May 23 2014

L’Alliance Française de Knoxville

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

About a month ago, I took a more intentional approach toward teaching my children French in our homeschool. I started gathering resources to teach my children French.

Books and language lessons lay the foundation of mastering another language. Immersion and interaction with other speakers of French continue the process and solidify the vocabulary.

So I joined L’Alliance Française of Knoxville.

We attended two get-togethers already:

(1) Picnic and petanque tournament (pique-nique et tournoi de pétanque) at the Cove at Concord Park

(2) Immersion meal (table française) at the French-Belgian restaurant called “Northshore Brasserie” in West Knoxville.

The window of Northshore Brasserie

Through the Alliance Française, we met people from Québec, France, Iran, Switzerland and even the United States (ha!). The conversations cover a multitude of topics and we all enjoy the interaction in the language of Molière. We definitely plan to join them for Bastille Day, our next “réunion.”

Here are the details…

During the first event, we met everybody and played pétanque. Then, we had a picnic. Most of the dialogue was in French, but some of our spouses spoke to each other in English because they do not speak French at all.

Pétanque is a game like its Italian cousin, bocce. The difference is that, in bocce, you run before tossing the ball. In pétanque, you don’t. You stand and toss your ball from the launching spot.

Even though the weather was cold and my children were not too sure about speaking French to any of our new friends, we had a good time.

To say that I was inspired by the fellowship in French would be an understatement. I went home and worked on some more resources for our homeschool, like subscribing to different TV5 Monde newsletters and reaching out via email to a French family living in Knoxville, who were recommended by the members of this group.

By the second meeting, the immersion table, my children had more courage to interact in French. I am surprised by how quickly they pick up a language, but I should not be. Children under 12 are biologically wired to pick up multiple languages.

Alliance Française of Knoxville members enjoying lunch and French conversations at Northshore Brasserie

After one month of teaching them, they understand simple phrases (what is your name? how old are you? come here, look at me, please, thank you etc) and they can count to ten. My son already uses “Eh, voilà!” when he brings me something.

When asked how old he was during the immersion table, he answered he was six years old. He constructed his sentence half in English and half in French. Progress.

Here’s another observation: their third language, French, is pushing their mother tongue, Romanian, to the forefront.

I spoke Romanian with my children since birth, but they answer me in English 99% of the time.

Today, my son and I were watering the garden. My daughter came over and asked to help, too. We took turns. When she asked to go over her allotted time, my son said, “In nici un caz!” in Romanian, which means “No way!”

I had never heard my son say that phrase before. Ever.

I knew he knew what it meant when I said it, but I did not know he could pronounce it so well and use it in an appropriate context. So I am really, really encouraged to see a bit of the fruit of my labors.

À bientôt!

May 19 2014

Trident Case Review

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

This post is a review for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew of a product called Kraken A.M.S. Case for Apple Mini 1/2.

Trident Case produces different shapes and colors of these rugged cases for many of your electronics. We have been using a Trident Case for our mini iPad for a few weeks and it just so happens that we got a red one. But the color, of course, does not matter as much as the question, “Will this case protect my iPad?”

This blue one, for instance, is super cute. I suppose the answer to the above question depends on what you plan on doing with your iPad. It also depends on your environment, how old your children are and how much you travel with your mini iPad.

If you happen to have a mini iPad 1 or mini iPad 2, you will want to look into a protective case for it. These sturdy iPad cases may seem like a lot of money – this particular one costs $59.95. But when you just shelled hundreds of dollars on an Apple product, you will naturally want to protect it.

This product is for all ages, of course, because, these days, all ages use mini iPads. In our home, my husband uses it more than anybody else. I am more of a Kindle gal while the kids – well – we keep them away from media as much as possible. The only thing they do on the mini iPad is an occasional Crossfingers puzzle or watch a short funny cat video with daddy – as a reward for good behavior.

Personally, I don’t travel much with my iPad, but my children are small. So the danger of breaking it comes to us at home. Even though the kids follow most house rules, they do have those days when they behave like children, carefree and carelessly. One day, daddy allowed our daughter a few minutes of puzzles on the mini iPad. He walked away to take care of something for a few minutes in another room. When he came back, the iPad was on the floor. She was done and had gone on to play with something else. He almost stepped on the iPad.

Good news: Trident cases are made to military standards when it comes to dust, vibration, drop, sand, and rain. The tests were done independently. More good news: they come in five colors – red, black, green, blue and pink.

With a weight of only 0.47 lbs, you will not add too much to your purse should you choose to carry it with you as you leave the house.

Regardless of color, Trident cases are green, i.e. eco-friendly green. I find it interesting that this case is so green, it is made of components that are recyclable, degradable and compostable. Wow!

If your lifestyle takes you biking, never fear, there’s a mount for your Trident case (which you must buy separately). If your lifestyle includes kids on the back seat, asking for the next French lesson video while you drive them to their violin lesson (and whose kids don’t?), there is a special holder for your Trident case (which you must buy separately).

They have so many of these accessories, you can even get a hand strap. That’s called flexibility and freedom in my book.

The screen is protected as well, though if you sat on it, it would not protect your device. Everything has its limits. The back of the device is protected by two layers – an inner layer made of silicone, which absorbs shocks, covered by an outer later made of hardened polycarbonate.

The corners are also made of the same double layer to protect it as much as possible. Great feature: the Kraken A.M.S. protects speakers, audio jacks and power ports from dirt and debris.

All in all, you should seriously give this device a chance and, at the very least, put it on a list next to its competitors to consider its pros and cons.

Here are the social media links for Trident Case:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tridentcase
Instagram – https://instagram.com/tridentcase#
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/tridentcase
Google+ – httpss://plus.google.com/+tridentcase
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/tridentcase
Vine – httpss://vine.co/Trident.Case
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/TridentCase

May 15 2014

7 Ways Modern Technology Helps Me Raise Multilingual Children

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

We live in the United States, but my European background inspired me to raise my children with at least the languages I am fluent in: Romanian, English and French. It’s one of the reasons I homeschool.

I have been speaking to them in Romanian since birth. I introduced them to French about a year ago, when I started speaking to them during our normal routine.

My husband and I made the decision to limit our children’s screen time to 30 minutes per day and, instead, read to them extensively. We read to them mostly in English, but I also read to them in Romanian and French books. Lately, I have been more intentional about reading to them at least one book per day in Romanian and French.

What I realize more and more though is that my kids need more immersion into the sounds of French and Romanian. So here are some ways that I have allowed media into my children’s life. I call it “screen time with a purpose.”

1. Free books online

The Internet – the ultimate modern technology – has put me in touch with multilingual bloggers who inspire me and share their own findings. I also research the Internet to find book titles and ideas and methods. I even found a free bilingual book on Little Bilingues.

When my kids’ vocabulary picks up, we will read more advanced books in French. I found some free ones on Children’s Books Forever.

2. Google searches

A simple Google search for French books helped me find Schoenhofs, the bookstore which boasts the largest selection of foreign language books in North America. It is located in Cambridge, MA, on the campus of Harvard University. For orders over $50, shipping is free. Some of their titles begin cost under $5. So affordable.

3. Amazon Prime

Amazon remains a great source of books as well, especially because we have a Prime membership. While Amazon cannot rival Schoenhofs in selection or prices, Amazon carries certain bilingual books which Schoenhofs does not.

4. Youtube.com

Youtube helps with French nursery rhymes (comptines) and cartoons like Caillou, Léo et Popi and Trotro. These are wholesome cartoons in French which use simple vocabulary and short sentences. The dialogues help my children hear French spoken in a conversation and retain it.

Very important note: I sit with them and translate expressions and repeat the French terms. Not for everything, but for the most important words and phrases. I do it in Romanian. That way, they practice two minority languages at one time.

The other day, my son was imitating Mousseline, Caillou’s sister, who was saying, “Moi, moi, moi!” while holding her empty bowl up. Then he looked at me and said, “Mousseline is so cute. What does ‘moi’ mean, mama?”

Bonus: they don’t even realize they are having a French lesson while watching.

Even though it helps them learn French, I still limit their cartoon time to 30 minutes a day. That way, if they watch some English cartoons as well, they spend a total of one hour daily in front of a screen. I counterbalance that with three hours spent outside every day.

5. Petra Lingua

Last but not least, I have found Petra Lingua to be a fun way to allow modern technology to teach my children French. Try their free sample lesson and you will see how much your children enjoy the experience. I will have a more thorough review of this site in July, so make sure you sign up for updates from Homeschool Ways on social media or via email.

So far though, this site has boosted my children’s confidence with French. My daughter told me the other day, “I understand THIS French, mama” as we were going through the fruit and vegetable lesson for the third time.

Repetition is the mother of learning, and children know it instinctively. They ask to repeat the same lesson several times and they love that I oblige. In the process, they have just memorized 20 French words.

6. Skype

We Skype with my family who live in Spain, Sweden and Romania. Even though my children still answer my relatives in English and I have to translate, now and then they will answer in Romanian – miracle of miracles! If we keep this up, I think we will see even more progress.

7. Radio France Internationale

Listening to RFI has become a daily routine in our home. Even if it is just Le Journal En Français Facile, which takes 10 minutes, I make it a point to turn it on when the kids are playing nearby. They don’t get any of it at this point, but, over time, they will start hearing more and more familiar words.

I remember learning Swedish while living in Sweden (from TV, radio, conversations at work and at language school) and not understanding anything. After a few weeks, I could catch a phrase here, a word there. In the meantime, I learned the rhythm and the melody of the Swedish language. Four months later, I could carry on a conversation with the natives.

So, based on that experience, I immerse them into the sounds of French. Hopefully, a few months from now, I will be able to report some major victories on another multilingual blog carnival. Until then, I say au revoir!

This post is included in a Raising Multilingual Children blog carnival hosted by Rita of Multilingual Parenting.

May 14 2014

Wonderful Wednesday – Irises

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

The Outdoor Hour Challenge last Friday was about snakes. We will keep it in mind, should we ever run into a snake. I am not necessarily scared of or grossed out by snakes, but I would not want to seek them out either.

So, instead, I chose a subject that is closer to my heart and my house – the iris. Another name for it is, of course, fleur-de-lys (also spelled fleur-de-lis), which translates to flower of lily. The word iris means rainbow in Greek – because the flower comes in so many colors.

Iris in my garden

We live in a home built by my husband’s grandparents. We remodeled it and its garden during our first year of marriage, before moving in.

We kept some of the plants and trees, which had been planted by my husband’s grandmother. Among them, a patch of iris plants – white and purple and perfect in every way. This is the time of the year they are in full bloom.

We enjoy these flowers for their sheer beauty, as well as for the memory of our children’s great-grandmother, although neither I nor the children ever got to meet her. To bring it all full-circle, my mom re-planted some of the irises along our driveway last year, when she came to visit.

A symbol of French royalty since Clovis, the iris can be found on coats of arms throughout France and England. Apparently, English kings wanted to show their claim to France by putting an iris onto their coat of arms.

The fleur-de-lys survives as a symbol on some coats of arms today, like those of the King of Spain, the Duke of Luxembourg and the House of Bourbon. Incidentally, Queen Anne of Romania belongs to the House of Bourbon.

Irises in our garden

They say French kings received an iris instead of a scepter during their coronation ceremony. As such, it is a symbol of perfection, light and life.

Anna Comstock says the iris contains a great lesson for all of us “because nothing in it is what it seems.” The pistil looks like leaves, the leaves look like stems and the petals hide under the sepals. Somehow this arrangement creates perfect tunnels for bees to do their work.

The fleur-de-lis is the national flower of France. It is also the state flower of Tennessee, where I live. Two hours away from my home, in Greeneville, TN, they have an annual Iris Festival. In fact, it is this weekend, should you want to go.

For other Wonderful Wednesday nature study posts, click here.

May 12 2014

Where Am I From? Romania

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

I place a strong emphasis on foreign languages in our homeschool because I am a European. More precisely, I am from Romania. I learned French and English in school like most Romanian kids. Two foreign languages were mandatory school subjects grades 5-12. I am not sure what they do now, but I expect they still do two languages. We also took one year of Latin in the eighth grade. That’s when we learned “Gaudeamus Igitur” by heart.

Romania used to be a Roman province – hence the name and the strong presence of Latin words in our language.

Latin poet Ovid was exiled to Tomis (modern day Constanta, Romania, a Black Sea port). Back then, he complained nobody spoke Latin. Little did he know how much the local language would be influenced by Latin over the centuries.

Statue of Roman poet Ovid in Constanta, Romania – about two blocks from where I used to spend my summer holidays

Indeed, the Romanian language finds itself in the same group as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French – the Romance languages of the world.

Just to give you a glimpse into the similarities… We say “casa de moda” – like in Spanish, “fashion house.” We say “merci” like in French for “thank you.” We say “noi” for “we,” just like in Italian.

We do have some Slavic words, naturally. We are surrounded by Slavic nations: Bulgaria to the south, former Yougoslavia to the southwest, Ukraine to the North and the Republic of Moldova (a bit of Russia) to the East. But we use the Roman alphabet and have been called an island of Latinity in a Sea of Slavic Languages.

No wonder Romania is part of the francophone world and even hosted one of their summits a few years ago. Here’s a map of the Francophone countries of the world:

Map of francophone countries, with Romania being one of them

My husband (who is American) jokes that we Romanians like to get in the news about once a week and, alas, he is right. Sometimes it’s good news. Most of the time, it’s not. Ever since we started dating, he noticed that American media reports on at least one weekly incident involving Romanians. You watch and tell me if it’s true.

They say there are a lot of Romanians working for Microsoft in Seattle. In fact, they say Romanian is the second most spoken language in those offices – after English. That’s according to this youtube video which extols some other great facts about my country. A world without Romania would be, well, not exactly what we have today. You will have to watch to believe. (Viewer discretion advised for some references to alcohol and a short provocative collage of Romanian fashion models.)

If you want to listen to some of Romanian pop/folk music, just youtube names like Angela Similea, Gabriel Cotabita, Mircea Baniciu and Tudor Gheorghe – these are some of my favorites from the 80s. I left Romania in 1993 and have returned several times, but have lost touch with most of the culture. For traditional Romanian music, look for names like Ion Dolanescu and Maria Ciobanu. I have never been a fan, but my mom loves it.

I am proud of my heritage – for the most part – and want to pass on to my children some of the things that made me “me”. Recently, my son told me, “Mommy, I wish I had been with you in Romania when you were growing up.” He is six.

This post is part of a Multilingual Kids Blog carnival, hosted this month my Stephen of Head of the Heard.

May 12 2014

Mom Monday Week 19 – Get Outside and Play

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

How many hours a day do you spend outside? They have a saying in Sweden – I lived there for three years – “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

It’s so easy to come up with excuses about not being outside: the mosquitoes, the wind, the rain, the snow, the cold, the heat, the gnats, the noise of the neighbor’s mower etc etc etc. The thing is, fresh air does so much for our minds and bodies, we should be thankful it’s freely available.

I love this blog that challenges families to spend 1,000 hours outside each year. I’ll spare you the math… That comes to two or three hours every day. What do you think? Is it doable? I think we were doing that already, but not consciously and, maybe, not every day.

Since we took the challenge, we have been outside even in the rain and even when I had a sore throat. The kids put on their rain boots and coats and ran around in the rain. I allowed them to play with umbrellas – which are usually off limits for them. I sat under the roof overhang, on a comfortable outdoor chair, with a wet cotton sock covered by a wool pashmina around my neck (natural remedy against sore throats). Continue reading »

May 11 2014

Karen Whiting Books – A Review

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

This post is a review of five books by Karen Whiting:

1. Nature Girl – A Guide to Caring for God’s Creation

This book is the Christian answer to the going green movement publications which stem out of New Age principles and progressive political agenda. Rebecca White co-authors with her mom, Karen Whiting. The book opens up with the ABCs of going green and the corresponding chapter that deals with it. For instance, Q is for Quiet yourself, sit outside, and listen to the sounds of nature (Chapter 1). One does not have to read the book in order. Just pick a topic you are curious or passionate about, look up the chapter and go.

Karen delivers timeless principles in a friendly and relaxed way. In Chapter 1, for instance, “Be You and Be Beautiful,” she says, “No amount of makeup brightens your face like the flash of a great smile!”

But this book is more than just a collection of theoretical advice. It contains activities (how to create recycled jewelry, how to plan a spa day with friends, how to team up to clean up a park), recipes (from whole-wheat doggie treats to kale chips and carrot-zucchini muffins), science experiments (oil spill cleanup) and games (animal signs scavenger hunt).

2. Time – Practical Direction and Tips for Women on Making the Most of God’s Precious Gift of Time

I don’t know about you, but I am a planner. Time is holy, in my opinion. It’s probably the most important gift God has given us and I do not take it for granted. I have read so many time management books, but I can never get enough of them. When I read Karen’s book on time, I knew I found a gem I can recommend to others. Why? Because, unlike other books I have recommended here about getting organized and planning your time better, this one comes from a biblical perspective.

As such, “Time” helps a Christian woman bring her workload to the Lord. Not only are the burdens left at His feet, but the assurance is there that He will help you prioritize and, ultimately, accomplish His will. From ways to schedule your day, to gracious ways of saying “no” when asked to take on one more responsibility, this book is filled with godly advice.

Even though it is a small book, the words and principles shared are deep. I found myself re-reading the same sentence over and over again. I wanted to make sure I really got the whole meaning behind the words. This book would make a great gift to any graduate. Also, homeschooling moms or any moms, for that matter.

3. My Mini Dream Room – Create the Mini Bedroom of Your Dreams

This book is part devotional and part craft projects. It is intended for tween girls, but my six-year-old son really got into this project. It’s not surprising to me because he has been building with LEGO bricks for two years now. He likes everything small. He and I built the hanging flower pot, the shelf, the books for the book shelf, and then the skateboard.

We skipped over several pieces of furniture because we did not have the necessary materials. But I put them on a shopping list and next time I go to the craft store I will be sure to equip us so we can finish this room. My four-year-old daughter was pleased to make a hanging basket and some of the books on the shelf.

I like the design of the book – very feminine. I also enjoyed the truths shared in the book (God made you special in every detail, for instance) and the parallels Karen draws between a mini-bedroom and our lives. You know all those distorted beliefs we have about ourselves? Here’s a book that sets the record straight about your identity in a gentle, non-preachy way. So either get your daughter started right, or help her correct these distorted beliefs with this practical, fun and faith-filled book.

4. The One-Year My Princess Devotions – Preschool Edition

This book will help you create many memories with your sweet daughter. What is sweeter and more innocent than a preschool age little girl? I am in awe every day at the things my daughter says and does. This book has helped me carve out time just for her. I usually do devotions with both my children, but I read somewhere that it would be a good idea to take time with each child individually. I don’t always know what to say or how to lead her mind in the paths of righteousness. So this book serves me as a guide to work from.

Also, if you are looking for a Christian alternative to Disney princesses, this book will help you. The two princesses on the cover are Elizabeth (the brunette) and Lily (the blonde). If you email Karen about it, she will send you templates so you can make puppets of the two princesses. That way, you and your daughter can have even more fun playing and learning together. Also, she has prayer cards, a princess memory game and even a coloring page.

My daughter and I have played with the cards and it’s really neat to see her reactions when she finally gets a pair of cards guessed right. The games are a great way for me to relax and connect with my daughter as peers, as fellow game players.

5. 102 Wiggly Bible Rhymes and Rhythms – Bible Learning Activities for Yong Children

Co-authored with Mary Rose Pearson, this book is a collection of teaching activities for small children. Children learn best by playing and we all know how much little ones enjoy playing with their hands and fingers. Whenever we memorize Scripture, we have hand motions and finger plays to help us. So I know this will come in handy whether you run a Sabbath/Sunday School class or do regular devotionals at home with your children.

Repetition and multi-sensory learning are methods used in this book and we know they work. There are brief instructions on how to introduce a new song or activity, if you should need some guidance.

Personally, I really enjoyed the Relaxer Rhymes. There are three of them and I have almost all of them memorized. We are not very formal in our homeschool, but sometimes I do need their full attention. These rhymes that help them relax, calm down and sit down quietly are perfect.

You can connect with Karen Whiting by visiting her website.

I received a free copy of each product above in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. The Amazon links above are affiliate links. All opinions I have expressed here are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

May 9 2014

Logic of English, Rhythm of Handwriting Review

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

Logic of English publishes great language arts curriculum sets for homeschools, as well as for classroom settings. I recently had the privilege of reviewing Rhythm of Handwriting Complete Set for cursive.

Handwriting is a big topic. Let me just briefly mention that I believe in teaching cursive first and only cursive. Here is a great article about the advantages of cursive first and only.

As I was waiting for my son to mature his fine-motor skills, Rhythm of Handwriting became available to me through the Review Crew. I decided to try it. Perfect timing, as my son seemed to have developed enough to begin and lay the foundation for future copywork.

Logic of English, Rhythm of Handwriting, Cursive Curriculum Set

The complete handwriting set costs $65 and contains a student book, a quick reference guide, a set of tactile cards and a small student whiteboard. This curriculum is recommended for ages 4-adult, but, as your child’s teacher, you know if the fine motor skills are in place or not.

The student starts by using large motor skills to form the letters – the tactile cards have sandpaper shapes of each letter and even one card for each individual stroke utilized throughout the curriculum. Then, the student moves to writing on the whiteboard with a dry erase marker. That way, all the mistakes can be easily erased and the process can start all over again on a clean slate.

Boy learning cursive on a small white board

My son writing on the small white board before moving to paper

The whiteboard has two sides, one with a very large area containing the baseline, the midline and the topline for writing. The backside contains several rows of smaller widths, which also facilitate the transition to paper.

If need be, they also recommend the student practice in a sand box or any box with cornmeal or rice.

Finally, when you, as the teacher, decide he is ready, he can start using the paper pages in his student book to practice handwriting with fine motor skills.

My son had fun drawing himself as an R boy.

The paper worksheets contain varying widths and the student can choose whichever they feel best about. My son always preferred the largest (or widest) lines, which are the last two rows on the worksheets.

To recap, here are the steps to get your young student to start penmanship:

1. Sand paper (tactile) cards – as you rehearse the instructions (curve up to the midline etc.)

2. Make the letters in sand, cornmeal, or rice.

3. Write with a dry erase marker on the large side of the whiteboard.

4. Write on the smaller side of the whiteboard.

5. Move to paper and let your student decide which height he likes the best in the provided worksheets.

6. Work your way through the list of letters.

7. Practice, practice, practice.

The first week for us was easy. It was something new and exciting. The second week was tough. The newness had worn off. His hand would do the required motions in the sand box or on the board, but not on paper. He was frustrated with his own lack of skills. I was wondering if he just was not ready for fine motor skills.

The breakthrough came when I showed him that he was almost done with the “Swing Letters” in ROH. That it’s a category and then we can move on to the next group of letters. He looked at the chart and noticed all the categories. He got excited. Now that he had an idea of what to expect, he seemed motivated to press on. And motivation took care of the skills needed to transition to paper.

What also helped was the weekend – not doing any writing for two days. After the weekend, when we picked it back up, his skills had improved dramatically. It’s as if his brain had needed some time to process. He was not ready to do a whole Practice Sheet in one sitting yet, but he could do four lines without even questioning it. Progress.

The following week, he asked to see the rest of the letters in this first category. I showed him that we would start on Curve Letters that particular week if we kept at it. He was excited at the prospect.

Divide and conquer. My son made his own dots to connect before writing his “p”.

And so, one day later that week, we started Curve Letters. Once he got “a” down, I showed him how “d” is just like an “a” but with a longer “tail.” He got it after a few tries. I was trying to see if we can do two letters a day. Apparently, we could.

That’s when he asked me about writing whole words. Hmm… Really???

I showed him in the book that, at the end of the chapter on Curve Letters, we have practice pages with words. Well, he saw “dad” – the letters he learned today!

He wrote it down once and I was congratulating him so heartily, he took off running. He likes being chased around the house, so I played along. My daughter wanted to be part of the action, so, with her in my arms, I chased my son around the house, running from room to room and laughing all the while.

He loved it. He would sit down to write another “dad” and then he would say, “Now you start chasing me.” I would run and we all laughed and squealed. Whenever I got to him, I showered him with hugs and kisses. He was covering his face, laughing.

This was one of the most fun days in homeschooling my little boy. Breakthroughs are always exciting. And any time we can laugh during school, I’m happy.

The fact remains, after two weeks of cursive instruction, my son wrote his first cursive word.

For the next four weeks, we kept on practicing and almost got to loop letters. I am so glad this curriculum has worked out for us and look forward to using it through the summer, as we don’t want to lose our hard-earned skills.

Here are the social media links for Logic of English:

httpss://www.facebook.com/TheLogicOfEnglish

httpss://www.pinterest.com/logicofenglish/

httpss://www.youtube.com/logicofenglish/

httpss://twitter.com/LogicofEnglish

May 6 2014

Maestro Classics Review

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

An integral part of our homeschool, car schooling includes listening to music, stories, audio books or audio drama in the car, on the way to appointments and classes outside the home. Recent additions to our car school curriculum, My Name is Handel: The Story of Water Music and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel are produced by Maestro Classics.

The conductor, his wife and one of their sons all worked on producing this story CD, alongside famous musicians and narrators. When it comes to CDs for children, I am rather picky. So many of them feature rhythms that make the kids want to shake their behinds.

If you, like me, would like to train your children’s musical taste buds to appreciate classical music, you will want to check out this series. The stories keep their attention while the classical music is woven throughout the CD. The CDs expose their minds to vocabulary, concepts and stories beyond just classical music.

I read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel to my children about a year ago. When I brought out the CD out, they did not know what to think. Was it a movie? No. Where can they see pictures? No pictures. We just listen to the story. But why is there music? The music threw them off.

I persevered.

After a few paragraphs, they got into it. So much so, that they asked to hear it over and over again. They like to dig like Mary Ann, faster and faster, as the story progresses and the music picks up.

Children watching a documentary about steam shovels

My children watching a short documentary about steam shovels

After listening to it four times, over a few days, my son started saying things like, “I really like the music, mama.” Bull’s-eye!

The CD booklet has several activities which enhance the learning process: a puzzle, a maze, a mirror word game, etc. My son loved finding out the words. It’s the first time he solved a cross-word puzzle, so this is one for the books.

My Name is Handel: The Story of Water Music was a bit harder to introduce to my children. I was surprised, because they like listening to Handel’s Messiah. I was expecting them to perk up at the mention of Handel’s name. But, again, I worked with their reluctance and gently asked them to listen to it.

My daughter is four and loves princesses, so when she heard them mention a king, she started paying attention. Isn’t that always the case? We must link new information to their existing database of knowledge. Then, when they see a connection, they are more willing to work with the new concept.

I think the story is really cute, how Handel, ever the showman, managed to weasel himself back into the king’s heart with Water Music. The more modern story about Handel’s living in England (I won’t give it away, you will have to get the CD and enjoy it firsthand) is even more intriguing. I never knew about that other theory.

Watching animated explanations about the Panama Canal operations

All this to say I, too, learned a lot from listening to it, besides enjoying the music.

Their website also produces free curriculum guides as companions for their CD series. Definitely worth looking into. You might have to adapt some of the activities based on your children’s ages and philosophy of education, of course. But you have a whole FREE unit study for each CD, with history, art, music, geography, science, language arts, and math.

The CDs cost $16.98 for the CD (plus shipping) and $9.98 for the MP3 download. Considering their quality and how much learning you get out of them, I think they are reasonably priced. I have always said that our children’s education is worth every penny.

The ideal age range for Mike Mulligan is 4+, while the ideal range for Handel is 5+. I can see how my four-year-old lags behind in appreciating them. My six-year-old got into Mike Mulligan after some coaxing, but now he loves it.

In order to stir more interest into My Name is Handel and Water Music, I did some of the activities suggested and the kids enjoyed playing with water and boats, guessing what will sink and what will float, and looking at pictures of royalty. We learned about the Panama Canal, the Industrial Revolution and the steam engine. My son, a budding engineer, loved every moment of it. We colored pictures of a steam shovel.

If you are looking for classical music for children, look no further. This CD series will help your kids appreciate classical music and learn so much more besides.

Connect with Maestro Classics on Facebook and Pinterest.

May 5 2014

Mom Monday Week 18 – Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

God is in the business of answering our prayers – even those we don’t have enough faith to pray. As I hosted the latest Raising Multilingual Children blog carnival, I felt pricked in my heart about French like never before. In our homeschool, I do read to my children in French and talk to them in French now and then, but it’s not enough.

They need conversation, preferably with small people like them. Immersion. I started dreaming about a French play group. If only there were francophone children in East Tennessee…

Wait a minute! What if? What if I could bring together a small group of homeschoolers and I taught them French as they played?

I went from “if only…” to “what if?” in a matter of days.

“If this is from You, Lord, please lead me to start a French play group. I don’t know how, where, when or with whom. I feel this calling. I will take it one step at a time and watch for Your guidance.”

I did not exactly say those words, but that was the spirit of my unspoken request.

I felt called and I took the first step. I made an announcement on our homeschool support group’s page on Facebook, asking if there was any interest in a French play group.

The first reply came from a French lady who lived 30 minutes away and had a son about my son’s age… We even had five mutual Facebook friends and had lived in this area for about the same time (nine years). What are the odds?

She was thrilled to have a French play group getting started. I was thrilled to find her.

Had I not asked, I would have never known. As I told my husband, he said, “Ask and ye shall receive…” Continue reading »

Homeschool Ways

Tips for a Thriving Homeschool

Category Archives: homeschooling