Mixing Bowl Academy- Meatballs and Marinara!

We thoroughly enjoyed our last cooking class with Sandie Sanchez at the Mixing Bowl Academy.  Those strawberry smoothies were the best!  So when she invited us back for another class, of course we agreed!  Our second session was a Jr Chefs class, which means that it is geared for children ages 8 and up.  Sandie assured me that we could still do the class, I just needed to plan to do most of it with them.

We started our class with a little chit-chat between the kids, as they all got to know a bit about each other.  Then we went right into the cooking.  We started with the marinara sauce, and I have to be honest here- I had never made homemade marinara before.  It was fun, and we all learned a lot!  Bop got a lot of practice cutting and chopping veggies, and I even let her stand up on a chair at the stove to stir it while it simmered.

After we added all the veggies to the sauce, it was time to mix up the meat.  I had warned the kids ahead of time that they would have to get their hands in the meat and mix it so they were all right with that.  It took a little convincing before they realized that it is okay to touch raw meat, as long as you wash up well afterwards.  :)  After we added all the ingredients and got it mixed up, we got to the fun part!  Time to squish up those balls.  Sandie had a really good idea for the formation of the meat balls.  She used an ice cream scoop, which works great!

Mixing up the meat and rolling balls.

I really liked several things about the class.  When Sandie (or, rather, her daughter) shows the kids how to do something, they really SHOW them.  It's not just "chop the onion", it's "here is HOW to chop the onion."  And she at the end of each step she asked the kids if they were ready to move on, so no one got behind.

I also really like how Sandie's kids are the ones doing the cooking.  She instructs them and they are the ones in front for the camera demonstrating.  That really helped my kids have the confidence to do it themselves.

If you are planning to have your kids take a class with the Mixing Bowl Academy, I would recommend generally sticking to her age recommendations.  While we enjoyed the class and I think they learned a lot, the older kids would get a lot more out of it.  This class is much longer and more complicated then the Little Chefs class we took last week.  Hailey's comment at the end is pretty descriptive.  "It was a lot of fun, but it made me really tired!"

The best part?  

We had a wonderful supper! 

You can visit Mixing Bowl Academy to see all she offers, and you can join her Facebook page for updates. You can also go to CurrClick Live to learn more about their live classes.

I received a free live class from Mixing Bowl Academy for the purpose of this review. I am always honest and fair in my reviews.

Magnificent Moon Download N Go Review

I see the moon and the moon sees me...
God bless the moon and God bless me!

I have always loved looking at the moon.  There is nothing like a crisp September night with the smell of leaves on the air and a huge orange harvest moon rising.  Or how about the cold clear winter nights with a hazy full moon turning the snow glistening blue-white.

We were very excited to try out one of the newest Download N Go products, Magnificent Moon.  Chock full of lunar knowledge, such as the Apollo missions, moon science, physics, and the history of astronomy, you will love this unit study!  There is a touch of the unexpected, here, as well.  Math, Bible, and lots of copywork.  These unit study lapbooks are wrote by Amanda Bennett and you can buy it for $7.95 at Amanda Bennett's website.

We enjoyed learning about an astronaut each day, and were surprised to find that so many of them were Christians.  You can even keep your own little journal of moon observations for the week.  This would be especially suited to those who like longer studies, since it would be more effective to observe the moon each night for a month, and record all of the changes.   We learned that there aren't just phases that change, but also the location of the moonrise and the timing changes, with the seasons and months.

One thing you will notice if you buy very many Download N Go units is how comprehensive they are.  There is something here for every child.  These unit studies are designed for children in grades K-4, but they are easily stretched a bit for kids who are younger or older.  You can pick and choose the parts you want to use according to your child's abilities and interests.  Magnificent Moon includes simple word searches, copywork, math story problems, lapbook pieces, worksheets to fill in, pictures to draw, and hands-on experiments.

We did this fun experiment to prove one of the basic laws of motion- an object at rest stays at rest.  Hit the plate off the glass, and the egg falls into the cup.  Success!!

One of the neat things about Magnificent Moon is the nice combination of subjects which will appeal to a lot of different interests.  There are rockets and astronauts for the little boys, and things like moon phases for the little scientist.  I thought that CJ might be the only one to truly enjoy this download, but they Bop loved it as well.  Of course, she always likes the drawing pages but she actually liked the rocket-and-astronaut stuff too.  Just goes to show you how easily we can short-change our kids by putting them in boxes!  The only thing that did not go over so well with them?  Copywork.  I decided that they needed to do copywork every day this week, and Bop was less then thrilled.  I thought it was great, though!  :)

I thought that in this review I could answer one of the common questions about using the Download N Go unit studies.

How do you deal with all the printing?  

Well, there is a lot of printing with a Download N Go.  Actually, there's a lot of printing with most digital unit studies, unless you are sitting at the computer to do them. And that is exactly how Download N Gos work for us.

I sit down and go through the study before we start and print off all the pages I want.  I generally try to do this on Thursday or Friday the week before, so I can be all ready.  I start with day one and I just go through and find anything that I know I want them to do- for us this means drawing pages, lapbook pieces, puzzles (like crosswords) and some of the worksheet pages.  I typically stick to the workbook pages with the most 'meat' to them.  That helps me avoid printing off the WHOLE thing.  Which I would love to do, but can't afford.  :)  And while that would be great, you don't need to do that to enjoy these great learning tools.

Then when it is time to do that day's lesson, we just pull up the unit and read through it.  We can use the links that way, and when we get to a page that I have printed off, I just have them take them to the table to do.  Some other things you can do to save ink and paper:

• Print in black and white (especially for worksheets)
• Use the 'draft' printing option
• Print worksheets and other 'throw-away' things on the back side of already-used paper
• Only print off those things that you know your kids will use
• Have your children answer the worksheet-type questions verbally

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Speekee Review

What is Speekee?  It is a funny name for a funny little purple puppet who loves to teach kids how to speak in Spanish!  Filmed in Spain and using native Spanish speakers, this series of videos is available on DVD or as an online subscription.  The DVD set is formated for European players, so most American readers will want to go with the online subscription.  This option is $7.50 a month.

Speekee is especially created to help younger learners, from toddlers up, develop Spanish skills using the immersion method.  What is that?  Immersion is the way we learned our native tongue- no translations, just letting our brains figure out the meaning.  That is the only way to become truly proficient at a language, because it eliminates the mental translation stage.  Speekee does contain closed captioning, in both Spanish and English to help the parents and teachers. You can shut this off if it is keeping true immersion from happening.

There are ten videos in all, each taking place in a different setting like the park, the zoo, and the home.  Several basic concepts are included in the videos, like counting, colors, food and family names, and basic phrases.  These are taught in a very natural way using story lines, songs, and simple conversations.  You, as the teacher, do NOT need to know even basic Spanish to use this.  All you have to do is watch the programs with your little ones and you will learn too!

Each movie includes worksheets to go along with it.  These do require that the child be able to do at least basic writing.  I would recommend focusing on the videos and simple games with younger ones.  It is pretty easy to so short role-playing with puppets, stuffed animals, or toys.  You can mimic the conversations in the videos or just play along with them while you watch it.  Encourage your children to say the words and then start using them in everyday life as you learn them.

So what did we think of Speekee?  I loved it!  I like watching the movies and I really feel like I am picking up the language without any translation in my head, and I have never experienced this before so it is really neat.   The kids are picking it up easily as well.  They sometimes have trouble following what is happening in the story on the first or second viewing, but I think that is normal with immersion.  The girls love the movies, and Baby girls always asks to "Watch Peekee!"  CJ is a little reserved about them, and says he doesn't want to watch.  But as soon as I start it he is right there joining in.

They have all picked up several phrases very quickly, and have started using them all the time.  "Me gusta" was the first, and I think Baby Girl actually forgot how to say yummy in English!  They are also using several of the words for different fruits, and saying please and thank-you in Spanish.  Bop even asked me for "Un manzana" (an apple) this week.

I was really surprised at how quickly our kids picked up the language using these DVDs.  I really did very little in the way of supplemental/ support  activities.  I can think of so many really fun things to do along with this, that would really get the kids SPEAKING.  I am sure that they would learn even more using different activities, but even if all you use are the movies, they will pick up a lot.

You can sign up for a two-week preview of Speekee to see if it is right for you, and the subscription is on a month-by-month basis.  You really don't have anything to lose, and I cannot recommend this highly enough for those who are wanting to start their little ones learning a new language.

There are only two downfalls that I found to this program.  ONE:  You will have the catchy tunes from Speekee running through your head at the oddest times.  Like the middle of the night.  TWO: Your kids may start speaking Spanish instead of English.  They may tell you things you don't want to hear.  They may point at you and say, "Un GRANDE mama!"

This is a true story.

To sign up for your own free two week trial version, go to the Speekee website.  To read more TOS Crew reviews, go The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog.

I received this product free of charge

as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew,

for review purposes. I promise to be honest

and fair in my reviews, and I received no

other compensation in exchange for my review.

You can visit The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog

to read more reviews on this product.

Peter and the Wolf

Beautiful music.  Classic storytelling.  Unique teaching.  This is Maestro Classics' Peter and the Wolf.

We really like audio stories around here, and that is what I expected this to be.  We sat down with some banana smoothies to listen to this, as soon as we got it.  Wow, what a treat!  There is a lot more here then just a story!

The CD starts with an introduction to the story and the music.  It explains how each character is represented by an instrument, and plays them one by one so the little ears can pick them out.  It also gives the setting for the story.  Then the music begins, and the narrator tells the story.  I really appreciate how little the narrator speaks. Nothing is added that isn't needed, and they let the music tell the story.

 After your child listens to the story of Peter and the Wolf, there are several more activities for him to listen to and do.  The next track tells the story behind the story- about the composer, and why he wrote his music.    There are also tracks for learning more about the music, and Russian folk instruments.  The addition of a track with the music alone, no narration, is helpful for those using this as the springboard to a deeper study.  There are a lot of options here... Unit studies on Russia, the composer, and the instruments.  Listening skills can be honed by trying to pick out the individual instruments.



There is a small book included, with activities, information about several of the folk instruments and bio pages on the conductor.  I wish that this little booklet was larger and more comprehensive, but it is certainly a great jumping-off place.  You can purchase this CD, or any of their other titles for $16.98.  Some of the most enticing titles are Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Juanita the Spanish Lobster (which is also available is Spanish).

So what did we think of Peter and the Wolf?  We like it.  It is fun, entertaining, and I think provides a very important and often lacking education on classical music and other cultures.  This is the perfect starting spot for introducing young children into the world of music, and it is nice for older children as well, who will enjoy the challenge of picking out instruments and the storyline.

I think CJ said it best:  "Don't stop it mom!  I like it!"

Enjoy learning more about this and other great compositions for children at the Maestro Classics website.  If you want to read more reviews about Peter and the Wolf, be sure to stop by The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog.

I received this product free of charge

as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew,

for review purposes. I promise to be honest

and fair in my reviews, and I received no

other compensation in exchange for my review.

You can visit The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog

to read more reviews on this product.

Mixing Bowl Academy Live Cooking Class Review

We all like to eat.  Some of us REALLY like to eat.  The problem with all that eating is someone has to cook!  Bop has been fascinated by the process lately, and she even says that she is going to be an 'esteraunt keeper' when she grows up.  She especially wants to learn how to cook by herself, or at least to not be just 'helping' all the time.

So, of course, when Sandie Sanchez from Mixing Bowl Academy offered us the chance to take one of her live online cooking classes, I knew that we had to do it.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, since I had never done a live class before.  Turns out, it is pretty simple.  All you have to do is click on the link provided and sign in.  You can watch the live class in a video screen, and there is a little chat box on the side which is just great.  She also had the recipe up on the screen for a quick reference.

Bananas...

Our first class was short and sweet- Strawberry smoothies!  Sandie provided us with all the information we needed in the e-mail she sent.  Date and time, ingredient list, and materials.  We made sure to have all of our materials ready before the scheduled time, so we could keep up with her.  It turns out she moves at just the right pace.  She left plenty of time for the kids to cook, but she wasn't too slow either.


Strawberries...

It took us about 20 minutes to make our smoothies, including time to chat and listen to all of her tips.  The kids loved having the chance to make their very own food, they got to do it all.  I even let them run the blender.  (Of course, I handled putting the blender parts together.)

I especially liked how Sandie's son led the cooking- he was in the video, showing the kids what to do while she taught and helped.  It really boosted the kids' confidence- he was doing it, they could too!

Sandie offers two cooking classes, Little Chefs and Jr. Chefs.  The Little Chefs class is for smaller children or beginners and includes easier recipies.  The Jr. Chefs class is for children ages 8 and up, or younger ones with help.  These sessions are $20 for one month, which  includes four weekly classes.  Your whole family can join in for this one price! She also has several enticing special sessions, including the summer cooking class, which has one class a day for a week.

Time to try it!  Mmmmmmm...

To learn more about Currclick live classes and to receive their weekly free product, you can visit the CurrClick website or check out all of Mixing Bowl Academy's classes there..  You can also go to website to learn more about the Mixing Bowl Academy or sign up!  You can also visit the Mixing Bowl Academy Facebook page.

I received one free live cooking class in exchange for my unbiased review. 

 This class is part of Currclick Live.

Planning, planning!

With the dismal failure of our summer break last year, I decided that we would suddenly be joining the group of "school-year-rounders".  I was not too excited about this, but I knew that I was NOT going to do another 3 month summer break.  After I realized that there are SO many different ways to plan a school year, I started to get more enthusiastic.  Here are just a few of the mathods I read about:

The "public school" homeschool.  This is what I had planned on doing (schedule wise, not curriculum wise).  I will leave my mind open to this for later years, when the children have friends and activities in the summer.  However, for us this did NOT work last year, for so many reasons.

The 8 (or 9) on, 2 off method.  What I thought of first when I started thinking about changing our plans.  I like this idea for several reasons.  I like the idea of having a few weeks off to regroup (and re-plan) every so often.  I like the idea of SHORT breaks for the kids, so they can have time to relax and play but not enough time to get bored and naughty.  And forget everything they learned.  :)  This is what my mother did when I was in elementary homeschool.

The semester method.  I don't know what to call this, so "semester" will have to do!  This method has the school year divided up into two semesters, much like the public school system, but each break is longer- maybe a month each in the summer and winter, and a month or three weeks in the spring and fall.  I like some parts of this plan, too.  I like having longer fall and spring breaks when the weather is nice.

The Just-Keep-Swimming method:  This is from "Finding Nemo"- you just keep swimming.  Take a break when you need it.  Keep going when you need it (Yes, as weird as it may seem, we homeschooling moms sometimes just NEED to do school!  That routine is really nice.)  When you get to the end of your school year (many states have some kind of minimum requirements, whether it is in hours, days, or both. ) you start the next one.  Easy Peasy.  However unplanned this may seem, it, too, has some perks.  Like the take-a-break-when-you-need-it part.  Sometimes, for whatever reason you just need some time off with no warning.  You get sick.  You get tired.  The house is really messy.

I finally decided that Just Keep Swimming is the one for us, in this season of our lives.  I really need planning to keep me going, and I like detailed plans.  I like to know exactly what I am going to be doing each morning, because that keeps us moving along quickly and keeps the kids from running off.  But because the kids are so young I have to have that flexibility.  If I get sick, I can't just send them to the table with a bunch of workbooks or reading.  If we have an unexpected task (like the wonderful boxes of corn that we got last year) my attention cannot be on school.  I need that ability to skip a week and just wait till next week- without it throwing off our plan.  So I need short term-detail, and long-term flexibility.

This has worked so well for us!  I can plan ahead, which saves me time.  But I am not thrown off if I take an unexpected break or have to do something else for a week or two.  I can always push my next unit back a week.  I typically plan everything based on weeks, so it is easy to skip, switch, and push my ideas around wherever they fit.

I was working toward having science-heavy units for the four months before our Christmas break, and history-heavy units for the last four months of the school year.  This winter/spring, we will be working through the ancients- Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  I am leaving out the smaller civilizations for now, since we will be back again in 4 years or so and will cover them in more depth at that time.  Plus I need to leave time for my reviews in there, and I don't know ahead of time what they will be or when.

This spring, after our 3-4 week break, we will be back on science and I want to start a 8-10 week study on insects.  That may change, who knows!  That is the fun of this plan.  You know where your going but it doesn't matter if you end up somewhere else.

How do you plan your school year?  What changes have you made to your plans this winter?

Easy Classical Review

Do you have an appreciation for the Classical style of learning?   What about a love of History?  Great books?  That all comes together in Easy Classical, with schedules, recommended book lists, writing resources and more.  You can get a look at all of Easy Classical's resources on their very nice website.  I received an electronic version of the Early Modern History schedule, which is $29.95.  You can also choose to buy a print version for $35.95.  This year covers from the explorers to 1820.

To be perfectly honest, I do not know that much about the classical method of education.  I find it intriguing, but I haven't learned a lot about how it actually works.  Unit Studies won out for now.  ;)  But I was really excited to read about Easy Classical, because I do want to know more about this style of teaching.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the Easy Classical Early Modern History schedule easy to read and understand, even before I read the introduction and instructions.  The lay-out is done in a intuitive manner that looks like it would be easy to use.

The schedule is just that- a plan.  It is organized by the week, which really appeals to me.  The chapter readings are given on Monday, so that you can make your assignments and then go from there.  I wouldn't recommend doing all the reading on that day, but rather spread it out however it works.  The writing assignments are spread out evenly through the week.  I really like how Friday includes the fun activities in the History Pockets.  My kids would really go for that.

The introduction is very helpful when learning how to use this program, but they do not recommend using the program without first reading The Well Trained Mind.  Since I have not read that book (yet ) I felt like there is quite a bit that I could learn about this method.  However, I still felt like the schedule was simple to understand and would be easy to implement.

The Easy Classical family includes several products which are designed to work together, and the Schedule I received has some of these products in the plan.  Geography with History, Writing with History, and the Early Modern Copybook are all part of the Early Modern History schedule, and you really wouldn't be able to use it properly without them.

The Easy Classical schedules are built around several books, including both literature and history books such as History of US and The Story of the World.  These books are the heart of the plan, and you can't substitute other books.  They are well-known and loved books, but I was surprised that so many books were required.  Using Easy Classical for history will require quite a few purchases, so you should keep that in mind when considering it.

Easy Classical also has schedules available for Science and complete schedules.  The literature and text books are not purchased from Easy Classical, so it is not a complete curriculum kit.  The complete curriculum guides could be extremely helpful when thinking about purchasing this program, because the types of books they recommend will help you see the type of schooling they use throughout the schedules.

You can read more reviews of this product at 

The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog.  

I received this product free of charge

as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew,

for review purposes. I promise to be honest

and fair in my reviews, and I received no

other compensation in exchange for my review.

You can visit The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog

to read more reviews on this product.