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IXL | Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, & Spanish (Online Practice) {Review}
Many years ago, we introduced the concept of computer school to our homeschool situation with online math practice. Back in 2014, I believe that my introduction to IXL Math and IXL Language Arts is still one of our favorite review product items. We continued to pay for a membership in the years following our original review. My oldest daughter (AppleBlossom) started IXL around age five and I have been thrilled to watch all the improvements over the years. It is great, it has been great, and it is only getting better. IXL was my middle daughter’s (the Princess) introduction to working with technology devices including computers, desktop, laptop, iPad tablets, and…
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Learn to R.E.A.D. Curriculum Notebook {Review}
My second student is a bit different than my first, reading is a challenge. She focuses more when things are hands-on (coloring) and vibrant (colorful) and my old reading primer of black and white discussion text just doesn’t cut it for her. The Learn to R.E.A.D. Curriculum Notebook (36-week Curriculum) from The Crafty Classroom, however, seems to be right up her desire path! Through the Homeschool Review Crew, we were blessed to receive a PDF download of both the Learn to R.E.A.D. Curriculum Notebook (700+ pages!) as well as the R.E.A.D. Review Pack (28 Early Readers that Correspond with R.E.A.D. Notebook) which I’m told can be used as a stand-alone product,…
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PreK3 Curriculum for 2014-2015
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Having just finished drafting my post for the K5 Curriculum (even if it is six months late!) I figured perhaps I should also write a post for our PreK3 Curriculum this year as well. As my second child is entering into the world of academia I am learning some important lessons. While AppleBlossom was ready to jump and run early on and loves workbooks and “doing school” things… her sister is, well… a free spirit. OrangeBlossom…
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Practice, practice, practice! and it’s fun!! (with IXL!)
What an incredible year this has been for reviews, I’ve been especially pleased in finding new curriculum ideas for our homeschooling life. Some have been wonderful and will be new staples in our regimen, while others have been neat and we might continue if a budget allows. One program we have been blessed to discover and experience for the last several weeks that will definitely be a program on my go-list is IXL ~ (http://www.IXL.com/). In the past, I’ve seen sales for IXL (such as through the co-op) and I’ve seen their ads and banners on blog sidebars, but I never really knew what it was about… Through the blessing of…
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ARTistic Pursuits K-3 Vol. 1 Review
Last year (or was it the year before?) when I was blessed to visit a local homeschool conference (there hasn't been one within three hours since!) I remember my SisterL telling me to check out the ARTistic Pursuits booth. The program has been on my wish list since, and I was thus delighted to gain the opportunity to review the Early Elementary K-3, Book 1: Introduction to the Visual Arts (expanded and revised for 2013).
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review – Part VII – Crafts}
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. The Book of Crafts for Jr. K is brand new, it was not available when we first started. In the lesson plans I was queued with something like “Make a gingerbread craft” or “Madeline Craft”, but there was nothing more than that. Previously what I did was searched pinterest for great ideas and went from there. However, now with The Book of Crafts, no searching on my part is necessary as they are all laid out…
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review – Part VI – Music}
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Now we’re in my category that I can boast on a bit as I spent practically a whole day organizing myself on this one to make the most of it. While I know that people would love to have a CD of all the songs chosen for the year in the curriculum plans for Jr. K because of copyright issues that is a hard task to accomplish. However, with the availability of streaming music online, especially…
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review – Part V – Prayer}
Through these two books, my young preschooler daughter is getting a heart of prayer and a foundation of devotion time fairly regularly. She loves to memorize and recite prayers and this is such a precious time and set of memories for me that was helped to form and be created from the organization and recommendations of the Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Curriculum.
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review – Part IV – Poetry}
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Through the recommendations of Memoria Press in their curriculum package it is amazing what is possible to provide in a pre-school or Junior Kindergarten experience and I’d say the bulk of the best of it is within the literature and poetry section. Since there are 33 weeks and 34 literature selections, let me start with telling you about the poetry because of this, there is really only three. Two, however that you use on a regular…
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review – Part III – Math}
Alrighty, so far I've told you about the Junior Kindergarten Lesson Plans For One Year and the Phonics books portion of Jr. K. Now I want to tell you about the Math and Numbers portion of the curriculum.
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review – Part II – Phonics}
Coming into starting Jr. K, AppleBlossom already knew her alphabet. She could sing it in order (only half the time skipping N and then insisting she had said too) and she could identify letters out of order both upper and lowercase. Also, thanks to LeapFrog Phonics Letter Factory DVD she knew all the sounds as well. What she did not know was how to write any letter other than a capital A that I had just showed her one day randomly. So I knew I needed something organized to really work through them all. Learning the alphabet is the critical first step in learning how to read. The Alphabet Book…
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten {Review Part I}
2012-2013 has been an incredible school year! We are not quite finished yet, but we are close and I'm in awe of how amazing the year has been. Truly with this kind of beginning for our homeschool experience is amazing. I'm delighted to have gone deeper with books and really watch my young preschooler's mind fly, and that is what we are doing with Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten. Because of what Memoria Press has put together with their teachers at Highlands Latin School, I feel like I know what I'm doing in this teaching business. Coming in if you ask me to go back to teach middle or high school…
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A day in the life of Blossom School with Memoria Press Jr. Kindergarten! {Part 1}
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Today I wanted to share a bit about what we’re doing in school. (My wordpress is acting up, so stick with me…) We’re a bit behind from illnesses and life, but then she will not turn four until July, so if we have to repeat things that’s okay. I’ve been planning to do something like this forever, but I forget to take pictures and beat myself up about it and I finally decided you might just…
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten!
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Memoria Press has revamped their website, and it looks awesome. Also if you’ve missed my mentions previously (and look for more to come soon!) check out their amazing Jr. K!
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Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten is a fun time!
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Today we’re starting our second week of Memoria Press Jr. K and it is an interesting day. While the lesson plans are for two days a week we did activities in addition on other days last week to enhance the week and it was awesome. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to put this all together on my own. Starting out today was interesting… AppleBlossom refused to write anything. No tracing, that ended with a tossed…
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“Not” Back to School: Curriculum Week PK3
I know last year I was loving to look at all of the “Not” Back to School blog posts and maybe even the year before that. I love the idea of planning and figuring out what all we are going to attempt. Last year was just fun and randomness for education. This year is going to be similar but with a little more effort on more often and a little more structure. After all, my baby is three. 😉 Now this year I participate! Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press.…