TOS Review: Song School Latin

In the four years we have been homeschooling, we have attempted to learn Latin three times using two different curriculum. So when I pulled out a new review item and it was Latin, I was not surprised when the kids looked at me askance. However, we were all surprised by Song School Latin. It is put out by Classical Academic Press along with Latin for Children A, B, and C, and Latin Alive, both of which are for older kids, some Greek programs, and more. Song School Latin is for grades Kindergarten through 3rd, and is currently our favorite school subject.

We received a Teacher's Guide, a student book, a CD, Monkey Match Cards and a link to all sorts of extras that are free to everyone!
The Teacher's Guide is a repeat of the student book only with the answers in it. It also has some extra activity pages in the back to copy for the student's to use as review.
The student book is a consumable workbook with 31 lessons, and my kids have loved working in it. It is filled with all the sorts of things they love... crossword puzzles, matching words to pictures, coloring puppets that they can then cut out, fill-in-the-blank questions, pictures to draw, and even stories. It also has the lyrics for the songs, which is awesome for us visual learners!
The card game is basically flash cards with the vocabulary words on them, but come with instructions for three fun games as well.
The CD is my favorite part. We have always gotten a CD with the other Latin programs, but they contain chanted vocabulary words and prayers. This CD is different. It has songs... regular kid song melodies with their Latin vocabulary words mixed in with the English so they are learning and remembering them.
There are also the extras: videos, coloring pages, stories to read and games to play. You can check that out for yourself here.
Latin is now the highlight of our school day. If I don't pull the book out on my own, the kids will remind me, "What about Latin, Mom? When are we going to do Latin?" They love working their way through the lessons, and trying out their new language on unsuspecting family members. Because, while it doesn't teach grammar, it makes the Latin vocabulary easily accessible to young children who, let me tell you, will never sit still long enough to learn Latin the "traditional" way. But when they are old enough to learn the grammar and the rules, they won't be struggling with vocabulary as well, because they will already have over 100 words in their heads. If your kids are young, but you plan on teaching them Latin in the future, this curriculum is an excellent investment to give them (and you) a head start on the language.
It has been easy for us to use. I pull out the workbook, pop in the CD and we do a page a day, averaging a lesson a week. We only have one workbook, so we have to share, but no one seems to mind. I don't use the Teacher's Guide much, but the extra activity sheets in the back have all been fun. And sometimes one of the kids would put the CD in just for listening pleasure. Every so often we do a review sheet, watch a video, or play a game for a quick, fun review.
Two quick personal stories I want to share with you...
My four year old, Abbie, was not included in this review. The workbook requires reading and writing, in neither of which is she at all proficient. However, she loves to sing and when she heard the songs on the CD, she decided she was my youngest Latin student. She made it a point to hang around long enough to listen and sing with us. Now she will say, "Salve" (hello) when she enters a room and "Vale" (goodbye) when she leaves. She also likes to spring Latin words on her dad, who has no idea what she is talking about.

One evening my 19 year old niece was putting the kids to bed for me and asked Daniel (who is five, and also not included in the Latin lessons) what song he wanted to sing.
"The alphabet song," he said. "In Latin."
"But I don't know the alphabet song in Latin!"
Abbie sat up in bed and informed her, "It doesn't have a W!"
So they are learning, even though they might not be aware of it, and even though they can't do the workbook themselves.

We love, love LOVE Song School Latin.

Kaytie says: I like it because it is a lot more easier than the other ones. It teaches in songs and it helps us learn easier. My favorite part is the worksheets and the songs. My least favorite part is none of it!

Nate says:  I think it is very, very good! And I would really recommend it. My favorite part is the songs.

Abbie says: I like it because I like the songs that are funny! Like the one that Luke comes and looks at the liber! (book) That's funny! and she ran away giggling to herself.

The only con to this program is that the Teacher's Guide doesn't really offer any useful purpose except for the extras in the back. I haven't ever needed to use it to correct their work, and I don't "plan" their lessons. We just open the workbook and do the next page.

You can buy it in pieces with the links I put in the beginning of the post, or you can buy it in a bundle, here.
You can see sample pages of the workbook here and listen to samples of the songs here.

You can see what other crew members had to say here. Some of them reviewed the other Latin programs, so if Song School doesn't interest you, or you have older kids, see what they have to say.

At the very least, you can check out all their fun freebies here. These aren't just for Song School, but there are some for all the other programs Classical Academic Press puts out, too... Latin for older kids, and Greek.

And as always, this product was sent to me free for the purpose of this review, and the delighted ravings are my own honest opinion. The kids' opinions are their own, as well. And this time, I just had to say, "Tell me what you think" and they just gushed their delight.

Rescued

So today was not turning out to be a great school day. A dentist visit and some glorious weather ruined the morning and a mommy who was too deeply drawn into writing out new goals for the younger kids and doing some research for next year threatened to ruin the afternoon as well.
Technology to the rescue!!!
Some Kinderbach and a go-along color sheet covered music and art. MathRider covered math. And the Kindle provided some reading practice and history.
Since digging in the dirt for worms took care of science and climbing trees and racing bikes covered P.E., it turned out to be a not-so-shabby school day after all.

St Patrick's Day 2011

We love holidays around here. So even somewhat obscure days like St. Patrick's Day is a big deal to the kids. March 17th is an important day on their calender and they talk up beforehand with just as much enthusiasm as Christmas and their birthdays. Well, maybe not Christmas, but certainly as much as their birthdays. I believe that having special days and annual traditions build important connections and memories, so I am more than willing to have plans to entertain, enlighten, and amuse for every special day.
We started off with green milk in our cereal. Then the kids donned their green shirts, fun hats, and jeans. They spent some time leprechaun-hunting, even trying to get the dog to sniff one out for them. They would really love to get their hands on that pot of gold... although they really have no idea what they would spend it on if they got it. Since they couldn't find one, Kaytie finally made one.

First on our list every year is a photo shoot for Mommy. I always plan to get my cute pictures in BEFORE they can do any damage to their holiday attire. We have individuals...

and group pictures. It's incredibly hard to get a great group picture.

We wanted to get some with Sofie, too.

Sofie had a different opinion.

After the posed pictures, the kids got out their bikes and had a parade.

Which, apparently, was too big for the yard, so we had to take it around the block.

Then we had some dancing to Irish music.

They colored-by-number,

played roll-a-leprechaun,

and hunted for gold coins. I didn't think they would ever find the three in this picture. Can you find them?

Then they counted their coins and I was fiendishly cunning. :) First, the one with the most got a piece of candy for a prize. Then, the one with the least got a piece. Whilst the girls were claiming these prizes, I cast my eye over the boys' cups of coins and announced the last two prizes... whoever had a coin with an 8 on it (some of the coins had numbers because they were from another game last year) which was Nate, and whoever had no numbers at all, which, surprise, surprise, was only Daniel! ;)

Lunch was macaroni and cheese (orange), pears and cottage cheese (white) on green plates with green forks. They chose lemonade to drink because it was yellow and made them think of gold!

Then the girls got out the green playdough and the shamrock cookie cutter,

while the boys set out a teeny tiny cup of milk to lure and trap a leprechaun. They set it by a collection of green stuff they were sure a leprechaun would like. Although the milk mysteriously disappeared, no leprechaun was caught, or even seen. Sneaky little guy!

We wound up the day with some books to read, a run through the sprinkler, and ice-cream sandwiches. Oh, and green pancakes for supper.

We hope your St. Patrick's Day was as fun as ours!!! Although we have serious doubts that that is even remotely possible.

Getting Ready for St. Patrick's Day

We penguins love our holidays! We are gearing up for tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day, which we celebrate because we are of Irish decent (and PROUD of it!) and because who can resist a holiday where you get to make your own traditions?
I have green shirts and Irish hats for each kid. I printed off some fun printables from enchanted learning and from here. We will be listening to some Irish music, dancing, reading some St. Patrick's Day books, watching this, eating lots of green foods, and probably even setting out some milk for to catch a leprechaun.

TOS Review: Who Is God?

When we found out we would be getting Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him? for review, I was extremely happy, excited and delighted. Thrilled, even. Because I love Apologia and had already been plotting to get this book for next year.
Who Is God? is the first in a series of books that teaches and explores Biblical Worldview of God and Truth, it is "designed to help children learn to discern the truth by using God's Word as a lens through which to view the world around them -- to see everything the way God sees it."(quote from back of book) It discusses questions such as: Where am I building my life? What is God like? If God created the world, why isn't it perfect? Why did God create me?  Is Jesus the only way to God? with Scripture, of course, being the answer key.
This beautiful, hardcover book, is divided into 10 lessons. Each lesson contains a story featuring kids learning about God and ministering to one another so that the readers see a worldview in action. There are thought provoking questions, Scripture verses to memorize, highlighted Godly character traits, prayers, vocabulary words, and notebooking ideas in every lesson. A lesson plan at the beginning of the book outlines an easy way to do a lesson every two weeks. In addition, there is a password in the book that gives you access to  teacher helps and printables to go along with the book. This book (or series, actually) is geared for kids ages 6-14.
I am using this book with my 7 and 8 year olds. All three of us are loving it. Daily, I read until the kids start getting restless, then we discuss, work on memory verses, and draw pictures to answer the notebooking questions. I love how it is easy for them to understand, yet challenges them at the same time. I love the way it backs everything with Scripture. Mostly I love that it is "deep", yet very, very practical. The kids remember what  we read about and bring it up, later, when they see the application in real life. For example, the book talks about how colored lenses in your glasses can alter the way you see the world. You really do see everything as pink, even though, in truth, it is not. Later, we were talking about how someone was wrong about an issue, and Nate commented that the person in question was wearing colored glasses. :)
Since my kids are on the young end of the age-range, we are going more slowly and delving not quite as deeply as we could into this book. I am not following the lesson plan from the front of the book, so it is taking us longer than 20 weeks to get through it. Also, like I mentioned before, instead of writing out answers to the notebooking questions, I have them just draw a picture.

I love a curriculum I can tweak!
Kaytie says: I really like Who is God? because it teaches me about God. It has a story for the lesson that we learn about. And I think it will teach me more than I really know about God and things around the world that are somehow related with God. It will help me with being a missionary. My favorite part is the stories and when we write down the answers to the questions. Although I just draw pictures instead of writing them down.
Nate says: I like the brownies.* I think it is good because it has lots of facts and stuff about God. I have learned to put God first, and not money.
Note that he had no complaints, so he really likes it. :)

*an activity in the first lesson.

When we finish this book, I will be buying and using the next one, which is the highest recommendation I could give it. I also plan on re-using it in a few years when all four kids are older.

You can read what other TOS Crew members have to say here. You can check out pricing, see the table of contents, read a sample, and buy this product here.

I was sent a copy of Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him? for free for the purpose of this review. My opinion is entirely my own. The kids opinions are their own, I did not tell them what to say, although I did have to ask lots of questions to get the opinion out of them.

Interested? Info for You

Are you interested in joining the TOS Review Crew? They are currently taking applications for next year's crew. If you want all the information, click here to go to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog and read all about it.
The deadline to apply is March 31.

Random Thoughts

1. I have been neglecting our weekly wrap-up posts, not because we haven't been doing anything, but because our Friday and Saturdays seem to be full of "after hours" schoolwork. All the kids are busy with waterpaints, colors, scissors, and glue. Any scrap of paper or cardboard that stands still long enough is pressed into service. They took an empty oatmeal box and found at least three different ways to incorporate it into their art projects. Kaytie has been busy riding her bike, sans training wheels and reading everything she can get her hands on, as usual. She discovered Aesop's Fables this week. Daniel is enjoying the springtime activity of digging in the dirt. He is looking for snails, worms, and rolypoly bugs. Nate spends as much time as he can wrangle playing MathRider. He is also building his math skills with our cash register. Abbie just colors and paints, sings and dances and plays Mommy to her growing collection of stuffed animals.
2. We have three and half weeks left until our month-long spring break. I just realized today that I need to come up with some exam questions. I'm trying to decide, also, when Daniel needs to start end-of-term-exams. Otherwise, I am looking forward to the end of term and "vacation". Only, of course, we still have to have some structure to our days or the kids go crazy. So I need to come up with a plan for that, too. It's starting to feel like vacation is more work than school!
3. I am making plans for St. Patrick's Day... I think it's going to be a full-fledged holiday this year with lots of fun stuff. Would you like to hear our plans in advance, or after-the-fact, or both? I've been trying, lately, to post more but it seems that when I have time to blog, I have nothing to say, and when I have things to post about I don't have the time!
4. Speaking of which, I will be doing another review post soon for CSN stores. Check out their lights store while you wait. And, I am going to be posting about a small giveaway to celebrate the fact I have over 100 followers. It's going to be a book. :)
5. I realized the other day that my kids are exactly the perfect ages. We no longer have to worry about diapers, feeding times, sippy cups, or even diaper bags, but they are still young enough that they are incredibly easy to excite and entertain. A trip to the park is instantly the highlight of their week! If only time could just freeze right. here.

Love and Gratitude

Lent starts tomorrow. I was a teenager before I knew what Lent was. In college, I hung out with a crowd of kids where giving up something for Lent was fashionable. But it has been years since I have done that. Over the years, however, I have heard a lot of people who Do Something instead of giving something up. Starting a new habit rather than trying to break an old one.
This year, I have been reading One Thousand Gifts. Inspired by this and by Elizabeth and by a message on Romans1:21-32 (which basically outlines the consequences of ingratitude), I decided that our Lent this year would be simple and easy...
I bought four composition notebooks and brought them home for the kids to decorate a cover.

Every day of Lent they will write/draw/dictate for me to write at least one thing that they are thankful for. I am hoping to instill a habit of gratitude, but we are also talking about how the gifts we have are the ways God says "I love you." I am excited about this.
I even have a new notebook of my own to lead by example.

Ahhhh!

I love when all the kids are pleasantly occupied with their schoolwork and I can just sit back and take pictures. It doesn't happen often nor does it last long.

Nate is coloring the state flag of Alabama. Daniel is getting ready to pattern some apple cards. Abbie is working with the "a" playdough mat. Kevin is investigating Gracie's "busy box". Kaytie is working on her math journal. Gracie (not pictured) is playing with the dollhouse in the playroom.

Daniel and Abbie are coloring, cutting and pasting. Nate is working on a Math Mammoth Measuring sheet. Kaytie is journaling the day's Bible reading.