Recently, our family fasted from all forms of media entertainment for 7 days. Our youngest had to go without X-Box which meant no Minecraft and YouTube which meant, yes . . . no Stampy. Gasp!
Stampy has become quite the common household name around here. Off and on, sound waves float your jolly voice and infectious laugh all the way from England to our loft and every nook and cranny of our desert Arizona home.
I think it might be safe to say that our daughter, Shiloh, has a slight obsession here. In fact, every morning after she completes Math and Spelling (she's homeschooled), she rewards herself with a Minecraft Stampy video. And then throughout the day, she's bound to ask for another Stampy episode, especially if her friends can't play outside.
Well, in light of our recent media fast, although she didn't watch a single Stampy broadcast, she still talked about you. :) Instead of pining after (good grief, as I am writing this, my daughter kindly interrupted with this plea, "Can I watch a Stampy?") Anyway, instead of pining after forbidden fruit, she decided to be productive and turn her backyard fairy garden into a STAMPY GARDEN.
Oh, and she also spent some of her media-free leisure time creating what she calls her "Stampy bracelet."
Our home has totally been Stampified!
As Shiloh loves to say . . .
I also tend to think of blessings in the form of family, health, being able to go on vacation, and living in America, and stuff like that.
Not too long ago, all three of my children took several weeks to memorize the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Every week, I had the privilege of hearing them recite what they'd learned, and I began asking myself based on this particular Scripture, words spoken by Jesus, "Am I blessed?"
Blessings aren't always the things that make us feel all warm and fuzzy feely. In fact, sometimes the biggest blessings come from some of the most difficult circumstances. I've seen it over and over again in my own life, but usually in the very midst of a difficult season, I am too blinded by discontent to see it as blessing. It's hard to bow the head and close the eyes and proclaim, "Thank you for these blessings" when they feel anything but. I usually pray for God to take away the things that don't feel good, the things that don't feel like blessings.
Jesus loves me, I am heaven bound . . . I am blessed.
Schoolhouse Review Crew Members recently reviewed several downloadable titles from Home School Adventure Co..
Our family received Philosophy Adventure by Stacy Farrell.
Where did I come from and why am I here?
Why is there evil, suffering, and death?
Is there hope for my future?
Did you know that how you answer those questions will actually influence what you value and how you behave? Makes sense, doesn't it?
Philosophy Adventure is a complete curriculum in which students will study the history of philosophy and the influence of ideas. It is designed to help mature 6th graders and up develop and defend a biblical worldview by helping them learn how to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately. Students in high school should be able to manage this course on their own while students in middle school may need help.
Children in high school who use this curriculum can earn credits in English, History, Geography, Logic, and more. A detailed breakdown of credits that can be earned is found in the introduction of the Reader. Philosophy Adventure can be used as a primary curriculum or as a supplement. If used as a primary curriculum, it should take about one semester or less to complete, and you will want to make sure and add subjects not covered in the curriculum like Math, Science, etc.. If used as a supplement, your child can move at a slower pace. A suggested 4-5 day schedule is included in the Reader to help students manage their time, but it can be easily adjusted to adapt to their specific needs.
The Reader is where students will meet each philosopher and learn all about their lives and ideas. It is visually appealing (huge plus for a visual learner like me) and presents information in a consistent, easy-to-use format.
Lessons are about 10 pages in length, and there are several components that repeat in every lesson: story of the philosopher's life, Write, Think, and Speak articles and assignments, geographical information, School of Thought the philosopher participated in or founded, and a Contrast section that includes primary sources if available, secondary sources, and how the philosopher's ideas do or don't align with a biblical worldview.
Also included throughout each lesson are important words in bold letters such as vocabulary, dates, people, and places. Significant details - Birth, Death, Works, School of Thought, and Contemporaries - are featured on the right side of the first page of each lesson as you can see in the image above.
The Student Workbook contains Notebook Pages, Maps, and Creative Freewritings for each philosopher; Write, Think, and Speak Journal pages for each philosopher; Checklists for writing papers and giving speeches; and a Glossary in which terms and page numbers are given but students fill in the definitions.
Is there hope for my future? If not, why? If so, what is the source of that hope?
I think the Journal portion is a wonderful part of the curriculum as it forces students to really think about answers to difficult questions, however, there were a few times some of the questions and assignments were vague and confusing. This can be frustrating for kids who want to be told exactly what to do.
One example in the second lesson that caused a bit of confusion for my son was when the Journal asked my son to write answers to a set of questions based on a text of his choice. To us, it was unclear if that text should come from within the curriculum (choosing one of the philosophers) or from without the curriculum, and if so, what sort of text then? My son ended up choosing an outside source, but some suggestions to help narrow down a source may have been more helpful.
Teacher's Resources contains Memory Cards, Timelines, Maps with answer keys, and Quizzes with answer keys. There are no answer keys for the notebook pages, though, so students need to make sure they are filling in the correct information from the text.
Memory Cards can be printed on cardstock and are a great tool for studying for quizzes. Timelines are also a great tool for enhancing the overall learning experience. There are three timelines: master timeline of ancient Greek philosophers, blank student timeline, and student timeline key. Over forty images of philosophers can be printed off and affixed to the student timeline as they are encountered in the lessons.
My oldest son, who is almost a sophomore, is the one using Philosophy Adventure. During the review period, I printed off all of the materials from the Student Workbook and Teacher's Resources my son needed to complete the first 3 lessons, in other words, the first 3 philosophers. I did not print The Reader since my son was able to read the text on his Kindle Fire.
To organize all of the printed materials, he used a 3 ring binder divided into three sections: Notebook Pages, Journal, and Checklists. He used the pockets for storing his Memory Cards and quizzes. We did not make a section for Timelines, though you could include that as well.
I let my son go at his own pace, and he was able to complete 3 lessons during the review period. So, he covered 1 philosopher about every 2 weeks. After reading a lesson, he worked on notebook pages and maps before moving on to the journaling portion. To get ready for a quiz, he matched the Memory Card questions with their answers and then studied them for a day or two. Finally, he'd take his quiz.
I didn't really put a huge emphasis on the timeline or glossary portions but may include those components when we continue the course for the 2014-2015 school year.
I like the design of the Reader and appreciate all of the important details at a glance throughout the text. I especially like seeing who the contemporaries are. I also think it's great that we get to see how the philosophers' stories end and how their philosophies played out in their own lives. I am certainly looking forward to reading about the remaining philosophers.
If you are looking for a way to teach your older children about philosophy that's not at all intimidating or overwhelming, and that focuses on the importance of a biblical worldview, I think you will like Philosophy Adventure.
The complete Philosophy Adventure digital download is available for the reasonable price of $39.95. For a limited time, save 10% on any download purchase from Homeschool Adventure Co..
And don't forget to click the banner below to read about all of the Homeschool Adventure Co. products the Crew reviewed!
Pardon me while I scrapbook a bit - here's some of our Saturday-Before-Easter fun. My kids actually read my blog now, so kids, enjoy the memories!
Filling baskets is one of my favorite things to do! I will say it's getting a bit more challenging to come up with ideas for my boys, though. I don't like filling baskets up with a bunch of useless items, either. This year I shopped with our upcoming media fast in mind. Shiloh got some new Rainbow Loom bands, Lincoln got a Rubik's Cube, and Mullin got a neat book about Tolkien. And . . . candy. No, candy is NOT useless. ;) Okay, I know it is, but it's just so YUMMY!
Showing off some of the goodies - got my boys vintage shirts. (They hate having their pictures made - oh the teens.) I will NEVER be able to look at a Ninja Turtle and not think of Lincoln. Mullin used to be a Star Wars fanatic. Lincoln liked Star Wars, too, but Mullin never really got into Ninja Turtles much.
Shiloh's already loomed 2 bracelets - one for me and one for herself. She knows my favorite design is the simple Fishtail.
At least one of my children still lets me photograph her face. Shiloh with her new Beanie Boo, Babs.
My kids know that I LOVE to read. In fact, last year my daughter filled out an all about mom page in Sunday School, and guess what she wrote in the what-does-your-mom-do-for-fun blank?
If you have a mom who loves to read, too, consider gifting her with one of these inspirational books!
I've had this book for years and have read it several times. It's such an encouraging book about what a difference moms really make in the lives of their children. All of the moms portrayed in the book raised kids who made a lasting impact on the world . . . John Ruskin, George Washington, Augustine --just to name a few.
Such a blessing to learn from these dedicated mothers!
This book is special not only because it celebrates the gift of motherhood but because it was given to me in March 2001 by one of the authors (Ashley) with a sweet note. We were in the same Young Married Sunday School class at the time and I had just announced I was pregnant with baby #2. Ashley wrote that she hoped the Lord blessed my firstborn son with a brother so they could be friends. :) Even though I ended up miscarrying that baby, the Lord did bless me with another pregnancy and a healthy baby BOY in January 2002!
This book will bless you with the memories of legacies, lessons, and love that only a mother can give.
This book isn't specifically about moms, but it's written by a farm mom with a brood of six children. Ann dares readers to live fully by living each day deeply rooted in gratitude.
I'm only half way through the book and all I can say is, "Wow, just wow." Ann writes in a way that makes you feel like you're actually thinking her thoughts. She makes you want to fully surrender yourself to the Maker of the Universe and embrace everything He gives.
I've been inspired to start my own "one thousand gifts" journal. So far I'm on #50. This book is truly a treasure that I think any mother would love!
*Add a cute bookmark, a fun drink, and a fun snack and you have the perfect gift for moms who love to read!
Spring is absolutely lovely in desert Arizona. Time for some fresh juice to clean out the mess from all the heavy fall and winter foods. Not to mention I need to lose a few pounds gained from eating way too many irresistible Christmas goodies. So, after a trip to a local farmer's market, we were ready to get our juice on!
I like to try new produce, so I bought a parsnip. Never had one in my life, at least not that I know of. Though I have added ground ginger to many a pumpkin pies, I'd never actually bought that ugly root looking thing. This time I did. I was a little nervous about the ginger because, I am not a huge fan of the taste.
I often get lazy with my juicing techniques and end up throwing whatever produce we have on hand down the juicer's shoot, but I actually made up distinct recipes this time which tasted super yum, especially the red one. ;) Following is what you'll need to make both of these juices.
** Made about 24 oz. This really didn't taste bad. Clean and fresh, and the ginger really added some zing! Makes for a nice wake-up-and-start-your-day juice.
** Made just a tad more than 24 oz. This was absolutely delicious! More like dessert juice. My hubby says it's for the weak - me. Yes, I do have a difficult time swallowing juices that are overly vegetable-ish and not a bit sweet. I did read in a juicing book my mom gave to me that you can add raw honey to sweeten vegetable or more bitter juices. I may have to try that next time I'm feeling kale, spinach, and beet brave.
The juicing book my mom gave me is really wonderful. It's called The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker. Not only does it have 350 recipes for fresh juices, tonics, cleansers, teas, smoothies, etc., it has a section on Healthy Body Systems, a section on Healthy foods, 93 Health Conditions complete with healing foods and which recipes may be beneficial, and more. It's definitely a great resource. Check it out!
Linked to Try a New Recipe Tuesday and WFMW.
Oh, what cake to bake for my hubby's 40th birthday?
I usually make this pie for his birthday, but pie for a 40th birthday celebration? I think not. I knew I didn't want to buy a cake - too expensive, and they usually don't taste very good anyway. I knew I didn't want to slave over fondant - it looks nice but it doesn't taste all that amazing either. I knew I did need to use what I had on hand, so I put my thinking cap on and came up with this cake . . .
*Advance prep - Tint coconut with green food coloring and mix well until desired shade is reached. Finely crush "dirt" cookies. If you use Chips Ahoy, there will be small chocolate chip chunks. If you don't want that, use graham crackers, maybe? Also, be sure to lather your pans with Crisco and then flour, so the cakes can be removed easily. Before adding cake batter, pour out excess flour after making sure every inch of the pan is covered.
*Prepare both cake mixes. (I used chocolate for the bottom and French vanilla for the "hill.") Bake according to package directions, however, the "hill" will need more time in the oven. After about 30 minutes, check every 5 minutes or so for doneness. I think I baked mine for at least 15-20 minutes longer than normal. Let cakes cool before attempting to remove them from their pans. Tip: Hold a cutting board on top of cake and then turn upside down.
*Set "hill" on top of the rectangle cake. (You can put a little frosting on beforehand to act as glue.) Frost both cakes as one with green frosting. Use a toothpick to draw the size of the dirt road you want. Immediately top with crushed cookie inside the road lines. (I used a small cup to pour some on a little at a time and used my hand to tamp the crumbs down. Messy but not too hard.) After that, add the coconut to the remaining part of the cake. Make sure the frosting hasn't dried yet. If it has, add another layer of frosting. Again, use your hand to make the coconut stick to the frosting.
*Embellish with an Over the Hill sign (I made mine with cardstock and letter stickers) and candles.
It might not be the most professional looking cake, but it's cute, homemade with love, and VERY tasty!!!
If you'd like to use the same soccer ball cake pan that I did, you can purchase it on Amazon.