REVIEW: Many Nations Once-A-Week Micro-Studies by Homeschool Legacy

Having used another unit study from Homeschool Legacy in the past, I was really excited to get to review the Once-a-Week Micro-Studies Many Nations this time around!

 

WHAT IS IT?:

The Many Nations Once-a-Week Micro-Study is intended to give children in grades 1-8 a thorough understanding of the Northeast Woodland, Southeast, Southwest, and Plains nations in just 4 weeks.

Parents can read the suggested novel or another related novel of your choosing on the topic during the week and then have students work on three weekly assignments that only take approximately 30 minutes each.  You have the freedom do those assignments individually throughout the week, or if you wish, you can do the three assignments in one sitting in approximately an hour and a half.  It’s up to you!

The beauty of the micro-study is that there’s less printing to do since the assignment materials are found in the embedded links in your digital file.  You can print the file if you prefer and then use the links on your computer, or just open and use the whole thing on your device.  You do need access to a printer for the activities at the links, as many of them are hands-on crafts.

This micro-study is available for just $12.00.  Be sure to check out a sample week of this study.

 

OUR EXPERIENCE:

My 8-year old son, Holden, is spending this whole first year of our American history studies learning about the American Indian people and their interactions with the explorers and the subsequent colonies.  So we thought this was the perfect time to add in the Many Nations micro-study for additional learning and hands-on activities.

We have recently read some wonderful books like Sign of the Beaver, Walk the World’s Rim, North American Indians, and The Arrow Over the Door, so we chose not to use the suggested novel, which we’re scheduled to read down the road.  We just focused our attention of all of the exciting activities in this study!

I have to admit that I do like to hold a printed copy in my hands, so my first step was to print out the 20-page digital file for Many Nations.  I laminated the cover and back page, and I punched and bound it with a spiral comb to make a lovely guide I could refer to without sitting at my computer.  That’s just me!  It helped me to sit comfortably and read and plan for our weekly lessons, but I did still need to go to the digital file for the links to the additional materials and printables.

In week 1, the study focused on the Northeast Woodland Nations.  We worked on geography by coloring that region on a blank map of the U.S., and then we searched online to find out where each of the listed nations resided within the region.  Then we cut out the names from the printable materials and glued the labels in place on the map.

Next, we used the included link to print out the design for a model longhouse.  There were instructions for a two-fire longhouse and a three-fire longhouse.  Of course, we went for the big one!  We colored it, cut it out, and glued the tabs together to form a 3-D model.  It was even complete with chimney holes you could open on top to let out the smoke from the fires inside.  Holden thought that was very cool!  It even stood up on its own on the table, and it was much larger than we expected.  I have to admit that it was pretty fun to make!  I kept thinking it would be fun to order some of those little action figures of American Indians and turn these cool crafts into action scenes!  I must have been a parent of boys for too long, but that’s another story.    We read all about the role of the longhouses among this people group and how they were used to house as many as dozens of families.  Living with your extended family is definitely different from the culture in which we live.

We also used the included link to print out and create a paper doll of a young Indian boy (there was a girl included, as well).  To make it easier to handle the flimsy pieces, we decided to just glue on the clothes so we could see the completed paper doll.  If you were actually going to use it as a reusable toy, I would suggest printing it on more durable cardstock.  We colored the clothing and put it together, and it stood up on is little stand.  It was pretty cute!

Our next activity was to make a tomahawk using the included link.  Unfortunately, the link within the study was no longer valid.  That was a little bit of a disappointment because I knew this was going to be a hit with my son, so after a bit of quick thinking, I searched online for a printable tomahawk.  We printed it on regular paper, colored it, and cut it out.  Holden was pretty happy with that as-is, but I told him we could even mount it on some cardboard or cardstock to make it even more durable.  Then we went on to read in the study about the meaning of the phrase “bury the hatchet” and its origins and some related history information surrounding that idea.

Next, there was a little bit of bible study about forgiveness from Ephesians, and the guide led us to discuss how that relates to the concept of burying the hatchet.  It suggested that if we had someone we needed to forgive, perhaps we could write their name on the feather of our tomahawk and bury it under a tree as a symbol of our decision to forgive, just as the Iroquois people had done.  The guide also discussed the idea that our founding fathers may have used the Iroquois Confederacy as a basis for drafting our own United States Constitution.  We found that fascinating!

In week 2, we learned about the Southeast Nations.  For geography, we again colored that region of the map, researched the location of the listed nations, and placed their labels on the map. 

Next, we focused on the Cherokee language.  There was an excellent explanation given for the creation of the Cherokee alphabet and the history behind it.  There was an image of what the characters looked like.  It definitely looked foreign to us!  But we learned about how it enabled the Cherokee people to have their very own bi-lingual Native American newspaper called the Cherokee Phoenix.  There was a link to it in the guide so we could check it out for ourselves, but unfortunately, this link was no longer working.

Our first activity for this was to create some sentences in Cherokee.  We did this orally, which was very entertaining to say the least!  There was a pronunciation guide provided, and we had a blast taking turns trying to pronounce our simple sentences.  I guess we did sound pretty funny to each other!  That was a lot of fun.  We both realized that English seems much simpler, as there are a lot less syllables in our language to say the same things!  I also used the included link to print out a coloring page of Sequoyah, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, and Holden got to color that.

Next, we moved on to some history study about the Five Civilized Nations and the actions of President Jackson that led to the Cherokee’s Trail of Tears.  That was very sad, but it’s a piece of history that teaches important lessons to us today.

Next, we created a simple timeline using the included link to some printable blank timeline sheets to get us started.  We added the Trail of Tears, Hiawatha and the Iroquois Confederacy, and Sequoya and the Cherokee alphabet to our timeline using simple images we found online.  The guide suggested we make it so it would fit in a 3-ring binder, but we trimmed ours and pasted the pages together so we could place it on the wall as we study if we choose, or we can fold it and keep it in a pocket in our notebook.  I really liked the idea of using images along with labels to make the timeline more interesting and visually appealing!

In week 3, we learned about the Plains Nations.  We did the same geography activity, focusing on labeling the tribes in their region.  We read about them in the guide, and then we used the included link to an online activity that helped us figure out some Indian sign language.  That was pretty fun!  If you guessed wrong, the game would let you try again until you got it right.  When it was all done, it revealed a picture and name of the Plains Indian who was a sign language expert.  It was even fun to play the game again and see if we could do a better job of matching the symbols and words on the next round!

In our next activity, we were challenged with making a Plains Indian diorama.  Now my son is not the crafty type, but his big sister jumped in volunteered to help with this one!  She’s the artist in the family.  So we took some shortcuts by running to the local hobby store and picking up a basic diorama display box (because I didn’t have a show box), as well as a tube of Indian figurines.  Then we searched online for a background image we could print and place in the diorama box as a backdrop.  We found one with tepees, so that was perfect because we didn’t have to make our own teepees with the included link!  Then my daughter and husband had fun creating the foreground and setting up the figurines in a cute little scene.  Holden was just happy that he would get to play with it when it was all done!  (Typical boy, of course.)

Next, we read about the buffalo round-up.  There was a link in this section to scenes of a buffalo kill from the movie Dances with Wolves, but that video, hosted on YouTube, was blocked for copyright reasons.  I was a bit disappointed again by another link to invalid content.  There was also a link to video from the Custer State Park Buffalo Round-up.  It was about 16 minutes long, so just skimmed through it to get an idea of how the gather up the buffalo. 

The final week of this micro-study will cover the Southwest Nations.  We’ll be getting to this part of the study next week.  It includes the geography map activity, some anthropology of the Navajo people, and some crafts like sand painting and art appreciation of Navajo jewelry, textiles, pottery, and baskets with the included links.

All in all, this micro-study was pretty fun!  The only downside for us was the invalid links we encountered.  I think it would be important for the vendor to keep the links updated as necessary since they provide a good portion of the interactive nature of the study.  But we enjoyed the reasonably-sized chunks of learning in the guide with plenty of hands-on activities interspersed throughout the study, which definitely makes it more appealing to elementary aged students, and I believe my middle school aged daughter would have enjoyed doing this study with us, as well, since there were so many hands-on crafts to keep her interest level up.  It was definitely worth our time, and it was a great supplement to our American Indian history studies! 

With the holidays just around the corner, you might consider checking out the Once-a-Week Micro-Studies Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims or the Once-a-Week Unit Study Christmas Comes to America, as well.

Take a look at what other Crew members have to say about this and other unit studies from Homeschool Legacy by clicking the banner below.

Halloween Freebies and Deals

It’s not too late!  Take advantage of these Halloween freebies and deals.

IHOP:  Kids age 12 and under get a FREE scary face pancake today, no purchase required!  We went early and got ours for breakfast.  I had a receipt from a previous visit, did the survey on the bottom, and used that get myself a free short stack of pancakes!  Then we ordered some turkey sausage links on the side, and that was the only thing I had to pay for.  Gotta love a deal like that!

KRISPY KREME:  Anyone who shows up in a costume today gets a FREE doughnut of your choice.  There are some seasonal doughnuts just for Halloween that won’t be around after today, but you can pick any one of your choice.  If you don’t have a costume, just get creative.  I grabbed a long zip-up house robe to put over my clothes and carried my daughter’s pillow pet, put my hair in two braids in the parking lot, and went in as a little girl.  Hey, don’t knock it…it works!  And I thoroughly enjoyed my favorite apple cinnamon filled doughnut.  Yum!  I skipped lunch so I could have it, especially after those heavy pancakes for breakfast.  I’m on a real carb high today!

SONIC:  A convenient way to grab a quick dinner for the kids before heading out the door for trick-or-treating tonight is to run by a Sonic drive-thru and take advantage of the 50-cent corn dogs they are offering today.  Man, those corn dogs are surprisingly good!  Crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside.  Yummy goodness!  There’s no limit that I’m aware of, so grab a few for the hungry teenager in the house while you’re at it.

Speaking of hungry teenagers, I just left the pediatrician’s office from getting checkups for two of my kids, and would you believe that my 17-year old son has lost 4 pounds in the last month, all while eating me out of house and home?  I guess that’s what happens when he runs and competes to regionals with cross-country AND plays soccer simultaneously in the same season.  Go figure!  That boy can put down some calories, all while I’m counting every single one and trying to lose weight.  Sigh.  Oh, to be young again!

Happy Halloween, everyone!  Stay safe out there. 

REVIEW: Elementary Spanish 1: Grades 3-5 by Middlebury Interactive Languages

Holden had the pleasure of improving his Spanish learning once again with Elementary Spanish 1: Grades 3-5 by Middlebury Interactive Languages.

WHAT IS IT?:

Middlebury Interactive Languages offers a variety of online language programs for students in grades K-12. 

Program subscriptions can be purchased for either one or two semester periods to learn Spanish, French, Chinese, or German, with or without teacher support.  They are self-grading programs, and parents can log in to view grades and activities at any time. 

Online lessons include animated videos, drag-and-drop activities, as well as speaking the language and recording your voice for playback and comparison.

We reviewed Elementary Spanish 1: Grades 3-5, which is a two-semester program.  Without teacher support, it costs $238.00.  The primary focus of the program at this level is to acquire language vocabulary, though the cultural stories present vocabulary in context, which also provides opportunity for natural learning of grammar principles.

 

OUR EXPERIENCE:

Holden is 8, and he has used other levels of the Elementary Spanish programs in the past and has always loved the experience.  The animated cultural stories are fun to watch, and it’s amazing to see how much understanding he can obtain from a completely Spanish-speaking story by listening to it in the context of the video.

The videos do a good job of communicating the meaning of the language through the images being seen as you listen.  Then the subsequent exercises that follow isolate the targeted vocabulary from the story, allowing him to manipulate words and images in a variety of ways that help him match and remember those words and phrases.

Each time he completes an exercise, there is a check mark at the top of the screen that he can click to see the assignment graded instantly.  He can also go back at any time to practice an exercise again, which helps with reinforcement if there’s a section about which he feels unsure.

Each time he logs in, he can easily see which lesson is next and click on that to proceed.  After 4-5 segments which are catalogued down the left-hand side of each lesson, his lesson is complete, and he can either move on or exit until next time.  Each completed segment will be shown with a giant checkmark across it so he can see that he has completed it before moving on to the next one.

There is also a calendar section that shows check marks on completed lessons, though the calendar itself is not a functional one, in that you cannot move assignments around or affect in any way when they are scheduled.  I think it’s probably for use in teacher-supported courses.  But it does help you, as the parent, to see an overview of completed lessons.  It actually did come in handy for me.  Since Holden had done these courses in the past, I left him alone to complete his lesson each day once I’d logged him in.  But when I went back and looked at the calendar overview to look for the little checkmarks and make sure all the lessons were complete, I realized that some lessons were incomplete.  When we went back to them, we realized he’d been doing many of the activities but forgetting to click on the checkmark to get them graded.  Unfortunately then, his work was not being saved for many of the activities.  He’s working on doing those activities again and getting them graded so his progress is accurately shown.  So my recommendation would be that a parent verify that all activities have check marks on them before logging out each day, even if your child is working through the lessons independently.  Luckily, Holden doesn’t mind doing them again because he really enjoys this program!

In fact, Holden enjoys it so much that he is doing a lesson every day, even though the elementary programs are paced at two lessons per week so they last a full school year.  We were using something else for Spanish up to this point in our school year, but Holden asked to replace it with Middlebury Spanish instead, so this is now our primary foreign language course for this school year! 

I have to say that he has done quite well with the program.  I love that he can do it by himself, too, giving me a little block of time to do other things at home.  There are built-in reviews of the material as well as quizzes at the end of each unit, which is great for checking his retention of the material.

I would highly recommend this course for your young learners!  The pace of it seems just right, the lessons are just enough without being too much for one sitting, and the interactive nature of the activities keeps students engaged.

Check out what other Crew members have to say about this and other language courses from Middlebury Interactive Languages by clicking the banner below.

Comfort Food Diet…a Success!

I just wanted to post a quick update now that I’ve been cooking the menus from the Comfort Food Diet plans I mentioned last week.  I started last weekend, and in just that amount of time, I’ve already lost 4 pounds!  And let me tell you…I’ve really been enjoying this comfort food!  I’ve had pasta, cheese, bread, pineapple, banana, butter…a whole host of foods I haven’t eaten at all this year since I started dieting at the end of January.  And yet I either lost or stayed the same every single day this past week!  I am now down a total of 18 pounds this year, and I’ve even surpassed my goal weight!  I wanted to reach 123 but had been stuck fluctuating between 125 and 127 since the end of March.  Now I’m 121.2 as of today!  That’s amazing.  This nutrition plan has finally gotten me out of this weight loss plateau.  I had given up on ever reaching my actual goal.  Now look where I am!

I’ve never enjoyed a diet so much in all my life.  I’ve done a LOT of cooking and cleanup…I must admit that.  But I’ve made every meal from scratch, and it’s all been so delicious!  My family is also loving it.  Here are some of the meals I’ve enjoyed over the last few days:

This was a lunch that included a Veggie Pizza (on a whole wheat tortilla), blueberries, and a salad.

This was this morning’s breakfast that included a vegetable frittata, wheat toast with jam, and a naval orange.

This was today’s lunch that included a made-from-scratch California Deluxe Chicken Caesar Pizza (I even made the pizza dough!), pineapple, and a light string cheese.

Tonight we had some marinated steak & veggie kabobs over rice and a salad.  That was delicious, too!  And we had chocolate pudding sandwiches for dessert.  Last night, I made a broiled pineapple dessert with toasted marshmallows on top that was simply amazing!

I have not had the urge to cheat on this nutrition plan.  The meals are very satisfying, and I get dessert every night, so there’s really nothing to crave!  I’m very happy to finally be losing weight and truly enjoying food again.  I don’t feel deprived of anything at all!

I’ve officially lost nearly 13% of my body weight this year.  I feel a real sense of accomplishment in that.  I’m still doing my PINK workouts every day.  I’ve finished that program 3 times, and I started round 4 this week.  I feel happy and strong and fit!  Woo-hoo!

Awesome Nutrition Plan!!!

I have been doing the PINK Method exercise and nutrition program since January 22nd.  I lost the weight I wanted to lose in the first two months and have basically been in PINK Preservation ever since in order to maintain my weight.  I could make my own menus if I wanted to, but I enjoy having everything planned out for me, so we’ve been mostly doing the PINK menus this whole time.  I was really starting to get bored with the repetition and simplicity of the food, though, so I was looking to change something up on the food end of things.

When the PINK online access went away at the end of August, I started using My Fitness Pal to track my calories and exercise, as well as my water intake.  It’s really an amazing FREE program, and you can use the convenient app on your phone or iPad, as well…available for both Apple and Android.  It has the most extensive food database I’ve ever seen, so it’s easy to pull up everything you eat and log the nutrition data that’s already there 99% of the time.

With that program, I set myself up to maintain my weight at 125, and after entering my height and weight information and other variables, it allotted me 1,400 calories per day, plus extra calories to balance out whatever exercise I enter.  I’ve been using it for almost 2 months now, and it has really helped me stay on track, even when I want a treat!  It keeps a count and lets me know how many calories I have left for the day.

When I started looking for ideas on different menus, it dawned on me that I already owned the whole set of Comfort Food Diet cookbooks from Taste of Home, and that used to be its own online weight loss subscription program, but it was discontinued a few years ago.  Anyway, in the front of each cookbooks is a free sample of 6 weeks of menu plans using the recipes in the cookbooks that equal 1,400 calories per day…which is exactly what I’m allotted at My Fitness Pal.  So I got to thinking that this might be just the thing to change up our menus without getting off track.  I dug them out of my cookbook cabinet and sat down to take a look.  It seemed totally doable, so I started it on Sunday of this week.  I’m on the third day now, and I have lost weight every single day!  And what’s more, I’ve eaten pasta, homemade bread, bagel, cheese, and dairy products, which are all things I didn’t get on PINK.  I also have had dessert every single night!  And you know what?  I’m stuffed full.  Sometimes, I can’t even eat all the food.  And I haven’t taken advantage of any of the allowed snacks at all.  To be honest, I haven’t even found myself thinking about snacks, because I’m so full and satisfied after every meal!  The first night, I made these super rich layered ice cream desserts that my kids were crazy for…they had caramel, chocolate, mini ice cream sandwiches, chocolate sauce, etc., and it was so rich!  Last night, we had chocolate peanut butter parfaits, and they were SO yummy, and only 130 calories! 

My total calories yesterday barely broke 1,000, and yet I was SO stuffed.  I had spaghetti and meat sauce, a salad, and that parfait for dessert.  I had a fabulous salmon chowder for lunch with a homemade wheat roll with butter and grapes.  I had a delicious crustless spinach quiche for breakfast with toast and jam.  It’s been so yummy! 

I’m amazed.  I’m down to 123.2 today, and that’s my lowest weight this year!  I’m down a total of 16 pounds since January 22nd, which means I’ve lost 11.5% of my body weight this year!  I have stuck with the PINK workouts religiously, and I’ve completed the program 3 times through this year.  I just started round 4 yesterday. 

So if you are stuck in a food rut, you’re trying to lose weight, you’re trying to maintain your current weight, or you just want to healthified versions of comfort foods that leave you feel satiated after every meal, then I highly recommend that you check out the Comfort Food Diet Cookbooks!  Collect them all so you can get the free menu plans in the front of each book.  But it’s easy to put together your own plans with the cookbooks, as well, because the recipes are separated by meal category and then indexed in calorie order in each section.  Easy peasy!

Check them out!

1.  Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

2.  Comfort Food Diet Cookbook - Family Classics Collection

3.  Comfort Food Diet Cookbook – Quick & Easy Favorites

Enjoy!  Feel free to share your weight loss journey in the comments.  Here’s to a healthier you!

A Mere Brush with Hurricane Matthew

Although Hampton Roads was spared any direct contact with Hurricane Matthew this weekend, its upper bands of moisture got sucked up by a stationary cold front that was moving into the area this weekend.  And as a result, we got an enormous amount of rain (and wind) from that storm system.  Virginia Beach got over 9 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. 

We had record rainfall just two weeks ago that caused a lot of flooding in this city…enough to close public schools for two days.  So the ground was already saturated from that weather event.  Our storm drains just couldn’t handle the volume last night, and we got up to some pretty significant flooding all over the area this morning!  Here’s what my neighborhood looked like, and this was after it started receding.

The water crept up my street into the early morning hours, and my good friend who lives three doors down had one of her vehicles flooded out.  We were lucky, because our house is literally the highest one in the neighborhood, and it never floods right in front of my house.  Several of the neighbors were proactive and moved their cars in front of my house, which was wise. 

I went for a walk and discovered a lot of flooded vehicles, impassable roads, and people without power.  The traffic control boxes were under water, so the traffic lights were malfunctioning, too.  People have been driving through the common area in front of our neighborhood and through the medians to get onto higher ground, so you can imagine how many muddy ruts there are in the grass…it’s pretty torn up out there. 

What a mess!  But we survived.

Goodbye, Matthew!

REVIEW: Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting by Everyday Education, LLC

Haylee loves to practice handwriting but is no longer required to do so for school, so when this product came up for review, she immediately volunteered to try out Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting by Everyday Education, LLC.

 

WHAT IS IT?:

Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting is designed to help you teach your early elementary-aged student to read and write well within 60 days.  It contains 60 lessons, and it is a phonics-based program. 

It’s also intended for use with older elementary students, even those in public school, who may not be reading well, perhaps because of ineffective teaching methods that have been used in the past.

In addition, the handwriting portion is intended for both children and adults who want to learn a simple, beautiful italic handwriting style that’s easy to learn and pleasing to the eye. 

This program is available for just $29 for the printed version, $27 for the e-book printable version (which you can print as many times as needed for use in your own family), or $44 for the print and e-book bundle.

 

OUR EXPERIENCE:

My 12-year old daughter, Haylee, has always had beautiful handwriting and took a lot of pride in practicing her handwriting well.  Our instructional program, though, only went through her 6th grade year.  So this is the first year that she did not have scheduled handwriting practice in our homeschool.  Needless to say, she has commented several times that she actually misses doing handwriting!  So when Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting came up for review, she begged me to let her work on the handwriting portion.  All of my kids read well, so I agreed to let her do the handwriting portion for the review.

Up to this point, Haylee had learned the traditional D’Nealian style of cursive handwriting, and when I was a kid in public school, I learned the Palmer method.  So italics is an all-new style for our family.  I must say, though, that it looks quite lovely on paper! 

We received the e-book version of the the program, so I was conveniently able to print just the chapter on handwriting for Haylee to use.  It started off showing some of the different ways that italic handwriting can look.  Then it explains how to use the chapter to learn and master the italic style.

First, Haylee began by practicing the basic letters, both uppercase and lowercase, written very vertically.  Once she had that down, she began copying the first six pages of the poem, “The Night Before Christmas.”  She had to copy each line immediately following the pre-printed text.  Then the first word of her line was traceable to get her started with proper size and spacing.  Haylee did quite well with this, and it looked really nice!

The next stage of the chapter had her beginning to learn to write the letters with some slant.  Haylee wrote the remainder of the poem in this slanted style with the same layout of the pages as before, only this time, there were also faint guidelines in the background of the page to help her maintain a consistent slant to her writing. 

After the poem was completed, it had her move on to completing some sentences about herself and then writing anything she wished to write for practice on a blank page with only writing lines and slant guidelines to keep her on track.  Then it also showed her some sample writing in the most common sizing, and she had to copy that page, as well, followed by another blank practice page to apply the smaller sizing.

The final stage taught her how to write the italic style faster by joining letters together while avoiding making certain joins that confuse the appearance of the letters for the reader.  That encompassed the final size pages of the chapter.

In addition, there is another section of writing in italics with a calligraphy pen.  This is where you can really add personal style to your writing with swashes and flourishes!  But my daughter didn’t have a calligraphy pen to try that out, so she just stuck to the standard italic writing style.  Since she enjoyed this handwriting so much, though, that gives me an idea for a future Christmas gift…a calligraphy pen!

Overall, the italic style seemed pretty simple for Haylee to learn, and she found it relaxing to get the book out and give it a try just for fun.  I had printed the handwriting chapter and bound it with spiral comb binding like a workbook so she could lay the pages flat and keep them all together as she worked.  Haylee really seemed to enjoy learning the style, and I thought she did a wonderful job with it!  It really did look lovely, and it was easy on the eyes to read it.

Even if you don’t have a child learning to read, Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting still makes a wonderful tool for learning italic handwriting or for trying to improve your own style!

Take a look at what other Crew members had to say about this and other products from Everyday Education by clicking the banner below.