Oh hey, I got tagged!

Debbie, over at Debbie's Digest tagged me in this meme last week and I totally didn't even notice it until today.  In my defense, I haven't been feeling well, and even when I AM feeling well I forget to check my comments.

At any rate, she asked 8 questions, which she would like all of her tagged people to answer, and then I get to tag 8 people, and pick 8 other questions.  The hard part is going to be picking 8 people ;)

1.  Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If so, how close to being finished are you? Are you making any Christmas gifts? Have you started them? I’d like to know your Christmas shopping personality. 

No, I have not started Christmas shopping yet.  I am already getting asked what people should get for Thing 1 and Thing 2 and my brain just stops because I don't even know what WE are getting them.  I have found one thing for Thing 1, but it's a maybe and all that.  I am making a few Christmas gifts.  I have started on the largest of them, and it is kicking my tail!  I am about a tenth of the way through it (it's a crochet blanket) and it has a total of almost 35 THOUSAND crochet stitches on the pattern.  My poor hands are ready to fall off some days.  I also found patterns for a few other things I'd like to make, it's just a matter of getting the materials and getting them made and then shipped.  (considering my sister's birthday was at the beginning of this month and I still haven't sent her birthday card, it will probably be in the box going over to her... I really need to invest in some international stamps)

2.  Sweet or salty ... your favorite snack?

Right now, sweet.  And sour.  I have a thing for the sour gummy candies right now (you know, all the one that start of sour and end up sweet?)  And ice cream.

3.  Last date you were on with just your spouse?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Uhm... last time Link and I went out just the two of us for dinner was my birthday in 2008.  It's been almost 2 years now.  We prefer to go out as a whole little family unit.

4.  Do you dye your hair and if you do what is your natural color? 

I dye my hair every once in a great while when I want to pull out a different color. Naturally my hair has little bits of pretty much every natural hair color.  I have red, I have blonde, I have brown (the dominant color) and black, and since I married Link, more and more gray/white hairs have been showing up.

5.  What is one of your favorite “guilty pleasures”?

Role-playing games.  I love games like Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, the Zelda series, and the Tales series (Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Legendia, et cetera)  I am just a dork through and through ;)

6.  What makes you human (i.e. less then perfect)?

My procrastinating on EVERYTHING, my temper, my anxiety... stuff like that.

7.  Do you decorate your house for the seasons? If so, do you have a specific treasured ornament or decoration? 

We put up a Christmas tree for Christmas and that's about it.  We've only had a couple Christmases living together so we haven't acquired a ton of holiday stuff yet.

8.  When your kids all leave the nest what is one job you would like to try in all your free time?

I'd love to teach younger kids.  Like, 2nd grade tops.  It's funny, because I wanted to be a teacher for a LONG time, then wanted to be an architect, then wanted to be a psychologist, and have no come full circle back to teacher ;)  (although I still love psychology oh so much)



And now my 8 tags!

Alison @Wayzley Academy
Elizabeth @Creative Learning Fun
Jenn~ @Our Many Beautiful Blessings
Mama Duk Heather @The Duklings at Camian Academy
Sadie @It's a Boy's Life
Retro @Homeschool Madness
Kristine @Our Little Corner
Donette @The Journey

Aaaand because I'm boring and my brain is fried (stupid cold!) I'm going to ask relatively boring homeschooling questions :-P  Which I will then answer myself.  Because that seems to be "the thing to do" with this meme ;)

1. What made you decide to homeschool?
2. Did you have to work to convince family and close friends (spouses included here!) that it would be what was best for your children?
3. How far ahead to you plan your curriculum (of course knowing that everything can change in a matter of days for what works and what doesn't)?  Do you have everything from Kindergarten to senior year of high school planned, or do you just take it one year at a time?
4. What has been your biggest challenge in choosing curricula?  Subject, learning style, worldview?
5. If you could go back to the first year and tell yourself then something you know now, what would you say and why?
6. If you have a day where your children are driving you INSANE, how do you handle it?
7. Have you ever homeschooled older kids with a brand new baby in the house?  How on earth did you manage?
8. What is the most fascinating thing you have learned since you began homeschooling?

Aaaaaand now to answer them myself :)

1.  What made you decide to homeschool?

I decided to homschool because Thing 1 is ahead in some subjects and behind in others.  I was already considering it because the schools around here are bound by standardized tests, and because I was one of those kids who basically slipped through the cracks (didn't do my homework, passed, and they didn't really seem to mind too much, although my parents sure did).

2.  Did you have to work to convince family and close friends (spouses included here!) that it would be what was best for your children?

Not really.  Link was pretty onboard as soon as I mentioned it, and the only obstacle I have run into with family is the social aspect.  But then, they all know that Link and I would be hermits if we could get away with it, so I guess in our case it just might be a valid concern of our families'.

3.  How far ahead to you plan your curriculum (of course knowing that everything can change in a matter of days for what works and what doesn't)?  Do you have everything from Kindergarten to senior year of high school planned, or do you just take it one year at a time?

I have very tentatively planned at this point until 4th grade.  I had originally pretty much had all the way through high school planned, and then a certain Thing 1 decided to show he already knew how to read and that threw a massive wrench into EVERYTHING.  Plus I change my mind regularly, so I figure maybe if I just plan until 4th grade (the end of the grammar stage in the Classical model) then I have less work to redo when I change my mind again ;)

4.  What has been your biggest challenge in choosing curricula?  Subject, learning style, worldview?

My biggest challenge at first was finding science.  Link and I have different views on things, so finding something that fit was nearly impossible.  Then I found something that fit, and reading is now the thorn in my side.  It's always gotta be something ;)  At this point I've pretty much thrown in the towel and reading will be mostly for pleasure for a while.

5.  If you could go back to the first year and tell yourself then something you know now, what would you say and why?

Well, I'm still in my first year ;)  But if I could go back to the beginning of our schooling I'd tell myself to chill out and not worry so much about things.  I worry about not getting enough done, but we do each subject rather sporadically.  Which reminds me, I would also tell myself not to let Thing 1 take too long of a break in math.  He forgets a lot of stuff when there's too much of a break.

6.  If you have a day where your children are driving you INSANE, how do you handle it?

I send Thing 1 to go play and count down the minutes until Thing 2's naptime and then just spend some time by myself in the quiet.  I am trying to break my yelling habits.

7.  Have you ever homeschooled older kids with a brand new baby in the house?  How on earth did you manage?

Thing 2 was like 6 months old when I started teaching Thing 1, so not a new baby, but still juuuuuuuuuuust mobile enough that I had to pay a lot of attention to him to make sure he didn't get hurt.  That is another reason for our very relaxed homeschooling style so far.  It's more like "nap school"  ;)

8.  What is the most fascinating thing you have learned since you began homeschooling?

I had no idea there was a 13th astronomical zodiac sign!  I can't for the life of me remember the name, but there is one!  That's just the first one that comes to mind right now.  My brain kinda died when I just pulled a couple pieces of dog food out of Thing 2's mouth.  YUCK!

TOS Primary Student Planner

I am by far one of the least organized people I know, and I hope to both change that, and to help my kids become more organized than I am.

Several months ago, I purchased the The Old Schoolhouse Planner, and was overjoyed with the number of forms and lists and recipes and everything else in the planner.  The pdf file is huuuuge, has forms I never would've thought of on my own, and can be typed in so if I don't feel like handwriting something, I can type it before printing it.

When I found out that TOS has designed STUDENT planners, I was excited, but unsure if I would actually USE anything in them since I already have the big "parent" planner.

I (and other members of the Crew) were given the opportunity to review one of the student planners, and I volunteered for the Primary level one.  Yes, seeing the High School, Middle School or Secondary (for grades 4-6) planner was tempting, but I have a Kindergartner, it only makes sense that I would review the planner made for K-3 students.

This pdf file, at 203 pages long, is definitely something that I will be using for Thing 1.  I already have calendar pages from my big planner, but I can print off calendar pages for my currently calendar-obsessed 5 year old, and then he'd leave MINE alone ;)

There are also some AWESOME lists in this planner, like a list of the first 13 colonies, the periods of history, the order the States became states (does that make sense?), and a number of other awesome lists that even after the 2010-2011 school year is over we can use in our studies.

A word of caution: If you use an inkjet printer, printing off a lot of pages can use a TON of ink.  Thanks to Link, I have a laser printer now, so that is one less thing for me to worry about (my inkjet prints beautifully, but MAN it uses a ton of ink!)  However, you do have the option of typing directly onto the form and just saving it on the computer, which cuts the ink cost out of the equation entirely.

This planner is $9.95 in the TOS Store.  You can also buy it in various bundles with the big TOS planner, or other levels of student planner, or even with one of TOS's Curiosity Files.


Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review on the product.  I received no other compensation.

Brill Kids Little Reader

In today's world, both homeschooler's and public schoolers are being expected to learn skills like reading earlier and earlier.  Just how early can this be done?



According to Brill Kids, it can be begun as early as 3-6 months old!

I was given the opportunity to review Brill Kids' Little Reader BASIC program.  It has two "semesters" (one year) worth of lessons, beginning with individual words and moving on later on to simple sentences.



The program I reviewed is on the computer, and has two small lessons per day.  You watch them with your child (it's similar to flash cards on the screen), working to make it exciting and interesting for your child.  By the end of everything, your child should be able to see, for example, the word "sit" and know that it is the word sit, and what it means to sit (there is an animated image as part of the lesson showing a baby sitting).

You have the chance (and it is encouraged) to personalize the program.  For example, there is a Family section where you are encouraged to put pictures of each of your family members, add the names, and you can also record yourself saying the names.  In my case I added myself, Link, Thing 1, and our puppy, besides adding Thing 2's own picture.  It was really simple, since everything was labelled.  If you DO have trouble though, there are forums where you can go to ask additional questions of other users, and see how they did it.

Thing 2 was NOT impressed with this program at all.  He much preferred to go after my keyboard.  Other babies likely would have a less button-centric attention span, and have better luck with this program.  Another issue we had, besides the button thing, is that I am not a huge fan of starting off with teaching sight reading.  This is not a phonics program, and so even if Thing 2 HAD paid attention to it, I would not continue to use it.  I prefer to start with phonics instruction.  Not everyone feels this way though, and this program would be a better fit for those who don't mind going into sight reading first.

The BASIC program, which I reviewed, starts at $149.00 for a single semester of lessons, going up to $199.00 for a full year worth of lessons.  Add an additional $10.00 if you want a physical disc instead of just the download.  This includes nothing but the lessons on the computer, and support.

If doing everything on the computer is not for you, Brill Kids also offers a DELUXE package that includes physical flash cards and other physical activities to help you with teaching your little one.  The DELUXE is only available with a full year of lessons, and is $360.00.



At this time, the program is only available for Windows based systems.  According to this page, there are plans to do a Mac version, but it will not likely be for a while.

Looking for other opinions?  Check out what other Crew members thought of this program!

Disclaimer: I received this product free from the vendor for the purpose of this review in exchange for my honest opinion and experience on it.  I received no other compensation for this review.

Read, Write and Type

Computers are becoming more and more important these days.  There are schools around the country that are introducing computers into the classroom earlier and earlier.  Typing skills are becoming a must for the working world for more and more jobs because almost all communication is being done through email or other typed mediums.  So, just how early should someone work on teaching their child to type?

With Talking Fingers' Read, Write and Type learning system, the time can be NOW.  Recommended for K-3, this program pulls phonics practice and typing together by having teh child type letters based on the SOUND of the letter instead of the NAME of the letter.  For example, instead of "Type the letter S", your child is asked to type the letter that makes the sound "ssssssssss".  As the child progresses, they move into more reading-type exercises, and even get to create their own stories as well.

The game starts off with a basic introduction of the hand characters on the sides of the on-screen keyboard (Lefty and Rightway), before the virus named Vexor comes and crashes the party.  The child then spends the game undoing the damage that Vexor did. 

Thing 1, while he found the game fun, did not ask to play it again.  He much prefers his own method of typing practice, rather than being told what to type.  In all honesty, typing was my least favorite topic in school as well (I often still watch my fingers when I type, but I type pretty quickly).  So Thing 1 and I will not be continuing with this product.  Besides the desire to type what he wants, Thing 1 already knows how to read and is not a fan of phonics practice.



Read, Write and Type is available from Takling Fingers, starting at $35 for a single user for download.  It is also available as a CD product, (the site cautions that the CD version is NOT compatible with Windows 7 or Mac OS 10.6 at this time) for $79 which comes with a few extras like an activity book and a laminated "keyboard" for practicing away from the computer.  You can also do an online demo here, allowing you to REALLY get a look before you decide whether or not to purchase the program (on that page also, there is a form to fill out to be able to get 20% off of your next order by joining their mailing list and answering some questions!)



Keep in mind, in order for Read, Write and Type to work, your system needs to meet a few requirements.   You can find out about those and find the answers to other frequently asked questions on their FAQ page, here.

Talking Fingers offers another program as well, for older students, Wordy Qwerty.  It is for grades 2-4, so if you like the looks of Read, Write and Type but don't want the younger level for your child, you do have another option.


Other Crew members and their children have different opinions on their experience with Read, Write and Type, go check those out at the Crew blog!

Disclaimer: I received this product free from the vendor for the purpose of this review in exchange for my honest opinion and experience on it.  I received no other compensation for this review.

LanSchool

You see the subtitle under my main title?  About "Raising Two Future Geeks"?  With Link being a computer guy, we have 3 computers in the house.  Mine, Link's, and Thing 1's (which he'll eventually share with Thing 2).  Thing 1 loves using the different drawing programs on his computer, and OFTEN asks me to save the files for him.  When I'm trying to research something else or don't feel like fighting the mess on his desk to get to the entire keyboard, doing it on HIS machine just isn't feasible.

What to do?



I turn to this program that I have been given the chance to review: LanSchool Home.  LanSchool Technologies created this program, and you can purchase it for $99.  It does have some specific technical requirements, which you can find on their website here.  And while you're there, you can watch their guided tour, and see some of the technical advantages to LanSchool versus their competition.  If you like what you see, you can also check out the free trial.

In all honesty, I know that not everyone has a family full of computer geeks, and not everyone would allow a five year old to have their own computer.  This program is especially helpful in our household because we DO happen to be a bunch of geeks with a five year old computer owner ;)

My example earlier with saving the files from my own computer is just the task I have used LanSchool for most, taking control of Thing 1's computer from mine.  This is made possible because we do have all of our computers on a network, and my computer has the TEACHER console while Thing 1's computer has the STUDENT portion.  If I were to put the student version onto Link's computer as well, I'd actually be able to watch both computers at once (as well as take control of either computer... which is why Link refuses to let me put the Student one on his computer *giggle*).

If I choose, I can also just watch what Thing 1 is doing on his computer, or disable things like internet browsing, or individual programs from my console. 

This is my console.  You can't really see in this picture, but I have options like limiting USB, Control, blank screen (which also allows me to put a message up if I so choose), as well as the option to shutdown his computer.

Here is another view from my console, while I am controlling Thing 1's computer.  He happened to have an update that needed to be installed this morning :)

I can't get a screenshot of it, but if I "blank" his screen, I can add a message.  This makes it to where he cannot use his computer or even look at anything but a blank screen with my message until I turn the function off.  This does have an issue if you try to leave it going for a long period of time though.  The first time I did it (Thing 1 was having issues getting chores done that day) I put it up and walked away from my computer.  My computer is set up to go into hibernate mode after a certain period of time, at which point the message and blank screen disappeared.  Waking my computer up again fixed the issue, but Thing 1 was quick to point it out when it happened, so it was definitely noticeable.

I do love this program, but I know that it is really not the type of thing for everyone.  Many families only have one computer, or even just one or two computers but the kids share parent computers and also don't do a lot of school stuff or free time on the computer.  In a more tech-centric family like my own, this is a wonderful program though (in my geeky opinion).  It is also available for school usage, information for which you can find on their website.  Some of the functions on the home version (like the question asking and the testing things) are more classroom-friendly, since if Thing 1 has a question he can turn around and ask me (and if I happen to be in a different room, asking on the computer won't do any good anyway)  These perhaps could be used in the future if we get more computers or ever spread the computers out of all being in the same room.

Not as crazy about computers as my family?  Perhaps there is another member of the Crew who shares the same view as you, and can give you some insights as to how this program would work in your family!  Go have a look at the TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: I received this product free from the vendor for the purpose of this review in exchange for my honest opinion and experience on it.  I received no other compensation for this review.