TOS Review: Greek 'n' Stuff

Greek? For elementary school students? Seriously?

I admit that I was a bit surprised. Maybe a bit concerned. I mean, my kids don't fully understand English and then I'm gonna throw another language at 'em?

Hey Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek is a curriculum for elementary homeschool students designed as a basic introduction to biblical Greek. The workbooks are packed full of fun activities and information and gives kids a good basis for the beginnings of biblical Greek. First up is learning the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet. They learn the names and how to write them. Included in the worktext are flashcards that help solidify their knowledge of the alphabet.

My kids now know the Greek alphabet and can even sing an adorable little Greek Alphabet Song just like they learned their ABCs in English! (Mom knows the Greek Alphabet Song too - it's rather catchy!!)

For additional  learning (and to keep up over the summer with what was learned this year,) a supplemental ebook, Biblical Greek Alphabet Practice Pages is available for immediate download for only $12.95. (I LOVE this since I am planning to continue our Hey Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! studies next year!)

What To Teach When

Hey Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek!

• The Reader - primary (preschool) introduces the alphabet
• Level 1 - recognizing, reading and writing the Greek Alphabet
• Level 2 - vocabulary
• Level 3 - introduces grammar

Each of the upper levels (through Level 8) review and build on the level before.

According to the website, by Level 3, it is recommended that students spend some time each day in an Greek Interlinear New Testament starting with the Gospel of John. I am seriously excited about my kids reading a Greek Bible before their daddy even begins his Greek studies in seminary.

Other Products by Greek 'n' Stuff

Latin's Not So Tough! A Classical Latin Curriculum

Alone With God Bible Studies 

What's It Gonna Cost Me?

Greek Reader
$11.95

Greek Student Workbooks
$14.95 - 28.95 per level 

Greek  "Flashcards on a Ring"
$6.00-$8.00 per level

Pronunciation CD
$10.00 (per 2 levels) 

Supplemental eBook
$12.95

Bible Copybook - The Gospel of John $25.95 (Level 3 and above) 

Each level is also available in two different sets.

Check out all the Hey Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! products or download some samples! 

Greek? For elementary school students? Seriously?

YEP.

And it rocks!!

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew I received "Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek!" free of charge from Greek N Stuff for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

How I Got My Life Back - Part 1

I've been held hostage for four days out of the month over the last seven years. I would have to cancel plans, give the kids some days off from school (there is no way to call a sub when you homeschool!) and basically hibernate during "that time of the month."

For those of you who know me personally, you will either be thrilled with what you are about to read or horrified I would actually write about this. But when something so miraculous happens, you really wanna share it with the world! And when that miracle could help someone else, you want to shout it from the mountaintops!!!

So here we go! I'm shouting!!!

Like I said, I've been held hostage. My periods were horrid. Pain, weakness, fatigue, headaches, grouchiness, cravings. I could go on and on attempting to describe what I go through each month.

Doctors would say, well, get used to it. It will probably get worse until menopause. (Thanks so much for the sympathy there! Did I really just pay to have you say that to me??)

My dear sweet husband had no clue until recently since usually he would be gone to work while I suffered. The last two years since we moved back to GA he saw more months of the agony than he didn't.

So enter my new friend who right now will remain anonymous since I didn't tell her I was blogging about her. I met her at our new church.

Our conversation went from elderberry syrup to her telling me about her cure from endometosis and fibroids. She was scheduled for surgery but didn't want to have it so she started looking for a cure for her symptoms which were very much like mine. Over three months time she basically cured her symptoms through natural vitamins, minerals and herbs. She quickly began writing down some things for me and well, it worked!!

I have not implemented everything yet. But I am going to share what I did.

• Nature's Way Red Raspberry Leaves - two pills twice a day (every 12 hours)
• Nature's Way Magnesium Complex - one pill twice a day (every 12 hours)

Easy huh??

I couldn't believe it myself.

There are a few other things I haven't implemented yet but I will tell you about those next month after I do.

Let me tell ya folks - this is huge for me. Otherwise I wouldn't be discussing this most private thing on my blog.

Normally I would spend these fours days captive in my home. Being a homebody, I love to be home, but not when I am forced beyond my control, ya know? 

Well this weekend, I baked a birthday cake and iced it. Then attended a family function worth five hours. And then went to church on Easter and spent the day with my family. None of this would have been possible had it been a month ago. I would have been in the bed all those days.

If you suffer during your monthly time, please try this. It costs very little and you could be changing your life.

I did.

Could You Take a Look for Me?

I know I'm asking a lot when I ask this of you. This blog is not about pregnancy loss. But pregnancy loss is a big part of my life. Someone you know has been affected by if (whether they have told you or not.) If you know anything about me (or have at least read a little about me) you know that I lost a child between Music Man and Farm Boy. It had a huge impact on my life as it does for anyone who has been through it. This July marks ten years.

Each year as the anniversary of Sammie's birth and death approach, I attempt to do "something" for him. This year I am working to revamp the website that I built just after he was born. We eventually created an organization to help others experiencing pregnancy loss. Unfortunately I had to put the daily work on hold a few years ago when we began homeschooling. It is a passion of mine, but that work will always be there after my kids don't need me as much anymore.

So here is what I need. I rebuilt the Remembering Your baby website using Weebly. I really only cut-and-pasted the information and didn't change much about it except the format. Would you take a look and let me know what you think? Feel free to comment here or to send me an email through our contact page.

Here is the current website: Remembering Your Baby and the new design for Remembering Your Baby. The new design has not incorporated the very neglected blog. It points directly to the blog on blogger.

Would you take a look and let me know what you think?

TOS Review: Art Class by See The Light

Farm Boy has been drawing stick figures since he could work a pencil and has recently grown increasingly interested in drawing. When See the Light's Art Class arrived, he immediately began preparing for what we were going to be taught by gathering his supplies, counting his spending money for real art pencils and eraser and sneaking handfuls of copy paper out of my printer. With supplies in tow, we soon sat down to view the first lesson. 

 

The Art Class DVD Series is divided into nine volumes that each build on the next. We began with Volume 1 - The Basics for this review and had four lessons which included Tools of the Trade, It All Starts With a Line, Contours and Composition and Draw What You See. A Bonus Lesson, Chalk-It-Easy Chalk Art Lesson with artist Gloria Kohlman was also included in Volume 1!

Sprinkled with "art history and biblical truth," Art Class is more than just drawing lessons. I loved how Master Artist Pat Knepley was friendly and open with the audience telling us exactly what to do and how to do. She was very encouraging throughout the lessons and made us want to practice when we finished each lesson!

One thing that was a huge bonus for me was that there is nothing else to buy! You need basic supplies throughout the series. I love how Ms. Knepley told us in the first lesson (and throughout) that we use use a regular pencil and plain paper. This is a great thing for families with multiple kids who can all watch and draw together without investing too much more than the DVDs themselves. (We chose to invest in a set of drawing pencils and an artist eraser from a craft store - on sale with a coupon!) The softer lead of the drawing pencil and white artist eraser were better than we had been using - a plain ol' No.2 lead pencil and pink eraser! She did make it clear that we could continue using those, but that the softer lead and white artist eraser made things easier. And they did!

The entire Art Class series is available as a nine volume set for $99.99. You may also choose an online subscription for $9.99 per month. 

Art Class Series

Vol 1 The Basics (Get Vol 1 FREE!!)

Vol 2 Shape and Space 

Vol 3 Value and Color

Vol 4 Color Blending Techniques

Vol 5 Proportion for Composition

Vol 6 Texture and Form

Vol 7 Perspective for Landscape

Vol 8 Balance and Foreshortening

Vol 9 The Portrait

 

Other items by See the Light include The CrossMaker (Easter Story and art lessons) and The Gift of Love (Christmas Story and art lessons) available at $14.99 each. Demos and samples of these are available on the website as well.

Get Vol 1 FREE by requesting it online! You can also view them free lessons online.

Pricing Info 
The CrossMaker and The Gift of Love Individual DVD $14.99
Art Class Series 9 Vol Set $99.99  (Get Vol 1 FREE!!)
Online Subscription $10.00/month

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew I received Art Class Vol. 1 free of charge from See the Light for the purpose of review. 

No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Growing Healthy Homes Nutrition 101

 

I was so excited when I saw Growing Healthy Homes in our queue for review. I have been slowly changing the way I feed my family and this was a great boost in making even more changes.  

Growing Healthy Homes Nutrition 101 is a 3-in-1 health and wellness program, biology curriculum and cookbook designed for the homeschool family. Don't let the name fool you. This is not your ordinary health class. It is comprised of six Biblically-based units that teach nutrition, biology and life wellness through hands-on activities, amazing full color diagrams and scrumptious recipes.

On a personal note, my boys are finally getting of the age that they are asking about Music Man's challenges and health issues. Nutrition 101 not only tells you "the what" of nutrition but also about why we need to feed our bodies certain things. The different systems of the body are explained in their own chapter. It has been a challenge for me to explain some of Music Man's issues to him and his brother but with this complete curriculum, he's gotten biology and health/wellness all wrapped into one! We had no idea that bananas were bad for the respiratory tract and that is his absolute favorite food! Music Man is also beginning to understand more about how the body systems work together and how when one system is not healthy, it affects the whole body.

Another perk for me personally, is that it is one thing for Mama to say we don't need to eat that. Now my boys are taking on their own reasons as to why we don't need to eat that. They understand the why and choose a healthier option. That really helps this Mama when it comes time to makes decisions on eating away from home!

Nutrition 101 is such a complete curriculum that we were not able to complete it in its entirety for the review. I am excited that we can continue to use it throughout the rest of school year. It is actually designed to be used over several years, adding some challenging activities as your children age. (You all know I love a curriculum that can be used with multiple ages over the course of several years!)


Other titles from Growing Healthy Homes include The Raw Food Feast and Gentle Babies: Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants and Young Children. 


There are also some free MP3 downloads of recorded conference calls!

Read a sample of Nutrition 101!

Nutrition 101 is available in several formats.

Printed Book $99.95

CD ROM $79.95

Printed Book and CD ROM $129.95
Use code  TOScrew1 for a 15% DISCOUNT! 

Right now Growing Healthy Homes is offering a 15% discount using the code TOScrew1!! 

 There is a LIVE WEBINAR TOMORROW, Thursday, April 21, at 4 to 5:30 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT.) (Even after using and reviewing it, I plan to be there!)

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew I received Nutrition101 free of charge from Growing Healthy Homes for the purpose of review and exchange for my honest opinion. 

No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Science Weekly

Science Weekly is a newsletter-style full color science supplement for elementary aged kids. It is available for six different grade levels from kindergarten to fifth/sixth grade. There are 20 issues per year on different science and math topics ranging from fractions to green buildings to the moon. Science Weekly is full of information on that particular topic and activities that kids can do on their own and a few things they need supervision for such as the Weekly Lab project.

We reviewed the issue on composting, which was very timely for us since we were beginning the preparation for our garden. Farm Boy was super excited to begin gathering items for the Weekly Lab which was designed to show whether or not water was needed to make compost.


The Teacher's Notes, which are included for homeschools upon request, are the lesson plans and background info for the topic. 

There are also several interactive issues available on the website including Pyramids, Living in Space, Kites, Hurricanes and Dams! The last page includes a link to download the PDF.

PRICING
15 issues for $19.95 per student per year The bulk rate is starts at 20 issues for $4.95 each so it would be great for co-ops or homeschool groups to group buy!


CHECK IT OUT
For a free sample issue download on Coral Reefs. The Sport Science issue is available from the order page.The interactive issues are also available for download.


FINAL WORD
Science Weekly is a fun supplemental tool but could be cost prohibitive for larger families unless the subscriptions were part of a group buy. With two kids, it isn't something that I would necessarily put on the "must buy" list for our curriculum at $19.95 but would love to have it at $4.95 per kid. I love the interactive part of the site too and those are available free for download to print at home. Science Weekly would make a great addition to our Workboxes.

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew I received a sample set of Science Weekly free of charge for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Ultimate Blog Party '11

If you are visiting from the Ultimate Blog Party, WELCOME!! I'm Dawn aka cookfromscratch on most websites that I visit. 

I have been blogging since before blogging was blogging. :) I started my first webpage back in 2001 when we moved from north GA to south FL to keep our friends and family up-to-date on the goings on with our firstborn, Music Man. I wrote my all code back then since blogging was not born yet but eventually landed on Blogger in '07. My archives are still on my hard drive and may eventually be reformatted to my blog but I haven't gotten around to do it yet. :) 

Now I blog about simple living, special needs, chemical free eating and traditional foods cooking, and homeschooling. I was blessed this year to be on the 2010-2011 Homeschool Review Crew for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

I am a Christian homeschooling mom from Georgia. Married to my college sweetheart since 1997. I LOVE to cook. I LOVE photography and you will often find me hiding behind a camera. I LOVE my family and I LOVE living in the country.

Let me introduce you to my boys. They keep me busy! Music Man is my oldest. He always has a smile on his face (as long as he isn't hungry or tired!) and loves anything to do with music and dancing. Music Man has what is called FG Syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder characterized by heart defects, low muscle tone and developmental delay. He also has ADHD which we combat with diet. We started on the Feingold Program in 2006 and never looked back. Now we stay away from almost all processed foods and eat even healthier! You may have heard about the recent FDA hearings on artificial flavors and colors in foods. It is a huge passion of mine to get the word out on the junk in the foods we eat. But I digress. :) 

Our middle son, Samuel, died at birth due to multiple congenial abnormalities including FG Syndrome and possibly ARPKD (Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease). I created a non-profit organization, Remembering Your Baby, in his memory to help other parents who lose a baby at birth. Remembering Your Baby has taken a backseat lately due to homeschooling. The mission is to provide support to other bereaved parents and give them something tangible to remember their babies by. But the organization has to be put on hold so I may focus on my boys for now. I would love to find some volunteers who have a heart for it and the time to put into developing the organization further.

Our youngest, Farm Boy, is totally typical and all boy! He loves living in the country, all living creatures -especially those that live outside and brings a great deal of energy to our family. He began taekwondo last January at the Athens Taekwondo Center and just earned his Purple Belt.

We live in the country in a farmhouse that belongs to my husband's grandparents. Years ago it was a dairy farm but now houses beef cattle. There are goats on the other side of us (currently with four sets of twins!!) They are so much fun to watch!

My husband is currently in grad school finishing his MDiv in Military Chaplaincy. He has about two more years and then plans to GO NAVY! We have been in ministry since before we were married and look forward to this new chapter in our lives! 

In my spare time (ha ha) I have been working on a new blog template - teaching myself the ins and outs of web design again, this time on a blog. It's a whole new ballgame than it was when I started on Geocities with HTML so many years ago. 

So that's enough about me. Take a look around. I'm so glad you stopped by!