Tag: Homeschool

Homeschool, Homeschool Family, Morning Basket, Music Appreciation, Music Theory, Unit Study

Teach Your Child Piano: Read Music Notes in 6 Weeks and Summer Siesta Music Camp Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary product received from Teach Your Child Piano!

If you are followers on our Little Learner and Mom IG you know my son, well our entire family loves music. My son was exposed to music early on in the womb because his dad is a music producer and insisted on playing music to my belly every night. So when my son was born he instantly took to all things music.

My son’s first instrument was the trombone it was like love at first sight from 18 months old until the present. We bought his first trombone when he was 3 and he has been playing every since. When Karen asked me if we would be interested in taking a look at the Teach Your Child Piano course Read Music Notes in Six Weeks and the Music Camp: Summer Siesta course, we were happy to review them.

The Teach Your Child Piano courses are on the “Teachable” platform. You will have your own dashboard that includes your course of study. Some of the activities include downloadable pdfs and embedded videos. Not all of the Siesta Summer activities have videos. I think it would be nice if each included one example of the topic. This would be helpful for those students and parents who have no background in music. The platform is easily managed and it tracks your progress as long as you click the continue and complete button.

Read Music Notes in Six Weeks

Read Music Notes in Six Weeks is a great course for beginners who do not have a background in music. My son has a background in music so after looking over the first week, he felt like it was just a little too easy for him. But I am going to base my review on what I think if I had a non-musical child. This is a great course to introduce your students to reading music and music theory. The included a detailed lesson plan, games, worksheets, instructional video, flashcards, and a practice plan.

There are 6 modules that cover:

  • Learning Your Way Around The Keyboard
  • Treble Clef Line Notes
  • Treble Clef Space Notes
  • Bass Clef Line Notes
  • Bass Clef Space Notes
  • Review and Preparing for the Grand Recital

After looking through all the weeks I think this would be great for a family who has no or very little background in music. I do still have plans to have my son review the weeks just as a review in the fall.

Music Camp Online: Summer Siesta

Summer Siesta consists of 120 self-paced lessons for ages 4-14. The course runs from May to August, but I think this can be used year-round and I hope Karen will consider keeping the program going year-round. There is so much to unpack in this course and for a music-loving family like ours, we need more time to really appreciate all the wonderfulness in this course. Summer Siesta is really a music appreciation course that families can pair well with geography, history, and cultural lessons in their homeschool.

Students can study:

  • Musical Era (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern)
  • Various Music Genre
  • Orchestra and Foreign Instruments
  • Cultural Music
  • Composers
  • Chorus
  • Vocal Expression
  • DIY Instruments

There are 120 lessons the summer program encourages students to do 1 activity per day for a total of 60 activities over the summer. You don’t have to do the activities in order, but students will earn a certificate at the end of the course if the activities are completed. For us, that wasn’t going to be something achievable because we kept going down rabbit trails. The activity sheets can be done orally or written. We do them orally and I recorded the answers down for my son because I wanted him to enjoy researching and having fun.

For copyright reasons and to protect the creator’s work I won’t be uploading a copy of the full sheet, but I can tell you that the sheets are detailed and not overwhelming.

My son decided he wanted to spend time learning more about Spanish composer the “Queen of Percussion” Shelia “E” Escovedo! Let me just tell you this was a family affair when my husband got wind that we were doing this study he told us about the Sheila E Master Class. We were all captivated by her wonderful story and percussion lessons. My son was super intrigued and took things to another level and decided to research Pete Escovedo who is her father. We ended up doing 2 lessons on Spanish composers. We also did an instrument study on the bongos. We continued to go down another rabbit hole that led us to Prince. Like really we studied all about PRINCE !!!!

Of course, after we did Shelia E he wanted to research the trombone. So we grabbed the brass instrument and jazz activity sheet and learned about the Trombone and Trombone Shorty. That lesson didn’t stop there because it lead us down the road to New Orleans’ infamous Treme history.

We really like the Summer Siesta and like I said I hope my review persuades the creator to extend the course for year-round availability. Read Music Notes in Six Weeks and Music Camp: Summer Siesta would be a great addition to your homeschool lessons if you are looking for a self-directed course. Self-directed courses work best for us because it allows us the freedom to follow our interest.

Teach Your Child Piano currently has 18 courses available prices start at $49 and up. There is a free course available and a monthly homeschool course. I defiantly recommend checking out Teach Your Child Piano.

Until the Next Time,

Mom and J

Early Math Skills, Education, Family, Homeschool, Preschool

Creta Class: Math Class

Little Learner and Mom

This review is in partnership with Creta Class. I received access to the app to facilitate my review all opinions are my own.

Math is one of those skills you want to start your children on the right path. As parents, we are our children’s first teachers and we play all kinds of finger play games for counting and read tons of picture books with numbers and counting. What if there was an app that could start your little learners on the right path. Well, the creators at Creta Class have created a wonderful educational platform for children ages 3-8.

At first glance, I was captivated by Creta Class graphics and Momo and his friends. Creta Class was designed by early education experts to ensure your little mathematicians kickstart their math skills on the right foot. Creta Class experts have really outdone themselves with the app. We have reviewed many apps and I was very impressed with how this app was designed.

Creta Class learning approach is systemic there are 5 stages of learning, starting with the very basics of 2D & 3D shapes. Students will work over the week concentrating on that week’s skill. I really appreciate that the app is done daily for as little as 10 minutes a day. Creta Class Math Class lessons are presented with fun animation between the videos students practice the skill 3 times. Creta Class is a mastery math class, students will practice skills and review until they move on to the next week’s unit. Parents receive a detailed report after each week’s unit as well as students can see their progress. Creta Class Math Class is a great way to lesson plan if you are a homeschooler and supplement learning.

What I really like about Creta Class is it’s not a video game or overly loaded with games. The lessons are meaningful and designed to keep your student’s interest and help them learn basic math skills, without all the extra distractions. Creta Class lessons cover:

  • Problem Solving
  • Arithmetic
  • Logical Reasoning
  • Builds Confidence
  • Spatial Awareness

Creta Class 5 stage plan has 240 lessons with one lesson a day for 12 months. I also like that the platform combines lessons that use both real-life pictures and illustrations. With me having background in Montessori I really appreciated the simplicity of the lessons and they are child-led and focus on the whole child.

My son and I tried out several of the units. My son is older than the app appeals to but he found the app fun and agreed with me that this would have been great if he was younger. I really enjoyed the weekly challenge at the end of Unit 1 week 3, he said it was cool how they reviewed all the week’s concepts at the end of the week with a racetrack race. I personally also liked that Thursdays is a review of all the week’s lessons. Creta Class is a safe and educational app that I would feel comfortable using with a younger child. This purposeful screen time with a focus and goal, I wish this app was around when my son was younger.

I really like Creta Class Math Class for ages 3-8 years the program lays a solid foundation for early math skills. With 1000+ lessons, personalized lesson plans, and engaging activities math is fun and easy to master. Students develop a healthy growth mindset toward math and build self-esteem.

Creta ClassI highly recommends Creta Class, you can learn more about this fabulous math app by clicking the banner below or clicking here. Creta Class is available on IOS and Google play. If you are looking to start your students on a great path to math excellence Creta Class is definitely where I would start.

Until the Next Time,

Mom and J

Family, Family Life, Homeschool Family, Read Alouds

Whatsoever Stories: Farmyard Faith Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

I have always been interested in farm life. I love the idea of raising my own food and being self sufficient. Even though I dream of the day of raising chickens and planting an enormous garden but it is nice to have the opportunity from Whatsoever Stories Farmyard Faith by Kinsey M. Rockett.

If you have been looking for a book that will take a deeper dive into farm life then Farmyard Faith is the book for you. Written with such grace and endearment this book will take you on journey of a ten year life span as the Kinsey family transition city life to farm life.

With so many different life events you will watch this family manage adversities and build their bond as a family through their Christian faith. Farmyard Faith is paperback book with easy to read fonts and excellent paper quality. Farmyard Faith is over 200 pages of heartfelt emotions to bring the reader and their family closer to their own faith.

From learning to milk cows to keeping bees Farmyard Faith is full of surprises and learning moments for your family. A great read aloud for the entire family. Farmyard Faith is ages 10 – Adult. I read the book for my own pleasure and a few times shared some of the chapters with my son.

Farmyard Faith is a Christian literature but it will work for any faith. You will find biblical scriptures throughout the book. Chapter 26 Farmyard Fun features some insightful information that I found funny and valuable.

Farmyard Faith is a great read be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews of Whatsoever Stories Farmyard Faith by clicking the banner below.

4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, Education, Family, History, Homeschool

Beautiful Feet Books: Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State Review!

Little Learner and Mom

(Gifted)

Little Learner and Mom were once again given the honor of showcasing more of Beautiful Feet Books History and Science History curriculums. Our family was sent the Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State. I was very impressed by the selection of picture books and equally impressed by the books included in the rabbit trails and library recommendations.

When you think of history does California come to mind? Probably not, because when teaching US History we traditionally think about the eastern coast of the United States first and don’t usually venture further west until after the Civil War. Well while the east coast history plays a significant part in US History Beautiful Feet Book Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State brings the excitement about the West Coast.

Beautiful Feet Books curriculums are a Charlotte Mason-inspired. The company creators are homeschoolers themselves and have been inspiring families for 30 years with their beautiful illustrated literature.

To help homeschool parents ignite wonder and connect with their kids through the best stories and guided lessons.

Beautiful Feet Books History and Science History curriculums

Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State starts its journey through California’s rich history with the Ice Age. Students will embark on learning about animals during this time period and natural disasters. My learner and I spent time researching the La Brea Tarpits and the weather conditions of the world during the Ice Age. I thought of some fun movies (Ice Age animated series) and suggested documentaries suggested in the lesson guide. Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State covers history, geography, nature study, culinary history, and art study. Each lesson is estimated to take an hour for grades 4-6. You can find a complete scope and sequence on the product page.

Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State includes:

  • Teacher Guide
  • 80 Multi-Sensory Lessons
  • Blank Notebook
  • 17 Books
  • Downloadable timeline sheet

What is intriguing about Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State is the inclusive diversity of lessons presented. I was very pleased to see the inclusivity of African Americas and Asian Americans in the later lessons. Indigenous studies were included throughout the lessons as well which were done respectfully and with attention to detail. The selection of books was broad and packed with beautiful illustrations that held my 5th grader’s interest.

My son enjoyed the relaxed feel of learning about California he really spent time writing his journal and adding to his notes. We spent time painting, reading, and engaging in discussions about animals, culture, and global perspectives of California. We visited the story Kalifia as a rabbit trail we went down. He really enjoys geography, art, and culture.

Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State is meant to be covered in a complete school year. I can see how one can make this their entire year’s history because it is so much you can do that will combine other historical information about the US in this one curriculum. I hope that in the near future that Beautiful Feet Books will add more states because there is so much to unpack in US History.

What I did notice is when it was time to do the lessons we set up the environment. My son cleared our table and prepared a light snack, set out the materials, and turned on the diffuser with little lavender essential oils. I always made sure there was something art relative for us to do while I was reading the literature for that lesson. He did art, snacked and we talked. I don’t know what it was about setting up the environment this way but it made our lessons enjoyable and special.

We will be stretching this curriculum over the next 2 years and it will become our special interest history. I want to take our time with this one because along with what the curriculum provides I want to be able to include more historical information during certain time periods.

Library finds we added to our studies

At the time of this review Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State cost is $252.95.

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Curriculum, Family, Homeschool, Spanish

Whistlefritz: Educator’s Spanish CollectionReview!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclaimer: Complimentary Product Received through the Homeschool Review Crew!

When my son was younger I had a bad habit of speaking Spanglish to him. While I do speak Spanish fluently my son still has a bad Spanglish habit. The Crew was given the opportunity to review Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection and Educator’s French Collection and we choose to review the digital Educator’s Spanish Collection.

My son already takes 1:1 Spanish classes with a wonderful Maestra who is located in Columbia. He meets with her 2 days a week for an hour. She is the real deal and we love her no English in her class is permitted. While he meets with her 2 days a week and she assigns homework. I wanted to also reinforce what he was learning in class and that’s where Educator’s Spanish Collection digital comes in.

Educator’s Spanish Collection is a fun at home Spanish program for kids preschool to early elementary they provide DVD or Digital language learning videos, music, and lessons plans. They also offer a free home educators guide for homeschoolers. The Educator’s Spanish Collection comes with:

  • Detailed Lesson Plans
  • Digitals Videos
  • Digital music
  • Matching cards

Whistlefritz is a language immersion program, your students are immediately introduced to the language. I personally prefer a total immersion approach I feel students pick up the language better. I also like that music is included in the program because when learning a new language it’s important that you not only immersed yourself into the language but also into the culture. It is was nice that the program has a native speaker doing the videos.

Los Animales with Spanish subtitles
Los Animales with English subtitles
Total Immersion all Spanish no subtitles!

Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection is geared towards ages one to seven years old. I wish I had this program when my son was younger because I probably could have avoided his Spanglish habits. Now we used Educator’s Spanish Collection a little differently from how it was intended. Since we are Spanish speaking family I was more interested in my son working on his ability to and write Spanish. The 174 page educators guide was perfect for this practice. I decided to take the lessons and write them on our big board and he needed to fill in in the blanks in his notebooks, I also did dication practice and he had to write down what I was saying in his notebook and use the correct the vocabulary word.

Educator’s Spanish Collection videos are colorful and packed with tons of vocabulary. The use of puppets and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds is a huge plus. The fun songs are easy to learn and enjoyable. I didn notice that the digital version only came with 4 sheets of the matching card game, but I am thinking this may be and error because there are suppose to be 50 cards. We used those cards we did have for vocabulary and I plan to reach out to the company to get the other cards.

I highly recommend Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection for younger students, the program provides a solid spanish beginning foundations. I love how the instructor speaks in Spanish naturally and at the correct pace. Some may find this difficult but this immersion stops the unnatural flow of the language. The progma is engaging and the 40 lessons provide parents with helpful ways to teach Spanish. Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection is geared to younger learners, but it works well for older students for learning a second language.

I did have my son watch a few of the videos that were in Spanish only. I did this because he is familiar with Spanish only and I am I trying to break those habits of Spanglish.

Be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews of Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection and Educator’s French Collection by clicking the banner below.

Family, Geography, History, Homeschool, Unit Study

Celebrate States: Colorado Review !

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

Looking for a great way to explore the United States without leaving your home? Have you been interested in visiting a state and would like to get a glimpse of that state before leaving your home? If you answered yes to those questions then Celebrate States is a great way to bring a monthly state to your home.

Celebrate States is a monthly box subscription that features a new state every month. You will get a chance to learn about the history, geography, landmarks, and some of the local favorites.

We received the Colorado box for the month of March. Inside our guide we received:

🗺Colorado travel Guide and map.

🍬Sweet and savory treats from local shops.

🧼Lovely artisan scented soap.

🌲Beautifully crafted Aspen candle holder from the Rocky Mountains.

After going through the Celebrate States box we decided to dig deeper into some of the things he found of interest from the included travel guide. We watched a PBS documentary about the Rocky Mountains. The PBS documentary was very informative we learned about the:

  • Sicangu Lakota Oyate
  • San Luis Valley
  • Indian Boarding Schools
  • Gold Rush
  • Black in Denver Art Exhibit
  • Homesteading
  • The Railway
  • Natural Resources

We enjoyed the Colorado box it allowed us to have a connection to the state. The Celebrate States is a wonderful way to explore the United States with your family. This will make a great complement to homeschool geography lessons.

As you can tell we took the box and ran with it. It was nice to give my son a peek into the beautiful state of Colorado. This is a great addition to our study this upcoming year. I am going to reach out to the company and ask if we can get the Georgia box.

Until the next time,

Mom and J

Curriculum, Education, Homeschool, Writing

Memoria Press: Classical Composition I Fables!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

Classical Composition I: Fable

We are on a journey to find a supplement for our 5th-grade writing curriculum, so I have been considering a few options. The Squad was given the opportunity to review Memoria Press Classical Composition I: Fable Set for grade 4+.

Memoria Press is considered to be one of the leading companies in classical Christian education curriculums. The creates a curriculum that follows the classical education philosophy of liberal arts, quality literature, and the great thinkers of the western tradition. A great deal of Memoria Press curriculums contains Christian values and biblical scriptures. I personally didn’t find the Christian additions overwhelming or indoctrinating and I have reviewed several of Memoria Press‘s curriculums.

Classical Composition I: Fable Set

Classical Composition I: Fable Set comes with a teacher and student guide. The set we received came with the DVD but the company also has a streaming option. I will be reaching out to the company to inquire about receiving the streaming service because we don’t own a DVD player. I was able to find some helpful videos on the Memori Press Youtube channel.

There are 20 lessons to be completed each lesson is broken down into 4 pages. The Fable stage covers the first 14 steps to mastering writing. In the Fable stage, the students learn 3 plot components:

  • Recogintion – teaches to look parts of the story they can relate to.
  • Reversal – teaches to students identify the characters and see when their character roles reverse in the story.
  • Suffering – the conflict.

The students then move on to the variation section in which they have to come up with 3 synonyms for the words listed and then use the words they come up with in sentences. I highly recommend having a thesaurus or dictionary handy when doing this activity especially if you don’t have a student who has yet tapped into their creative writing. In the outline portion of the lesson, students will summarize the fable.

Paraphrase the students will rewrite the fable using anemographic, dendrographia, and ethopoeia . I know what you thinking WHAT, trust me when I say I was right there with you on this one. The teacher’s guide is a lifesaver with this curriculum you need this don’t skip it. Students need to use their online and variation part one to complete this part. Then students will need to rewrite the fable by reduction, meaning they need to pull out key details and leave out the extra details in their writing. Lastly, there are Variations part 2 which is a direct repeat of the Variations part 1, but with different words.

Our Review

Okay so I know I said a mouthful above and trust me if you have the opportunity to look over Classical Composition I: Fable Set you will get a better grasp of the flow of the lessons. You can also check out samples of lessons on the Classical Composition I: Fable Set product details page. At first a little unsure about this type of writing because it isn’t how I learned to write and I thought my son wouldn’t be really interested in the flow. After reading the teacher’s guide and looking over the lessons I started to really understand the flow a little better and how this really works for a student who is a creative or logical writer. My son doesn’t love to write but I think because this guided writing he isn’t left to just figure it out himself. While I know you may be thinking wouldn’t this just be the student copying another person’s work? In reality, they aren’t copying the work they are rather enhancing it and putting their own spin on it. I do like that it encourages the use of outlining because this is something I am very familiar with myself.

Classical Composition I: Fable there is parent involvement needed especially in those first few lessons. The DVD/Streaming is of great need for this curriculum, I wish I would have had access to the live streaming. If your student has not had any formal mechanics in writing lessons I highly recommend you review these skills before starting. I would recommend looking at Memoria Press Introduction to Composition. Classical Composition I: Fable will help your student learn how to organize writings and encourage some creative writings of other’s works which will hopefully translate into their own writings.

Classical Composition I: Fable is a contender for our upcoming 5th-grade writing curriculum. It would be used as a supplement to our spine for creative writing and switching things up.

Until the next time,

Mom and J

Education, Grammar, Homeschool, Language Arts, Writing

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW): Fix it Grammar Levels 2 and 3

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary product received!

When I was in school I didn’t love grammar, but since I have been homeschooling my son I have learned to love it. I am not the best at it but I am relearning along the way with him. We were sent Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse for grades 3-5th and Level 3 Robin Hood for grades 6-8th.

It was such a coincidence that I was getting ready to start my son on the older version of Level 2 Robin Hood when Institute for Excellence in Writing released the new books. I like the old books but I LOVE the new books. The redesign of the new books is super exciting. I love how the company added another book to the Fix-It Grammar lineup. The new Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse is a perfect bridge from Nose Tree.

We are very familiar with Institute for Excellence in Writing we have used Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level A Basic and the original Level 1 Nose Tree. I have really liked using both of the above mention products so I was really excited when I was asked to review the newly released Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse and Level 3 Robin Hood.

The new revised edition upgrades still feature the read it, mark it, fix it patterns which can be done in any order. The revised also includes:

  • Table of Contents
  • Proofreading chart
  • Scope and sequence charts
  • Weekly Vocabulary chart
  • List of Grammar Fixes
  • Indiviual daily pages
  • Writing space

My son has a strong grammar foundation and I was looking for a program that I could add as a complement to our current spine grammar curricula and Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse are perfect. Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse and Level 3 Robin Hood is 30 weeks of comprehensive incremental grammar lessons. There is a detailed scope and sequence on the Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse product detail page under the samples tab. Students will cover lessons that cover:

  • Parts of Speech
  • Captialization
  • Commas
  • Clauses
  • Homophones
  • Stylistic Techniques and much more.

The Level 3 Robin Hood also covers the same items of targeted grammar and mechanics. It reviews the concepts of the previous level while adding:

  • Additonal Comma Rules
  • Various phrasel/ Clause Concstructions
  • Quotations
  • Indefinite/ Demostrative/ Reflexive Pronouns
  • Much more

You can also find a sample of the scope and sequence of Level 3 Robin Hood on the product detail page under the samples tab. We haven’t started working in Level 3 Robin Hood as of yet because we started in Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse. We did however start working on the older version because that was originally the next level after the older version of Nose Tree. The company inserted the new Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse so now Level 3 Robin Hood is the 3rd book in the series. The insertion of a new level 2 is a great bridge between level 1 and level 3. I did feel like the old level 2 of Robin Hood was really heavy coming from Nose Tree.

I started my son in the Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse because we are working on a rigorous grammar curriculum and I wanted to use Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse as a way to lighten his load 3 days a week. We are currently on week 7 and he has really enjoyed working the lessons. At the beginning of each weekly lesson I sit down with him and go over the grammar instruction and for the rest of the week, he works on the lessons independently. Students only have to complete 4 days of lessons. So how do lessons go:

  1. Students learns or reviews grammar concept at the beginning of the week
  2. Check the bold vocabulary word (learn defination)
  3. Search for the grammar concepts in passage and correct puncuation
  4. Rewrite passage with corrections

The new design of the Fixt Grammar Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse and Level 3 Robin Hood is perfect because all of his work can be completed in the student book. Each day has its own page, unlike the old version where each sentence from the passage was to be completed on one page on a small line.

How We Do a Lessons

At the top of the lesson page, students have a list of what grammar concepts they need to search for and how they should identify them. I put little highlighted dots next to each one and I tell my son to check off each one he has found. The very top line of the rewrite area my son uses that for his vocabulary word definition. The Level 2 Town Mouse and Country Mouse has primary lines for writing and Level 3 Robin Hood has regular lines with plenty of room for those students that like to write large.

Both of the levels include a downloadable vocabulary list that you can download and retrieve from your files on IEW. We also received the new Fix-It Grammar Cards I LOVE THESE!!!! You have no idea how much I love these cards we use them across our spine grammar curriculum. It is so hard to find grammar cards that are high quality and comprehensive. The great part is that the Fix-It Grammar Cards can use alongside all 6 levels of Fix-it Grammar books.

Looking to check out the other levels of Fix-It Grammar check out the other squad’s reviews by clicking the banner below and if you are curious out Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level A Basic review click this link here. Institute for Excellence in Writing Structure and Style for Students series is a great complement to Fix It Grammar levels. Be sure to be on the lookout for our upcoming review of Level 4 Mowgli and Shere Khan.

Until the next time,

Mom and J

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Critical Thinking and Logic, Curriculum, Education, Family, Geography, History, Homeschool

Curiosity Chronicles: Volume 2 Early Modern History Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

We love history in our home and focus on the gentle truth of history. We have several history curriculums we pull from and I always check actual true history that is secular. The gracious creators of the Curiosity Chronicles sent us their latest release Early Modern History Volume 2 to review.

We are no strangers to Curiosity Chronicles history curriculum; we actually own the Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Vol 1 curriculums. My son has really enjoyed the lessons we have done and I haven’t found any questionable text. Ted and Mona have been long-time friends of ours as we have journeyed our way through history over the years. Curiosity Chronicles is a multi-sensory history curriculum that works for students with different learning styles.

We believe everyone has a place at the table when it comes to telling history.

Curiosity Chronicles

Curiosity Chronicles is not your typical history of the curriculum. Students learn history through snapshots of historical time periods and global events. The curriculum follows Mona Ted through history through dialogues. The students are introduced to the characters then they begin to engage in historical conversations and take your students on adventures learning about artistic, cultural, scientific, and political perspectives in history.

Students learn history from a global perspective. History is never dull when using Curiosity Chronicles kids will engage in meaningful conversation with you and want to learn more. What I like about Curiosity Chronicles is that the lesson is actual snapshots of history topics. I have found that a vast majority of the snapshots in the text are never mentioned in other elementary history curriculums. I am also pleased the company includes so much diversity in the characters, illustrations, and subject matter.

Early Modern History Volume 2 picks up right where Early Modern Vol 1 leaves off and starts the conversations between Ted and Mona discussing Catherine the Great of Russia. Early Modern History Volume 2 has 36 chapters that are divided into 18 sections. Students will study history snapshots from 1550- 1850, with topics such as the Haitian Revolutionary War, Empires in Africa, Bolivarian Revolution, American Revolution, and much more. We received hard and digital copies of Early Modern History Volume 2 curriculum package.

The complete Early Modern History Volume 2 includes:

  • Snapshots of Early Modern History Vol. 2 text
  • Softcover Insrutctor and Student Guide
  • Audiobook Snapshots of Early Modern Vol. 2
  • Digital Ted’s Timeline Kit: Early Modern Vol. 2

In both Vol 1 and Vol 2 we see Ted and Mona’s friends Arthur and Lily in the cultural corners at the end of select chapters as they highlight important artists, writers, scientists, and musicians.

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Volume 2 is truly a fun-filled comprehensive curriculum. Students will complete written lessons, mapwork, coloring pages, puzzles, STEM activities, and my son’s favorite Minecraft challenges. Lessons can be done family-style and the company is adding extension activities soon for older students. There are sections in the snapshot that invite students to research more on the historical topic they are studying. Early Modern History Volume 2 breaks important historical events down the curriculum is designed to with the children and not at them. My son enjoys curriculums that he feels are a part of the discussion.

Students will learn to discuss complex ideas, develop critical thinking skills, engage in hands-on learning, and find tangential learning!

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Volume 2 comes with a Teds Timeline kit. The Timeline kit comes with templates and pictures for your student to construct a wall timeline (color or black and white) or notebook timeline. We have a history timeline notebook so we will be using this instead of the templates provided. For this review I let my son decide on what area of time he wanted to learn about and he choose Section 31 Empires of Africa Chapter 61 Shaka forges the Zulu. He listened to the audiobook snapshot during breakfast and later during the day we went through the Snapshots of Early Modern History Volume 2 text. We talked about the Zulu, Swazis, Basotho, Xhosa, Boers, and Southern Africa. Through our study, we discussed the different biomes of Africa and the migration of the great people of Africa across the continent. We were introduced to the great Zulu warrior Shaka and his military. My son was intrigued by this chapter he started researching EVERYTHING about the Zulu people. He went to work on his assignments and his Minecraft challenges. He really enjoyed this sneak peek into our history lesson for the Fall, not sure I am going to be able to keep this one on the shelf until September.

I highly recommend Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Volume 2 as well as all of the other history curriculums published by Curiosity Chronicles. The history is easy to follow and interactive.

Critical Thinking and Logic, Curriculum, Education, Language Arts, Vocabulary, Writing

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

This homeschool year has been difficult choosing a language curriculum. I decided to go with the curriculum we had last year, but that was an epic fail. After 3 months of trying to find a new language arts program before our 2nd semester started, I ran across Royal Fireworks Press language arts curricula Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town. The Melanated Gold Squad was offered the opportunity to review MCT Level 2 Complete Homeschool Package and I was selected to review it.

My son is newly turned 9 and he loves grammar, we noticed early on he was gifted in this area of his homeschool studies. Finding a grammar curriculum that was both rigorous and amusing has become arduous. This year alone we have set aside 3 curriculums and decided on multiple review books. Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town has been the curriculum we needed to feed his ferocious grammar inclinations.

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town is for students ages 9-11 in grades 4-5. Grammar Town picks up where Grammar Island leaves off with the continued practice of the “4 grammar analysis of (1) parts of speech, (2) parts of the sentence, (3) phrases, and (4) clauses.” No worries if you haven’t done the previous level as long as your student has a strong understanding of grammar they will be alright with starting level 2, but I wouldn’t recommend jumping into level 3 without previously doing level 3. Even though the curriculum is presented for children who are gifted/dyslexic I have found that children who are able to read fluently and have strong reading comprehension will find this curriculum gratifying.

Level 2 : Grammar Town Layout

MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town is beautifully designed with simple distinctive vibrant illustrations. The curriculum covers 5 strands Grammar (Grammar Practice), Vocabulary, Writing, Poetics, and Literature. The complete homeschool package comes with a lesson guide, student books, and teacher’s manuals (this includes the readers) for each of the MCT sections. The program in my opinion is designed to be conversational. MCT is not like your typical language arts curriculums you will not find the typical question and answer busy work. The lessons are intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking. I found myself relearning and grasping a better understanding of grammar. My son instantly took to the Grammar Town book, he repeatedly would point out how he better understood grammar concepts.

There are 30 weekly lessons of MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town the lessons are designed to gradually include the other textbooks included in the MCT Level 2 Complete Homeschool Package. Students should work at their own pace and make sure they have a complete mastery of the Grammar Town book before moving on to the next book. There are assessment pages in the books, but you can also download the assessment pages from a link provided by Royal Fireworks Press inside the book. The assessment pages are there to make sure your student is mastering the materials before moving on to the next section in the book. These assessment pages are not the same as Practice Town.

The very first-week students are to read the Grammar Town book on their own. I was amazed to see how intrigued my son was by the illustrations and the story. Several times he came to me and asked questions and wanted to discuss the stories. On the days we didn’t do lessons he requested MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town over his other language arts books.

Today lesson was intellectually restorative….Learning about the complexity of sentence structure and how all the the words we use in sentences are reflective of the 8 parts of speech that make a sentence cohesive. Thinking about it from that point of view makes sense into why a sentence must a have a subject and verb.

J

Caesar’s English is the vocabulary section students will embark on a historical language journey. Students will learn Latin roots, history, and word origins. Again students are exposed to wonderful visual and practice pages. Students will also see a brief intro to Latin roots in Grammar Town on the first pages. Practice Town includes 100 sentences of practice for students on the skills learned in Grammar Town and writing. Paragraph Town is another fun-filled narrative about learning paragraph fundamentals and punctuation. The poetry book Building Poems is metaphoric it is written to teach students poetry terms as if they are constructing a building. MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town includes the literature books:

  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
  • Peter Pan
  • The Wind in the Willows

Each book is reproduced in its entirety and includes Michael’s “language illustrations”—close-ups of poetic techniques, four-level analyses of interesting grammar, and comments about writing strategies

Royal Fireworks Press

How We Used MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town

For the first 3 weeks, we used the curriculum as the implementation guide suggests. I made little tweaks here in there. My son was introduced to some Latin roots and I wrote these roots on index cards for him. I also wrote out grammar cards for him of all of the parts of speech components. We also put together a vocabulary journal for words we were instructed to define. My son enjoyed the assignments on select pages, some of these we did in his notebook, and some we did on a dry erase board. The lessons are short we spent time in meaningful discussions.

MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town was used daily for the first 3 weeks and I added in some supplemental resources just to ensure mastery. After week 3 we went to a 3-day-a-week schedule and 2 days a week supplemental materials. I was sure to use supplemental material that would complement MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town. Overall my son prefers MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town over his previous language arts curriculum and I have shelved what we were using prior. We are in week 6 of the suggested implementation lesson guide and have begun using Caesar’s English I, Classical Education Color Edition.

Wrap up

MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town is a rigorous and complete language arts program. If you are looking for a new way to introduce grammar to your student I highly recommend this curriculum. The curriculum does require parent involvement in my opinion wasn’t intense and I welcomed it. I enjoyed having conversations with him and seeing his face light up. The curriculum is designed for mastery and it is suggested you don’t move on until your student has mastered each section.

While the literature part I thought was going to be monotonous. I understand why the books were selected and remastered to complement the curriculum. I do hope in the future the company would consider adding some optional remastered diverse readers.

Would I buy Level 3 in the Fall absolutely! I again caution against not jumping into level 3 without going through level 2. You can get away with not doing Level 1, but making that jump into level 3 is not advisable. The levels don’t coordinate with the grade levels so please take note of this. If you are the type of homeschooler that needs tons of worksheets after each lesson this is not the curriculum for you. MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town is in a class by itself rigor without the complexity of busywork, this was more of relaxed conversational language arts. MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town takes its time to ensure students really understand language and how they work together. I learned so much in the last 6 weeks reviewing MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town.

MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town works on this sequence per their website:

  1. Do grammar first.
  2. Begin the vocabulary text after you finish the parts of speech in the grammar book.
  3. Begin the practice book after the entire text of the grammar book is complete.
  4. Begin the writing text once the four-level analysis is strong, as seen in the practice sentences.
  5. Begin the poetics text after the writing book is complete to develop expertise in controlling the sounds of sentences.
  6. Extend the curriculum with literature.

Royal Fireworks Press provides Overview Chart, Elementary Guide, and Secondary Guide on their website. There are seven levels to the MCT Language Arts program and there are also implementation videos.

The cost of MCT Level 2 Complete Homeschool Package is $290 the company is also converting their books into Kindle format which may help you cut costs. This program is comprehensive and worth the cost. I highly recommend MCT Language Arts: Level 2 Grammar Town if you are looking for a different way to teach language arts. Be sure to check out the other squad’s reviews of Royal Fireworks Press curriculums.

Until the Next,

Mom and J