Signs of Goat Labor {Officially on Baby Goat Watch 2019}

by Meghan // May 16, 2019 // Comments off

To say Lucy is about to pop would be an understatement.

This beauty is due to kid on May 20th, but I’m pretty sure (first timer here, her and me!) that her ligaments are gone, which would mean baby goats in 24 hours or so.

I’ve read, I’ve researched, I’ve watched who knows how many goat birthing videos… yep. So here is a regurgitation of what I take as signs of impending labor.

Signs to watch:

Ligaments- the ligaments that go from the tail base, down towards the hind legs (pin bones) are shaped like a V. Begin feelings these ligaments in the last month before due date; once labor is close these ligaments will go from hard like a pencil, to soft, to super squishy/not there. The pic below gives a general idea of where those ligaments are. They will be firm, the size of a pencil, and go down in a V towards the sides. Once they are close to labor (24 hours do so) those are nonexistent.
Swollen vulva- typically the goats vulva will increase in size once they are pregnant. But when labor is very near it will become swollen and very puffy. Below you can see her bag has been filling up and her vulva is enlarged. My other doe Wendy is 3 weeks out and neither her bag nor her vulva are as larger as Lucy’s. The color will turn very pink.
Discharge- Typically a goat will have discharge (mucus) from her vulva very near labor become very full before labor, more full than usual. Lucy’s udder is looking very full, but first fresheners don’t typically bag up as large until after labor (they say).
The tail- this is sort of part 2 of the ligaments. Once the ligaments are gone, and her body is prepping for labor, the tail does a sort of “dip”, instead of being straight.
Does will straighten back legs, stretching and arching back. This gets the kids into position. Lucy began doing this a little on May 16, this post was started on the 15th)
Bedding down/pawing- this one is tricky. All my goats “bed down” even my whether. However, I would expect the pawing to increase as their pain increases during contractions and labor. It is a sign of discomfort.
Active labor should look something like the tail dipping down and coming straight up, as if they’re going to potty, but instead they’re pushing through contractions. Lucy is doing this, but every time it is just her pooping … She is going potty NON stop, and I wonder if goats clean themselves out before labor like other animals, and sometimes people?
I’ve read they will also chew at their sides, and look at their rears a lot during early labor. Lucy has been doing this a lot today.

Lucy has been grunting non stop, panting, and laying a lot. This could be because she’s miserably pregnant (ha, I know how you feel sweet girl) or, she’s close to labor. I supposed my next update will include what was early labor, actual labor, and just misery.

Below are some too cute pics- Wendy being jealous of Lucy getting attention, and the puppies laying with the goats. We have 4 boys left for sale as of today and they’re just all so impressive. I love watching them and learning about their behaviors.

Homeschool Math & Logic (plus a coupon code)- The Critical Thinking Co. {a review}

by Meghan // May 9, 2019 // Comments off

One of the most popular posts on my blog has been about math and logic in early childhood education, so I know my readers are always looking for math ideas! That’s why I was excited about this review-
My 8 year old has been using The Critical Thinking Co.‘s Pattern Explorer Beginning (for grades 3-4) physical book (they offer a digital version) for logic, fun, and developing her number sense. Read towards the end for a free shipping offer + a great coupon code from The Critical Thinking Co.!

What it is

Pattern Explorer Beginning is a book of 40 pattern problems divided into the following 5 themes:

Pattern Predictor
Equality Explorer
Sequence Sleuth
Number Ninja
Function Finder

As the student moves through the 84 page book, the problems get more difficult, building upon one another. This is a book you would have a child complete in order, not pull from randomly for enrichment. Of course if a child is ready to begin in a different spot, they could always choose to start further into the book. The pages are perforated for easy removal and the paper is high quality 9very little shadowing through the page), bright white paper.

Something I was happy to see in the book is the acknowledgement that these books, this whole process of developing, is challenging! I often refer to my teaching degree program here on the blog, but this is one of those times I can attest to what the product is saying- Yes! Moving from the developmental stage of concrete thinker onto abstract thinker is something we can nourish and support, but not something we can force. By giving a child these pattern problems, we aren’t “making them smarter,” we are enriching what is already developing.

I wasn’t an abstract thinker until almost high school, it seemed. I struggled through honors math in 8th grade. I simply *couldn’t* get the abstract thought that was required for the work. Then I hit 9th grade and *boom* I not only loved math, but was finally GOOD at it! It just took time for me; my brother on the other hand seemed to live in an abstract world and was able to understand the harder math younger than I could.

So when the book suggests it is for 3-4th grade, and your 3rd grader is struggling, please know it is normal and the book itself is a process. It is fun, and meant to be like working a puzzle on paper, using numbers. It isn’t meant to judge cognitive ability, or assess a child. It is to be pursued

with a sense of adventure and perseverance. Some pattern discoveries may come quickly, while others may require patience and determination.

Each activity has a companion hints and solutions section towards the back of the book, so students can check their work, but also, when a student gets stuck, they can get a hint for how to move forward. Also I really like that the publisher has provided solutions that may be most common, but emphasizes there is more than one way to solve a problem. Every child’s thought process will be unique to them, and that is not only okay, but just as it should be!

How We Use Pattern Explorer Beginning

My daughter worked on the book about 3 days a week; it was a real challenge for her (in a good way). She is a younger 2/3rd grade level, just beginning multiplication in her 2nd grade math curriculum, so this book advanced for her pretty quickly. But she has loved it so far! Because she didn’t know all her multiplication facts, I printed her a simple multiplication table chart from the SchoolhouseTeachers.com. This gave her the numbers she needed to help her especially with the Number Ninja puzzles.

In the first Number Ninja puzzle, she was given 4 blank boxed-the instructions were something like “write whole numbers in the empty boxes so their product equals the number on the right fo reach row, and the number on the bottom for each column.” Yes, we had to read the directions more than once 😉 haha… mama included! But she did it! She used her multiplication chart for the times tables she didn’t yet know, and she worked through many of those problems!

I love seeing her thought process on paper, how she uses what she knows- using tally marks, addition, making groups, pairs, etc) to solve the problems is so neat to me. During my student teaching internship, I was never surprised by the ability of my students, but it still doesn’t change how in awe I am of children’s minds.

It is even more fun being a part of it as their homeschooling mama. =) I am really appreciative to companies like The Critical Thinking Co. that make math and problem solving fun and challenging in our homeschools!

You can see ample space is provided for writing the answers to this pattern challenge … my daughter squeezed them in above the question, rather than below. Don’t ask me why.

Here is the best part for my readers- you can add this, or any other Critical Thinking Co book to your homeschool, or summer enrichment at a great price! Get *free shipping* + 15% off any size order using the coupon Coupon: TOSCREW19

This offer expires Expires: 12/31/2019. I can’t wait to add one of their other books to our homeschool (and who doesn’t love free shipping?!)

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Mid Homeschool Year Update{2018/2019}

by Meghan // April 25, 2019 // Comments off

You’ve been asking, so here it is:

We have made it to March, which is actually pretty far past mid year. I will break things down per student/age and what we do as a family.

This is going to look like … a lot. I think I say that all the time. We loop schedule our extras, so extras are on a continuous loop that we don’t fret over doing every single day. Because my 8 year old is a very independent learner in most areas, she has a lot of independent-learning-style subjects, as you will see.

Keep in mind we do a LOT of oral learning via reading, memory work review, and research interest led learning. I have each child tell us what they’re learning about so everyone can learn from everyone, in a school house style environment.

In our homeschool, like most, learning time isn’t confined to the table, so while we do the things listed below, learning expands over our entire day, our entire life.

Family Learning:

Sonlight Core B: History, read alouds, and Bible reading. We have LOVED the read alouds this year! (I paired up the SL read alouds with different Arrows from Brave Writer for my oldest, to make a LA program.)
Free Writing: We journal and freewrite as part of our family culture. All of my kids enjoy writing stories, and are especially into poems right now. Sometimes I choose something the kids have written to edit and revise together, so they can make their favorite freewrite into a polished piece. Most of these are in their personal journals or school writing notebooks. My husband often gets them journals when he travels to different places/countries, and they are filled quickly! I keep them in hope chest downstairs when they are full.
Science/Nature Study: We are currently working from Anatomy of Nature and Anatomy of a Farm; from these pages I choose a topic to study. We recently did honey bees and butterflies. Soon we will begin pond life, because spring is the perfect time to study from our pond! We have also touched on anatomy this year, and a few other topics as interest has arisen.
Handicrafts: We do a LOT of handicrafting around here. Almost 100% of it is child led-they have free access to most of our crafting supplies, so crochet, hand sewing, embroidery, whittling, wood working (simple with hammer and nails/saws) ink making, and the list goes on, are done by them during their free times. Thankfully, homeschool allows for a LOT of free time; boredom = creativity and problem solving.
Art: We follow a few favorites on youtube and online for art. Our Read Aloud Revival premium access membership has live artist workshops we attend to learn to draw with wonderful illustrators and authors, these are my kids’ favorites! We also enjoy ChalkPastel.com’s tutorials, and may add their membership to our wish list next year!
We use the IXL app on the ipad (read my review here) for extra learning practice because they love it. Because I limit what they are allowed to do online for now, this is something special and educational for them =)
Games are part of our schooling and family time. We love games like 4 Way Count Down, uno, and Pass the Pigs. Any GameWright game is a hit here (I don’t do super complicated games). We add family games via Christmas gifts, birthdays, spring basket, and of course, homeschool box day!
Morning Basket: (AKA any time of day basket) This is just a fancy homeschooler term for circle time… you know, the thing we all did in preschool through elementary school? Calendar, read a book, learn about something new, review something, sing songs, listen to music, read poetry, do a fun activity, share knowledge, and/or handicrafts? Yep. That’s morning time basket.
Read Aloud Revival premium access membership: I cannot emphasize enough how much I love this resource! We missed this months events, due to illness (the flu had us sleeping/resting a LOT), but you can see the schedule

8 Year Old/2nd Grade

Lady works on different levels, anywhere from 2nd+; we still struggle with reversals but writing and spelling continue to improve with cursive and lots of oral practice. Numbers and math operation orders can be difficult with reversals, including reversing math signs. But she knows her stuff and likes oral math challenges against her little brother 😉

LA/Writing: We are using Brave Writer Arrows for copywork, and supplemental focus areas (in grammar and spelling), as a literature based approach. We are finishing a Narnia Arrow, because we read, The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe together this winter, and will continue the series through part of spring. All of my kids have just loved this, as have I (since I never read the whole thing as a child-fantasy wasn’t my favorite).
Reading: Along with the Arrows that go to read alouds, we are also working through AAR 3. This is not something we do often, because she is such a great intrinsically motivated reader. She needs more emphasis in spelling, so we do way more spelling practice than reading at this time. She does read aloud to me throughout our daily life, a LOT, so we call that reading =) We mostly use AAR when we “do” reading, because she really likes reading the readers to me-haha. At this point, the Arrows from Brave Writer are really enough for her reading and copywork.
Spelling: We are using AAS Level 2 with resources from Level 1
Vocabulary: We really enjoy the Wordly Wise books, especially their crosswords puzzles and activities found in them. She has learned a LOT from these.
Grammar: Along with the grammar topics discussed/pointed out in our Arrows, we are using Easy Grammar. Lady does this independently, without much help from me. We apply what she learns when writing spelling sentences, journaling, freewrites, etc.
CLE Math: Lady is working through grade 2 CLE math. We use Saxon math worksheets as a supplement-FYI-I do NOT have her do every page from Saxon. We use the even lessons, sometimes skipping some lessons between. Saxon and CLE are similar on levels, but each approaches their questions and answers differently, and I like this! I feel like it gives her a different way to approach math, and Saxon is good about reminding us to get our hands-on learning things out for practice! Sometimes we don’t even use the worksheet, but just set up hands on learning activities that fit what’s on the paper. It is really just a jumping off point for me, as well.
Extras: We loop extras throughout the week. Lady uses CLE’s geography and science workbooks. I am not a huge advocate of workbooks, however, the CLE books are very nice! The illustrations are simple, and very … nature study-ish; they’re lovely and fun to color with pencils if you have a art lover on your hands like I do. She is a visual and audio learner, so reading is one of her best learning super powers, however, she needs practice writing, which the CLE books provide. They bring us both joy, so we stick with them. I also find they are great for her to open on her own when I need to work independently with another child; I love hearing about what she’s learned in these!

Regarding workbooks– These are going to depend on your family’s learning style. Each child is different; some will be bored to death with workbooks! My 4 year old loves them, my 8 year enjoys them, my 6 year old is reading independently enough to do his math alone, and some language arts, but isn’t in love with workbook style learning (with the exception of CLE Bible 1). I am 100% okay with that, so for his age and development we keep them to a minimal.

6 Year Old Boy/Kindergarten

Language Arts: We are using AAR Level 2 for his reading. He just finished level 1.
LA Extras: We are using The Good and The Beautiful Level 2 for him as well. This is a beautiful curriculum that includes grammar, spelling, and reading, however we don’t use it that way. I will try to make a video on how we implement the program, but we use their spelling list for sight word spelling/common words, and enjoy their readers for extra practice. I really LOVE their practice pages and the grammar concepts covered. This is working better for him than Easy Grammar, at this point. Easy Grammar is a bit more dry and fill in the blank (again, my 8 year old begs to do this!), and that just isn’t Mister’s jam.

**I do not believe there is ever such a thing as too many books or readers at appropriate levels-hence me using so many different ones. Variety is the spice of a nurtured reading life haha**

Spelling: He is doing AAS 2 with his sister. Mister is a natural speller, and things that are harder for my 8year old (due to dysgraphia symptoms) are easier for him right now, so they’re actually in the same level.
Math: He is using CLE math 1. Math is super easy for this boy, he flies through his books and often asks for more than 1 lesson. He loves dictation word problems, writing math problems, and speed drills.

4 Year Old Girl/PreK

This one tags along, and we are slowly going through AAR 1. She can read CVC words pretty well.
We use Handwriting Without Tears; next year she will move into A Reason for Handwriting like the others have.
Math is Math Eggs K, she loves this book.
We also are using Rod and Staff Preschool Set, because *I* love them. They’re so simple, much like the CLE books we use, but they allow her some independent style work, which she likes.

The toddler tags along, of course. As summer creeps upon us, I won’t be doing as many “extras.” We strip down to basics when the weather is nice to allow lots of outside play-we have a farm that is blooming into spring and full of life, so we need to enjoy it while it lasts!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Glow in the Dark Easter Eggs: Egglo Eggs {a review}

by Meghan // April 16, 2019 // Comments off

This post was written 5 years ago, and still these eggs are a joyous tradition in our home! While you can no longer find these specific eggs for Resurrection Sunday, you can purchase the scrolls to go inside any glow in the dark egg HERE.

In our home, we have never done Easter egg hunts, or Easter baskets. In the spring, the kids get a spring basket, that is completely separate from Easter itself.

For the Resurrection, we read scripture leading up to that Sunday, learn about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, and have a nice family dinner. We avoid Easter bunnies and chocolate- Everything is pretty low key.

I had the chance to review Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs and the book, The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure by Egglo Entertainment.

About The Program

Egglo Eggs are different; they aren’t just another egg you stuff full of candy for your children to hunt on Easter morning. This program is based on John 1:5, “The Light shines in the dark and the darkness has not overcome it.” This entire set encourages your children to learn, love, and truly enjoy the real meaning of Easter. Though it is designed for children ages 4-13, it can be adapted for all ages. I used it with my three year old and 18 month old.

Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs and The Great Easter Adventure book are fun and Christ centered. The eggs either have a beautiful cross on them or are plain. There are 12 in a box, consisting of four colors- blue, green, yellow, and pink.

What I received

A box (12 eggs) Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs ($11.99)
The book The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure ($12.99)
The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure audio download ($2.99)
Egglo Treasures Scripture Scrolls ($4.29)
The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide ($14.99)

How we use the Program

Lexie and Max are both obsessed with eggs in general- Max likes to eat them, Lexie likes to crack them when we bake. We have one little play egg, I am not even sure where it came from, but they both obsessively play with it. Now that we have the entire set of glow in the dark Egglo Eggs, they like to go in the closet and watch them glow; we charge them several times a day! haha

I overheard big sister telling the tot, “Now, this light is just like the light Jesus.”

I wasn’t really sure if they would be into hunting the eggs, but I laid them on the counter and let them “charge” under the light so they would glow really well. The directions say to let them charge for about 30 minutes in direct sunlight, or 45 minutes under in-home lights.

So, we looked through the book (which in many ways was over Lexie’s 3 year old head, but was valuable non the less. Then I hid the eggs in her room (we have blackout shades in there so it was nice and dark) while they waited in the hall.

*I cannot tell you how much fun they had hunting for these glow-in-the-dark eggs!* But then, Lexie also understood the lesson of the glowing eggs, what they represent, and how they tie into Easter. It was a win-win for us all!

hunting egglo glow in the dark easter eggs

(it was dark in her room, but the flash on my camera is on)

We may have hidden and found the eggs a dozen times the first day. Quite possibly more. She has asked to do them once a day ever since. They are such a joy and I feel good about using them in our home.

After we tired out from the excitement of hunting the eggs, the kids enjoyed coloring some of the pages from The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide. There was something in there for both the kids to enjoy. The program guide includes lots of valuable activities, fun snack recipes, and items to print to add to your Egglo Eggs. It is also set up for both schools/churches and families. I highly recommend purchasing it to accompany your eggs.

As part of my review, I received the scripture scrolls as well- we love these! They take the eggs to a whole new level. We put the scrolls inside our eggs before hiding them, and then after the kids found all the eggs, we opened each one. Lexie thought it would be fun to choose a few scriptures as our memory verses for the coming weeks. Max just liked to shake them inside the eggs and make music. =)

Overall Experience

Our experience with the Glow In The Dark Egglo Eggs and The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure has been a positive one. It was a great way to add a little more fun into our Easter celebration, and keep Christ in the center of it all. Lexie understands the real meaning of Easter, and the little Mister is on his way to understanding too. That is what this program is about- and that is why I can gladly suggest this program to anyone interested in doing an Easter egg hunt or celebration with their children.

Connect with Egglo Entertainment

Biographies in your Homeschool- C.S. Lewis with YWAM Publishing {a review}

by Meghan // April 10, 2019 // Comments off

We have been reading C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller from the Christian Heroes: Then & Now from YWAM Publishing. My 8 year old daughter has been obsessed with the Chronicles of Narnia series since she began reading them on her own at the age of 6. I knew she would really enjoy reading about C.S. Lewis and his creative process for writing the series, and his other books.

Along with the book, we reviewed the Unit Study Curriculum Guide-this is such a wonderful resource! More details on it below!

My daughter’s favorite part about reading this biography was learning about C.S. Lewis’s past:

I didn’t know C.S. Lewis fought in a war! I enjoyed reading about him fighting in battles. He got hit by a shell, and when he woke up he was in a battle field with his mouth half full of dirt. Then someone that was searching for injured soldiers came, rescued him, and took him to the hospital. When he was able, he wrote a letter to his family telling them he was okay, but could only lay one side and that was a treat after only laying on his back for a few weeks.

I learned that he was called Jack, and he got married late in life; she {his wife} was sick, he prayed and prayed for her that her sickness would be taken away. At the end of the book, his kidneys failed and he died. He was pretty old.

He wasn’t a christian until he grew up; when he was younger, he didn’t believe there was a God (which is wrong, mama, there is a God). And he kept a journal almost his whole life, just like me!

I appreciate that this series of living books are juicy and factual biographies, but never dry or boring. They are Christian based, focusing on good people that did great works for the Lord. This story revealed weaknesses, struggles, and the journey C.S. Lewis took in finding his faith.

One of my favorite parts of this review is the curriculum guide which we used along with reading the book. This curriculum guide makes personalizing the education of your children SO simple! The download comes with helpful guides for utilizing the unit study within a classroom, home, or small group setting. Obviously, we used it in our homeschool. =)

We used the bible verses from the guide for C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller for her copywork, and as memory work for the whole family.

Chapter questions for this book included:

A vocabulary question drawn from the text and referenced to a page in the book
A factual question arising from the text
Two questions to gauge the level of a student’s comprehension
Two open-ended questions seeking an opinion or interpretation

I *loved* the discussion that unfolded from these questions! The deep understanding and critical thinking skills my daughter showed during this portion of using the guide astonished me. It is amazing what those little people can do when given a book!

The vocabulary words really drew on her understanding and we took this opportunity to use a dictionary- which turned into her reading the dictionary non stop for days on end, for fun… We also used these words for spelling; some had rules that were a review, while others were new to her.

The Student Explorations section of the guide is full of so many project ideas and learning opportunities:

essay questions
creative writing
hands on projects
audio visual projects
arts and crafts

We enjoyed doing some of the activities; collecting all our C.S. Lewis books, giving oral synopsis of each (similar to reading rainbow reviews), creating a collection of things related to the book, and utilizing ideas from the Social Studies section. This consists of:

Places. This section covers significant places related to the story and named in the text of the book C. S. Lewis: Master Storyteller.
Terms/Vocabulary. This section gives ideas for studying some of the terms used in the book.
Geographical Characteristics. This section contains suggestions for mapping some of the physical characteristics of the United Kingdom.
Conceptual Questions. This section provides the teacher with conceptual social studies questions related to the book

This unit study could be used to complete the geography, history, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension portions of your homeschool! The projects and activities can act as extra curricular, art, and handicrafts.

There really is no limit to what you can use the YWAM Publishing books and their corresponding guides for in your learning time! I wish I could cover everything found in the guide, it is just too juicy!

Along with the unit study curriculum guide download is an overview guide for the entire series. In this guide you will find a list of each book in the series, the time period it correlates with, and the geological areas found in the book. If you are studying a specific era in history, or location in geography, this is a perfect way to match those things up and fins a heroes book that fits your unit!

We have a few more YWAM stories to read that go along with our history- Gladys Aylward and George Muller. I cannot wait to use the unit study guides for those books! We plan to continue adding these biographies into our homeschool, and will use the guides as well. I am so thankful for this amazing resource!

Connect with YWAM Publishing

Other Crew members reviewed different books and series from YWAM Publishing. Click the banner below to check them out!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Morning Call to Learning Time/Worship in Your Homeschool

by Meghan // April 8, 2019 // Comments off

Something fun we do in the mornings is a “call to action” or call to table, as I often refer it. It is a song I play that tells the kids, Okay, it is time to wrap up whatever you’re doing and come to the table for school.

Our favorite song right now is Give Me Jesus. It is a perfect call to begin our day. In the spring it can be hard to get started on school-this weather is just too nice to be inside for long! So a little something to motivate us to get started is helpful!

You can use anything as your call to learning time-a song, a dance, a hand-clapping game, a memory work poem or verse. Be creative and have fun!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Poetry for the Grammar Stage with Memoria Press {a review}

by Meghan // March 28, 2019 // Comments off

My 8 year old has been using the Poetry for the Grammar Stage Set from Memoria Press and is enjoying it so much! We’ve included this in her loop studies-the independent subjects she rotates through the week- and she asks for it all the time.

About Poetry for the Grammar Stage

We received the physical copies of books in this set, which includes:

Student Guide
Teacher Guide
Anthology

Poetry for the Grammar Stage is a supplemental study to your literature study. The anthology is 62 pages of poems. The student book (159 pages) is meant for 1 individual student to work through; it covers vocabulary from the poem being studied, as well as comprehension/analytical questions. These questions challenge students to think critically about the poetry they are reading. It helps them break down the imagery they are reading, and apply it to life.

The teacher guide (159 pages) includes the answers for the student book, which is good because I’d forgotten quite a bit about poetry! The beginning of the teacher’s guide tells you how to go about teaching poetry in a classroom or homeschool setting. We didn’t use this exactly as written, but it was helpful for coming up with our study plan.

Poetry should be shared aloud! If there is anything our family poetry tea time has taught me, it is that poetry should always be shared aloud for everyone to hear together. I had my daughter read the poem she was working on aloud to us at the table before morning work. This gave us a chance to talk about it a bit, and it allowed the littles a chance to add in their thoughts about the poem. They really enjoyed listening along and I was impressed with their thoughtful responses.

The description for this set on the Memoria Press website says these are poems students learn in their literature studies, for memorization, in their classical education program. This is a supplemental set to help students have more poetry work and understanding. Because we don’t use the Memoria Press literature studies (but they do look great!), we used the poetry in conjunction with our current curriculum. It was a great fit for my daughter! The set is meant to last through the entirety of the grammar stage, but trying to slow my girl down has been hard, just during this review period!

The works do get more difficult as you move through the book; poems like Paul Revere’s Ride, The Lady of Shalott, and The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe (he’s my favorite). She loves the poems, she really enjoys the copywork, and answering the questions! This has been one of her favorite loop activities over the last few weeks; and I expect she will continue loving it through these grammar stage years. I am looking forward to memorizing the rest of the poems together!

We will continue adding in the poetry in our morning basket together as a family, memorizing the poems, discussing, and then letting my oldest work through the student book during her independent loops. I may also get a second student book in the fall for my son’s independent work (how is it he will be 7?!). I really like how well this fits into our homeschool, how thorough the program is without being “too much,” and the structure it gives us in learning new poetry together!

Connect with Memoria Press

Click the banner below to read more reviews from the Crew- we reviewed Poetry for the Grammar Stage but other Crew members reviewed different Memoria Press programs!

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Rick Leading the Herd {wordless Wednesday}

by Meghan // March 13, 2019 // Comments off

Rick Leading The Herd

Leading the Dexters back home after escaping …

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Homeschool Practice With IXL {a review}

by Meghan // February 21, 2019 // Comments off

We have been using an annual membership from IXL Learning. This included all IXL subjects– math, language arts, grades 2-8 science, grades 2-8 social studies, and intro Spanish.

This has been such a fun supplemental program to review! We do plan to continue using it for the year, and will renew our membership.

How we use IXL Learning

About 3 days a week, each of my older 3 children (8, 6, and 4) work in the IXL program for 20 minutes. The program is very parent and child friendly; each child has their own profile where I customize their learning practice. We really love using the app, but my 8year old used the computer quite a bit to access IXL. Parents are able to select the grade level of practice for each subject, for every child!

This is perfect for customizing learning for homeschool children, as many students work on different levels in different core subjects. Parents are also able to customize what “standards” they would like their child to work under. This is of no concern to me, as we don’t teach according to anyone’s standards, (most curricula cover the same concepts, regardless of “standards,” but it is an option for those parents in states that require certain standards!

I found what worked best for us was having 1 child work in IXL on the ipad or computer while I did 1:1 school work at the table with the others. We continued this rotation through, until I had done our reading and LA with each child, and they were all ready for their independent table work.

My 8 year old saw the Spanish section and wanted to practice learning Spanish; this and spelling are her favorite subjects in IXL. Where my son is a natural born speller like his mama, my very intelligent oldest child struggles in that area, so I am excited that she is excited about practicing spelling concepts in IXL.

For my 6 year old, math is the favorite subject, but he has enjoyed working in each one. I like that I can also receive an email letting me know what they completed and has well they did. A quick glance at their profile under any subject tells me what they have completed in each category of that subject.

My 4 year old used the app on the iPad while working in the PreK level. She mostly worked in the Language Arts section, and worked slower than the others. She is still learning about using the ipad, but she truly enjoys IXL.

Here is an example of the 2nd grade language arts subject- you can select any category for practice as seen below: reading foundations, reading strategies, writing strategies, vocabulary, and grammar and mechanics.

What I Think

We don’t use many computer or online learning activities, choosing to limit screen time, but I knew I wanted to try IXL and I am so glad I did! We are diligent about our core studies- reading, language and math and reading aloud (which covers everything else, right? haha)- and IXL is a wonderful supplement for extra practice and learning.

Children can have instructions read to them, as well as having words/problems pronounced aloud. This is a huge help for beginner readers like my 4 year old, or children with learning differences, allowing them to practice independently.

Each time a child misses a question, IXL gives an explanation of how to correctly solve the problem in subjects such as math, or explains the language arts concept for the child. See the example below:

While IXL is wonderful for review and practice, it is not a substitute for teaching. I would say my 8 year old could learn independently with this program, though. If she didn’t understand what was being asked of her, and she missed a question, I feel the explanation would be adequate for her to learn from her mistake. This would work because of her ability to learn independently and her grade level … much lower or much more difficult levels would be better suited for practice only.

It is complete in the subjects covered, and the explanations when answers are incorrect are simple but effective.

Self Care: Creating a Mama Morning Time Routine

by Meghan // February 16, 2019 // Comments off

Morning time can be a hard concept when you aren’t a morning person.

Growing up, I needed a good 20+ minutes to wake up before I could function, I didn’t eat breakfast willingly, and I walked around in a fog until lunch time. Haha (not really, but it took a while.)

Not much has changed, except now I have coffee, 4 children and a farm + an amazing husband. I learned after baby number 4 I have to take care of myself.

Mamas, this is the only body and mind we have. We need time, whether introverted or extroverted, to think through our day before the littles rise. We need time to talk with Jesus, read God’s Word, and pray before the world needs us.

Taking time for ourselves isn’t a luxury, it is imperative. We cannot take care of the people we love if we don’t take care of ourselves.

How to Make Time

Rise before the kids. My husband usually wakes me up before he leaves for work, around 530/6am. When he is traveling, or if he leaves very early, he texts me or I set an alarm.

When I had infants, I sometimes put my morning time on the back burner, but there were days I could squeeze it in-before the 5:30AM feeding wake up, or the quick nap from 6am to 7am before baby started his day. Some mornings are just more hectic than others, especially when there are tiny babies involved. Using the time at the end of the day for a quick devotional or mini art journal session does the trick, too. I remember the hours between baby going to sleep for the “night,” and waking for a middle of the night feed (7pm-11pm) were usually a good time for me to take “me” time before catching a quick nap.

Even today, with an 8, 6, 4, and 2 year old, we implement rest time from 1-3pm. The older 3 don’t usually nap, but the 2 year old does. I take this time to unwind just for me- I set the older 2 kids up with audio books, handicrafts, or alone time in their own space. During this time I am able to stretch, load up my water cup, have a healthy snack, and read a good book, journal, or sometimes sleep!

Getting Excited and Preparing for Success

Have your tools on hand

Keeping a tote with my favorite study Bible and a good devotional, like Help Club for Moms, gets me excited about my alone time with Jesus. In my tote I keep my Bible journaling highlighters, a few of my favorite pens for my Bible, sticky notes for marking things I want to come back to for studying, and all my favorite devotional books. (A video coming on that tote, soon!)

I love having all of my tools at hand; anything I am led to do, I can do right then and there. Whether it is copying a favorite verse to my planner for the day, reciting a special prayer from Prayers that Avail Much, doing a little art journaling, or just reading God’s Word, having it all together keeps me motivated, and accountable.

***You can use anything you have on hand for a tote-an extra book bag, backpack, basket, or old purse. There is no need to buy new things, when you probably have something on hand that will work! When you find your groove, and have worn out your repurposed tote or Bible, then treat yourself to a new one. =)

Set the coffee pot timer

Yes, this is seriously something that excites me and keeps me motivated.

Hearing the coffee pot beep right after my alarm wakes me, means I can go straight to the kitchen for a fresh cup of coffee… And you can’t lay down to drink coffee, so might as well sit up and read the Bible while you’re at it, right?! If you don’t do coffee, use the timer for a pot of hot water for making tea, hot cocoa, or whatever your favorite hot beverage may be.

Your Favorite Way to Connect with Jesus

Maybe journaling and devotionals aren’t your thing? That’s okay- there are so many ways to connect with Jesus. I keep the KLove app on my ipad and turn it on often. Worship music while reading or praying is a great way to start your day!

I also have the YouVersion app on my phone and ipad- there are so many quick daily studies for all walks of life- mamas, dads, youth, elderly, widows, parents with special circumstances-if you can think it up they have study for that topic or person. Their verse of the day may be just enough to fire you up for the day.

Podcasts are another wonderful way to take time for yourself, even when you don’t have the time or energy to sit and write/read/journal. Two of my favorite pastors to listen to on my podcasts app are: Adrian Rogers and Charles Stanley. You can also listen to them online, via those links.

I grew up with both of these pastors; being form the south there is something about those accents that make my heart sing, too. But they speak Biblical truth; that combined with their love for God and His people make listening to and studying through them very easy.

Mamas, I hope you have found something helpful here that will fire you up for self care time with Jesus.

Sometimes it is as simple writing on a scratch piece of paper the things we want to accomplish when we wake, so we don’t forget to do them! Remembering to start and stick to a new routine can sometimes be difficult-make it easier on yourself.

Look for the next post in this series, which will touch on other forms of self care!

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