rotation.  After losing all the weight on PINK Method and getting myself in shape, it was important to me to eat right and keep the weight off while eating normal foods.  Really, it’s all about portion control and careful substitutions of key ingredients that keep the calories and fat low while still working out with PINK.  These books do a great job of helping me do that!

I also love reading cooking and health magazines.  Some of my favorites are Eating Well, Natural Health, and Healthy Cooking. 

So do tell…what are your favorite recipe sources for healthy eating?  Please share in the comments.  Bon appetit!

REVIEW: Wet-Dry-Try App by Handwriting Without Tears

My son, Holden (5), and I recently got to try out the Wet-Dry-Try App for iPad by Handwriting Without Tears.

 

What Is It?:

The Wet-Dry-Try App is compatible with both iPad and Android devices with a 7” or larger screen.  It simulates the popular slate chalkboard that is the well-known staple of the Handwriting Without Tears program. 

The app uses a combination of sounds, music, and demonstration videos to teach young children how to properly form and orient their capital letters and numbers.  It’s intended to be used as a supplementary tool for teaching handwriting.

It’s available from the iTunes or Google Play stores for just $4.99.

It is recommended for grades PK and up, or approximately ages 4-8.

 

Our Experience:

This app features two options for practice:  Pick and Practice or HWT’s Winning Order.  As you’d expect, Pick and Practice allows you to choose to practice any letter you’d like to work on in no particular order.  The photo at left shows a screen shot of that mode.  At the bottom, there’s a symbol that allows you to select the numbers menu, as well.

Holden started out using this mode and randomly selected some letters and numbers here.  We used this mode for our first couple of sessions.  As he completed a letter correctly, he was awarded a star.  If he completed the same letter again, he got a second star, and three completions gave 3 stars and changed the menu letter to the HWT Letter Card showing a picture of the letter with something that starts with that letter, as shown here.

In the HWT’s Winning Order section, shown at right, the letters are broken up into 3 categories that share similar characteristics:  Frog Jump Capitals, Starting Corner Capitals, and Center Starting Capitals.  As in the other mode, the option to practice numbers is provided in the bottom right corner, but in this mode, the numbers are broken up into two categories:  Starting Corner Numbers and Other Top Starters. 

As you can see in the photo at right, this section provides a carefully selected order that is recommended by HWT.  The child must start with the first letter in the first category.  Holden loved this section, because the other letters were locked until he successfully completed the given letter.  Once he completed it, the next letter was unlocked.  I found that this provided extra incentive for him, as he liked “making it” to the next letter. 

As Holden worked through the program, the app played optional background music, sounds, and voice instructions.  The settings allow you to turn those features on or off.  You can also set game play options that can make the program more or less challenging for your child (adjusting things like stroke tolerance and whether or not starting point cues are provided).  This is a key feature since the program allows you to set up as many as four different users, as it allows you to customize the options for each child.  For Holden, I set everything to the easiest level to avoid frustrations to start off.

When he would select a letter, the teacher would demonstrate how to write the letter on the screen with virtual chalk.  Then the wet sponge would appear on the starting point and tell him to wet the letter with the sponge.  After he completed that task, a dry towel would appear at the starting point and instruct him to dry the letter with the towel.  When he completed that, a piece of chalk would appear at the starting point, and instruct him to write the letter with the chalk.  When he completed all of those steps, he’d be awarded a star.  The cool thing was that as he completed each stroke of the letter, the app would speak and give him positive affirmations of what a good job he was doing.  It used a variety of funny phrases like “cool beans” that made Holden laugh out loud.  This inspired him to continue.  There were also cute sound effects like the “ribbit” sound of the frog on the Frog Jump Letters.  This made Holden giggle, too!  If he made a mistake, it would say “oops…try again" or “give it another try” or else it would demonstrate the stroke again.  I really liked the soft, soothing, encouraging voice of the teacher.  I think all the encouragement she gave spurred Holden on to work hard and do just a little more than maybe he’d planned to work on.

In fact, to my surprise, Holden has actually asked to work on this app out of the blue, all on his own, on several occasions!  That tells me that he thought it was fun.  At this age, the fun factor is an important component to inspiring a child to want to learn and practice a task (like handwriting) that could otherwise be boring.

Holden just turned 5, and although he writes letters already, I generally have him trace letters I’ve already written for him, just because he struggles with putting the letters where they belong on handwriting lines.  But with the Wet-Dry-Try app, there are no handwriting lines, so he was able to focus on the proper formation of each letter, making them proportionate within the parameters of the screen, and making the strokes in the proper order.  I loved that!  He got to build his confidence, and the repetition allowed him to solidify the letter formation in his mind. 

I feel very confident that using this app will help him improve his handwriting and remember the correct order of the strokes involved in letter formation.  He really likes this app, and it’s great to pull up when we’re waiting somewhere and I need something to help him pass the time.  He gets to “play” with the benefit of learning and practicing in the process.  That’s a winner in my book!

The philosophy of HWT is to teach capitals and numbers first because they are easier to learn correctly without reversals, but if I could offer up one request for this app, it would be that perhaps they could allow a child to “unlock” lowercase letters once they’ve completed all of the capitals with 3 stars each.  Then this app would be *perfect* to me.  But this is truly a useful product, and I know we’ll continue to use it and recommend it to others.

Check out what other Crew members had to say about this and other products from Handwriting Without Tears by clicking the banner below.

  Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

REVIEW: Song School Spanish by Classical Academic Press

My daughter, Haylee (8), and I had the pleasure of reviewing Song School Spanish Book and CD and Teacher’s Edition by Classical Academic Press.

What Is It?

Song School Spanish is a program that engages early elementary students in grade K-3 with 30 lively lessons that include songs, vocabulary, illustrations, handwriting practice, stories, games, and activities.  It includes a mild introduction to grammar, and its CD of 42 songs and chants gets auditory learners motivated to learn and remember Spanish words, phrases, and pronunciation.

The complete curriculum consists of:

• Song School Spanish student workbook with CD – $24.95
  
  • Includes 30 weekly lessons including review chapters, CD of 42 songs and chants, over 100 everyday vocabulary words, lots of activities and workbook pages.
   
• Song School Spanish teacher’s edition – $24.95
  • Includes the entire student text, answer keys, additional teacher’s notes, and fun ideas for interactive activities.  It also includes over 40 pages (plus answer keys) of additional workbook pages and activities for advanced students or for those wanting additional practice.

Spanish Amigo Match – $26.95

• This is a suggested supplemental activity that is not required to complete the core curriculum, but can enhance learning through flashcard and matching activities.

All 3 of the components listed above can be purchased in a money-saving bundle for $66.95.

In addition, the Classical Academic Press website provides you with some very nice downloadable bonus tracks to aid in teaching and learning.  These are available at the bottom of this page under Bonus Files:

• Pronunciation Guide
• Bonus Songs

They also suggest heading over to the HeadventureLand website to have your student play games, read stories, and watch video adventures that correspond to Song School Spanish materials.

Our Experience:

I used the teacher’s edition and student workbook with CD with my 3rd grade daughter, Haylee, during the review period.  The text laid out a suggested schedule for me that seemed really reasonable.  It went something like this:

Day 1:  Haylee would read through the list of vocabulary words or phrases for the week.  She would then listen to the pronunciation guide audio file, which we downloaded from the website.  (This is nicely catalogued and easy to use.  I was really thankful for this resource, because I have never engaged in any Spanish studies myself, so it was important for her to hear the words spoken by a native speaker.)  Then she would listen to the corresponding song or chant on the CD.

Day 2:  Haylee would read through the list of vocabulary words or phrases again and speak them aloud to me.  Then she would listen to and sing along with the song from the CD again.  She would then read the chapter lesson in the workbook and do the exercises that followed it, stopping when she reached the Show What You Know section. 

Day 3:  Haylee would say all of the vocabulary words or phrases aloud, sing the chant or song along with the CD, and practice singing it without accompaniment.  She would review previous words/phrases and songs from other chapters, and then complete the Show What You Know section to finish out the chapter.

We did not own the Spanish Amigo Cards, so I can’t attest to those personally, but I can imagine they would be a great supplemental activity, allowing the student to match together Spanish and English phrases and words that they’ve learned.

We found the lists of vocabulary words to be just about right in terms of the amount of material to work with at one time. 

Haylee enjoyed the songs/chants very much and found herself singing them randomly around the house!  In fact, both of us had the tunes stuck in our heads from time to time.  Each tune repeated the lyrics 3 or 4 times before the song ended, so you were able to practice the words a number of times without replaying the song, but we didn’t find the repetition annoying. On the contrary, we found it helped us to master singing along by the time the songs came to an end, and then we’d usually repeat it again for good measure once we’d gotten the hang of them.

The workbook activities provided a wide range of varying pencil assignments like matching, fill-in-the-blanks, circle the best answer, and direct translation.

The review chapter that we did included all of the songs and words from the previous 3 chapters, a short play, and a chapter story that used the words that had been learned.  The Chapter Story provided a wonderful opportunity to see the words and phrases used in context, which helped solidify what we’d studied.

Overall, we found the Song School Spanish program to be fun, engaging, highly interactive, and effective in teaching practical everyday Spanish vocabulary.  Haylee enjoyed it so much that she has decided to continue using the program to the end.  I can definitely recommend it as a way to make basic early foreign language learning fun and memorable!

See what other Crew members had to say about this and other products from Classical Academic Press by clicking the banner below.

     Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Our Valentine’s tradition in the Burgess household is to have heart-shaped waffles for breakfast.  But this year, we decided to try something a little different. 

So I broke out the Babycakes Cake Pop maker and whipped up some pancake batter.  I served pancake puppies in a bowl topped with their choice of cinnamon apples or strawberries in light syrup with whipped cream on top. YUM!  That was fun!  It was a big hit with all of three of them.  I think a new tradition has been born this day!

Later this afternoon, we’re hosting a Valentine’s Card Exchange and Dessert Potluck with fellow homeschoolers at Redwing Park.  Then tonight, I’m headed off with a friend to see “A Streetcar Named Desire” performed by the Virginia Opera.  This should be a fun day! 

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

My kids were talking about planets the other day, and I was reminded of the funniest little thing my oldest son used to do when he was little.

Hayden is thirteen now…but once upon a time, he was a big-time fan of Blue’s Clues…you know, way back when Steve was the main guy in the show (instead of his dorky cousin or whatever).  Hayden had the little “thinking pad” notebook with the giant red plastic spiral at the top and a giant blue crayon, he had the little “mailbox” and loved to visit the local Children’s Museum to sit in the giant “thinking chair.”  He even had the striped polo shirt and khaki pants that Steve wore on the show.  He sang the songs all.the.time…and he cracked me up singing “Mail Time” and swinging his arms back and forth, LOL.

But the best part was this little electronic toy he had from the show that taught you the names and order of the planets through a song.  We still sing it today, and it goes like this:

Well, the sun’s a hot star,

And Mercury’s hot, too.

Venus is the brightest planet;

Earth’s home to me and you!

Mars is the red one,

And Jupiter’s most wide.

Saturn’s got those icy rings,

And Uranus spins on its side.

Neptune’s really windy,

And Pluto’s really small.

Well, we wanted to name the planets,

And now we’ve named them all!

Cute, huh?  Well, the hilarious part is that when Hayden was a preschooler, he misunderstood the words and used to sing it as “Saturn’s got those SPICY rings”…ROFL!  His dad and I used to crack up laughing, ‘cause he really thought that’s what it said!  He always did love food, so it didn’t surprise me that he thought of it as some big onion ring or something!  LOL. 

I think Steve and I will laugh about that until our dying day.  Too funny.  And just think…we get to embarrass Hayden with that story for the rest of our lives. 

Kids really do say the darndest things!   

So do tell…what funny thing did one of your children used to say?  Please share in the comments.  I could use a good laugh today.