ARTistic Pursuits Review~Middle School

I must admit, my favorite thing in school (besides reading) was art. I will also admit that many math classes were spent doodling in the margins of my paper instead of listening to instructions. This isn't a pastime that I have taken the time to do a whole lot of since becoming a parent. BUT, my daughter who also loves art has definitely been an encouragement to start it back up. I love how art, like books, can be such an escape and for me it is very relaxing. I get in my "zone". hahah! So you can imagine my enthusiasm when I was able to do a review for ARTistic Pursuits. Z~girl is 11, so she is in the middle school range, and we were sent Middle School 6-8 Book 1 . This particular book is recommended for grades 6-8/ages 11 and up.

 

I like that the book tells you right away what supplies are needed while using the book. We bought the supplies at Michaels as we do not have a local art store and with some of the items I was not able to get the same brands, but I did eventually end up finding what we would need. (yes I said WE...I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity to use my creativity with my daughter) It has a getting started guide that tells you all you need to know before starting the instruction with your child. 

Not only do the lessons provide instruction but they also have art history and culture included in the information.  They have art illustrations in the book by famous artists such as Claude Monet, Katsushika Hokusai, and Leonado da Vinci. They used the creations of these masters to illustrate various drawing techniques. For the last few years we have been playing an art card Go Fish game so it helped that Z~girl was familiar with the various artists. 

There are 16 units in the book with each one broken down into 4 lessons. 

 Building a Visual Vocabulary

Art Appreciation and Art History

Techniques

Application

With this book your child will learn about:

• Space
• Line
• Texture 
• Shape
• Form 
• Visual Paths in the Line
• Balance, Symmetry
•  your child will learn the difference between a quick sketch and a finished drawing

In the first lesson "Portrait of the Elephant Dal, Badal, Chasing his Attendant", Z~girl soon discovered that while her mom can draw a very good elephant...her people look like smurfs. Z~girl did a much better sketch of the attendant being chased. In this exercise it taught about positioning and space.

The price of the book we were able to try out is 47.95. Initially that price could seem high as it is not a hard cover book but that type of book would be really difficult to use for an art instruction book. Instead, it has a ring binder that allows you to open the book up flat which which I really liked! Also, it is much more than an art instruction book because of the fact it includes history and culture in the process. I plan on buying book two for next year. 

This company makes art books for all ages too so check out what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have to say about the various books!

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 I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

How to juggle it all?

Recently a new friend that just started homeschooling asked this question-

Ok homeschooling mom's (and other mom's whose advice I value) I need HELP!! How on earth do you homeschool AND keep up with all of the housework?? Throw in trying to help run a business and I'm sinkng fast. Advice, comments, ideas, number to the nearest insane asylum and/or favorite alcoholic drink recipe???

 This is such an excellent question and one I am not exactly sure how to answer which is why I have been sitting on it for quite awhile and thinking. We have been homeschooling for 7 years. Currently I get a lot of help from my hubby with things that need to get done but for a good part of that time I had almost no help! (due to his job) I can honestly say now we do things 50/50 although I do most of the formal homeschooling. Also, what works for one family doesn't necessarily work for another. Oh and do not forget to factor in the ages of the children. SO MANY VARIABLES TO CONSIDER!

I'm pretty sure my new friend has children that are at least middle school age like mine. One thing the last couple of years I have really been doing is involving them in helping around the house. For my 11 year old daughter, she is in charge of all of the animal care, and she also does the dishes. (we do not have a dishwasher) Those are things she does daily, but throughout the week she will also help out with cooking, dusting, and folding the laundry. My son who is 13 helps clean the kids bathroom, he does most of the vacuuming, puts his clean clothes away and does a very good job keeping his room neat. 

Because a homeschool family spends so much more time at home, (well....some weeks not so much! haha) it is bound to have constant clutter, stuff tracked in, and meal time messes. What I have done is prioritize what is important to me to be neat. After this many years I have come to the peace that my house WON'T be spotless, and if it was that would mean I wasn't spending enough time with the kids. That is only my opinion for our family though as I am challenged in the cleaning department. Of course when company is coming I do a complete house restoration. ;) One particular area I desperately need to work on is our yard. It has so much potential but with me just recovering from an injury and having other pain issues, I have to do it a little bit at a time. Fortunately my kids LOVE to work in the yard. Spring cannot come soon enough!

For me, I try to keep the entryway, livingroom, hallway, kids bathroom, and kitchen neat/clean enough that if someone showed up at my door I wouldn't take the kids and go hide in the closet. ;) Now sometimes I fall short but for the last couple of years it has worked for us. That doesn't mean I do nothing in the rest of the house BUT it isn't on the top of my priority list. I also work from home so that is also another ball to juggle and a high priority. Fortunately, I do my work a few days a week when hubby either takes the kids swimming or to help him at work. If I didn't have that help though I would have to either wake up early and do it, or do it late at night when I currently just relax and enjoy the quiet. *excuse me while I got hug and thank my hubby*

What also works well for our more formal schooling is that in the morning we do all of our work with various online homeschool sites such as an online homeschool writing course that my daughter is about to start. This takes minimal planning and it leaves the afternoon free for homeschool group activities and for the children to pursue the things that interest them. It works for us.

I've only described just a few of the things I juggle but with rest being one I think I will end this and go to bed. Could any other homeschoolers explain how they juggle it all and help this new homeschooler stay afloat?

Take the time...

I am sure I have mentioned many times in my blog, (and to a couple of you in person ;) how exhausting, stressful, and downright aging it is parenting a child like my son. There are times I admit, when I wake up in the morning and a sense of dread comes over me. That's when I pray for strength and courage for whatever the day entails. Yet, often I can overlook the joys that are right under my nose. Just this week on facebook I posted, It is a fortunate thing my son is so darn funny...  sometimes it's the honest truth. I will be asked the same thing for the millionth time...I will feel like I am about to pull every strand of hair out of my head...and he will say something UTTERLY hilarious. I'm talking comedian hilarious. He has saved himself my wrath (wrath=me yelling) on many occasion simply by making me (or his dad) laugh. There are so many things he does (positive things) that go unnoticed at the time by me and the hubby because we are simply trying to get to the next task of the day. Almost like checking the square. 

Grocery shopping is one such thing. I'm embarrassed to admit this. We go to the grocery store every single day. (I really should do better meal planning for the week!) Fortunately for us, despite A~man's Prader-Willi Syndrome, he has always done exceptional in the grocery store. For him it is a social time. With each department; produce, deli, meats, dairy, he knows at least one and often two of the workers. The thing is he wants to have lengthy chats with each person. I do not particularly like to shop (you would think I would do better meal planning then huh?) and I want to get what we need and get out. This isn't at just one grocery store I should add,hehe, this is at two where he knows so many employees. They LOVE him. One grocery store employs people with disabilities. He knows them all. One young man with Down Syndrome often will come up and either hug A~man or give him a high five. If one employee is not there he will inquire about where they are. He remembers the most particular details about each person. He makes all of them feel special and important. One manager has even promised him a job one day. (PWS and working at a grocery store is probably not a good mix though)

On to my story...today Z~girl and hubby went to the store together and A~man and I were at home doing some school work. Someone came up behind hubby and hugged him from behind. (I should mention this someone is close to 7 foot tall) He turned around and it was someone that used to work at the store. Probably about 5 months ago he had gotten a blood clot in his leg and he is no longer able to work. (he's just a bit older than I am) The man had tears in his eyes. He said to tell A~man how much he appreciated him asking and praying for him. He has a son and daughter who also work there and almost every day A~man would ask about "B". He would also write him notes and send him gum and M&M's for them to bring home to their dad. THIS MAN WAS IN TEARS! Have I ever brought someone to tears? Probably not in a good way. 

So many times when we are out and about I am rushing. I am shushhing him. I do not want to talk to everyone in the store I want to GO HOME. But my little buddy beside me is showing people the type of love and compassion that God wants us to show to one another. He is making people feel special and giving them the time of day when most people are probably like me and walk right on by people. Heck, I'm terrible about getting lost in the little world in my head and walking past people I know! I need to to slow down, see people, and show even a portion of the same love my son shows. With our lifestyle does it really matter whether it takes 10 minutes to shop or 20 minutes? No, most of the time when we shop it's the end of he day with no more appointments or activities.

Lastly, with A~man having his PWS and often autistic quirkiness, I wonder..... If he did not in fact have those challenges...would he still be awesome like that? I think that particular awesomeness he has, making people feel special, and caring, I honestly think it is a characteristic of his disability. A characteristic that I need to learn from. 

Lone Star Learning~Science Vocabulary Cards Review

Lone Star Learning has created such an amazing tool for teaching children to learn vocabulary words. We were given the opportunity to try out a science set and after seeing them I remember thinking "Why didn't I think of that?"

The Science Vocabulary Pictures set one included 40 cards that were 5.5" x 8.5", fully colored and coated to make them very sturdy. The sets do not go by grade level which I think is very cool, as our home school really doesn't go by grade level either. Just ask either of my children what grade they are in and they look to me to give the questioning person an explanation. Instead, there are 4 separate sets plus a set that combines the first three sets and targets children at an early elementary level. This early elementary list has primary words from sets 1, 2, and 3 plus additional words. (82 words are in that set)

This is a great resource for children (or moms) that are visual learners. Each vocabulary word has a picture made out of it that helps the learner to remember what each word means. I especially like the reptile card. I would highly recommend these sets for children who have autism or any type of learning challenge. They are truly eye catching which is very helpful when trying to memorize a word. My daughter is 11 years old without learning challenges and my son is 13, but at a 6/7 year old level, and both children were able to learn so many new words!

The price for set one, which is what we were sent, is 29.99. As much as I love these cards this price might dissuade me into not buying many of the sets as that seems pretty high for them. If they were a bit less I could see us buying all of the science card sets. 

Make sure and check out the other reviews by other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Some members received vocabulary sets for Greek and Latin, Math, and Language Arts. All of these sets come with a sheet that describes different ways to use the cards, such as Word of the Day, writing poetry, and categorizing. There is also a card in each set that lists the actual definition for each word in the set of cards.

Disclaimer- I received a free copy of this product though 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 I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Another photo from the PWS weekend

I love this photo of such amazingly beautiful individuals ...but despite the cold, the sun was right in their eyes. 

Review of Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream

Recently, through The Old Schoolhouse magazine I had the opportunity to read the book by Inspiring the American Dream which was called Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream, by Robert and Kathleen Basmadjian. I love to read, especially children’s books so I was pleased at the prospect.

I can honestly say I haven’t read a book quite like it, and I have read a lot of books. It was the epitome of “The American Dream”, but at a child’s level. It takes place now, during the recession and despite the fact my children know that we have not had a lot of extra money in the last few years and that quite honestly we almost lost our home, they haven’t heard the term the Great Recession.

My own parents were children during the Great Depression and I believe it is very important for children to learn about difficult times like these, as one day they will be the ones running our country and hopefully be making changes for the better. This fictional story line presents the issues we currently have and presents inspiration for making things better for our future as well as that of future generations.

The main character in the story, Abraham, is on the search to make his family’s Christmas a happy one despite the fact that they have no money for gifts. On his journey he meets up with important figures from the past such as Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Amelia Earhart. Present day figures were also included in his journey with Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. All of them were people that had made a difference in the world, past and present, by following their dreams. Through the meetings he learned that with kindness, creativity, imagination, strength and courage he could overcome any obstacle that came his way. From what he learned, Abraham was able to make the money he needed to buy presents for his family for Christmas.

This would be a great book for children ages 8-12, it explains our current economic situation in very basic terms but the book brings about hope that all is not lost. The only thing that bothered me about the book was the fact that Abraham had a smart phone despite his parents not having a job. The phone did become the "window" though, into him becoming inspired. My 11 year old daughter read it to her 13 year old brother who has special needs. I believe it was very appropriate for their individual learning levels.

This book is sold at their website for 14.99.

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 I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Our weekend trip

I'm not sure if I mentioned the story about this young man in my blog but it is so very close to my heart. You see L.J. who was 15 this last fall, also had Prader-willi syndrome. As I understand it he had eloped off and on for many years, but in October he was hit by a vehicle after getting ice cream from a convenience store in the middle of the night. In this families case he was in a group home that was supposed to keep him safe but the drive to find food was so strong and they (the group home) were not prepared for the level of safety that someone with PWS needs.

The last couple of months we have been dealing with the "system" in our own home to ensure we can keep our own son safe. We have had an alarm in our hallway since last year and now have an alarm on his window. We do not feel this is enough. My husband will be installing a type of lock that will deactivate when/if the smoke detectors ever go off. This isn't something we have decided lightly. We have been through our local mental health service provider and the local fire marshall. We have even been in contact with a local senator as we felt our concerns were not being taken seriously. We let many professionals know about L.J.'s story and finally we have some support to make sure we keep our son as safe as possible.

On Saturday we went to a 5K that L.J.'s family was doing as they are setting up a foundation to build a group home for individuals with PWS in the state of NC. Most group homes are not equipped to take care of people with PWS with monitoring for food control and the other measures needed to keep them safe. It was a very nice event for a wonderful cause. We were able to meet his sweet family and also two other families that have children with PWS. (I'll post a group shot with the three kiddos after I get permission from one of the other families) It's really amazing to get together with other PWS parents that totally "get it". You do not have to explain your choices for what you feed or don't feed your child and have to deal with "that look" that some give you, that you are over protective. They understand that you do what you have to do to meet the needs of your child. Here is one picture though I took that is the backs of A~man walking with a young man with PWS that is about 5 years older than my son. It made this silly mama teary.

We really enjoyed our little weekend trip and hopefully it will be the beginning of some roadschooling trips for this spring/summer. I am devising a plan to make some extra money for some fun educational trips. I REALLY want to go to SD this summer as the kids have only been there during the cold months. There are so many fun sights between here and there and I want to explore. So...I ordered a postal scale off of Amazon and I'm hoping to start selling on Ebay again. Years ago we were really big into selling there and I'm hoping to make some traveling money.

Here is the link to L.J.'s Foundation page if you would like to read more about it.